Wikipedia:Verifiability and notability
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This is an essay; it contains the advice and/or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. It is not a policy or guideline, and editors are not obliged to follow it. |
Verifiability and notability are sometimes conflated in Wikipedia discussions. However, they are distinct, both in principle and practice.
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[edit] Verifiability
Verifiability is satisfied when a statement or block of information that is challenged, or likely to be (reasonably) challenged, is supported by a citation to an acceptable source. The source should be relevant, cited accurately and used in-context (which relates very closely to Wikipedia:No original research).
Verifiability addresses sourcing information within articles, both in principle and mechanically.
[edit] Notability
Notability requires multiple sources; two is certainly "multiple", but like most bare minimums, rarely enough. However, multiple sources are not the end-all be-all of notability. Those multiple sources must be third-party (independent). They additionally must provide substantive (in-depth) coverage of the subject. Notability is usually considered established for a topic when multiple reliable independent sources provide in-depth coverage of the topic.
Notability addresses whether or not we are likely to have enough sources to craft a complete article, both in principle and mechanics.
[edit] Comparison
- Both verifiability and notability require reputable references.
- Verifiability deals with the information in the article.
- Notability deals with the topic of the article.
[edit] Note
It is important to bear in mind that the major content rules are deeply interrelated and arise from similar principles, which essentially rely on the basic principles of sound sourcing and accurate presentation.
