User:Razr Nation/newsletter/November 2012

References and the Good article criteria

As long as we have memory of the good article system, references have been key part into the development of a good article. References represent the foundation onto which the information written is based and supported, and gives the readers the possibility to check by themselves the reliability of the information that is presented in the encyclopedia. At common practice, references are located at the end of the page and summarize all the sources of information supporting the contents organized inside the article body. This month, I will talk about two main topics related to references that have been the cause of several debates inside the good article system: What can be considered a properly formatted reference that meets the good article criteria, and a little commentary over the fight between online references vs. offline references.

References. Are they important?

References are the bedrock that supports the information contained inside an article. As Wikipedia's policy holds and claims, all information must be verifiable and attributable to external sources, recognizable and reliable. Reliability means that such sources come from a stablished entity that holds a power over the population in which they evolve. In other words, they are recognized as credible and community puts a high level of confidence and trust over the publishers of such information. Examples of reliable sources are independent newspapers and magazines, stablished websites with editorial oversight, books and other literary works. As all information mus be verifiable, a good article must comply and achieve this feat to the letter, with no exceptions neither exclusions.