Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 18:33, 16 April 2008

This page documents an English Misplaced Pages notability guideline. 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.

Shortcuts WP:N WP:NN

This page in a nutshell: If a topic has received significant coverage in reliable secondary sources that are independent of the subject, it is presumed to be notable.

Within Misplaced Pages, notability is an inclusion criterion based on encyclopedic suitability of a topic for a Misplaced Pages article. The topic of an article should be notable, or "worthy of notice". This concept is distinct from "fame", "importance", or "popularity", although these may positively correlate with notability. A subject is presumed to be sufficiently notable if it meets the general notability guideline below, or if it meets an accepted subject specific standard listed in the table to the right. If an article currently does not cite reliable secondary sources that are independent of the subject, that does not necessarily mean the topic is not notable.

These notability guidelines only pertain to the encyclopedic suitability of topics for articles but do not directly limit the content of articles. Relevant content policies include: Neutral point of view, Verifiability, No original research, What Misplaced Pages is not, and Biographies of living persons.

General notability guideline

If a topic has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject, it is presumed to be notable.

A topic for which this criterion is deemed to have been met by consensus, is usually worthy of notice, and satisfies one of the criteria for a stand-alone article in the encyclopedia. Verifiable facts and content not supported by multiple independent sources may be appropriate for inclusion within another article.

Notability requires evidence

The common theme in the notability guidelines is the requirement for evidence to support a claim of notability. Substantial coverage in reliable sources constitutes such evidence, as do published peer recognition and the other factors listed in the subject specific guidelines.

Misplaced Pages is not a news source: it takes more than just a short burst of news reports about a single event or topic to constitute evidence of sufficient notability. The Wikimedia project Wikinews covers topics of present news coverage.

Articles not satisfying the notability guidelines

If an article fails to cite sufficient sources to demonstrate the notability of its subject, look for sources yourself, or:

• Ask the article's creator for advice on where to look for sources.
• Put the {{notability}} tag on the article to alert other editors. To place a dated tag, put a {{subst:dated|notability}} tag.
• If the article is about a specialized field, use the {{expert-subject}} tag with a specific WikiProject to attract editors knowledgeable about that field, who may have access to reliable sources not available online.

If appropriate sources cannot be found, consider merging the article's content into a broader article providing context. Otherwise, if deleting:

• If the article meets our criteria for speedy deletion, one can use a criterion-specific deletion tag listed on that page.
• Use the {{prod}} tag, for articles which do not meet the criteria for speedy deletion, but are uncontroversial deletion candidates. This allows the article to be deleted after five days if nobody objects. For more information, see Misplaced Pages:Proposed deletion.
• For cases where you are unsure about deletion or believe others might object, nominate the article for the articles for deletion process, where the merits will be debated and deliberated for 5 days.

Notability is not temporary

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• WP:NTEMP

If a subject has met the general notability guideline, there is no need to show continual coverage or interest in the topic, though subjects that do not meet the guideline at one point in time may do so as time passes and more sources come into existence. However, articles should not be written based on speculation that the topic may receive additional coverage in the future.

Notability guidelines do not directly limit article content

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• WP:N#NCONTENT

Notability guidelines give guidance on whether a topic is notable enough to be included in Misplaced Pages as a separate article, but do not specifically regulate the content of articles (with the exception of lists of people ). The particular topics and facts within an article are not each required to meet the standards of the notability guidelines; instead, article content is governed by other policies and guidelines, such as the policy requiring Verifiability and the guidelines covering the use of reliable sources and of trivia sections.

See also

Essays related to notability:

• Misplaced Pages:Arguments to avoid in deletion discussions - An essay arguing against the use of subjective criteria such as "I like it" and "I don't like it."
• Misplaced Pages:Articles for deletion/Common outcomes - Summary of common outcomes from AfD discussions giving context to precedents.
• Misplaced Pages:Independent sources - An essay explaining further why independent sources are needed to write an encyclopedia article.
• Misplaced Pages:Notability/Arguments - A list of arguments for both application and non-application of notability.
  • User:Uncle G/On notability - An argument in favor of specific notability criteria.
  • Misplaced Pages:Non-notability/Essay - A dissenting view to notability arguments.
  • User:Hiding/What notability is not - An essay on notability within Misplaced Pages.
  • Misplaced Pages talk:What Misplaced Pages is not/Unencyclopedic A 2003 discussion on the use of "unencyclopedic" as a term in deletion debates
  • Misplaced Pages:Inherent notability - An essay arguing that certain topics have inherent notability.
• Wikiprojects are encouraged to write essays that contain advice and/or opinions on how they interpret notability within their area of expertise. Such essays are not policies or guidelines, and editors are free to, but not obliged to follow their guidance. A list of such essays can be found in the WikiProject notability essays category.

Notes

1. For instance, articles on minor characters in a work of fiction may be merged into a "list of minor characters in ..."; articles on schools may be merged into articles on the towns or regions where schools are located; relatives of a famous person may be merged into the article on the person; articles on persons only notable for being associated with a certain group or event may be merged into the main article on that group or event.
2. Misplaced Pages editors have been known to reject nominations for deletion that have been inadequately researched. Research should include attempts to find sources which might demonstrate notability, and/or information which would demonstrate notability in another manner.
3. See Misplaced Pages:Notability (people)#Lists of people

• Misplaced Pages notability guidelines
• Misplaced Pages notability