Before I list an article at AfD I usually leave a message on its talk page
asking for verification of the information. If nothing turns up I proceed
with an AfD nomination.
I've now made a template to accomplish the same goal, it reads like this:
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'''Article name''' needs your help to stay in Wikipedia.
In order for an article to remain in the encyclopedia it must be possible
to verify all the information in it using reputable publications. You can
help by providing citations about the topic in sources like published
books, newspapers or reputable websites. If no-one is able to provide
verification soon the article may be nominated for deletion.
If you need help to verify the information try contacting the helpdesk.
- - - - -
The template tries to be friendly, helpful and urgent at the same time. If
an article has been tagged like that for a while without anything
happening and I can't find decent verification myself then I'll proceed
with an AfD nomination.
The thing is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Needs-verification
Rename/reword/TfD/use/criticize or mutilate at will.
Regards,
Haukur