User:Aerospeed/Declined AfC reasons

Articles for Creation is a good way to get your article published in Wikipedia, especially for new users and those who are looking for feedback on their new article. However, not every subject requires an article on Wikipedia - there needs to be a small sense of quality in each article. You can see the reviewing process for each AfC submission, which can explain certain reasons for why an AfC submission could be unsuccessful. The quick-fail reasons are self-explanatory as to why the submission cannot be accepted (and any further questions should be directed to the appropriate reason under the "Quick-fail criteria" dropbox). However, some require further explanation.

Notability and Verifiability

The two most important principles of an article on Wikipedia are notability and verifiability. An article on Wikipedia needs to be accurate so that what we are reading is in fact truthful and important.

You've probably heard that many articles have been placed with inaccuracies that damage the reputation of Wikipedia. In order to avoid more of these inaccuracies, we need to make sure that in an AfC submission, the information is not only accurate but also backed up by evidence using sources.

Not only does an AfC submission need to be accurate, it also needs to be important. You don't see many articles on other people's pets, unless there is some sort of reason why the pet was important in the first place. Having accurate sources can help clarify that, but the main factor of notability is having done something that would warrant having an article in the first place. Having significant news coverage is a good indicator of notability, but other factors include accomplishing a feat or being a leader of a country.

We can't simply list every single company and object not only because it's impossible, but we need to set a standard for what is and isn't a noteworthy item to talk about on Wikipedia. For me, just looking at the article in face value and thinking, "does this absolutely need an article right now?" works for determining a submission. Sometimes I defer to the guidelines in the notability and verifibility dropbox (see the reviewing process above) and judge based on the guidelines stated there. Generally speaking, your subject needs to provide substantial coverage from third-party independent reliable sources, not press releases or mere announcements. If you can not find them, an article will not be possible right now. When the subject becomes well-known enough for there to be such references, then it will make sense to try again.

A good AfC submission should be able to address these issues confidently. Don't worry about making your submission perfect - let other people do that for you.

Specific Reasons

• Copyright Violation - You can't directly copy and paste from the source in which you are referencing from. Even if cited properly, you still need to have a small form of originality when creating the submission. Paraphrase from the source if necessary.
• Improper Sourcing - Although there are sources given, the sources aren't considered reliable. This may be because the source is self-made, or because the source is made by the subject themselves. There is an issue of verifibility when dealing with these type of sources. Because of that, we can't use those sources to determine notability.
• No Inline Citations - Not only do you need the sources, but you also need to cite them inline to link the source to a claim that is being made in the article. This is different from using external links, because not only does it not look right but also we need to give the source proper credit as well, which means telling the readers the author and publisher of the content. Think of citing a Wikipedia page like citing an essay at school, leaving footnotes after each point of information that isn't obvious to the average person. (See WP:Citing Sources)
• News Story - An event documented on the news may appear to be notable, but a submission along the lines of "a sinkhole has opened up in the west end of Cityville" or "two people have been murdered in a shooting on Main Street" because the event by itself isn't considered notable on their own. (See WP:NOTNEWS) In any case, the best option is to wait until we can see if there is any lasting impact on the event, so that there can be the chance for more reliable sources to be available.
• Dictionary Definition - Just simply having a definition of what a subject is about does not automatically give the subject notability. There needs to be more detail on the subject to give the article notability.
• Plot Summary - Likewise, an article consisting entirely of a plot summary does not give the article notability. Articles on films need to have a reason why the film is important, not why the plot is important.
• Reads Like an Essay - Articles need to adhere to a neutral point of view on Wikipedia. When writing an article, make sure to not slant opinion of the article one way or another.
• Reads Like an Advertisement - Wikipedia is not a place to advertise a company or product or other service. Articles solely written for advertising also do not adhere to neutral point of view policies.

Click Here to return to my talk page.