Wikipedia:WikiProject U2/References

When building a U2 article there are a lot of sources that can be looked at for information. This inexhaustive list aims to compile the most commonly used and informative references in an easy-use list. Each reference has three sections: Description (what kinds of information it has, what articles can make best use of it, etc.), Notes (how to source it in the Notes section of a page for in-line citations), and References (the full citation text that the in-line notes refer to, used in the References section; and yes, the asterik is included in the cite!)*

Notes will likely be used several times in an article while References should be written out only once. If you don't have a source that you think could be useful, check with another editor of U2 articles (listed below) who may and ask them if there is anything that can be included with a full citation.


*For the difference between Notes and References, see the main U2 article as an example. Only books should be listed under the References section. Remember to include the asterik so that they end up on different lines!


Books

NOTE: Depending on what edition you have some details in the citation (publication year, edition, ISBN page number) may be different. Check before copying and pasting the information, and make any changes that might be necessary.

Bono - In Conversation with Michka Assayas
Bono's Politics - The Future of Celebrity Political Activism
Into the Heart - The Stories Behind Every U2 Song
U2 & I
U2 - A Diary
U2 - An Irish Phenomenon
U2 at the End of the World
U2 by U2
U2 Live - A Concert Documentary
The U2 Reader - A Quarter Century of Commentary, Criticism, and Reviews
U2 Show
Various books on song composition

Magazines, newspapers, and online sources

The search for U2 content has become much easier as most of the information found in magazines and newspapers can now be found online (with the exception of big stories, such as Rolling Stone cover articles). If you are linking to online content it is always advisable to archive it. It takes only a few seconds and that way if the webpage is taken down, a copy of it is preserved. You may find some of the sources below useful; all of those given are just samples. Only the notes field should be filled in.

Billboard
Hot Press
Rolling Stone
U2.com
U2Gigs
Uncut's Ultimate Music Guide
Other

There is almost no limit to the amount of places you can check online for U2-related information. Those listed above are only a very small chunk, but they are the most likely places to have the information you are looking for. Other sources include:

News/magazine article archives

For archived content from newspapers, magazines, and other publications, use Google News Archive (http://news.google.com/archivesearch). If you would like access to an archived article that is not available online for free, please contact Dream out loud (talk) for a copy of the article via email.

Charts

Charts are among the most difficult parts of an article to find sources for. Until recently (late 2009-early 2010) most charts sections in articles had no sources. The bulk of these have since been addressed, but there are still some gaps, particularly in the numerous Billboard charts. These are no less important than any other part of the article, so if you have a charts sections (whether it be for an album or a single) it must be sourced.

Allmusic
Billboard
Everyhit
Irish Charts
Musicline
RPM
Ultratop

Certifications

Certifications are always a lot more difficult to track down than chart positions, especially for the earlier stuff. Still, with luck you should be able to find something that you need. This section is fairly self-explanatory. Broken down by country with the website linked in the country's name.

Australia
  • Description: Australian certifications. Albums and singles go back to 1997 and DVDs to 2003. May take some searching to find what you're looking for, but any accreditations within the last 13 years are available.
  • Notes: <ref name="ariacharts">{{cite web |url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2009Albums.htm |title=ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2009 Albums |publisher=[[Australian Recording Industry Association]] |accessdate=2009-07-19 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5kkLGvLba |archivedate=2009-10-23}}Note: Search must be conducted manually.</ref>
  • References:
Austria
  • Description: The Austrian database is simple enough; type U2 under "Interpret", alter the date parameters as necessary (the default end date is currently January 2009) and click "Suchen". The results (few though they may be) pop up.
  • Notes: <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin |title=Gold & Platinum |work=IFPI Austria |publisher=[[International Federation of the Phonographic Industry]] |language=German |accessdate=2010-01-04}} Note: U2 must be searched manually.</ref>
  • References:
Belgium
  • Description: From what I can tell, this combines the data from Flanders and Wallonia, though the source below is taken from the Wallonia portion of the website. Scroll through year-by-year by using the column at the side. You never know; you might get lucky and find something. The archive goes back to 2000. The url and title fields will need to be replaced in the source below, depending on what year it is, along with the now-usual accessdate.
  • Notes: <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ultratop.be/fr/certifications.asp?year=2009 |title=Les disques d'or/de platin - 2009 |publisher=Hung Medien |work=Ultratop |language=French |accessdate=2010-01-24}}</ref>
  • References:
Canada
  • Description: The Canadian certifications page not only includes certifications dating throughout the bands career, but also sales numbers. Handy to include in articles most of the time!
  • Notes: <ref name="Canada cert">{{cite web |url=http://www.cria.ca/goldplat.php |title=Canadian Recording Industry Association: Gold & Platinum (September 2009) |publisher=[[Canadian Recording Industry Association]] |date=2009-09 |accessdate=2009-11-17}}Note: U2 must be searched manually.</ref>
  • References:
Finland
  • Description: You don't need to worry about navigating through the Finnish database because all 9 U2 certifications are already displayed in the link above! Just copy the below (save for the accessdate as usual) and you're good to go (though you might want to archive just in case). Like with Canada, sales numbers are also included. All of them have been certified Gold; if any are certified Platinum it would say so below "Kultalevy".
  • Notes: <ref name="Finland">{{cite web |url=http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/kultalevyt/haku/?q=U2&national=0&type=album |title=Kulta - ja platinalevyt |work=IFPI Finland | publisher = [[International Federation of the Phonographic Industry]] | language=Finnish |accessdate=2009-11-26}}</ref>
  • References:
France
  • Description: Disques en France updates only once a year, and has an archive stretching back to 1994. A little more wearisome to navigate than some other websites; select a year and then choose a specific certification level to browse who was awarded what. Might require some time to find what you're looking for; especially if you're looking year-by-year. The website has recently undergone a redesign, so some data may be missing it seems.
  • Notes: <ref name="France cert">{{cite web |url=http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/monopage.xml?id=259165&year=&type=8 |title=Les certificationes |language=French |publisher=[[Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique|SNEP]] |accessdate=2010-01-23}}Note: Search must be conducted manually.</ref>
  • References:
Germany
  • Description: Fortunately, Germany is relatively easy to navigate through. Type U2 into the search bar, click "Suchen", and the page will re-load with a list of albums, the year they were certified, and what level they were certified at. Scroll down and a list of video certifications is also available. It's probably the easiest database to use of all!
  • Notes: <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/ |title=Gold/Platin-Datenbank |language=German |work=IFPI Germany |publisher=[[International Federation of the Phonographic Industry]] |accessdate=2009-03-17}} Note: U2 must be searched manually</ref>
  • References:
Ireland
  • Description: IRMA's archive stretches back to just 2005, and you need to search individually through the three categories (Gold, Platinum, Multi-Platinum) year-by-year.
  • Notes: <ref>{{cite web |url=http://irishcharts.ie/awards/index.htm |title=Certification awards |work=[[Irish Recorded Music Association]] |accessdate=2010-01-24}} Note: Search must be conducted manually.</ref>
  • References:
Mexico
  • Description: Though no reliable source exists for chart data, AMPROFON provides an archive for certifications. All U2 certs are included in the above list, including albums and videos, so all you need to do is copy the below with an alteration to the accessdate.
  • Notes: <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amprofon.com.mx/certificaciones.php?artista=U2&titulo=&disquera=&certificacion=todas&anio=todos&categoria=todas&Submitted=Buscar&item=menuCert&contenido=buscar |publisher=[[Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas|AMPROFON]] |language=Spanish |title=Certificaciones |accessdate=2010-01-24}}</ref>
  • References:
The Netherlands
  • Description: The Netherlands certification archive spans from 1978 to 2006. Type U2 into the search bar "Artiest" and hit "Zouk". The circles represent a gold certification and the triangles a platinum certification.
  • Notes: <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nvpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=60461&formposted=no&pagenr=1 |title=Goud/Platina |work=[[NVPI]] |accessdate=2010-01-04 |language=Dutch}} Note: U2 must be searched manually.</ref>
  • References:
Poland
  • Description: Poland can be irritating to look through. The link above will take you to the main page, but from there you have to search level by level while looking for any mention of U2. Persevere and you'll find what you're looking for.
  • Notes: <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zpav.pl/rankingi.asp?lang=en |title=Charts and Stats |work=[[Polish Music Charts|Związek Producentów Audio Video]] |accessdate=2010-01-24}} Note: U2 and certification levels must be searched manually</ref>
  • References:
Switzerland
  • Description: Though the rest of the Ultratop sites aren't quite so accommodating, swisscharts does have certification levels for Switzerland. Very ease to use; just click the link and all the data is already there! Includes albums and one DVD.
  • Notes: <ref>{{cite web |title=Certifications search |work=The Official Swiss Charts |url=http://www.swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=U2 |accessdate=2009-11-25}}</ref>
  • Refereces:
United Kingdom
  • Description: The UK's certification is simple enough; type U2 into the search bar, click "Go", and the results pop up. Might take some searching to find the album you are looking for, but if it has been certified in the UK it is included. Remastered editions are certified separately from the first releases.
  • Notes: <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/Search.aspx |title=Certified Awards Search |publisher=BPI |accessdate=2009-08-25}} Note: Need to manually search for 'U2'.</ref>
  • References:
United States
  • Description: Once again, an easy enough site to browse through. Type U2 under artist, click search, and voila!
  • Notes: <ref name="RIAA">{{cite web |url=http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH |title=Gold and Platinum Database Search |publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] |accessdate=2010-01-18}} Note: U2 must be searched manually.</ref>
  • References:
Other

Many bodies, including Ireland's IRMA, have yet to develop a complete database with an archive of past certifications. Not every website that WP:GOODCHARTS lists has the information you may need. Your best bet to find certification levels for any nations that are not already mentioned is to undergo a tedious search of reliable sources to see if any are mentioned; we got lucky that way for No Line on the Horizon, so you never know! Good luck with the search.

Liner notes, DVDs, TV, and radio

Though it may seem like a curious source, both album liner notes and DVDs can be used for various sourcing issues. If you're working on the article for "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" and are wondering who is playing the brass in the song, a quick flip to the liner notes for All That You Can't Leave Behind tells you that it was Paul Barrett, and also that Daniel Lanois is credited for additional guitar, and that both Bono and Brian Eno worked the synthesizers. This makes the liner notes an excellent resource for the Personnel and Composition sections of your article, and they help to fill up the data in the infobox as well. Later releases, such as How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and No Line on the Horizon have included more in-depth notes depending on what format is purchased; these additional notes range from a magazine to a book to a massive PDF document on iTunes. The remastered editions of Boy, October, War, The Unforgettable Fire, and The Joshua Tree have also expanded on the liner notes, providing more information about various songs. Using U2wanderer isn't recommended, useful though it may be. The reliability of the site may be called into question so instead of using it source the material directly; after all, that's where they got the information from!


U2 DVDs often have extra content on them; sometimes this is in the form of a bonus video, sometimes documentaries. The Zoo TV release has three documentaries, Popmart has four, Boston, Slane, and Chicago all have one, U218 Videos has two, and so on. Other sources, such as the Classic Albums' The Joshua Tree DVD are also useful. These can be valuable sources of information; whether for discussing some aspect of a tour or how a song was made. Television shows can be cited in much the same way as DVDs, which is useful if trying cite information on "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" from Elvis Costello's program Spectacle.


Radio programs can be used and sourced, but they are much more difficult to do so than DVDs or television programs. Unlike those two mediums they don't tend to exist for too long after they have aired, so unless you know all of the relevant details you probably won't want to use this as a source (especially if it involves a quote). If you happen to have recorded a copy and know all of the details that need to be filled in, then the format below is probably the best one to use. If you think more details are needed, {{cite episode}} has all the relevant fields.

Wikipedia wants to help: Template:Find

If you are having difficulty finding any information about your subject, try using {{find}}. Paste {{find}} on the talk page (below the WikiProject banners but above the discussion) and save. The template takes the name of the article and runs various searches through Google Scholar, Google News, Google Books, and Google images to find relevant book, magazine, newspaper, online, and even scientific journal sources that just may contain the information you are looking for. The template can be manually adjusted for articles with dabs such as "(song)", "(album)", or "(U2 song)" at the end; simply follow the instructions on Template:Find to do that.

Where is @U2?

Though atu2.com has a considerable archive of U2 interviews and stories spanning the band's whole career, it is best not to use it as a source (tempting and useful though it may be). Concerns have been raised in the past about the licensing issues, and so instead of citing the @U2 archive it is wisest to look to the original source instead. The one possible exception to this is interviews that the @U2 staff have conducted themselves; interviews with Alex and Martin, Steve Lillywhite, and Willie Williams are available, and only in those circumstances should @U2 be used (though it is an excellent starting point in your search for information).

U2 editors

Though many people edit U2 articles there are a few people who work on them continuously. It is very likely that they contain at least some of the sources above, so if there is any information that you need ask them if there is anything that they can provide you. Listed alphabetically: