Wikipedia:Two sources are good enough
 | 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. |
 | This page in a nutshell: You should ideally find at least three sources that establish a subject's notability, but two high-quality sources may be good enough if you can't. |
There are articles on subjects that do not have three high-quality sources discussing the article subject, but that still meet the requirement in WP:GNG that states that multiple sources are preferred for establishing notability.
If you've done the work to search as many places as possible for sources that meet the requirements, and are only able to come up with two such sources, then it's enough to satisfy either GNG or the more subject-specific notability guidelines that apply to that topic, even though more sources would be preferred. Two sources at least, may be enough to prove notability if they are reliable, secondary, and discuss the subject (or something closely and clearly related to it) in detail.
Quality matters more than quantity
If two sources are reliable, independent, provide significant coverage, and are high-quality, they are generally sufficient to establish that a subject is notable. While three or more sources are preferable in most situations, insisting on a higher number when two strong sources already exist can lead to unnecessary deletion discussions and discourage editors.
Our notability requirements mostly concern significant coverage in reliable sources, not about reaching some arbitrary numeric threshold. It is not the case that a subject with less than three such sources is definitely not notable; rather, two sources that meet the criteria already demonstrate that the subject has received meaningful attention from the wider world. When two such sources exist, a subject should be presumed notable. A stack of weaker sources does not strengthen notability. Two strong ones just might.
Although two sources can be sufficient, including three or more independent sources is generally preferred practice for several reasons:
- It strengthens the long-term verifiability of the article, especially if one of the sources is deemed to be unreliable or is removed from the article.
- It provides broader coverage for writing a more balanced article.
- It makes consensus in deletion discussions easier to reach.
Wikipedia policies and guidelines do not strictly specify a fixed number of sources required to establish notability, only that there must be "multiple" sources. What matters is the depth and independence of coverage, not a numerical quota.
If someone points you to this essay
What you should do
Similar to what is proposed at Wikipedia:THREE, if someone points you to this essay, please take it as them asking you to find at least two good sources, but no less. In particular:
- Make sure you look over WP:RS and WP:SIGCOV and that you have a good understanding of what makes a good source. If there is a subject-specific list of reliable sources (e.g. Wikipedia:VG/S for video games), look through that too, as the list may be different.
- If people have been claiming your article may not meet a particular guideline, read that page and make sure you understand it. You can always ask questions on the talk page or at the Teahouse if you're confused.
- Identify which source(s) have WP:SIGCOV of the topic.
- Make sure you have exhausted every possible opportunity to find enough sources.
- If the article gets submitted for deletion, whether it be at WP:AFD or elsewhere, make sure to keep a copy of your work in your userspace so you can keep working on it in peace. If the article does get deleted, try to identify other places where the content may be suitable for inclusion — perhaps as part of another, broader article.
What you should not do
- Don't limit yourself to only two sources if there are more than two sources that establish notability. Two is just the minimum to satisfy the guidelines.
- Don't limit yourself to English-language or online sources. Sources do not have to be in English to count towards a subject's notability, nor do they need to be online. If the article has an entry on the Wikipedia in another language, try looking there for sources you can use.
- Don't get upset if you can't find at least two sources. If this is the case, you can write an article on it in your userspace and keep it there. Who knows? Maybe someone will write a good enough source in the future, and you can add it then.
- Don't forget which sources are considered reliable. Unreliable sources do not count towards an article's notability. As mentioned above, there are lists of sources that are considered unreliable.