Wikipedia:Accuracy_dispute References

This page documents an English Wikipedia content guideline.

It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though occasional exceptions may apply. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page.

Shortcuts

Some articles on Wikipedia may contain significant factual inaccuracies, i.e. information that is verifiably wrong. It is important to note that Wikipedia itself is not considered a reliable source. Articles for which much of the factual accuracy is actively disputed should have a {{ Disputed}} warning place at the top, and they are listed at Category:Accuracy disputes. Also see a recent list of disputed articles, and the current list of articles that link here.

Handling content that may be inaccurate

If you see an article that may be inaccurate, you should do the following:

Correct it yourself if you can. Add citations to reliable sources to verify the information.
If the neutrality of the content is in question, see Wikipedia:NPOV dispute for more details about how to handle it.
If only a few statements seem inaccurate, see Disputed statement.
If there are several dubious statements, or if a dispute arises:
- Begin a "Disputed" section on the talk page to describe the problem, alert other editors, and gain more opinions on whether the content is inaccurate and how to handle it.
- Paste {{ Disputed}} at the beginning of the article to add a general warning.
- If only the accuracy of a section is disputed, add {{ Disputed-section}} at the beginning of the section.

Handling factual inaccuracy warnings

If you see an article with a factual accuracy warning, please do the following:

Don't remove the warning simply because the material appears reasonable: please ensure that content is verifiable using reliable sources, that it is unbiased and that it contains no original research before removing the notice.
Visit the talk page to see what the issues are.
Correct it yourself if you can. Add citations to reliable sources to verify the information.
If you are sure that a statement is factually inaccurate then remove it, or move it to the talk page for further discussion. If you are familiar with the subject matter contained in the article but are not sure about the accuracy of a statement, then add "{{ Citation needed}}" at the end of the statement. If you are not familiar with the subject matter contained in the article but wish to ask about the accuracy of a statement, then raise the issue on the article's talk page. Please see WP:BURDEN and WP:HANDLE for a more detailed explanation of how to handle potentially false or misleading information.

Resolving disputes

Check dispute resolution for ways to resolve it.
There are several noticeboards at which accuracy disputes may be listed to gain the views of other editors, particularly the reliable sources, no original research, neutral point-of-view, and biographies of living persons noticeboards (see {{ Noticeboard links}} for a fuller list).
Once you have found the correct information, edit the page to correct it, remove the warnings, and put something like the following in your edit summary:

Verified article – removed accuracy dispute

Disputed statement

If a Wikipedia article links to this page, it is because someone is concerned that the article contains inaccurate statement(s). Such statements are followed by the warnings disputed – discuss or dubious – discuss. You can insert such a warning by using the templates {{ Disputed inline}} or {{ Dubious}}.

The accuracy of a statement may be a cause for concern if:

It contains unlikely information, without providing suitable references;
It contains information that is particularly difficult to verify;
It contains information of a highly specific nature that changes too frequently to be assumed accurate at any given time;
It is cited to sources that are antiquated or have since been called into question;
It has been written (or edited) by a user who is known to write inaccurately on the topic;
It contains information that is ambiguous and open to interpretation, either due to grammar, or opinionated wording; or
reliable sources are supporting two or more different claims.

If your work has been tagged:

if the statement is unsourced, please verify the statement by providing a reliable source for it. You can add a citation by selecting from the drop-down menu at the top of the editing box. In markup, you can add a citation manually using ref tags. There are also more elaborate ways to cite sources.
rephrase the statement neutrally and unambiguously if needed
discuss if needed (for instance, if you are not sure why the tag was used). If you do not get a response, you can use the "View history" tab to find out who added the tag, and alert them to the fact you want to talk to them, or you can use the {{Help me}} template.

If you come across a statement with an accuracy warning, please do the following:

Don't remove the warning simply because the material looks reasonable: please take the time to verify it properly.
Visit the talk page to see what the issues are.
Correct it right away if you can. Please take the time to verify it properly. Please also add to the article any sources you used to verify the information in it: see cite your sources.

If you come across a statement that seems or is inaccurate, please do the following:

Correct it right away if you can. Please take the time to verify it properly. Please also add to the article citations for any sources you used to verify the information in it: see cite your sources.
If the neutrality of the statement is in question, please see Wikipedia:NPOV dispute for more details about how to handle it.

If you cannot correct it right away:

First, insert a "Dubious" section on the talk page to describe the problem. (Please don't mark up the article text without first describing the problem on the talk page.)
Insert {{ Disputed inline}} or {{ Dubious}} after the relevant sentence or paragraph. Use {{ Disputed inline}} to directly challenge the statement with sources to back up your claim, or {{ Dubious}} to point out uncertainty over sources. Add the correct month and year to the template.
(Or insert {{ Dubious}} replacing 'talkpage section' with the appropriate section on the talk page, if one already exists.)
If there are more than 5 dubious statements, or if a dispute arises:
- First, insert a "Disputed" section on the talk page to describe the problem. This will help focus on contributions from others.
- Insert {{ Disputed}} at the beginning of the article to add a general warning. Check dispute resolution for ways to resolve it.
- Once you've found the correct information, edit the page to correct it, remove the warnings, and put something like the following in your edit summary:

Verified article – removed accuracy dispute

When you add an accuracy warning, you are invited to also help resolve other accuracy disputes or fact-check other articles listed in:

Handling content that may be inaccurate

Handling factual inaccuracy warnings

Resolving disputes

Disputed statement

See also