MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (AP) – The history department at Middlebury College has banned students from citing the online encyclopedia Wikipedia in their research.

History Professor Neil Waters said Wikipedia can be used to point a researcher in the right direction, but it can’t be used in a footnote.

“In fact, I use it myself,” Waters said of Wikipedia. “But it is a useful beginning point that can point to better-vetted sources, or suggest possible research topics … It cannot serve as the end of the research process, and it cannot stand as an authoritative citation.”

Even the Wikipedia Foundation agrees with the rule.

“We think that this is a sensible policy,” said a statement from the foundation. “Wikipedia is the ideal place to start your research and get a global picture of a topic; however, it is not an authoritative source.”

Wikipedia was created in 2001 as a Web research tool. It has more than 1.6 million articles, contributed by members of the public.

Waters said he formulated the policy after students began citing it in term papers and pieces of misinformation began appearing in students’ examinations.

“Wikipedia, as a little checking revealed, was the source,” he said.

Middlebury College history major Peter Prial said he didn’t think many of his classmates used Wikipedia. “I was taught in high school that it was not a citable source,” he said, “and teachers steered students away from using it even casually.”