View source for WikiPartner:Source guidelines

WikiPartner articles should use sources that help readers check the facts.

Different sources have different levels of strength. Editors should use the strongest available source for each claim.

== Strong Sources ==

These sources are usually preferred:

* Established newspapers
* Trusted news websites
* Books from known publishers
* Academic journals
* Government records
* Court records
* Official public databases
* Established industry publications
* Reports from trusted organizations

These sources are especially important for major, disputed, sensitive, or negative claims.

== Independent Sources ==

An independent source has no direct connection to the subject.

For example, a newspaper article about a company is usually independent. The company’s own website is not independent.

Independent sources are important because they help show that information has been reviewed outside the subject.

== Official Sources ==

Official sources may include:

* Company websites
* Personal websites
* Government department websites
* Organization websites
* Official reports
* Official social media accounts

Official sources may support basic facts such as:

* Names
* Job titles
* Founding dates
* Office locations
* Products and services
* Leadership
* Official announcements

Official sources should not normally be used alone to support praise, importance, influence, or major achievements.

== Interviews ==

Interviews may support statements made by the person being interviewed.

Editors should make it clear when a claim comes from the subject.

An interview should not automatically be treated as independent proof.

== Press Releases ==

Press releases may support:

* Announcements
* Appointments
* Product launches
* Partnerships
* Office openings
* Company statements

Press releases should be identified honestly.

They should not be treated as independent proof of importance, success, or public reputation.

== Paid Publications ==

Paid or sponsored publications may be used carefully.

Editors should check:

* Who published the article
* Whether it is clearly labelled as sponsored
* Whether the claims can be confirmed elsewhere
* Whether the article mainly repeats promotional language

Paid publications should not be the only support for major claims.

== Social Media ==

Official social media accounts may support simple and recent facts.

Examples include:

* A public announcement
* A new role
* An event appearance
* A product launch

Social media should not normally support sensitive, disputed, or important claims.

Posts from unknown or unofficial accounts should not be treated as reliable sources.

== Professional Profiles and Directories ==

Professional profiles and directories may support basic information when they are managed by a trusted organization.

Examples may include:

* Company registries
* Professional association profiles
* University profiles
* Conference speaker pages
* Recognized business directories

Editors should check whether the profile is self-written or independently reviewed.

== Unacceptable Sources ==

WikiPartner should not rely on:

* Anonymous blogs
* Fake news websites
* Scraped content
* AI-generated pages without clear sources
* Unverified social media accounts
* Forums and random comments
* Copied articles
* Websites created only to support one person or company
* Sources that cannot be opened or checked

== Matching Sources to Claims ==

A source should directly support the sentence where it is used.

Editors should not use one source to support a claim that the source does not actually make.

Major claims may require more than one source.

== Source Dates ==

Editors should use recent sources for information that may change, such as:

* Job titles
* Company ownership
* Office locations
* Revenue
* Employee numbers
* Products
* Services
* Leadership

Older sources may still be useful for history.

== Archived Sources ==

When possible, editors may save an archived copy of an important webpage.

An archived link is useful when the original page may later change or disappear.

== Source Transparency ==

WikiPartner should clearly show which source supports each important fact.

Readers should be able to open the source and check the information themselves.