 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article or a Wikipedia policy, as it has not been reviewed by the community. |
To identify when perspectives and opinions in Wikipedia are asserted without stating whose they are, an [attribution needed] flag may be inserted.
Example 1: Many people say that Earth is flat like a pancake.[attribution needed]
Example 2: Earth is "flat like a pancake".[attribution needed]
To create the [attribution needed] flag, insert the following:
When you see this flag, please do the following:
- Exercise caution where there are perspectives and opinions asserted without stating whose they are.
- If you have reason to think that these perspectives and opinions are not attributable to anyone by a reliable source, you may remove them altogether. Optionally, paste them into the article's talk page and explain your reasoning of why they should be deleted.
- If you know whom the perspectives and opinions can be attributed to: Please be bold, delete the template, and indicate whom they are attributed to, either in the text or with a citation.
- Controversial, poorly sourced perspectives and opinions in biographies of living persons should be deleted immediately.
- Do not demand in-text attribution for simple, non-controversial facts. Simple facts, like "The Earth is round", should not be attributed to one person, because that attribution implies that very few people agree with the statement. In-text attribution is normally reserved for minority views, controversial claims, and other widely disputed material.
