Wikipedia:WikiProject Timeline Tracer

Welcome to the WikiProject Timeline Tracer

Goals

Wikipedia has a large number of articles that, for one reason or another, lack verifiable sources in claims of cultural or historical heritage and lineage, or articles about a variety of subjects which should have sources verifying some basic history claims and the accuracy of their chronology but have not (or have only few).

Wikipedia editors are a nice helpful group of people living in the twenty-first century who try their best to edit an enormous amount of articles, but who may sometimes fall victim to "generally accepted" history references, common places, replicated inaccuracies or chronologies which may not always be correct. Of course, a good encyclopedia article should be as accurate and free from common mistakes as possible.

The goals of this WikiProject are:

• To encourage all Wikipedia editors to identify articles that lack (or have errors in) sources for chronology, history or cultural lineage information. To be specially alert to sources and citations about dates or history periods and to identify interrupted chronologies.
• To encourage all editors to suggest verification needs, and if possible correct that information. (See WP:BOLD)
• To encourage all editors to follow Wikipedia policies regarding articles failing to comply with accuracy in these fields.

The spirit is to help other contributors to meet criteria, never to make contributors feel unwelcome, and to encourage respect for Wikipedia policies and accuracy of chronologies and history sources, while acting with a good balance of kindness, fairness and neutrality.

Scope

• The scope of this WikiProject is multidisciplinary in nature, virtually any article can potentially fall under its scope.

Why this is important

• Dates, chronologies, history information and claims to lineage are used abundantly as proof of legitimacy. Most often are also the backbone of definitions, descriptions and presentations.
• Historical or cultural lineage accuracy as well as identification of illegitimate claims or inaccurate chronology, are critical, as errors may replicate and multiply in a myriad of related or linked subjects using the original article as reference.
• Lack of sources verifying dates, chronologies and history references leaves the way open to false claims and inaccurate information.

How you can help

• You can follow the Guidelines for Article Evaluation and Help outlined in this project and help in the edition of articles within scope.
• You can report an article lacking sources or inaccurate in the history of the subject or its chronology.
• You can simply adopt, as part of your daily editing and when {{fact}} is not enough for requesting clearly and specifically a citation or source for dates, timeline or chronology, the following inline tag:

{{Timefact}} displays ^{{chronology source needed}} for requesting timelines, dates and chronology sources. Click here for more information

In this way, you will be contributing by guiding editors to provide specific sourcing for dates, timelines and chronologies, enhancing the reliability of Wikipedia articles.

Cooperation

Please promote mutual understanding, support and cooperation with an open attitude. Participants of more than one Project may find useful to obtain a recognition of cooperation between projects shown by inclusion in the {{Cooperation Shell Banner}} at the project's page. The cooperation banner of WikiProject Timeline Tracer is {{WikiProject Timeline Tracer CoopBanner}}

If finding situations in which an article is supported by a WikiProject which seems to be acting with lack of neutrality or actively promoting specific interests, do not engage in confrontation and looping debate, but rather engage the opinion of other participants of WP:TIMETRACE. If it proves impossible to resolve differences you may always follow Wikipedia:Mediation policies.

Guidelines and Strategy

The evaluation and assistance of articles under the scope of this project is simplified by following the Guidelines for Article Evaluation and Help

Because this WikiProject may arrive at all articles under its scope, which is so wide and multidisciplinary, a work strategy has been developed which allows all editors to have different options for finding articles in need of evaluation and help, please see WikiProject Timeline Tracer Strategy.

Reporting an article that may need Timeline Tracer's help

Please report articles that may be helped by WikiProject Timeline Tracer here

Open Participation

• This project aims to encourage all Wikipedia editors to follow the Guidelines for Timeline, Chronological and Historical accuracy. There is no need to join.

• I you think that the purpose of WikiProject Timeline Tracer is important just keep the :{{Timefact}} tag at hand, use it where needed and encourage others to do the same.

Awards

WikiProject Timeline Tracer awards can be issued to:

• Editors who consistently work towards the goals of the Project enhancing its results day after day.
• Editors who have managed to re-edit on their own or with scarce help, an article that was initially totally devoid of sources for its subject chronology or history.
• Editors who have been able to identify profound or important inaccuracies which have risked or already started to replicate in other Wikipedia articles.

• Articles which, after receiving a tag for lacking sources for chronology/history verification, have arrived to present an excellent chronology and solid reliable history sources after effort and hard work.

The complete list of awards is here

Resources

A list of templates, banners, boxes and other resources for facilitating the work of editors endorsing the goals of this project, is here