User talk:Nikkimaria/How to spotcheck

Very nice guide! two nits

I like that you've written down your methods in an essay. Looks good, honest. Couple teeeensy suggestions:

1. Call it "spotchecking source usage" or something like that to distinguish from the general concept of spotchecking.

2. Not here, but sometimes, I see you make comments about "page numbers needed from PDF". PDF is just a format for documents. The general rule is books get page numbers, journal articles don't. Obviously there are in between cases like monographs or technical reports. (I use page numbes in that case.) but the concept has to do with the type (roughly length) of reference. For instance, even if hard copy, same thing would apply.

TCO (reviews needed) 16:36, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

I'm not sure I understand your second point. Obviously if something's only one or two pages long it wouldn't need page numbers, but I frequently see 100-page+ PDFs used as sources at FAC - those do need page numbers. Journals we generally look for page range in bibliographic entry, not necessarily specific page for a specific point (although some people do that, particularly when quoting from a journal article). Nikkimaria (talk) 16:41, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

"PDF" is a document format, not a document type, Nikki. The same needs would apply if the thing were hard copy. I think we are in agreement about what types of sources get specific page numbers and which don't. It just grates on me to hear you refer to PDFs as if it were what affects the decision. Books on how to write research papers and the like make all this clear.TCO (reviews needed) 16:56, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

Okay, I see your point on that. Nikkimaria (talk) 17:14, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

No sweat. You are on of the good gu...als! Keep it positive!  :) TCO (reviews needed) 17:26, 24 July 2011 (UTC)