This page documents an English Wikipedia content guideline. It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though it is best treated with common sense, and occasional exceptions may apply. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page.
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WP:DUBIOUS
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If a Wikipedia article links to this page, it is because someone is concerned that the article contains inaccurate statement(s). Such statements are followed by the following warnings: "(dubious - discuss)".
The accuracy of a statement may be a cause for concern if:
- It contains unlikely information, without providing references.
- It contains information which is particularly difficult to verify.
- It has been written (or edited) by a user who is known to write inaccurately on the topic.
If you come across a statement with an accuracy warning, please do the following:
- Don't remove the warning simply because the material looks reasonable: please take the time to verify it properly.
- Visit the talk page to see what the issues are.
- Correct it right away if you can. Please take the time to verify it properly. Please also add to the article any sources you used to verify the information in it: see cite your sources.
If you come across a statement which seems or is inaccurate, please do the following:
- Correct it right away if you can. Please take the time to verify it properly. Please also add to the article citations for any sources you used to verify the information in it: see cite your sources.
- If the neutrality of the statement is in question, please look at Wikipedia:NPOV dispute.
If you cannot correct it right away:
- First, insert a "Disputed" section in the talk page to describe the problem. (Please don't mark up the article text without first describing the problem on the talk page.)
- Insert {{dubious|date=Month Year}} after the relevant sentence or paragraph (add the correct month and year to the template).
- (Or insert {{dubious|section}} replacing 'section' with the appropriate section on the talk page, if one already exists.)
- If there are more than 5 dubious statements, or if a dispute arises:
- First, insert a "Disputed" section in the talk page to describe the problem. This will help focus contributions from others.
- Insert {{disputed}} in the beginning of the article to add a general warning. Check dispute resolution for ways to resolve it.
- If you find that the article remains unnoticed, you can draw more attention to it by listing it on Wikipedia:Pages needing attention.
- Once you've found the correct information, edit the page to correct it, remove the warnings, and put something like the following in your edit summary:
When you add an accuracy warning, you are invited to also help resolve other accuracy disputes or fact-check other articles listed in: