The online encyclopedia Wikipedia is a repository for, among other things, information about notable businesses. With anybody being able to edit it, one of the most important ways that Wikipedia ensures that its information is accurate is through the application of a verifiability standard. Any information that is likely to be challenged by another edit must include a source citation, and those sources should be known for fact-checking. The most controversial edits can be seen in articles where the information is rapidly changing, such as biographies of living people, news stories, and established businesses; the sources in these situations are held up to high scrutiny. Understanding how business information is verified on Wikipedia can be helpful when addressing inaccuracies and unfavorable information.
Information Must Be Verifiable
According to Wikipedia's verifiability policy, “Material challenged or likely to be challenged, and all quotations, must be attributed to a reliable, published source.” Information which is common knowledge does not require citations. Reliability and published are terms which bear further explanation.
- Reliable sources are known for being correct. The most reliable sources are peer-reviewed academic journals, mainstream newspapers, and other sources which have a process of editorial oversight that includes fact-checking. One or more individuals other than the writer have reviewed the work to ensure that events occurred as reported, research methods were applied consistently, and quotations are rendered accurately.
- Published sources can include electronic media, but generally never include self-published work. Books printed by a vanity or on-demand publishing house are self-published, as are web sites including blogs (notwithstanding the occasional blog on a newspaper's web site which receives third-party editorial review; this would not be considered self-published).
Information can be cited from so-called “questionable sources” (including self-published information and sources which have a reputation for factual errors) for a limited extent on an article about the source itself. For example, it may be appropriate to include a reference from Microsoft.com in the Microsoft entry on Wikipedia. However, the source must not make claims about third parties (such as a review of a Google service) and should not be the primary source for the article.
Wikipedia cannot be used as a source for its own entries, because Wikipedia is unreliable due to its self-published nature. In addition, to permit this would create a circular reference with no academic credibility.