[WikiEN-l] Citationgate: expertise and verifiability

[charles.r.matthews at ntlworld.com]

"Peter Jacobi" <peter_jacobi at gmx.net>
 
> In the unlikely case anyone interested has missed it: There
> are some troubles re mandatory in-line citing and science
> articles. 
> 
> It all started with a warning put at large number of "good
> articles" that they will be delisted soon for lack of 
> in-line cites. This immediately got the response, that standard
> textbooks facts are not and should not be in-line cited, the 
> references section will name selected textbooks and one cannot
> judge the correctness without having some context anyway.

It is certainly foolish in many cases, and make-work, to reference specific and uncontroversial well-known facts. What is more it will tend to make articles unreadable, and effectively unwriteable also. This style is essentially only fit for very careful writing in doctoral dissertations with particularly terrifying examiners in mind.

It seems clear that enWP could get overrun by nutty lawyering types, if a firm line is not taken. Is there not a 'statute of limitations' of sorts appropriate? When a piece of science is over 50 years old, one expects to read about the details of the original papers in a historical article. And the chances are that there are so many textbook citations that picking just one isn't a great help to students.

Charles

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