Bharatpedia:Core content policies

The English Bharatpedia's content is governed by three principal core content policies: neutral point of view (NPOV), verifiability (V), and no original research (NOR). Together with the copyright policy, these policies determine the type and quality of material that is acceptable in Bharatpedia articles.

Because the three core content policies work in harmony, they should not be interpreted in isolation from one another, and editors are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with all three. The principles upon which these policies are based cannot be superseded by other policies or guidelines, nor by editor consensus.

This page is an explanatory supplement to the three core content policies. It is intended to help editors understand how the policies interact and to provide a concise overview of their key requirements. If there is a discrepancy between this page and the policy pages themselves, the policy pages should be followed.

The three core content policies

Neutral point of view

Main page: Bharatpedia:Neutral point of view

All encyclopedic content on Bharatpedia must be written from a neutral point of view (NPOV), which means representing fairly, proportionately, and, as far as possible, without editorial bias, all the significant views that have been published by reliable sources on a topic. NPOV is a fundamental principle of Bharatpedia.

Achieving what the Bharatpedia community understands as neutrality means carefully and critically analyzing a variety of reliable sources and then attempting to convey to the reader the information contained in them fairly, proportionately, and as far as possible without editorial bias. Bharatpedia aims to describe disputes, but not engage in them. Editors, while naturally having their own points of view, should strive in good faith to provide complete information, and not to promote one particular point of view over another. As such, the neutral point of view does not mean exclusion of certain points of view, but including all verifiable points of view which have sufficient due weight.

Key principles for achieving neutrality include:

• Avoid stating opinions as facts. Opinions should be attributed in the text to particular sources, or where justified, described as widespread views, etc.
• Avoid stating seriously contested assertions as facts. If different reliable sources make conflicting assertions about a matter, treat these assertions as opinions rather than facts.
• Avoid stating facts as opinions. Uncontested and uncontroversial factual assertions made by reliable sources should normally be directly stated in Bharatpedia's voice.
• Prefer nonjudgmental language. A neutral point of view neither sympathizes with nor disparages its subject.
• Indicate the relative prominence of opposing views. Ensure that the reporting of different views on a subject adequately reflects the relative levels of support for those views, and that it does not give a false impression of parity, or give undue weight to a particular view.

Verifiability

Main page: Bharatpedia:Verifiability

The verifiability policy means that other people using the encyclopedia can check that the information comes from a reliable source. Bharatpedia does not publish original research. Its content is determined by previously published information rather than the beliefs or experiences of editors. Even if you are sure something is true, it must be verifiable before you can add it. If reliable sources disagree, then maintain a neutral point of view and present what the various sources say, giving each side its due weight.

All material in Bharatpedia mainspace, including everything in articles, lists and captions, must be verifiable. All quotations, and any material whose verifiability has been challenged or is likely to be challenged, must include an inline citation that directly supports the material. Any material that needs a source but does not have one may be removed. Please immediately remove contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced.

Self-published and questionable sources may be used as sources of information about themselves, usually in articles about themselves or their activities, without the self-published source requirement that they be published experts in the field, so long as:

• the material is neither unduly self-serving nor an exceptional claim;
• it does not involve claims about third parties;
• it does not involve claims about events not directly related to the source;
• there is no reasonable doubt as to its authenticity; and
• the article is not based primarily on such sources.

This policy also applies to material published by the subject on social networking websites such as Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Facebook.

No original research

Main page: Bharatpedia:No original research

Bharatpedia does not publish original research. Its content is determined by previously published information rather than the beliefs or experiences of editors. This means that all material added to articles must be attributable to a reliable, published source, even if not actually attributed in the text. The phrase "original research" in this context refers to material—such as facts, allegations, and ideas—for which no reliable, published sources exist.

This includes any analysis or synthesis of published material that serves to reach or imply a conclusion not stated by the sources. To demonstrate that you are not adding original research, you must be able to cite reliable, published sources that are directly related to the topic of the article, and directly support the material being presented.

Bharatpedia articles should rely on reliable, independent, published sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy. Sources should be appropriate to the claims made: exceptional claims require high-quality sources. Editors should never interpret the content of primary sources for themselves.

How the policies work together

The three core content policies are complementary and mutually reinforcing. They should be applied together, not in isolation.

• Verifiability and no original research ensure that article content is grounded in reliable, published sources rather than the personal beliefs or analyses of editors.
• Neutral point of view ensures that the information from those reliable sources is presented fairly, proportionately, and without editorial bias, giving due weight to all significant viewpoints.
• Copyright policy ensures that Bharatpedia content respects the intellectual property rights of others and is compatible with Bharatpedia's free-content license.

For example, even when information is cited to reliable sources, it must be presented with a neutral point of view; editors must fairly represent all majority and significant-minority viewpoints published by reliable sources, in rough proportion to the prominence of each view. Conversely, a neutral presentation of unsourced or original-research material is not acceptable, as the material must still be verifiable and not original research.

Relationship with other policies and guidelines

The core content policies are non-negotiable, and the principles upon which they are based cannot be superseded by other policies or guidelines, nor by editor consensus. However, they operate alongside numerous other policies and guidelines that provide more detailed guidance on specific topics. These include, but are not limited to:

• Bharatpedia:Biographies of living persons – Articles about living persons require a high degree of sensitivity and must adhere strictly to Bharatpedia's content policies.
• Bharatpedia:Reliable sources – Provides guidance on identifying and using reliable sources.
• Bharatpedia:Citing sources – Provides guidance on how to write citations.
• Bharatpedia:Copyrights – Governs the use of copyrighted material.
• Bharatpedia:Article titles – Provides guidance on choosing appropriate article titles.
• Bharatpedia:New pages patrol – Patrollers check whether new articles conform to Bharatpedia's core content policies.

For a full list of policies, see Bharatpedia:List of policies.

See also

• Bharatpedia:Five pillars – The fundamental principles of Bharatpedia may be summarized in five "pillars".
• Bharatpedia:Policies and guidelines
• Bharatpedia:What Bharatpedia is not

Further reading

• Bharatpedia:Neutral point of view
• Bharatpedia:Verifiability
• Bharatpedia:No original research
• Bharatpedia:Reliable sources
• Bharatpedia:Citing sources
• Bharatpedia:Copyrights