User:Bellerophon/Adoption/Assignments/Notability guidelines

Second Assignment: Notability guidelines

Wikipedia has many policies and guidelines that cover everything from the standards that articles should adhere to, to how editors should behave. When it comes to editing articles, there are a handful of policies that are particularly relevant.

General notability

When it comes to editing existing articles, most of the relevant policies are covered in The Five Pillars, which you have already learnt about. When it comes to creating a new article, there are additional and very important policies that must be considered—in addition to The Five Pillars. These are the notability guidelines. For an article to stand in its own right, as an independent article, the subject of that article must be considered notable according to Wikipedia's standards. Generally, notability is established by evidencing that the subject of an article has received significant coverage in reliable sources, that are independent of the subject. See the breakdown below for further explanation.

Significant coverage

References about the subject – at least one lengthy paragraph, preferably more. Not passing mentions, not directory listings, not just any old thing that happens to have the name in it. Several of them. The subject of the article must be notable.

Reliable sources

Something that is generally trusted to tell the truth. A major newspaper, a factual, widely-published book, high-quality mainstream publications with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy. Not blogs, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, fansites, or Twitter. The content of the article must be verifiable.

Independent

Nothing written by the subject, paid for by the subject, or affiliated with the subject. Not their website, and not a press release. The sources must be independent.