Wikipedia:Accuracy dispute

This page documents an English Wikipedia content guideline.

Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page.

Shortcuts

Some articles on Wikipedia may contain significant factual inaccuracies, i.e. information that is verifiably wrong. Articles for which much of the factual accuracy is actively disputed should have a {{Disputed}} warning place at the top, and they are listed at Category:Accuracy disputes. Also see a recent list of disputed articles, and the current list of articles that link here.

Handling content that may be inaccurate

If you see an article that may be inaccurate, you should do the following:

Correct it yourself if you can. Add citations to reliable sources to verify the information.
If the neutrality of the content is in question, see Wikipedia:NPOV dispute for more details about how to handle it.
If only a few statements seem inaccurate, see Disputed statement.
If there are several dubious statements, or if a dispute arises:
- Begin a "Disputed" section on the talk page to describe the problem, alert other editors, and gain more opinions on whether the content is inaccurate and how to handle it.
- Paste {{Disputed}} at the beginning of the article to add a general warning.
- If only the accuracy of a section is disputed, add {{Disputed-section}} at the beginning of the section.

Handling factual inaccuracy warnings

If you see an article with a factual accuracy warning, please do the following:

Don't remove the warning simply because the material appears reasonable: please ensure that content is verifiable using reliable sources, that it is unbiased and that it contains no original research before removing the notice.
Visit the talk page to see what the issues are.
Correct it yourself if you can. Add citations to reliable sources to verify the information.
If you are sure that a statement is factually inaccurate then remove it, or move it to the talk page for further discussion. If you are familiar with the subject matter contained in the article but are not sure about the accuracy of a statement, then add "{{Citation needed}}" at the end of the statement. If you are not familiar with the subject matter contained in the article but wish to ask about the accuracy of a statement, then raise the issue on the article's talk page. Please see WP:BURDEN and WP:HANDLE for a more detailed explanation of how to handle potentially false or misleading information.

Resolving disputes

Check dispute resolution for ways to resolve it.
There are several noticeboards at which accuracy disputes may be listed to gain the views of other editors, particularly the reliable sources, no original research, neutral point-of-view, and biographies of living persons noticeboards (see {{Noticeboard links}} for a fuller list).
Once you have found the correct information, edit the page to correct it, remove the warnings, and put something like the following in your edit summary:

Verified article – removed accuracy dispute

Disputed statement

If a Wikipedia article links to this page, it is due to an editor's concerns regarding the accuracy of statements within that article. Statements causing such concern are marked with the tags [disputed – discuss] or [dubious – discuss]. An editor can insert such a warning by using the templates {{Disputed inline}} or {{Dubious}}.

Several factors can prompt concerns about the accuracy of a statement, including:

Implausible information, without providing adequate references;
Information that is particularly difficult to verify;
Highly detailed information subject to frequent changes, rendering its accuracy variable over time;
Reference to sources that are outdated or whose reliability has been subsequently questioned;
Contributions from users with a history of providing inaccurate information on the subject matter;
Ambiguously worded statements that allow for multiple interpretations due to grammatical issues or subjective phrasing; or
Existence of reliable sources that corroborate divergent claims.

If your work has been tagged:

Verify unsourced statements by providing a reliable source. Add a citation using the menu at the top of the editing box, or manually insert a citation using ref tags. There are several detailed methods for citing sources available.
If necessary, rephrase the statement to ensure it is neutral and clear.
Engage in discussion if the reason for the tag is unclear. If you do not get a response, use the "View history" tab to identify who added the tag and notify them of your intention to discuss. Alternatively, you can use the {{Help me}} template for assistance.

If you encounter a statement with an accuracy warning, please:

Refrain from removing the warning simply because the material looks plausible. Instead, verify it properly.
Consult the article's talk page to understand the underlying issues.
If possible, correct the statement right away, ensuring verifiability. Additionally, incorporate any sources utilized for verification into the article, see Wikipedia:Cite your sources.

If you encounter a statement that seems to be or is inaccurate, please:

If feasible, correct the statement right away, ensuring verifiability. Additionally, incorporate any sources utilized for verification into the article, see Wikipedia:Cite your sources.
Should the statement's neutrality be contentious, see Wikipedia:NPOV dispute for more details about addressing the issue.

If you cannot correct it right away:

First, insert a "Dubious" section on 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 {{Disputed inline}} or {{Dubious}} after the relevant sentence or paragraph. Use {{Disputed inline}} to directly challenge the statement with sources to back up your claim, or {{Dubious}} to point out uncertainty over sources. Add the correct/current month and year to the template.
(Or insert {{Dubious}} replacing 'talkpage 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 on the talk page to describe the problem. This will help focus on contributions from others.
- Insert {{Disputed}} at the beginning of the article to add a general warning. Check dispute resolution for ways to resolve it.
- 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:

Verified article – removed accuracy dispute

When you add an accuracy warning, you are invited to also help resolve other accuracy disputes or fact-check other articles listed in:

Handling content that may be inaccurate

Handling factual inaccuracy warnings

Resolving disputes

Disputed statement

See also