Wikipedia is a great resource for getting general info about something, but because anyone can contribute or change its content it is considered unreliable. College faculty typically do not consider Wikipedia a credible information source.
Instead, use the library's print or electronic encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other reference books to backup the basic information of your research paper. These resources have gone through an editorial process to check for accuracy. To the right and below are some resources that may be of use.
Below are key reference books that provide a general overview of a topic or help identify synonyms, related terms, or basic data. These sources often include references and lists of further readings.
The Grove Dictionary of Art by 
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians by 
The Oxford Companion to Philosophy by 
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment by 
New Dictionary of the History of Ideas by 
Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History by 
Dictionary of National Biography
Encyclopedia of Romanticism: Culture in Britain, 1780s-1830s by 
The Piano: An Encyclopedia by 
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians by 
The Oxford History of Western Music by 
The Oxford Companion to Art by 
European Writers by 
The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French by 
Encyclopedia of German Literature by 
Dictionary of Scientific Biography by 
Dictionary of Literary Biography