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Fossil Wiki:Notability
On Fossil Wiki, notability refers to whether or not a topic merits its own article. Article topics need to be notable, or "worthy of notice." It is important to note that topic notability on Fossil Wiki is not necessarily dependent on things like fame, importance, or the popularity of a topic — although those may contribute.
A topic is presumed to be notable enough to merit an article if it meets the general notability guidelines below.
These notability guidelines only outline how suitable a topic is for its own article. They don't directly limit the content of articles. For Fossil Wiki's policies regarding content, see Neutral point of view, Verifiability, and No original research.
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General notability guideline 
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If a topic has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject, it is presumed to satisfy the inclusion criteria for a stand-alone article.
- Coverage: means that sources address the subject directly in detail, and no original research is needed to extract the content. Significant coverage is more than trivial but may be less than exclusive.[1]
- Reliable: means sources need editorial integrity to allow verifiable evaluation of notability. Sources may encompass published works in all forms and media. Availability of secondary sources covering the subject is a good test for notability.[2]
- Sources:[3] for notability purposes, should be secondary sources, as those provide the most objective evidence of notability. The number and nature of reliable sources needed varies depending on the depth of coverage and quality of the sources. Multiple sources are generally preferred.[4]
- Presumed: means that substantive coverage in reliable sources establishes a presumption, not a guarantee, of notability. Editors may reach a consensus that although a topic meets this criterion, it is not suitable for inclusion.[5]
A topic for which this criterion is deemed to have been met by consensus, is usually worthy of notice, and satisfies one of the criteria for a stand-alone article in the encyclopedia. Verifiable facts and content not supported by multiple independent sources may be appropriate for inclusion within another article.
Notability requires objective evidence Edit
The common theme in the notability guidelines is the requirement for verifiable objective evidence to support a claim of notability. Substantial coverage in reliable sources constitutes such objective evidence, as do published peer recognition and the other factors listed in the subject specific guidelines.
Fossil Wiki is not a news source: it takes more than just a short burst of news reports about a single event or topic to constitute evidence of sufficient notability — if in doubt, ask for advice in The Field Site.
Articles not satisfying the notability guidelinesEdit
Although articles should demonstrate the notability of their topics, and articles on topics that do not meet this criterion are generally deleted, it is important to not just consider whether notability is established by the article, but whether it readily could be. Remember that all Fossil Wiki articles are not a final draft, and an article can be notable if such sources exist even if they have not been added at present. Merely asserting that such sources exist is seldom persuasive, especially as time passes and actual proof does not surface. If it is likely that significant coverage in independent sources can be found for a topic, deletion due to lack of notability is inappropriate unless active effort has been made to find these sources. For articles of unclear notability, deletion should be a last resort.
If an article fails to cite sufficient sources to demonstrate the notability of its subject, look for sources yourself, or:
- Ask the article's creator or an expert on the subject[6] for advice on where to look for sources.
- Do a Google search for possible book titles about the subject; or do a news search to see if any news articles have covered the subject in question.
If appropriate sources cannot be found after a good-faith search for them, consider merging the article's content into a broader article providing context.
- If the article meets our criteria for speedy deletion, one can place {{Delete}} on the page.
- For cases where you are unsure about deletion or believe others might object, please discuss it on the article's talk page.
Notability is not temporary Edit
If a subject has met the general notability guideline, there is no need to show continual coverage or interest in the topic, though subjects that do not meet the guideline at one point in time may do so as time passes and more sources come into existence. However, articles should not be written based on speculation that the topic may receive additional coverage in the future.
Notability does not directly limit article content Edit
The notability guidelines determine whether a topic is notable enough to be a separate article on Fossil Wiki. They do not regulate the content of articles, except for lists of people. Instead, various content policies govern article content.
Keep in mind that we are not Wikipedia. We do not gloss over an article's topic, or give the bare minimum facts, saying that that is what an encyclopedia does — remember that Fossil Wiki aims to be as comprehensive as possible, and therefore every article should be as detailed as possible.
Notes Edit
- ^ Examples: The 360-page book by Sobel and the 528-page book by Black on IBM are plainly non-trivial. The one sentence mention by Walker of the band Three Blind Mice in a biography of Bill Clinton is plainly trivial.
- ^ Self-promotion, autobiography, and product placement are not the routes to having an encyclopedia article. The published works should be someone else writing independently about the topic. The barometer of notability is whether people independent of the topic itself (or of its manufacturer, creator, author, inventor, or vendor) have actually considered the topic notable enough that they have written and published non-trivial works of their own that focus upon it. Otherwise, someone could give their own topic as much notability as they want by simply expounding on it outside of Fossil Wiki, which would defeat the purpose of the concept. Also, neutral sources should exist in order to guarantee a neutral article can be written — self-promotion is not neutral (obviously), and self-published sources often are biased if even unintentionally. Even non-promotional self-published sources, in the rare cases they may exist, are still not evidence of notability as they do not measure the attention a subject has received by the world at large.
- ^ Including but not limited to newspapers, books and e-books, magazines, television and radio documentaries, reports by government agencies, historical and military journals, etc. In the absence of multiple sources, it must be possible to verify that the source reflects a neutral point of view, is credible and provides sufficient detail for a comprehensive article.
- ^ Lack of multiple sources suggests that the topic may be more suitable for inclusion in an article on a broader topic. Mere republications of a single source or news wire service do not always constitute multiple works. Several journals simultaneously publishing articles in the same geographic region about an occurrence, does not always constitute multiple works, especially when the authors are relying on the same sources, and merely restating the same information. Specifically, several journals publishing the same article within the same geographic region from a news wire service is not a multiplicity of works.
- ^ Moreover, not all coverage in reliable sources constitutes evidence of notability for the purposes of article creation; for example, directories and databases, advertisements, and announcements columns are all examples of coverage that may not actually support notability when examined, despite their existence as reliable sources.
- ^ Sometimes contacting the subject of a biography or the representative of a subject organization will yield independent source material. Of course we have to be careful to observe and evaluate independence. You might also ask your question at The Field Site.
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