Reliable publications include established newspapers, academic journals and books, textbooks, and other published sources with reputations for accuracy and fact-checking.
Unreliable sources include blog posts and other self-published works, press releases, and social media posts.
In order for a source to be considered verifiable, other editors should be able to consult the source.
Is the source independent of the subject?
Is the source connected in any way to the subject? This is especially important when writing biographies or about organizations.
For example, if you were writing a biography, sources like the person's webpage or personal blog would not be considered independent.
Is the source primary or secondary?
Primary sources include first-hand accounts, autobiographies, and other original content.
Wikipedia allows limited use of primary sources, but typically only for straightforward, descriptive statements of facts, and only if they are published and verifiable without requiring specialized knowledge.
Secondary sources should be the main basis for a biography on Wikipedia.
If you're working on a topic related to medicine or psychology, ensure that your sources follow
these special guidelines.
If you're creating a new article, consider the following:
Ensure that your topic meets Wikipedia's
notability guidelines.
In order for a topic to meet the notability requirement, you must be able to identify 2-3 sources that are reliable, verifiable, and independent of the subject you're writing about.
Finding sufficient sources to establish notability can be especially hard when writing about people or organizations.
Sources that are not independent of the subject might be useful additions, but don't count towards the notability requirement.
Wikipedia has developed special guidelines for writing about
living persons. Please follow these carefully.
Wikipedia has a series of
guidelines for writing about different categories of people, such as academics and artists. If you're trying to create a new entry about a living person, please look at these carefully.
If you're not sure whether a source is reliable, ask a librarian! If you have questions about Wikipedia's sourcing rules, you can use the Get Help button below to contact your Wikipedia Expert.
This is where you will compile the bibliography for your Wikipedia assignment. Add the name and/or notes about what each source covers, then use the "Cite" button to generate the citation for that source.
Newell, Charles Martin. Kaméhaméha, the Conquering King: The Mystery of His Birth, Loves and Conquests; A Romance of Hawáii. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1885.
This article talks about King Kamehameha and his accomplishments and how he rose to be the conquerer of Hawaii.
Smith, Tom. “Hawaiian History and American History: Integration or Separation?” American Nineteenth Century History, vol. 20, no. 2, June 2019, pp. 161–82. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/14664658.2019.1656890.
This article talks more about the Hawaiian people and how they were affected by the United States during times of war and how Hawaii became a state. It also talks about the relations between the two entities throughout history.
Dye, ThomasS.. "Gift Exchange and Interpretations of Captain Cook In the Traditional Kingdoms of the Hawaiian Islands." Journal of Pacific History, vol. 46, no. 3, 1 Dec. 2011, pp. 275 - 292.
This article talks about the relationship between the Hawaiian islands and Captain James Cook in the early European discovery of Hawaii.
Adler, Jacob. "KING KAMEHAMEHA IV'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE UNITED STATES." Journal of Pacific History, vol. 3, 1 Jan. 1968, pp. 107 - 115.
This article is about King Kamehameha IV and how he came to power and how he viewed the United States. The wikipedia article doesn't really mention King Kamehameha IV so I think it could be beneficial to add a section about him.
Nogelmeier, Puakea, and John Clark. "Dedication of Kamehameha III, A Sculpture by Thomas Jay Warren." Hawaiian Journal of History, vol. 52, 1 Nov. 2018, pp. 151 - 159.
This article is about the story of King Kamehameha III and how he affected the Hawaiian islands and his role in United State relations.
