Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/Instructions

This is an information page. It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of consensus and vetting.

Shortcut WP:RSPI

This guide describes the structure of the

The list is structured as a

Since the

A project-level

• Any source that is proposed for deprecation (see also
  the list of deprecated sources
  );

RfCs should be registered at Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard using {{rfc|prop}}.

Several templates are used throughout the list. Some of these templates are located on

The list uses a CSS style sheet located at Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Perennial sources/styles.css.

Simple

|- class="s-nc" id="Example_Source"
| [[Example Source]]
| {{/Status|nc}}
| {{rsnl|100|Reliable sources noticeboard discussion title|1}} {{rsnl|200|Second discussion|2}}
| {{/Last|2015}}
| Description of source and summary of past discussions.
| {{/Uses|example.com|example.net}}

Source	Status (legend)	Discussions			Uses
		List	Last	Summary
Example Source		1 2	2015	Description of source and summary of past discussions.	1   2

Advanced

|- class="s-b" id="Blacklisted_Source"
| ''[[Blacklisted Source]]'' {{small|([[BS]], ''[[Nickname]]'')}} {{/Shortcut|WP:BS}}
| {{/Status|gu|b=y}}
| {{sbll|January 2017|Blacklisted Source|2017}} {{rsnl|100|RfC: Blacklisted Source|2020|rfc=y|active=y}}
+8{{efn|See also these discussions of ''Blacklisted Source'':
{{rsnl|1|Discussion 1|1}}
{{rsnl|2|Discussion 2|2}}
{{rsnl|10|Discussion 3|3}}
{{rsnl|11|Discussion 4|4}}
{{rsnl|12|Discussion 5|5}}
{{rsnl|20|Discussion 6|6|active=y}}
[[Talk:Example Source#Discussion A|A]]
''[[Wikipedia:Example#Discussion B|B]]''
}}
| {{/Last|2020|inprogress=y}}
| Description of source and summary of past discussions. 
| {{/Uses|example.com|example.net|example.org|example.info}}

Source	Status (legend)	Discussions			Uses
		List	Last	Summary
Blacklisted Source (BS, Nickname) WP:BS 📌		2017  2020 +8[a]	2020	Description of source and summary of past discussions.	1   2   3   4

Source

The "Source" column of the table displays up to four items:

1. Name: The name of the source, linked to the corresponding article. Italicize the name if the article does the same.
   • Sources that do not have a corresponding article or redirect should generally be excluded from the list.
2. Aspects: (optional) When there are multiple entries covering different aspects of the same source, list the aspects inside parentheses after the name. Examples of aspects include:
   • Media on which a source is published (e.g. website, print)
   • Topics covered by the source (e.g. politics, science)
   • Authors published in the source (e.g. staff, contributors)
3. Aliases: (optional) If the source is also referred to by at least one alias, list the prominent aliases within parentheses inside a {{small}} template. Aliases can include:
   • Commonly used abbreviations
   • Nicknames, former names, and alternative names
   • Names of closely associated publications and companies (including
     subsidiaries
     )
4. Shortcut: (optional) A shortcut to the list entry, displayed with the {{/Shortcut
   }} template

1. The table row uses a
   CSS
   class value that displays a background color.
2. The {{/Status}} template is set to a value, which shows an icon in the "Status" column.

Status	Row class value	{{/Status}} value	Background color	Icon
Generally reliable	s-gr	gr
No consensus	s-nc	nc
Generally unreliable	s-gu	gu
Deprecated	s-d	d
Blacklisted	s-b	One of the above		and one of the above

To represent a blacklisted source in the "Status" column, set the {{/Status}} template's b parameter to y. The b parameter is independent from the template's value. For example, a blacklisted generally unreliable source is indicated with {{/Status|gu|b=y}}, while a blacklisted deprecated source is indicated with {{/Status|d|b=y}}. A blacklisted source has a gray background color, and shows both the "X" icon and the icon corresponding to the source's reliability.

A source's status should be consistent with its summary of discussions.

List of discussions

The discussions in the "List" column determine the contents of the source's summary and the value of the source's status.

Ordering discussions

Discussions on the source are linked from the "List" column in the following order:

1. Major discussions: List major discussions in chronological order.
   • Uninterrupted
     reliable sources noticeboard
     and its archives
     • Use {{
       rsnl
       }} to link to these RfCs. Set the rfc parameter to y, and the link text to the year on which the RfC was closed. Set the active parameter to y if the RfC is active. For example:
       • An RfC located in archive 1 of the noticeboard that was titled "Example discussion" and closed in 2007 would be represented with {{
         rsnl
         |1|Example discussion|2007}}.
       • An active RfC titled "Example discussion" in the year 2024 would be represented with {{
         rsnl
         ||Example discussion|2024|rfc=y|active=y}}.
     • Interrupted RfCs (i.e. RfCs that were withdrawn or closed as invalid) are not considered major discussions, but they can still be linked as ordinary noticeboard discussions.
     • RfCs held in other locations are not considered major discussions, but they can still be linked as ordinary non-noticeboard discussions.
   • Successful
     blacklisting
     discussions
     • Use {{
       sbll}} to link to successful blacklisting discussions held at MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist
       or its archives. Set the link text to the year on which the source was blacklisted. For example:
       • A discussion titled "Example discussion" located in the October 2007 archive of
         sbll
         |October 2007|Example discussion|2007}}.
     • Unsuccessful blacklisting discussions are not considered major discussions, but they can still be linked as ordinary discussions.
2. Ordinary noticeboard discussions: List discussions located on the reliable sources noticeboard or its archives in chronological order.
   • Use {{
     rsnl}} to link to these discussions. Set the link text to the discussion's cardinal numeral
     , and set the active parameter to y if the discussion is active. For example:
     • A discussion located in archive 1 of the noticeboard that was titled "Example discussion" and is the second ordinary noticeboard discussion in the list would be represented with {{
       rsnl
       |1|Example discussion|2}}.
     • An active discussion titled "Example discussion" that is the third ordinary noticeboard discussion in the list would be represented with {{
       rsnl
       ||Example discussion|3}}.
   • Discussions outside of the reliable sources noticeboard are not listed here, but they can still be listed as ordinary non-noticeboard discussions.
3. Ordinary non-noticeboard discussions: List essential discussions located outside of the reliable sources noticeboard and its archives in chronological order.
   • Use a
     section link
     for these discussions. Set the link text to the letter of the alphabet that corresponds to the discussion's cardinal numeral. Italicize the link if the discussion is active. For example:
     • A discussion titled "Example discussion" located on Talk:Example that is the first ordinary non-noticeboard discussion in the list would be represented with [[Talk:Example#Example discussion|A]].
     • An active discussion titled "Example discussion" located on Talk:Example that is the second ordinary noticeboard discussion in the list would be represented with ''[[Talk:Example#Example discussion|B]]''.
   • Keep discussions in this category to a minimum.

Do not link to a discussion more than once in the same source entry.

Condensing discussions

When there are 4 or more rows of discussions listed in a "Status" table cell, use {{