Wikipedia: Triumph of groupwork or snake oil?

In short, the answer is yes. Yes to both.

If you aren't familiar with Wikipedia, just go Google something. Anything. Odds are pretty good one of the first ten links returned will be from Wikipedia. As described on its about page, Wikipedia is a collaborative encyclopedia. Anyone can play. And that means you get a diverse collection of views, opinions, and facts--which is good. But it also means you get a diverse collection of views, opinions, and facts--which is bad.

It's bad because, as Obi-Wan Kenobi once said, many of the truths that we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. Put another way, before you consider wikidpedia a major part of your research work, verify what you find there.

In many cases, Wikipedia includes a bibliography at the bottom of the entry. And, in fairness to them, a number of volunteers try to make sure the information listed on Wikipedia is accurate. If they aren't sure, they often flag the information.

So if you're starting a new avenue of research, Wikipedia may be a great place to start. But before you base your historical novel on the information you found there, you probably want to confirm the important points.