​​​​Wikipedia or other online wiki sources are helpful for finding background information on a topic and getting ideas for keywords and phrases, but they should never be used as a cited reference in academic research. 

Okay, but why not?

• Wikipedia content is not necessarily written by subject experts, and may be inadequate or incorrect.
• Articles in Wikipedia may be changed or deleted between viewings. (See Wikipedia’s controversies)
• For research papers, you need authoritative resources, so it is absolutely necessary to consult scholarly sources. 
• Anyone can search Google or find a Wikipedia article. To demonstrate academic skill and critical thinking, it is important to go beyond these basic tools.

What CAN I use Wikipedia for?

If the website entries provide references, these can be sources of scholarly information to explore further.  Here is an example of an article with extensive references from academic books and journals on the topic of Alzheimer's disease. This article is also designated as a Feature Article by Wikipedia because meets specific criteria such as supporting claims with citations.