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Psychology: Debates · Journals · Psychologists
The Psychology Wiki is increasingly used by people in the academic community, from first-year students to professors, as an easily accessible tertiary source for information about anything and everything. However, citation of the Psychology Wiki in research papers may not be considered acceptable, because it is not yet considered a credible source.
We are currently working with the national psychological societies to improve the academic ovesight of the information collected here and hope to institute a system of peer review and formal approval of at least some of the content. This would make it more suitable for academic uses. If this develops then each page will be tagged.
In the meantime follow two simple rules:
Do your research properly. Remember that any source like this is a starting point for research, not an ending point
At this stage the Psychology Wiki is great for getting a general understanding of a subject before you dive into it. But then you 'do' have to dive into your subject; using books and articles and other appropriate sources will provide better research. Research from these sources will be more detailed, more precise, more carefully reasoned, and (in most cases) more broadly peer reviewed than the summary you found in an encyclopedia. These will be the sources you cite in your paper. There is no need to cite Psychology Wiki in this case.
Use your judgment. Remember that all sources have to be evaluated.
Psychology Wiki is not a replacement for a reading assignment by your professor. If a book is in your university library or published by a reputable university press, or if an article is in a standard academic journal, that means that several professors at some point have considered the information and considered it worthy to publish. Be careful not to use sources that are too old, however, as some methods and conclusions might be out of date.