Wikipedia:Arguments to avoid in source reliability discussions
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Essay on editing Wikipedia
This is an essay on the reliability of sources.
It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.
icon This page in a nutshell: When discussing source reliability at the reliable sources noticeboard, article talk pages, and elsewhere, arguments should be grounded in the reliable sources guideline; this page highlights some arguments to avoid.
| Wikipedia discussions |
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| Arguments to avoid in |
| Arguments to make |
| Common outcomes |
"Just a vote"
[edit ]- Deprecate IDontTrustAnything (talk) 22:48, 21 October 2025 (UTC) [reply ]
- Generally reliable EverythingIsTrue (talk) 22:48, 21 October 2025 (UTC) [reply ]
Again, polling is not a substitute for discsusion. Consensus is weighted based off of arguments grounded in policy, not based on votes.
Trusted by X
[edit ]- Generally unreliable because the browser extension NewsGuard says so. MythDebunker (talk) 22:48, 21 October 2025 (UTC) [reply ]
- Generally reliable because it is neutral according to Media Bias/Fact Check. TruthSeeker (talk) 22:48, 21 October 2025 (UTC) [reply ]
- Additional considerations apply as it was rated poor by Ad Fontes Media NuancedReader (talk) 22:48, 21 October 2025 (UTC) [reply ]
News monitoring organizations are unable to assess whether a source complies with all of Wikipedia's policies. A source being rated poorly by multiple organizations is indicative that it is potentially unsuitable for inclusion on Wikipedia, but not always.
Citations on Wikipedia
[edit ]- Generally reliable: It's cited over 1,000 times on Wikipedia
- Generally unreliable: It's not cited anywhere on Wikipedia
Popularity
[edit ]- Generally reliable: The website's Facebook page has over 1 million likes
- Generally reliable: The author has over 20 million Instagram followers
- Generally unreliable: The book sold less than 100 copies
Notability/having a Wikipedia article
[edit ]- Generally reliable since it's notable with its own Wikipedia article
Opinions about content
[edit ]- Generally unreliable: That site mostly spews trivial information