 | This is an explanatory essay about the multiple policies and guidelines. This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. |
Self-published works are those in which the author and publisher are the same. Anyone can self-publish information regardless of whether they are truly knowledgeable about the topic in question. Therefore, self-published works should be examined carefully when determining whether a specific self-published work is a reliable source for a particular claim in a Wikipedia article.
In determining the type of source, there are three separate, basic characteristics to identify:
- Is the source self-published or not? (This is the topic of this page.)
- Is the source independent or third-party, or is it closely affiliated with the subject? (See Wikipedia:Identifying and using independent sources.)
- Is the source primary or not? (If so, then see Wikipedia:Identifying and using primary and secondary sources.)
Every possible combination of these three traits has been seen in sources on Wikipedia. Any combination of these three traits can produce a source that is usable for some purpose in a Wikipedia article. Identifying these characteristics will help you determine how you can use these sources.
This page deals only with the first question: identifying and correctly using self-published sources.