User:Trialsanderrors/510

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This is not an essay. It is also not a policy or guideline. It expresses the opinions and ideas of one Wikipedian and may or may not have wide support, but it's easier to just post the link below rather than make the same point over and over again. Feel free to quote this non-essay as needed, but please use my discussion page to propose major changes.

Shortcut: T&E:510

This non-essay in a nutshell:

Topics of a WP entry should have been the central subject of at least ten articles from at least five different sources.
For topics of local interest (schools, shopping malls) these articles should come from outside the home region.

Shortcut: T&E

510 stands for The 5-10 rule of notability in trialsanderrors jargon

Notable

Not notable

The 5-10 rule of notability is a rule of thumb to determine notability the old-fashioned way: by checking whether a topic or subject has received enough outside attention to warrant a Wikipedia entry. The idea behind it is that for an article to be unbiased it is necessary for an editor to have sufficient material to write this article using only secondary sources. It says that topics considered notable enough to warrant a Wikipedia entry should have been the central subject of at least ten articles from atleast five different sources. Sources are different media outlets, not different authors.

The numbers reflect my gut instinct for what is "sufficient", but they have been chosen arbitrarily and should not be taken as a line in the sand. Topics can pass or fail this test unambiguously or they can be on the cusp.

For U.S. topics, especially topics of local interest, this rule can be tested using the Lexis-Nexis test. Local topics often receive media coverage in their home region that is not encyclopedic. To be notable in an encyclopedic sense the topic should have received unusual attention, and the way to test this via Lexis-Nexis or any other comprehensive news search is by doing a guided news search on general news: major papers, magazines or journals or similar categories, or a search for U.S. news: picking the three regional sources that are not the topic's home region. Articles that are out of the region but local in nature should be discounted. Similarly, articles from different sources that are clearly written off the same newswire. This test can also be applied to non-U.S. topics, but with appropriate caution. Also note that L-N only covers a subset of news sources, if other sources are provided they can count in favor of notability.

Topics are the "central subject" if they are the main subject (articles focuses on the topic) or the focus is on a small number of similar topics and discusses the topic at length. Mentions in passing don't count, neither do news stubs. Topics should have been the sole main subject at least once, or it make more sense to group them in with other topics (such as band members in an article on the band).

[edit] Examples

Arbor View High School in Las Vegas generates 9 news links in the Western region, but none outside the region → Fails 510.
Brede Arkless, a British rock climber, was central subject of 20 news accounts and obituaries in five countries → Passes 510.