Should wikipedia be considered a reliable academic source?

I like it it at least gives me a good start on finding more info on alot of subjects.

it should not, it is a very reliable source but it's not for citing, at least as an authoritative source, the idea is that you use it as a starting point of your research. They explain it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer

I think that you could use Wikipedia when you're looking for a quick answer or just a basic idea about certain topics, but that it really can't be considered a reliable academic source. My professors also highly discourage us from quoting Wikipedia as our sources in our papers. Because as extensive and reliable as Wikipedia is, the fact that just about anyone can edit information whether it's true or not, can prove to be really problematic in a lot of cases. So yeah, I think Wikipedia can be used as a starting ground for academic sources, but that it really shouldn't be considered as a reliable academic source.

I use Wikipedia mainly for the basic areas of my academic research. Using textbooks and also the links at the bottom of the pages will give you more accurate and detailed information then Wikipedia.

I like it very much. I think it's a good start to find information about something. But you have to use it carefully.