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Revision as of 18:12, 27 February 2007 view sourceKevin Murray (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users14,670 edits →Special cases: created atheletes section, removed redundant mention of "multiple trivial etc" from atheletes. removed "sportspeople" as unneeded redundancy + other formatting← Previous edit Revision as of 00:44, 28 February 2007 view source Kevin Murray (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users14,670 edits →Primary criterion: added updated language from WP:NNext edit →
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==Primary criterion== ==Primary criterion==
All subjects of Misplaced Pages articles should meet the ] for inclusion, summarized here: All subjects of Misplaced Pages articles should meet the ] for inclusion, summarized here:
* The person has been a primary subject of multiple non-trivial published works the source of which is independent of the person.{{fn|1}} * The person has been the subject of at least one substantial or multiple, non-trivial published works the source of which is independent of the person.{{fn|1}}
** This criterion includes published works which meet the ] in all forms, such as newspaper articles, magazine articles, books, scholarly papers, and television documentaries{{fn|2}} ''except'' for the following: ** This criterion includes published works which meet the ] in all forms, such as newspaper articles, magazine articles, books, scholarly papers, and television documentaries{{fn|2}} ''except'' for the following:
*** Works carrying merely trivial coverage, such as newspaper articles that just mention the person in passing, telephone directory listings, or simple records of births and deaths.{{fn|3}} *** Works carrying merely trivial coverage, such as newspaper articles that just mention the person in passing, telephone directory listings, or simple records of births and deaths.{{fn|3}}

Revision as of 00:44, 28 February 2007

WP:BIO redirects here. You may have been looking for Misplaced Pages:Autobiography, Misplaced Pages:Biographies of living persons, or Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Biography.
Blue tickThis page documents an English Misplaced Pages notability criteria.
Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page.		Shortcut
  • ]
Notability
General notability guideline
Subject-specific guidelines
See also

Like any encyclopedia, Misplaced Pages includes biographies of important historical figures and people involved in current events. Even though wiki is not paper, there are some criteria which may be considered for inclusion.

This guideline is not Misplaced Pages policy (and indeed the whole concept of notability is contentious). However, it is the opinion of many, but not all, Wikipedians that these criteria are a fair test of whether a person or related group of people has sufficient external notice to ensure that they can be covered from a neutral point of view based on verifiable information from reliable sources, without straying into original research (all of which are formal policies).

This guideline covers small groups of closely related people such as families, entertainment groups, co-authors, and co-inventors. It does not cover groups of unrelated people which are covered by the Misplaced Pages:Notability (organizations and companies) guideline, or the proposed guidelines Misplaced Pages:Notability (local churches and other religious congregations) and Misplaced Pages:Schools.

Please see criteria for speedy deletion for policy on speedy deletion. The fact that an article doesn't meet guidelines on this page, does not necessarily mean it qualifies for speedy deletion, as a mere claim of notability (even if contested) may avoid deletion under criterion A7 (Unremarkable people or groups). However, an AfD nomination may result in deletion, on consensus, after a 5 day debate.

In general, an article's text should include enough information to explain why the person is notable, and such information should be verifiable. Biographies of living persons are subject to additional rules and restrictions.

Primary criterion

All subjects of Misplaced Pages articles should meet the central notability criterion for inclusion, summarized here:

  • The person has been the subject of at least one substantial or multiple, non-trivial published works the source of which is independent of the person.Template:Fn
    • This criterion includes published works which meet the reliable source guidelines in all forms, such as newspaper articles, magazine articles, books, scholarly papers, and television documentariesTemplate:Fn except for the following:
      • Works carrying merely trivial coverage, such as newspaper articles that just mention the person in passing, telephone directory listings, or simple records of births and deaths.Template:Fn

The following are cases in which this type of coverage is likely to be available.

Special cases

The following criteria make it likely that sufficient reliable information is available about a given person. People who satisfy at least one of these criteria may merit their own Misplaced Pages articles, as there is likely to be a good deal of verifiable information available about them and a good deal of public interest in them.

This list is only a guideline, and should not be used an absolute test of notability; each article should stand or fall on its own merits.

  • The person made a widely recognized contribution that is part of the enduring historical record in their specific field.Template:Fn
  • Politicians:
    • Just being an elected local official does not guarantee notability.
    • Politicians who have held international, national or statewide/provincewide office, and members and former members of a national, state or provincial legislatures.Template:Fn
    • Major local political figures who have received significant press coverage.Template:Fn
  • Athletes:
    • Competitors who have played in a fully professional league, or a competition of equivalent standing in a non-league sport such as swimming and tennis
    • Competitors who have played or at the highest level in amateur sports.
    • Competitors in college sports in the United States. Articles about first team squad members who have not made a first team appearance may also be appropriate, but only if the individual is at a club of sufficient stature that most members of its squad are worthy of articles.
  • Entertainers: actors, comedians, opinion makers, and television personalities who have appeared in well-known films or television productions. Notability can be determined by:
    • Multiple features in credible magazines and newspapersTemplate:Fn
    • A large fan base, fan listing, or "cult" following
    • A credible independent biographyTemplate:Fn
    • Wide name recognition
    • Commercial endorsements
  • Creative Professions:
    • Authors, editors and photographers whose published work received multiple independent reviews or awards.
    • Artists,painters, sculptors whose work is widely recognized as likely to become a part of the enduring historical record of that field.
    • Architects, engineers, and professionals whose work is widely recognized as likely to become a part of the enduring historical record of that field.

Specialized guideline pages

See also

The following are other guidelines regarding biographies:

The following, while not specifically guidelines may be of interest:

Proposed alternative criteria

Red question markThis page's designation as a policy or guideline is disputed or under discussion. Please see the relevant talk page discussion for further information.

The following are proposed criteria for notability, which have not necessarily received consensus support:

  • 100 year test (future speculation) -- In 100 years time will anyone without a direct connection to the individual find the article useful?
  • 100 year test (past speculation) -- If we had comparable verifiable information on a person from 100 years ago, would anyone without a direct connection to the individual find the article useful today?

Proposed specialized guideline pages

If the subject does not appear to be noteworthy

If the article doesn't make any claim of notability, and you are not able to add one, you can add the {{nn-warn}} notice to the talk page of the article's creator. This lets the user know that failure to include such a claim may result in speedy deletion. Often, the author is able to add a claim, but didn't know one was required. You should also add the {{notability}} tag to the article to notify other editors.

If there is a claim, but you feel it doesn't meet the requirements here, you may wish to explain your position to the user, before nominating it for deletion, in case they may be able to improve it (or they may need to add verification for the claim). Generally, a personal and specific message, about your concerns about the article, on the article's talk page and/or author's talk page, is more helpful than a generic template message.

If you are not knowledgeable in the subject's field, you should add the {{expert-subject}} tag with a specific WikiProject to solicit help. Many people that appear non-notable to a lay person are notable in a specialized area of interest, and an expert may have access to WP:RS not available online.

If the author fails to present any claim, and no expert responds in a reasonable time, you can add the {{db-bio}} tag. For a claim that you feel others would not consider worthy, use {{prod}}. For a claim you feel is insufficient, but others may accept, use {{AFD}}.

WikiBios is an Open Content project for creating biographies of all people -- noteworthy or not. It's GFDL-licensed, and Misplaced Pages articles that would otherwise be deleted might be better moved there.

Lists of people

Several articles contain lists of people - for instance, an article on a college usually includes a list of alumni. Such lists are never intended to contain everyone (e.g. not all people who ever graduated from the school). Instead, the list should be limited to notable people: those that already have a Misplaced Pages article or could plausibly have one, per this guideline. Editors who would like to add themselves to such categories are advised to use categories of editors for this purpose, e.g. Category:Wikipedians by alma mater.

Notes

  • Template:Fnb Autobiography and self-promotion are not the routes to having an encyclopaedia article. The barometer of notability is whether people independent of the subject itself have actually considered the subject notable enough that they have written and published non-trivial works that focus upon it.
  • Template:Fnb What constitutes a "published work" is deliberately broad.
  • Template:Fnb Non-triviality is a measure of the depth of content of a published work, and how far removed that content is from a simple directory entry or a mention in passing that does not discuss the subject in detail. A 200-page independent biography of a person that covers that person's life in detail is non-trivial, whereas a birth certificate or a 1-line listing on an election ballot form is not. The existence of a memorial (e.g., a named chair at a university) is not a substitute for depth of content in published work.
  • Template:Fnb All of these criteria are in fact simply special cases of the general primary criterion of multiple non-trivial published works from independent sources. A person who is "part of the enduring historical record" will have been written about, in depth, independently in multiple history books on that field, by historians. A politician who has received "significant press coverage" has been written about, in depth, independently in multiple news feature articles, by journalists. An actor who has been featured in magazines has been written about, in depth, independently in multiple magazine feature articles, by magazine article writers. An actor or TV personality who has "an independent biography" has been written about, in depth, in a book, by an independent biographer.
  • Template:Fnb This is a secondary criterion. People who satisfy this criterion will almost always satisfy the primary criterion. Biographers and historians will usually have already written about the past and present holders of major political offices. However, this criterion ensures that our coverage of major political offices, incorporating all of the present and past holders of that office, will be complete regardless.
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