Hispanopedia:Verifiability

All of Hispanopedia's pages must have reliable references so that readers can check the accuracy, precision and neutrality of the article, and look for more information on the subject.

Primary sources

In general terms, two kinds of texts can be distinguished in the dissemination of knowledge:

• Primary sources: texts that present scientific or historical findings for the first time —such as laboratory observations, transcripts of experiments, research carried out through fieldwork, surveys, censuses, legal transcripts, period documents— or that offer for the first time a theoretical interpretation of these findings, increasing or restructuring knowledge in a field.
• Texts that set out more or less systematically what is presented and developed in primary sources. For example: encyclopedias, textbooks, manuals, etc.

For this reason, all of Hispanopedia's pages must detail the sources consulted in their preparation; thanks to them, it is possible to make sure that there is respectable support for the claims made in them, and to dispel any doubts that may exist about their possible bias. The careful reproduction of the points of view and assessments of expert sources is the model that guarantees the seriousness of an encyclopedia.

References

Providing references makes it possible to:

• Easily check the accuracy and precision of the article. Every writer of a good article knows that finding precise references for a claim or theory is not always easy, and often doing so takes considerable time and work. By indicating exactly which source you have used, you let subsequent editors and readers know exactly where to go to verify that the content of the article matches the original sources.
• Guarantee the reliability of the content of the article. Whatever the value of an original contribution to Hispanopedia may be, the community of editors cannot set in motion the process of review, comparison and evaluation that primary sources have in order to recognize the value of new contributions to a discipline. The only way we have to evaluate them is by referring to the consensus of experts on the subject; if the source from which we have informed ourselves is reliable, we have a guarantee that the information is up to the standard of what an encyclopedia should publish.
• Make sure that the content of the article does not represent only the personal opinion of the author. Regardless of the personal beliefs and convictions of each editor, if the material refers to an external evaluation, Hispanopedia fulfills the encyclopedic principle of objectively reproducing the state of knowledge.
• Have additional resources for the interested editor or reader. By including a selection of sources, anyone who wishes to expand the article has a good idea of what kind of material is appropriate, and where to go for more.

If you know enough about a subject to be able to write about it from memory, even in that case the ideal is that you check the data against the source before making the addition and that you leave it clearly documented. Even if it is very easy for you to identify the correct references, the idea is that all readers can find them without having to ask you on your own page.

References must be given when adding content, following these guidelines:

• Cite the source from which you obtained the information when you expand an article. You may make exceptions in the case of very general data or common knowledge, but as Hispanopedia grows those cases become increasingly rare, and the need to document each addition becomes greater.
• Use a standard format for references, if you know how to do it (see how to cite for a complete manual). If you cannot do so, include all the information about the source so that some other editor can format the citation; at a minimum, it is essential to know the author and the title of the publication, but data such as the date, page number and publisher can also be of great help.
• Avoid at all costs impersonal formulations, such as "some authors", "some say" or "it has been said"; the correct approach is to:
  • expressly identify who has held that position, and
  • provide the means to verify it with their own statements.

See also

• Hispanopedia:References
• Hispanopedia:Reliable sources