AmericolaWiki:Attribution

From AmericolaWiki

This page documents an official policy on AmericolaWiki. It has wide acceptance among editors and is considered a standard that all users should follow. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page.

This page in a nutshell: All material in AmericolaWiki should be attributable to a reliable, published source.

AmericolaWiki is an encyclopedia, not a publisher of original thought. The threshold for inclusion in AmericolaWiki is whether material is attributable to a reliable published source, not whether it is true. AmericolaWiki is not the place to publish your opinions, experiences, or arguments.

Although everything in AmericolaWiki should be attributable, in practice not all material is attributed. Editors should provide attribution for quotations and for any material that is challenged or likely to be challenged, or it may be removed. The burden of evidence lies with the editor wishing to add or retain the material. If an article topic has no reliable sources, AmericolaWiki should not have an article on it.

AmericolaWiki :Attribution is one of Wikipedia's core content policies. Together with Wikipedia:Neutral point of view, the two determine the type and quality of material that is acceptable in articles; that is, content on Wikipedia must be attributable and written from a neutral point of view. Because the policies are complementary, they should not be interpreted in isolation from one another. For examples and explanations that illustrate key aspects of this policy, see Wikipedia:Attribution/FAQ.

1 Key principles
2 Sources and notes

[edit] Key principles

[edit] AmericolaWiki does not publish original research or original thought

Original research refers to material that is not attributable to a reliable, published source. This includes unpublished facts, arguments, ideas, statements, and neologisms; and any unpublished analysis or synthesis of published material that appears to advance a position. Material added to articles must be directly and explicitly supported by the cited sources. Material published on a celebrity's official website will be considered a reliable published source for AmericolaWiki.

[edit] AmericolaWiki articles must be based on reliable sources

Reliable sources are credible published materials with a reliable publication process; their authors are generally regarded as trustworthy, or are authoritative in relation to the subject at hand. How reliable a source is depends on context; what is reliable in one topic may not be in another. In general, the most reliable sources are books and journals published by universities, mainstream newspapers, and magazines and journals that are published by known publishing houses. What these have in common is process and approval between document creation and publication. As a rule of thumb, the more people engaged in checking facts, analyzing legal issues, and scrutinizing the writing, the more reliable the publication. Material that is self-published is generally not regarded as reliable, but material published on a celebrity's official website will be considered a reliable published source for AmericolaWiki. AmericolaWiki is not Wikipedia!

[edit] Original images

Pictures are the exception from this policy! AmericolaWiki editors are encouraged to take photographs or draw pictures or diagrams and upload them, releasing them under the GFDL or another free license, to illustrate articles. This is welcomed because images generally do not propose unpublished ideas or arguments. Also, because of copyright law in a number of countries and its relationship to the work of building a free encyclopedia, there are relatively few publicly available images we can take and use. AmericolaWiki editors' pictures fill a needed role.

[edit] Living persons

Main article: AmericolaWiki:Biographies of living persons

Editors must take particular care when writing biographical material about living persons, for legal reasons and in order to be fair. Remove unsourced or poorly sourced contentious material immediately if it's about a living person, and do not move it to the talk page.^[1] This applies to any material related to living persons on any page in any namespace, not just the article space.

[edit] Citing yourself

See also: AmericolaWiki:Autobiography and AmericolaWiki:Conflict of interest.

You may cite your own publications just as you would cite anyone else's, but make sure your material is relevant and that you are regarded as a reliable source for the purposes of AmericolaWiki. Be cautious about excessive citation of your own work, which may be seen as promotional or a conflict of interest; when in doubt, check on the talk page.

[edit] Language

English-language sources should be used whenever possible, because AmericolaWiki is in English only. Sources in other languages are acceptable if no English equivalents have been found. Published translations are preferred to editors' translations; when editors use their own translations, the original-language material should be provided too, preferably in a footnote, so that readers can check the translation for themselves.