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.