The Facts Policy ensures all content on articles is factual and well sourced. This is critical as content can sometimes be sensitive, causing offence to many individuals are associated with the content. Wikitubia is also a wiki, which means personal opinion should not be used on wiki articles.
Sourcing
Sourcing involves making sure key statements in an article have a reference acting as evidence for where that statement came from. This is important as some statements can make bold claims and be controversial, thus can cause offense to individuals associated with the content.
If you come across an entire page that is unsourced (and you don't have the time to add sources to it yourself), please add {{NeedsCitations}} to the top of the article. Similarly, when you find an unsourced paragraph or sentence that should be sourced, add {{Cite}} behind the last sentence. Doing so will automatically add the Category:Citations needed to the page, alerting everyone of the work that needs to be done to the page. Pages and sections that remain unsourced for a prolongued period of time will be deleted.
How to source
Sourcing involves applying <ref> tags after a statement with a link showing where that information comes from. For example, you might do:
Sentence.<ref>source link</ref>
To produce:
Sentence.[1]
Those sources are displayed in a list like below:
- ↑ source link
For more information, please see Help:References.
Verified edits
To substitute the lack of external sources to support a statement, verified YouTubers are allowed to add first-hand information about themselves or mark a particular piece of information as true, using the verified edit template.
To mark a piece of information as true, simply add {{v}} after the parts you want to confirm, much like a regular reference. When adding exclusive information, placing {{v}} is optional.
A staff member must then authorise the edit by adding the diff ID(s) of the edits in which the verified YouTuber added/confirmed the information, to the template.
What should be sourced
There are things that need sourcing, but also things that don't - such as "the sky is blue". The following should be sourced on YouTube Wiki:
- Source
- All controversies listed in the "Controversies" sections in articles
- All personal information of individuals
- Any statements on an article that are not obviously true
If you are not sure if something needs to be sourced, it is best to do so anyway to be safe. However, please ask an Administrator if you have any questions.
What sources can be used
This will often be case by case as while some sources may be lesser known, they may still be reliable. Sources that are definitely appropriate include:
- YouTube channels
- YouTube videos
- Social media profiles of YouTubers
- Accomplished, reliable news outlets
Even with the above, it is important to read the information yourself and make a judgment on how accurate you believe it to be, especially for social media profiles.
Facts vs. opinions
All language on Wikitubia articles must be objective and impartial - they must just state facts. No personal opinion should be included in articles. Facts must be sourced as above and unsourced statements can be seen as personal opinion instead.
Controversies sections
The "Controversies" sections highlight times when a YouTuber has been controversial. These sections can cover very sensitive material and can make very serious accusations that can cause harm to the YouTuber the article is based on, and those close to them. The following policies therefore are in place:
- All controversies should be well sourced
- All controversies sections must use objective, impartial language
- If a source can't be found within 3 days of the content being added, the sentence, paragraph, or entire section should be removed
Examples of good controversy sections that are sourced and use objective language include:
Consequences
Failure to follow these policies will result in warnings and blocks being issued in accordance with the Blocks and bans policy.