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Hi @
Xwejnusgozo, I'm just leaving this message to explain why I added the {{self-published}} template to this page. The article currently has two sources, and one of them is a
self-published source on
Lulu.com, and per
WP:SPS, you should [e]xercise caution when using such sources: if the information in question is suitable for inclusion, someone else will probably have published it in independent reliable sources. Furthermore, the other source is a PhD
thesis, and per
WP:SCHOLARSHIP, [c]ompleted dissertations or theses written as part of the requirements for a doctorate, and which are publicly available ... can be used but care should be exercised, as they are often, in part, primary sources. ... If possible, use theses that have been cited in the literature; supervised by recognized specialists in the field; or reviewed by independent parties. According to
Google Scholar, it
doesn't appear to have been cited elsewhere, but I don't know who supervised the thesis, or whether it's been "reviewed" or not. Therefore, seeing as both sources don't appear to be of the highest quality, I added that tag. If you can add in other, better sources, that would be great!
Seagull123 Φ 16:12, 30 August 2020 (UTC)reply
@
Seagull123: I agree that a self-published book and a thesis are not the best sources for a Wikipedia article, but unfortunately they were the best ones I could find online regarding this plague outbreak, which does not seem to be that well-known (and it therefore lacks decent coverage unlike major episodes of plague such as the
1675–1676 Malta plague epidemic). I think the sources given are decent enough in this case and they do not seem to include any information which might be controversial, but if you think the article still needs the "self-published" tag feel free to re-add it (I won't revert again).
My point was that the main source's author Charles Savona Ventura is an established expert in medicine and history (as indicated by his
University of Malta bio). A previous edition of the cited book had actually been published in Malta by Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) in 2004 (see
here). PEG
was liquidated in 2009, which might be why the 2015 edition was self-published on Lulu.com. --
Xwejnusgozo (
talk) 00:58, 3 September 2020 (UTC)reply
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Malta, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of
Malta on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join
the discussion and see a list of open tasks.MaltaWikipedia:WikiProject MaltaTemplate:WikiProject MaltaMalta articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Death, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of
Death on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join
the discussion and see a list of open tasks.DeathWikipedia:WikiProject DeathTemplate:WikiProject DeathDeath articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Disaster management, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of
Disaster management on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join
the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Disaster managementWikipedia:WikiProject Disaster managementTemplate:WikiProject Disaster managementDisaster management articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Viruses, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of
viruses on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join
the discussion and see a list of open tasks.VirusesWikipedia:WikiProject VirusesTemplate:WikiProject Virusesvirus articles
Hi @
Xwejnusgozo, I'm just leaving this message to explain why I added the {{self-published}} template to this page. The article currently has two sources, and one of them is a
self-published source on
Lulu.com, and per
WP:SPS, you should [e]xercise caution when using such sources: if the information in question is suitable for inclusion, someone else will probably have published it in independent reliable sources. Furthermore, the other source is a PhD
thesis, and per
WP:SCHOLARSHIP, [c]ompleted dissertations or theses written as part of the requirements for a doctorate, and which are publicly available ... can be used but care should be exercised, as they are often, in part, primary sources. ... If possible, use theses that have been cited in the literature; supervised by recognized specialists in the field; or reviewed by independent parties. According to
Google Scholar, it
doesn't appear to have been cited elsewhere, but I don't know who supervised the thesis, or whether it's been "reviewed" or not. Therefore, seeing as both sources don't appear to be of the highest quality, I added that tag. If you can add in other, better sources, that would be great!
Seagull123 Φ 16:12, 30 August 2020 (UTC)reply
@
Seagull123: I agree that a self-published book and a thesis are not the best sources for a Wikipedia article, but unfortunately they were the best ones I could find online regarding this plague outbreak, which does not seem to be that well-known (and it therefore lacks decent coverage unlike major episodes of plague such as the
1675–1676 Malta plague epidemic). I think the sources given are decent enough in this case and they do not seem to include any information which might be controversial, but if you think the article still needs the "self-published" tag feel free to re-add it (I won't revert again).
My point was that the main source's author Charles Savona Ventura is an established expert in medicine and history (as indicated by his
University of Malta bio). A previous edition of the cited book had actually been published in Malta by Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) in 2004 (see
here). PEG
was liquidated in 2009, which might be why the 2015 edition was self-published on Lulu.com. --
Xwejnusgozo (
talk) 00:58, 3 September 2020 (UTC)reply