Wikipedia:Verifiability
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 | This page in a nutshell:Readers must be able to check that any of the information within Wikipedia articles is not just made up. This means all material must be attributable to reliable, published sources. Additionally, quotations and any material challenged or likely to be challenged must be supported byinline citations. |
In theEnglish Wikipedia,verifiabilitymeans people using the encyclopedia can check that the information comes from areliable source.Its content is determined by previously published information rather than editors' beliefs, opinions, experiences, orpreviously unpublished ideas or information.Even if you are sure something is true, it must have been previously published in a reliable source before you can add it.[a]If reliable sources disagree with each other, then maintain aneutral point of viewand present what the various sources say, giving each side itsdue weight.
All material inWikipedia mainspace,including everything in articles, lists, and captions, must be verifiable. Additionally, four types of information must be accompanied by aninline citationto a reliable source that directly supports[b]the material. The four types are:
- direct quotations,
- material whose verifiability has beenchallenged,
- material whose verifiability islikely to be challenged,and
- contentious material aboutliving and recently deceased persons.
Any material that needs an inline citation but does not have one may be removed. Please immediately remove contentious materialabout living people(or existing groups) that is unsourced or poorly sourced.
For how to write citations, seeciting sources.Verifiability,no original research,andneutral point of vieware Wikipedia's core content policies. They work together to determine content, so editors should understand the key points of all three. Articles must also comply with thecopyright policy.
Responsibility for providing citations
All content must be verifiable.The burden to demonstrate verifiability lies with the editor who adds or restores material,and it is satisfied by providing aninline citationto a reliable source that directly supports[b]the contribution.[c]
Using inline citations, provide reliable, published sources for all:
- direct quotations,
- material whose verifiability has been challenged
- material whose verifiability islikely to be challenged,and
- contentious matter aboutliving and recently deceased persons.
The cited source must clearly support the material as presented in the article. Cite the source clearly, ideally giving page number(s)—though sometimes a section, chapter, or other division may be appropriate instead; seeWikipedia:Citing sourcesfor details of how to do this.
Any material lacking an inline citation to a reliable source that directly supports[b]the material may be removed and should not be restored without an inline citation to a reliable source. Whether and how quickly material should be initially removed for not having an inline citation to a reliable source depends on the material and the overall state of the article. In some cases, editors may object if you remove material without giving them time to provide references. Consider adding acitation neededtag as an interim step.[d]When tagging or removing material for lacking an inline citation, please state your concern that it may not be possible to find a published reliable source, and the material therefore may not be verifiable.[e]If you think the material is verifiable,you are encouraged to provide an inline citation yourselfbefore considering whether to remove or tag it.
Donotleave unsourced or poorly sourced material in an article if it might damage the reputation ofliving people[1]or existing groups, and do not move it to the talk page. You should also be aware of howWikipedia:Biographies of living personsalsoapplies to groups.
Reliable sources
What counts as a reliable source
Acited source on Wikipediais often a specific portion of text (such as a short article or a page in a book). But when editors discuss sources (for example, to debate their appropriateness or reliability) the wordsourcehas four related meanings:
- The work itself (the article, book: "That book looks like a useful source for this article." ) and works like it ( "An obituary can be a useful biographical source", "A recent source is better than an old one" )
- The creator of the work (the writer, journalist: "What do we know about that source's reputation?" ) and people like them ( "A medical researcher is a better source than a journalist for medical claims" ).
- The publication (for example, the newspaper, journal, magazine: "That source covers the arts." ) and publications like them ( "A newspaper is not a reliable source for medical claims" ).
- The publisher of the work (for example,Cambridge University Press:"That source publishes reference works." ) and publishers like them ( "An academic publisher is a good source of reference works" ).
All four can affect reliability.
Base articles on reliable,independent,published sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy. Source material must have beenpublished,the definition of which for the purposes of Wikipedia ismade available to the public in some form.[f]Unpublishedmaterials are not considered reliable. Use sources that directly support the material presented in an article and are appropriate to the claims made. The appropriateness of any source depends on the context. Be especially careful when sourcingcontent related to living peopleormedicine.
If available, academic andpeer-reviewedpublications are usually the most reliable sources on topics such as history, medicine, and science.
Editors may also use material from reliable non-academic sources, particularly if it appears in respectedmainstreampublications. Other reliable sources include:
- University-level textbooks
- Books published by respectedpublishing houses
- Mainstream (non-fringe) magazines, including specialty ones
- Reputable newspapers
Editors may also use electronic media, subject to the same criteria (see details inWikipedia:Identifying reliable sourcesandWikipedia:Search engine test).
Best sources
Thebest sourceshave a professional structure for checking or analyzing facts, legal issues, evidence, and arguments. The greater the degree of scrutiny given to these issues, the more reliable the source.
Newspaper and magazine blogs
Some newspapers, magazines, and other news organizations host onlinecolumnsthey callblogs.[clarification needed]These may be acceptable sources if the writers are professionals, but use them with caution because blogs may not be subject to the news organization's normal fact-checking process.[g]If a news organization publishes anopinion piecein a blog, attribute the statement to the writer, e.g. "Jane Smith wrote... "Never use the blog comments that are left by the readers as sources. For personal or group blogs that arenotreliable sources, see§ Self-published sourcesbelow.
Reliable sources noticeboard and guideline
To discuss the reliability of a specific source for a particular statement, consultWikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard,which seeks to apply this policy to particular cases. For a guideline discussing the reliability of particulartypesof sources, seeWikipedia:Reliable sources.In the case of inconsistency between this policy and theWikipedia:Reliable sourcesguideline, or any other guideline related to sourcing, this policy has priority.
Sources that are usually not reliable
Questionable sources
Questionable sources are those that have a poor reputation for checking the facts, lack meaningful editorial oversight, orhave an apparent conflict of interest.
Such sources include websites and publications expressing views widely considered by other sources to be promotional, extremist, or relying heavily on unsubstantiated gossip, rumor, or personal opinion. Questionable sources should be used only as sources for material onthemselves,such as in articles about themselves; seebelow.They are not suitable sources for contentious claims about others.
Predatory open accessjournals are considered questionable due to the absence of quality control in the peer-review process.
Self-published sources
Anyone can create apersonal web page,self-publisha book, orclaim to be an expert.That is why self-published material such as books, patents, newsletters, personal websites, open wikis, personal orgroup blogs(as distinguished fromnewsblogs,above),content farms,Internet forumpostings, andsocial mediapostings are largely not acceptable as sources. Self-published expert sources may be considered reliable when produced by an establishedsubject-matter expert,whose workin the relevant fieldhas previously been published byreliable,independent publications.[g]Exercise caution when using such sources: if the information in question is suitable for inclusion, someone else will probably have published it in independent, reliable sources.[2]Neveruse self-published sources asthird-party sourcesabout living people, even if the author is an expert, well-known professional researcher, or writer.
Self-published or questionable sources as sources on themselves
 | It has been suggested thatWikipedia:Reliable sources#Self-published and questionable sources as sources on themselvesandWikipedia:Biographies of living persons#Using the subject as a self-published sourcebemergedinto this section. (Discuss)Proposed since December 2023. |
Self-published and questionable sources may be used as sources of informationabout themselves,usually in articles about themselves or their activities, without the self-published source requirement that they are established experts in the field, so long as:
- The material is neither unduly self-serving nor anexceptional claim;
- It does not involve claims about third parties;
- It does not involve claims about events not directly related to the source;
- There is no reasonable doubt as to its authenticity; and
- The article is not based primarily on such sources.
This policy also applies to material made public by the source on social networking websites such asTwitter,Tumblr,LinkedIn,Reddit,andFacebook.
Wikipedia and sources that mirror or use it
Do not use articles from Wikipedia (whether English Wikipedia or Wikipedias in other languages) as sources, since Wikipedia is auser-generated source.Also, do not use websitesmirroring Wikipedia contentor publications relying on material from Wikipedia as sources. Content from a Wikipedia article is not considered reliable unless it is backed up by citingreliable sources.Confirm that these sources support the content, then use them directly.[3]
An exception is allowed when Wikipedia itself is being discussed in the article. These may cite an article, guideline, discussion, statistic, or other content from Wikipedia (or a sister project) to support a statement about Wikipedia. Wikipedia or the sister project is aprimary sourcein this case and may be used following thepolicy for primary sources.Any such use should avoidoriginal research,undue emphasison Wikipedia's role or views, andinappropriate self-reference.The article text should clarify how the material is sourced from Wikipedia to inform the reader about the potential bias.
Accessibility
Access to sources
Do not reject reliable sources just because they are difficult or costly to access. Some reliable sources are not easily accessible. For example, an online source may require payment, and a print-only source may be available only through libraries. Rare historical sources may even be available only in special museum collections and archives. If you have trouble accessing a source, others may be able to do so on your behalf (seeWikiProject Resource Exchange).
Non-English sources
Citing
Citations to non-English reliable sources are allowed on theEnglish Wikipedia.However, because this project is in English, English-language sources are preferred over non-English ones when they are available and of equal quality and relevance. As with sources in English, if a dispute arises involving a citation to a non-English source, editors may request a quotation of relevant portions of the original source be provided, either in text, in a footnote, or on the article talk page.[h](SeeTemplate:Request quotation.)
Quoting
If you quote a non-English reliable source (whether in the main text or in a footnote), a translation into English should accompany the quote. Translations published by reliable sources are preferred over translations by Wikipedians, but translations by Wikipedians are preferred over machine translations. When using a machine translation of source material, editors should be reasonably certain that the translation is accurate and the source is appropriate. Editors should not rely upon machine translations of non-English sources in contentious articles or biographies of living people. If needed, askan editor who can translate itfor you.
The original text is usually included with the translated text in articles when translated by Wikipedians, and the translating editor is usually not cited. When quoting any material, whether in English or in some other language, be careful not toviolate copyright;see thefair-use guideline.
Other issues
Verifiability does not guarantee inclusion
While information must be verifiable for inclusion in anarticle,not all verifiable information must be included.Consensusmay determine that certain information does not improve an article. Such information should be omitted orpresented instead in a different article.The responsibility for achieving consensus for inclusion is on those seeking to include disputed content.
Tagging a sentence, section, or article
If you want to request an inline citation for an unsourced statement, you can tag a sentence with the{{citation needed}}template by writing{{cn}}or{{fact}}.Other templates exist for tagging sections or entire articleshere.You can also leave a note on thetalk pageasking for a source, or move the material to the talk page and ask for a source there. To request verification that a reference supports the text, tag it with{{verification needed}}.Material that fails verification may be tagged with{{failed verification}}or removed. It helps other editors to explain your rationale for using templates to tag material in the template, edit summary, or on the talk page.
Take special care with contentiousmaterial about living and recently deceased people.Unsourced or poorly sourced material that is contentious, especially text that is negative, derogatory, or potentially damaging, should be removed immediately rather than tagged or moved to the talk page.
Exceptional claims require exceptional sources
Any exceptional claim requiresmultiplehigh-quality sources.[4]Warnings (red flags)that should prompt extra caution include:
- Surprising or apparently important claims not covered by multiple mainstream sources;
- Challenged claims that are supported purely byprimaryor self-published sources or those with an apparent conflict of interest;
- Reports of a statement by someone that seems out of character or against an interest they had previously defended;
- Claims contradicted by the prevailing view within the relevant community or that would significantly alter mainstream assumptions—especially in science, medicine, history, politics, and biographies of living and recently dead people. This is especially true when proponents say there is aconspiracyto silence them.
Verifiability and other principles
Copyright and plagiarism
Do not plagiarize or breach copyright when using sources. Summarize source material in your own words as much as possible; when quoting or closely paraphrasing a source, use aninline citation,andin-text attributionwhere appropriate.
Do not link to any source that violates the copyrights of others percontributors' rights and obligations.You can link to websites that display copyrighted works as long as the website has licensed the work or uses the work in a way compliant with fair use. Knowingly directing others to material that violates copyright may be consideredcontributory copyright infringement.If there is reason to think a source violates copyright, do not cite it.This is particularly relevant when linking to sites such asScribdorYouTube,where due care should be taken to avoid linking to material violating copyright.
Neutrality
Even when information is cited toreliable sources,you must present it with aneutral point of view(NPOV). Articles should be based onthorough research of sources.All articles must adhere to NPOV, fairly representing all majority and significant-minority viewpoints published by reliable sources, inrough proportionto the prominence of each view. Tiny-minority views need not be included, except in articles devoted to them. If there is a disagreement between sources, usein-text attribution:"John Smith argues X, while Paul Jones maintains Y," followed by aninline citation.Sources themselves do not need to maintain a neutral point of view. Indeed, many reliable sources arenotneutral. Our job as editors is simply to summarize what reliable sources say.
Notability
If noreliable,independentsources can be found on a topic, Wikipedia should not have an article on it (i.e., the topic is notnotable). However, notability is based on theexistenceof suitable sources, not on the state of sourcing in an article (WP:NEXIST).
Original research
Theno original researchpolicy (NOR) is closely related to the Verifiability policy. Among its requirements are:
- All material in Wikipedia articles must beattributableto a reliable published source. This means a reliable published source must exist for it, whether or not it is cited in the article.
- Sources must support the material clearly and directly:drawing inferences from multiple sources to advance a novel positionis prohibited by the NOR policy.[h]
- Base articles largely on reliablesecondary sources.Whileprimary sourcesare appropriate in some cases, relying on them can be problematic. For more information, see thePrimary, secondary, and tertiary sourcessection of the NOR policy, and theMisuse of primary sourcessection of the BLP policy.
See also
Guidelines
Information pages
Resources
- Backlog– links to articles that need citations added
- Template index/Sources of articles– maintenance templates for articles with sourcing problems
- The Wikipedia Library– free access to newspapers, journals, and magazines for experienced editors
- WikiProject Resource Exchange– where you can ask for help with checking an individual source
Essays
Notes
- ^This principle was previously expressed on this policy page as "the threshold for inclusion isverifiability, not truth".See the essay,Wikipedia:Verifiability, not truth.
- ^abcA source "directly supports" a given piece of material if the information is presentexplicitlyin the source, so that using this source to support the material is not a violation ofWikipedia:No original research.The location of any citation—including whether one is present in the article at all—is unrelated to whether a source directly supports the material. For questions about where and how to place citations, seeWikipedia:Citing sources,Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section § Citations,etc.
- ^Once an editor has provided any source they believe, in good faith, to be sufficient, then any editor who later removes the material must articulate specific problems that would justify its exclusion from Wikipedia (e.g. why the source is unreliable; the source does not support the claim;undue emphasis;unencyclopedic content;etc.). If necessary, all editors are then expected to help achieveconsensus,and any problems with the text or sourcing should be fixed before the material is added back.
- ^It may be that the article contains so few citations it is impractical to add specificcitation neededtags. Consider thentagginga section with{{unreferenced section}},or the article with the applicable of either{{unreferenced}}or{{more citations needed}}.For a disputed category, you may use{{unreferenced category}}.For a disambiguation page, consider asking for a citation on the talk page.
- ^When tagging or removing such material, please keep in mind such edits can easily be misunderstood. Some editors object to others making chronic, frequent, and large-scale deletions of unsourced information, especially if unaccompanied by other efforts to improve the material. Do not concentrate only on material of a particular point of view, as that may appear to be a contravention ofWikipedia:Neutral point of view.Also, check to see whether the material is sourced to a citation elsewhere on the page. For all these reasons, it is advisable to clearly communicate that you have a considered reason to believe the material in question cannot be verified.
- ^This includes material such as documents in publicly accessible archives as well as inscriptions in plain sight, e.g. tombstones.
- ^abNote that any exceptional claim would requireexceptional sources.
- ^abWhen there is a dispute as to whether a piece of text is fully supported by a given source, direct quotes and other relevant details from the source should be provided to other editors as a courtesy. Do not violate the source's copyright when doing so.
References
- ^Wales, Jimmy."Zero information is preferred to misleading or false information",WikiEN-l, May 16, 2006: "I can NOT emphasize this enough. There seems to be a terrible bias among some editors that some sort of random speculative 'I heard it somewhere' pseudo information is to be tagged with a 'needs a cite' tag. Wrong. It should be removed, aggressively, unless it can be sourced. This is true of all information, but it is particularly true of negative information about living persons."
- ^Self-published material is characterized by thelack of independent reviewers(those without a conflict of interest) validating the reliability of the content. Further examples of self-published sources include press releases, the material contained within company websites, advertising campaigns, material published in media by the owner(s)/publisher(s) of the media group, self-released music albums, and electoralmanifestos:
- TheUniversity of California, Berkeley, librarystates: "Most pages found in general search engines for the web are self-published or published by businesses small and large with motives to get you to buy something or believe a point of view. Even within university and library web sites, there can be many pages that the institution does not try to oversee."
- Princeton Universityoffers this understanding in its publication,Academic Integrity at Princeton (2011):"Unlike most books and journal articles, which undergo strict editorial review before publication, much of the information on the Web is self-published. To be sure, there are many websites in which you can have confidence: mainstream newspapers, refereed electronic journals, and university, library, and government collections of data. But for vast amounts of Web-based information, no impartial reviewers have evaluated the accuracy or fairness of such material before it's made instantly available across the globe."
- TheChicago Manual of Style, 16th Editionstates, "Any site that does not have a specific publisher or sponsoring body should be treated as unpublished or self-published work."
- ^Rekdal, Ole Bjørn (1 August 2014)."Academic urban legends".Social Studies of Science.44(4): 638–654.doi:10.1177/0306312714535679.ISSN0306-3127.PMC4232290.PMID25272616.
- ^Hume, David.An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding,Forgotten Books, 1984, pp. 82, 86; first published in 1748 asPhilosophical enquiries concerning human Understanding,(or the Oxford 1894 editionOL7067396Mat para. 91) "A wise man... proportions his belief to the evidence... That no testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony is of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous, than the fact, which it endeavors to establish; and even in that case there is a mutual destruction of arguments, and the superior only gives us an assurance suitable to that degree of force, which remains, after deducting the inferior. "In the 18th century,Pierre-Simon Laplacereformulated the idea as "The weight of evidence for an extraordinary claim must be proportioned to its strangeness."Marcello Truzzirecast it again, in 1978, as "An extraordinary claim requires extraordinary proof."Carl Sagan,finally, popularized the concept broadly as "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" in 1980 onCosmos: A Personal Voyage;this was the formulation originally used on Wikipedia.
Further reading
- Wales, Jimmy."Insist on sources",WikiEN-l, July 19, 2006: "I really want to encourage a much stronger culture which says: it is better to have no information, than to have information like this, with no sources." —referring to a rather unlikely statement about the founders of Google throwing pies at each other.