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Is it okay to use wikipedia as supplement for some study?

CodeBlox

Take AES, I wanted to know a little more about AES for security+. Is it okay to rely on the wikipedia article to be accurate or have people found things downright wrong in relation to "technical" topics?

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Comments

erpadmin

A Wikipedia article is only as good as the sources it cites. If there aren't sources that are credible, then I tend to dismiss the article outright.

I will use a "wiki" just like I would have used an encyclopedia article to give me a jump start on what I should look for in credible sources. However, I would never use that encylopedia article as a source for my work, nor a wiki. If I wrote a paper that had encylopedia articles as sources, it could be the best paper ever, but I would fail, or at best get a D, which is still a fail. However, that same paper with proper sources will get me a B to an A.

This is how I was taught when I want to research a topic I'm unfamiliar with from a very young age.

I know you are researching AES as you want to know how that encryption works, and if the Wiki you are using has credible sources (peer-reviewed journals, white papers, documentation from the creators of AES, etc.) then that might be enough. Otherwise, you may want to continue digging.

CodeBlox

Could you suggest a source of whitepapers on the subject of networking? Preferably free -_-

chrisone

I will point you to some link of websites where you can search. However i wont do the searching for you. Part of being a network engineer/technician/admin is to do your own research. So this is a good start for you and to get familiar with researching.

Cisco Systems, Inc - use the search at the top

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/ - look under the CCNA Security EXAM. They will have some documents/videos you can use to review the fundamentals of network security.

http://www.garykessler.net/library/crypto.html - is a very good tutorial. Pretty much gave you a one here hahaha

Goodluck.

demonfurbie

Free CompTIA Network+ Study Guide by MC MCSE

Qord

CodeBlox wrote: »

Take AES, I wanted to know a little more about AES for security+. Is it okay to rely on the wikipedia article to be accurate or have people found things downright wrong in relation to "technical" topics?

If you doubt the information presented to you there, follow the trail of references they leave you at the bottom. There's a great wealth of information to come from materials used to write Wikipedia pages.

chrisone

Free basic networking turtorials from cisco

https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/docs/DOC-6074

stuh84

I usually use Wiki to either confirm something I already know, or just to get a general overview on a topic. For example I wouldn't go to it to find out the ins and outs of the Dijkstra algorithm, but if I wanted to quickly see what a domain controller was or the basics of how a route reflector works, thats where I'd go.

If it intrigued me enough and/or left me asking questions, I'd start searching elsewhere.

Ahriakin

Treat a Wiki point as something learned at the water cooler.