Misplaced Pages:Historical archive/Policy/Notability/Non-notability: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 15:21, 12 September 2006 editRadiant! (talk \| contribs)36,918 edits →See also: CAT:NC is existing practice, that 2.5 year old quote is not, and neither is :IMP (and you probably missed an essay or three)← Previous edit		Revision as of 01:16, 17 September 2006 edit undoFresheneesz (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users9,055 edits →Misconceptions: changing title a bitNext edit →
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	{{Proposal in a nutshell\|Notability should not be used to argue for or against the inclusion of information on Misplaced Pages – instead, official guidelines and policy relating to ], ], ], and ] should be used. However, it is valid to use notability to determine which article should include the information under consideration - and where it should be placed.}}		{{Proposal in a nutshell\|Notability should not be used to argue for or against the inclusion of information on Misplaced Pages – instead, official guidelines and policy relating to ], ], ], and ] should be used. However, it is valid to use notability to determine which article should include the information under consideration - and where it should be placed.}}

	"Notability criteria" can be more practically and efficiently met by referring to existing official guidelines or policy. Editors are to assess articles on grounds of ], ] ~~and~~ ] instead of resorting to vague words such as "notability" ~~because non-notable articles are not verifiable and therefore contain original research~~. This concept does not override either the ] or any other existing policy; it simply encourages editors to use policy rather than the ''abstract concept of notability'' such as explained in the nutshell.		"Notability criteria" can be more practically and efficiently met by referring to existing official guidelines or policy. Editors are encouraged to assess articles on grounds of ], ], ], and ] instead of resorting to vague words such as "notability". This concept does not override either the ] or any other existing policy; it simply encourages editors to use policy rather than the ''abstract concept of notability'' such as explained in the nutshell.

			== Reasons for this proposal ==

	Rationale can be found at ''']'''. Some of the arguments include that ''allowing non-notable articles attract more editors and readers'', ''notability is too vague a term to be useful'', and that ''topics with no article have the worst quality of all''. The term "''notability''" is a very vague term that can be used to mean any of the following terms (which are also vague in their own right):		Rationale can be found at ''']'''. Some of the arguments include that ''allowing non-notable articles attract more editors and readers'', ''notability is too vague a term to be useful'', and that ''topics with no article have the worst quality of all''. The term "''notability''" is a very vague term that can be used to mean any of the following terms (which are also vague in their own right):
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	"Notability" is not suitable for discussion because in a discussion between 5 people, all of them might be talking about a different thing, making ] difficult and misleading.		"Notability" is not suitable for discussion because in a discussion between 5 people, all of them might be talking about a different thing, making ] difficult and misleading.

			* ] because they encourage new editors to join, and encourage new readers to read.
⚫	== Misconceptions ==
			* ] because most would not be ].
⚫	Non-notability is often assumed to be equivalent or related to one or more of the deficiencies listed in the following subsections. These are not allowed on Misplaced Pages for their own individual reasons, under specific policies or guidelines. When deciding an article's worthiness for Misplaced Pages, be sure the article is judged against these specific criteria, not against notability '']''.
			* ] nearly as many system resources as articles that are read and edited more often.

			* ]
⚫	===]===
⚫	All information on Misplaced Pages must be written from an accessible and ]. While non-verifiable information is often not notable either (such as what I have in my pocket), in many cases non-notable information is verifiable. For example, ] is a little known quantum theory but is certainly verifiable. Something is verifiable only if it can be substantiated from ] that can be verified '''by wikipedians'''. It is not sufficient for an article to be simply theoretically verifiable. If the only source about something is its promoter and their press releases, it is not verifiable. Look for multiple non-trivial mentions in independent academic or mainstream publications: the article must be verifiable from ''reliable secondary sources''.

⚫	<blockquote style="text-align: center;">"''It isn't the lack of '''fame''' that makes the page objectionable, it's the lack of verifiability.''"<br />
⚫	– Jimbo Wales ()</blockquote>

⚫	===]===
⚫	Neutrality is non-negotiable. By extension we must not give ] to minor points of view. We must therefore be able to verify that a subject is covered neutrally. The section on undue weight notes however that minor points of view can be given as much attention as major points of view, in articles specifically devoted to those minor points of view.

⚫	An article may not include information that arbitrarily favors one side or another. However, ] in non-notable articles (as in notable articles) is most often written by an editor who has knowledge or interest in the subject, and who may contribute intended or unintended bias. This is a fixable problem, and biased non-notable articles can just as easily be corrected as biased notable articles, provided that the subject has been covered widely enough that there is informed discussion available for reference.

⚫	===Non-encyclopedic===
⚫	In a paper encyclopedia, non-notable topics are not included for practical purposes. Misplaced Pages, however, is a very different model not confined by this limitation. As the word "encyclopedia" is defined by dictionaries, notability is not a requirement; '']'' is an encyclopedia, for instance. See also an ] which argues against the claim that "Minor issues are not encyclopedic".

	==Ways of improving non-notable articles==		==Ways of improving non-notable articles==
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	One exception is ]. These articles require careful handling, and articles which are uncomplimentary and hard to verify should be fixed or deleted as soon as possible.		One exception is ]. These articles require careful handling, and articles which are uncomplimentary and hard to verify should be fixed or deleted as soon as possible.

	=== Improve the article ~~===~~		'''<font size=3>Improve the article'''
	Follow the suggestions in the {{template\|sofixit}} template, and ]! Edit the article so that it establishes the importance of the subject. Let's say you come across this stub:		:Follow the suggestions in the {{template\|sofixit}} template, and ]! Edit the article so that it establishes the importance of the subject. Let's say you come across this stub:

	:'''Eric Moussambani''' is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea.		::'''Eric Moussambani''' is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea.

	Verifiable, factual, neutral, but fails to make any ~~claim~~ of ~~notability~~. But we know there is more to it than that! How about expanding it to read:		:Verifiable, factual, neutral, but fails to make any assertion of importance. But we know there is more to it than that! How about expanding it to read:

	:'''Eric "The Eel" Moussambani''' is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea who achieved worldwide fame after finishing in the slowest time ever recorded in the Men's 100m Freestyle finals at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Moussambani had never seen a 50m pool before the competition.		::'''Eric "The Eel" Moussambani''' is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea who achieved worldwide fame after finishing in the slowest time ever recorded in the Men's 100m Freestyle finals at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Moussambani had never seen a 50m pool before the competition.

	The subject is ~~notable~~! The problem is gone.		:The subject now asserts importance! The problem is gone.

	=== Merging ~~===~~		'''<font size=3>Merging'''
	Information which is verifiable can be merged into a more major article, so as to make the information easier to find and manage (but not so as to give it ]). If merging the information would put ''undue weight'' on a main article; '''and''' the separating out of the information does not constitute a ]; '''and''' it does not violate official policy or guidelines, then the information may be kept on its own page rather than merged. '''However''', note also that though a minority view may be spelled out in great detail, to maintain our ] it should not be represented as the truth. Further, the separate page should refer back to the main article.		:Information which is verifiable can be merged into a more major article, so as to make the information easier to find and manage (but not so as to give it ]). If merging the information would put ''undue weight'' on a main article; '''and''' the separating out of the information does not constitute a ]; '''and''' it does not violate official policy or guidelines, then the information may be kept on its own page rather than merged. '''However''', note also that though a minority view may be spelled out in great detail, to maintain our ] it should not be represented as the truth. Further, the separate page should refer back to the main article.

	=== Userfying ~~===~~		'''<font size=3>Userfying'''
	Articles about garage bands whose lead singer matches the name of the user who created the article are a common occurrence on Misplaced Pages, and are frequent cases of non-notable content. These and similar instances can be ] by any editor, and the remaining redirect can be tagged for ] as a cross-namespace redirect. You can leave a polite notice such as {{template\|nn-userfy}} to explain what you did, and why (and don't forget to {{template\|welcome}} them!).		:Articles about garage bands whose lead singer matches the name of the user who created the article are a common occurrence on Misplaced Pages, and are frequent cases of non-notable content. These and similar instances can be ] by any editor, and the remaining redirect can be tagged for ] as a cross-namespace redirect. You can leave a polite notice such as {{template\|nn-userfy}} to explain what you did, and why (and don't forget to {{template\|welcome}} them!).

	=== Transwiki ~~===~~		'''<font size=3>Transwiki'''
	Some information which has no place in an encyclopedia can find a happy home in a sister project such as ]. However, most wikibook information not suitable for wikipedia can be condensed and summarized so that it is encyclopedic.		:Some information which has no place in an encyclopedia can find a happy home in a sister project such as ]. However, most wikibook information not suitable for wikipedia can be condensed and summarized so that it is encyclopedic.

	=== Tagging for cleanup ~~===~~		'''<font size=3>Tagging for cleanup'''
	The {{template\|importance}} template is one of many standard templates which can be applied to an article which fails to establish the importance of its subject. See the ] page for more details of these.		:The {{template\|importance}} template is one of many standard templates which can be applied to an article which fails to establish the importance of its subject. See the ] page for more details of these.

	=== Deleting ~~===~~		'''<font size=3>Deleting'''
	If an article cannot be merged or by nature of the subject conform to policy, then it can be ] if sufficient consensus is reached, via ], ], or ]. '''Now for an important caveat:''' This is a last resort and should only be used if the ''subject'' of the article is the problem, rather than the article's ''content''. Indeed, it is most likely a failing of the article content if it fails to explain why the subject is notable, so always try to fix content before deleting a subject. If the subject ] that the article cannot be improved, then it is a ] and should be listed there after a reasonable amount of time per ] or ].		:If an article cannot be merged or by nature of the subject conform to policy, then it can be ] if sufficient consensus is reached, via ], ], or ]. '''Now for an important caveat:''' This is a last resort and should only be used if the ''subject'' of the article is the problem, rather than the article's ''content''. Indeed, it is most likely a failing of the article content if it fails to explain why the subject is notable, so always try to fix content before deleting a subject. If the subject ] that the article cannot be improved, then it is a ] and should be listed there after a reasonable amount of time per ] or ].

		⚫	== Misconceptions - Non-notability is not...==
		⚫	Non-notability is often assumed to be equivalent or related to one or more of the deficiencies listed in the following subsections. These are not allowed on Misplaced Pages for their own individual reasons, under specific policies or guidelines. When deciding an article's worthiness for Misplaced Pages, be sure the article is judged against these specific criteria, not against notability '']''.

		⚫	===]===
		⚫	All information on Misplaced Pages must be written from an accessible and ]. While non-verifiable information is often not notable either (such as what I have in my pocket), in many cases non-notable information is verifiable. For example, ] is a little known quantum theory but is certainly verifiable. Something is verifiable only if it can be substantiated from ] that can be verified '''by wikipedians'''. It is not sufficient for an article to be simply theoretically verifiable. If the only source about something is its promoter and their press releases, it is not verifiable. Look for multiple non-trivial mentions in independent academic or mainstream publications: the article must be verifiable from ''reliable secondary sources''.

		⚫	<blockquote style="text-align: center;">"''It isn't the lack of '''fame''' that makes the page objectionable, it's the lack of verifiability.''"<br />
		⚫	– Jimbo Wales ()</blockquote>

		⚫	===]===
		⚫	Neutrality is non-negotiable. By extension we must not give ] to minor points of view. We must therefore be able to verify that a subject is covered neutrally. The section on undue weight notes however that minor points of view can be given as much attention as major points of view, in articles specifically devoted to those minor points of view.

		⚫	An article may not include information that arbitrarily favors one side or another. However, ] in non-notable articles (as in notable articles) is most often written by an editor who has knowledge or interest in the subject, and who may contribute intended or unintended bias. This is a fixable problem, and biased non-notable articles can just as easily be corrected as biased notable articles, provided that the subject has been covered widely enough that there is informed discussion available for reference.

		⚫	===]===
		⚫	In a paper encyclopedia, non-notable topics are not included for practical purposes. Misplaced Pages, however, is a very different model not confined by this limitation. As the word "encyclopedia" is defined by dictionaries, notability is not a requirement; '']'' is an encyclopedia, for instance. See also an ] which argues against the claim that "Minor issues are not encyclopedic".

			===]===

			Non-notable articles may consist of large amounts of original research. However, this is definately not always the case. Non-notable subjects are subject to the same scruitiny of original research as notable pages are. Misplaced Pages is not the place to premiere this research, notable or not.

	==See also==		==See also==

	'''Existing practice'''		'''Existing practice practice'''
	* ]		* ]
	* ]		* ]
⚫	* ]
	* ]		* ]

Line 88:		Line 99:
	* A ] of this sort		* A ] of this sort
	* A ] of the same sort.		* A ] of the same sort.

			'''Essays'''
		⚫	* ]
	* An ], arguing the need for a formal notability policy		* An ], arguing the need for a formal notability policy
	* Another ] (somewhat conflicting with the previous one)		* Another ] (somewhat conflicting with the previous one)

Revision as of 01:16, 17 September 2006

The following is a proposed Misplaced Pages policy, guideline, or process. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption.

Shortcut

]

This page in a nutshell: Notability should not be used to argue for or against the inclusion of information on Misplaced Pages – instead, official guidelines and policy relating to NOT, NPOV, NOR, and Verifiability should be used. However, it is valid to use notability to determine which article should include the information under consideration - and where it should be placed.

"Notability criteria" can be more practically and efficiently met by referring to existing official guidelines or policy. Editors are encouraged to assess articles on grounds of verifiability, original research, neutrality, and What wikipedia is not instead of resorting to vague words such as "notability". This concept does not override either the five pillars or any other existing policy; it simply encourages editors to use policy rather than the abstract concept of notability such as explained in the nutshell.

Reasons for this proposal

Rationale can be found at Misplaced Pages:Non-notability/Essay. Some of the arguments include that allowing non-notable articles attract more editors and readers, notability is too vague a term to be useful, and that topics with no article have the worst quality of all. The term "notability" is a very vague term that can be used to mean any of the following terms (which are also vague in their own right):

popularity,

amount of interesting content,

importance,

verifiability,

uniqueness.,

encyclopedic ,

"Notability" is not suitable for discussion because in a discussion between 5 people, all of them might be talking about a different thing, making agreement difficult and misleading.

Non-notable articles are beneficial because they encourage new editors to join, and encourage new readers to read.
Non-notable articles will not flood wikipedia because most would not be verifiable.
Non-notable articles would not waste nearly as many system resources as articles that are read and edited more often.
Non-notable articles would be subject to the same scrutiny as notable topics.

Ways of improving non-notable articles

An article on a non-notable subject can develop in various ways:

Articles that lack quality can be tagged as such, or readers can judge for themselves that a page is not written with the same standards as other articles. A suggested fix is to specially mark articles of quality, and also articles without quality.
Categories can be reorganized or further split off to form smaller more specific categories in which to place topics of differing degrees of fame.
Articles on non-verifiable subjects, or topics that directly violate official policy leave themselves open to being deleted.

These solutions are proposed to fix any potential problems associated with having articles of varying quality and size on Misplaced Pages (this happens anyhow, notwithstanding non-notability). Articles on topics which "will be significant one day" may fall foul of "Misplaced Pages is not a crystal ball". The subject should be judged as it is known now outside Misplaced Pages, not the current or potential content. Some articles are said to be incapable of being written in a NPOV fashion - however that is simply another crystal-ball judgement on the integrity of future editors.

One exception is living people. These articles require careful handling, and articles which are uncomplimentary and hard to verify should be fixed or deleted as soon as possible.

Improve the article

Follow the suggestions in the {{sofixit}} template, and be bold! Edit the article so that it establishes the importance of the subject. Let's say you come across this stub:

Eric Moussambani is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea.

Verifiable, factual, neutral, but fails to make any assertion of importance. But we know there is more to it than that! How about expanding it to read:

Eric "The Eel" Moussambani is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea who achieved worldwide fame after finishing in the slowest time ever recorded in the Men's 100m Freestyle finals at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Moussambani had never seen a 50m pool before the competition.

The subject now asserts importance! The problem is gone.

Merging

Information which is verifiable can be merged into a more major article, so as to make the information easier to find and manage (but not so as to give it undue weight). If merging the information would put undue weight on a main article; and the separating out of the information does not constitute a point of view fork; and it does not violate official policy or guidelines, then the information may be kept on its own page rather than merged. However, note also that though a minority view may be spelled out in great detail, to maintain our neutral point of view it should not be represented as the truth. Further, the separate page should refer back to the main article.

Userfying

Articles about garage bands whose lead singer matches the name of the user who created the article are a common occurrence on Misplaced Pages, and are frequent cases of non-notable content. These and similar instances can be moved to the user's space by any editor, and the remaining redirect can be tagged for speedy deletion as a cross-namespace redirect. You can leave a polite notice such as {{nn-userfy}} to explain what you did, and why (and don't forget to {{welcome}} them!).

Transwiki

Some information which has no place in an encyclopedia can find a happy home in a sister project such as wikibooks. However, most wikibook information not suitable for wikipedia can be condensed and summarized so that it is encyclopedic.

Tagging for cleanup

The {{importance}} template is one of many standard templates which can be applied to an article which fails to establish the importance of its subject. See the cleanup resources page for more details of these.

Deleting

If an article cannot be merged or by nature of the subject conform to policy, then it can be deleted if sufficient consensus is reached, via Speedy deletion, Proposed deletion, or Articles for deletion. Now for an important caveat: This is a last resort and should only be used if the subject of the article is the problem, rather than the article's content. Indeed, it is most likely a failing of the article content if it fails to explain why the subject is notable, so always try to fix content before deleting a subject. If the subject so obscure that the article cannot be improved, then it is a candidate for speedy deletion and should be listed there after a reasonable amount of time per CSD-A1 or CSD-A3.

Misconceptions - Non-notability is not...

Non-notability is often assumed to be equivalent or related to one or more of the deficiencies listed in the following subsections. These are not allowed on Misplaced Pages for their own individual reasons, under specific policies or guidelines. When deciding an article's worthiness for Misplaced Pages, be sure the article is judged against these specific criteria, not against notability per se.

Non-verifiability

All information on Misplaced Pages must be written from an accessible and reliable source. While non-verifiable information is often not notable either (such as what I have in my pocket), in many cases non-notable information is verifiable. For example, Qubit Field Theory is a little known quantum theory but is certainly verifiable. Something is verifiable only if it can be substantiated from reliable sources that can be verified by wikipedians. It is not sufficient for an article to be simply theoretically verifiable. If the only source about something is its promoter and their press releases, it is not verifiable. Look for multiple non-trivial mentions in independent academic or mainstream publications: the article must be verifiable from reliable secondary sources.

"It isn't the lack of fame that makes the page objectionable, it's the lack of verifiability."
– Jimbo Wales ("writing only as another user, not as The Jimbo")

Non-neutrality

Neutrality is non-negotiable. By extension we must not give undue weight to minor points of view. We must therefore be able to verify that a subject is covered neutrally. The section on undue weight notes however that minor points of view can be given as much attention as major points of view, in articles specifically devoted to those minor points of view.

An article may not include information that arbitrarily favors one side or another. However, point of view in non-notable articles (as in notable articles) is most often written by an editor who has knowledge or interest in the subject, and who may contribute intended or unintended bias. This is a fixable problem, and biased non-notable articles can just as easily be corrected as biased notable articles, provided that the subject has been covered widely enough that there is informed discussion available for reference.

Non-encyclopedic

In a paper encyclopedia, non-notable topics are not included for practical purposes. Misplaced Pages, however, is a very different model not confined by this limitation. As the word "encyclopedia" is defined by dictionaries, notability is not a requirement; The Star Trek Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia, for instance. See also an essay section which argues against the claim that "Minor issues are not encyclopedic".

Original research

Non-notable articles may consist of large amounts of original research. However, this is definately not always the case. Non-notable subjects are subject to the same scruitiny of original research as notable pages are. Misplaced Pages is not the place to premiere this research, notable or not.