This is an
information page. It is not one of
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of
consensus and
vetting. |
This guide describes the structure of the perennial sources list, and explains how to maintain the list as new discussions appear on the reliable sources noticeboard. Any editor is welcome to update the list using this guide.
The list is structured as a table with multiple templates. Most edits to the list require a basic understanding of how to build tables and transclude templates using wikitext.
Since the perennial sources list uses wikitext extensively, it is currently impractical to edit the list with the VisualEditor. If you normally use the VisualEditor, please switch to "Source editing" mode before editing the list.
A project-level RfC is required for the following:
RfCs should be registered at
Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard using {{
rfc|prop}}
.
Several templates are used throughout the list. Some of these templates are located on
subpages of the list, and they should be transcluded into the list with a leading slash character (/
) as a shortcut.
Shortcut | Template | Description |
---|---|---|
{{
/Last}}
|
Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/Last | "Last" discussion table cell |
{{
/Shortcut}}
|
Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/Shortcut | Shortcut box |
{{
/Status}}
|
Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/Status | "Status" table cell |
{{
/Uses}}
|
Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/Uses | "Uses" table cell |
{{
rsnl}}
|
Template:RSN link | Link to a discussion or request for comment at the reliable sources noticeboard or its archives |
{{
sbll}}
|
Template:SBL link | Link to a request at MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist or its archives |
The list uses a CSS style sheet located at Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/styles.css.
|- class="s-nc" id="Example_Source"
| [[Example Source]]
| {{/Status|nc}}
| {{rsnl|100|Reliable sources noticeboard discussion title|1}} {{rsnl|200|Second discussion|2}}
| {{/Last|2015}}
| Description of source and summary of past discussions.
| {{/Uses|example.com|example.net}}
Source | Status ( legend) |
Discussions | Uses | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
List | Last | Summary | |||
Example Source | 1 2 |
2015 |
Description of source and summary of past discussions. |
1
2 |
|- class="s-b" id="Blacklisted_Source"
| ''[[Blacklisted Source]]'' {{small|([[BS]], ''[[Nickname]]'')}} {{/Shortcut|WP:BS}}
| {{/Status|gu|b=y}}
| {{sbll|January 2017|Blacklisted Source|2017}} {{rsnl|100|RfC: Blacklisted Source|2020|rfc=y|active=y}}
+8{{efn|See also these discussions of ''Blacklisted Source'':
{{rsnl|1|Discussion 1|1}}
{{rsnl|2|Discussion 2|2}}
{{rsnl|10|Discussion 3|3}}
{{rsnl|11|Discussion 4|4}}
{{rsnl|12|Discussion 5|5}}
{{rsnl|20|Discussion 6|6|active=y}}
[[Talk:Example Source#Discussion A|A]]
''[[Wikipedia:Example#Discussion B|B]]''
}}
| {{/Last|2020|inprogress=y}}
| Description of source and summary of past discussions.
| {{/Uses|example.com|example.net|example.org|example.info}}
Source | Status ( legend) |
Discussions | Uses | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
List | Last | Summary | |||
Blacklisted Source (
BS,
Nickname)
WP:BS 📌
|
2017
2020
+8 [a] |
2020 |
Description of source and summary of past discussions. |
The "Source" column of the table displays up to four items:
{{
small}}
template. Aliases can include:
{{
/Shortcut}}
templateThe status of a source is indicated in two ways:
{{
/Status}}
template is set to a value, which shows an icon in the "Status" column.Status | Row class value | {{
/Status}} value
|
Background color | Icon |
---|---|---|---|---|
Generally reliable | s-gr
|
gr
|
||
No consensus | s-nc
|
nc
|
||
Generally unreliable | s-gu
|
gu
|
||
Deprecated | s-d
|
d
|
||
Blacklisted | s-b
|
One of the above |
and one of the above |
To represent a blacklisted source in the "Status" column, set the {{
/Status}}
template's b parameter to y
. The b parameter is independent from the template's value. For example, a blacklisted generally unreliable source is indicated with {{
/Status|gu|b=y}}
, while a blacklisted deprecated source is indicated with {{
/Status|d|b=y}}
. A blacklisted source has a gray background color, and shows both the "X" icon and the icon corresponding to the source's reliability.
A source's status should be consistent with its summary of discussions.
The discussions in the "List" column determine the contents of the source's summary and the value of the source's status.
Discussions on the source are linked from the "List" column in the following order:
{{
rsnl}}
to link to these RfCs. Set the rfc parameter to y
, and the link text to the year on which the RfC was closed. Set the active parameter to y
if the RfC is active. For example:
{{
rsnl|1|Example discussion|2007}}
.{{
rsnl||Example discussion|2024|rfc=y|active=y}}
.{{
sbll}}
to link to successful blacklisting discussions held at
MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist or its archives. Set the link text to the year on which the source was blacklisted. For example:
{{
sbll|October 2007|Example discussion|2007}}
.{{
rsnl}}
to link to these discussions. Set the link text to the discussion's
cardinal numeral, and set the active parameter to y
if the discussion is active. For example:
{{
rsnl|1|Example discussion|2}}
.{{
rsnl||Example discussion|3}}
.[[Talk:Example#Example discussion|A]]
.''[[Talk:Example#Example discussion|B]]''
.Do not link to a discussion more than once in the same source entry.
When there are 4 or more rows of discussions listed in a "Status" table cell, use {{
efn}}
to condense the ordinary discussions into an
explanatory footnote. In front of the footnote marker, indicate the total number of discussions linked in the footnote.
+
) in front of the discussion count.In the "Last" column, use {{
/Last}}
to specify the year of the last comment in the most recent discussion listed in the
"Status" column. If the discussion is currently active, set the inprogress parameter to y
. For example:
{{
/Last|2006}}
.{{
/Last|2024|inprogress=y}}
.The "Summary" column describes the consensus within all non-active discussions indexed in the list of discussions. The amount of weight assigned to each discussion depends on the following:
The summary of the source should explain the following:
The summary may include other guidance on how to appropriately use the source, as long as the information is derived from non-active discussions in the list of discussions.
Qualify the strength of statements in the summary. For example, the phrases "most editors", "some editors", and "a few editors" can be used to communicate a statement's level of support.
Apply the {{
/Uses}}
template in the "Uses" column to list the official
domain names used by the source for publication. If a source does not have a domain name, use an
em dash (—) to indicate this.
To keep the list up-to-date, volunteers patrol the reliable sources noticeboard on a regular basis. As new discussions are started and old discussions are archived, the list should reflect the most current information.
y
.y
.{{
rsnl}}
template to target the archive page instead of the main noticeboard, and remove the active parameter.The reliable sources noticeboard should be regularly checked to ensure that everything is running smoothly.
{{
rfc}}
tag.{{
subst:rsnr}}
before the {{
rfc}}
tag.
{{
subst:rsnr}}
template, use the timestamp of the
RfC statement (from the first signature after the {{
rfc}}
tag) as the first parameter, i.e. {{subst:rsnr|00:00, 1 January 2020 (UTC)}}
.{{
rfc}}
tag, if it was automatically removed by
Legobot while the RfC was archived. Apply the {{
subst:rsnr}}
template before the {{
rfc}}
tag to prevent another premature archival.
{{
subst:rsnr}}
template was omitted in the first place.<nowiki>
and </nowiki>
tags to disable it.Deprecating a source involves several steps:
deprecated =:
. This requires the
edit filter manager permission, which administrators can assign to themselves.This is an
information page. It is not one of
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of
consensus and
vetting. |
This guide describes the structure of the perennial sources list, and explains how to maintain the list as new discussions appear on the reliable sources noticeboard. Any editor is welcome to update the list using this guide.
The list is structured as a table with multiple templates. Most edits to the list require a basic understanding of how to build tables and transclude templates using wikitext.
Since the perennial sources list uses wikitext extensively, it is currently impractical to edit the list with the VisualEditor. If you normally use the VisualEditor, please switch to "Source editing" mode before editing the list.
A project-level RfC is required for the following:
RfCs should be registered at
Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard using {{
rfc|prop}}
.
Several templates are used throughout the list. Some of these templates are located on
subpages of the list, and they should be transcluded into the list with a leading slash character (/
) as a shortcut.
Shortcut | Template | Description |
---|---|---|
{{
/Last}}
|
Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/Last | "Last" discussion table cell |
{{
/Shortcut}}
|
Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/Shortcut | Shortcut box |
{{
/Status}}
|
Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/Status | "Status" table cell |
{{
/Uses}}
|
Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/Uses | "Uses" table cell |
{{
rsnl}}
|
Template:RSN link | Link to a discussion or request for comment at the reliable sources noticeboard or its archives |
{{
sbll}}
|
Template:SBL link | Link to a request at MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist or its archives |
The list uses a CSS style sheet located at Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/styles.css.
|- class="s-nc" id="Example_Source"
| [[Example Source]]
| {{/Status|nc}}
| {{rsnl|100|Reliable sources noticeboard discussion title|1}} {{rsnl|200|Second discussion|2}}
| {{/Last|2015}}
| Description of source and summary of past discussions.
| {{/Uses|example.com|example.net}}
Source | Status ( legend) |
Discussions | Uses | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
List | Last | Summary | |||
Example Source | 1 2 |
2015 |
Description of source and summary of past discussions. |
1
2 |
|- class="s-b" id="Blacklisted_Source"
| ''[[Blacklisted Source]]'' {{small|([[BS]], ''[[Nickname]]'')}} {{/Shortcut|WP:BS}}
| {{/Status|gu|b=y}}
| {{sbll|January 2017|Blacklisted Source|2017}} {{rsnl|100|RfC: Blacklisted Source|2020|rfc=y|active=y}}
+8{{efn|See also these discussions of ''Blacklisted Source'':
{{rsnl|1|Discussion 1|1}}
{{rsnl|2|Discussion 2|2}}
{{rsnl|10|Discussion 3|3}}
{{rsnl|11|Discussion 4|4}}
{{rsnl|12|Discussion 5|5}}
{{rsnl|20|Discussion 6|6|active=y}}
[[Talk:Example Source#Discussion A|A]]
''[[Wikipedia:Example#Discussion B|B]]''
}}
| {{/Last|2020|inprogress=y}}
| Description of source and summary of past discussions.
| {{/Uses|example.com|example.net|example.org|example.info}}
Source | Status ( legend) |
Discussions | Uses | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
List | Last | Summary | |||
Blacklisted Source (
BS,
Nickname)
WP:BS 📌
|
2017
2020
+8 [a] |
2020 |
Description of source and summary of past discussions. |
The "Source" column of the table displays up to four items:
{{
small}}
template. Aliases can include:
{{
/Shortcut}}
templateThe status of a source is indicated in two ways:
{{
/Status}}
template is set to a value, which shows an icon in the "Status" column.Status | Row class value | {{
/Status}} value
|
Background color | Icon |
---|---|---|---|---|
Generally reliable | s-gr
|
gr
|
||
No consensus | s-nc
|
nc
|
||
Generally unreliable | s-gu
|
gu
|
||
Deprecated | s-d
|
d
|
||
Blacklisted | s-b
|
One of the above |
and one of the above |
To represent a blacklisted source in the "Status" column, set the {{
/Status}}
template's b parameter to y
. The b parameter is independent from the template's value. For example, a blacklisted generally unreliable source is indicated with {{
/Status|gu|b=y}}
, while a blacklisted deprecated source is indicated with {{
/Status|d|b=y}}
. A blacklisted source has a gray background color, and shows both the "X" icon and the icon corresponding to the source's reliability.
A source's status should be consistent with its summary of discussions.
The discussions in the "List" column determine the contents of the source's summary and the value of the source's status.
Discussions on the source are linked from the "List" column in the following order:
{{
rsnl}}
to link to these RfCs. Set the rfc parameter to y
, and the link text to the year on which the RfC was closed. Set the active parameter to y
if the RfC is active. For example:
{{
rsnl|1|Example discussion|2007}}
.{{
rsnl||Example discussion|2024|rfc=y|active=y}}
.{{
sbll}}
to link to successful blacklisting discussions held at
MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist or its archives. Set the link text to the year on which the source was blacklisted. For example:
{{
sbll|October 2007|Example discussion|2007}}
.{{
rsnl}}
to link to these discussions. Set the link text to the discussion's
cardinal numeral, and set the active parameter to y
if the discussion is active. For example:
{{
rsnl|1|Example discussion|2}}
.{{
rsnl||Example discussion|3}}
.[[Talk:Example#Example discussion|A]]
.''[[Talk:Example#Example discussion|B]]''
.Do not link to a discussion more than once in the same source entry.
When there are 4 or more rows of discussions listed in a "Status" table cell, use {{
efn}}
to condense the ordinary discussions into an
explanatory footnote. In front of the footnote marker, indicate the total number of discussions linked in the footnote.
+
) in front of the discussion count.In the "Last" column, use {{
/Last}}
to specify the year of the last comment in the most recent discussion listed in the
"Status" column. If the discussion is currently active, set the inprogress parameter to y
. For example:
{{
/Last|2006}}
.{{
/Last|2024|inprogress=y}}
.The "Summary" column describes the consensus within all non-active discussions indexed in the list of discussions. The amount of weight assigned to each discussion depends on the following:
The summary of the source should explain the following:
The summary may include other guidance on how to appropriately use the source, as long as the information is derived from non-active discussions in the list of discussions.
Qualify the strength of statements in the summary. For example, the phrases "most editors", "some editors", and "a few editors" can be used to communicate a statement's level of support.
Apply the {{
/Uses}}
template in the "Uses" column to list the official
domain names used by the source for publication. If a source does not have a domain name, use an
em dash (—) to indicate this.
To keep the list up-to-date, volunteers patrol the reliable sources noticeboard on a regular basis. As new discussions are started and old discussions are archived, the list should reflect the most current information.
y
.y
.{{
rsnl}}
template to target the archive page instead of the main noticeboard, and remove the active parameter.The reliable sources noticeboard should be regularly checked to ensure that everything is running smoothly.
{{
rfc}}
tag.{{
subst:rsnr}}
before the {{
rfc}}
tag.
{{
subst:rsnr}}
template, use the timestamp of the
RfC statement (from the first signature after the {{
rfc}}
tag) as the first parameter, i.e. {{subst:rsnr|00:00, 1 January 2020 (UTC)}}
.{{
rfc}}
tag, if it was automatically removed by
Legobot while the RfC was archived. Apply the {{
subst:rsnr}}
template before the {{
rfc}}
tag to prevent another premature archival.
{{
subst:rsnr}}
template was omitted in the first place.<nowiki>
and </nowiki>
tags to disable it.Deprecating a source involves several steps:
deprecated =:
. This requires the
edit filter manager permission, which administrators can assign to themselves.