[WikiEN-l] Reliable sources (Guy Chapman aka JzG)

[Steve Bennett]

> > Actually I think this is a good litmus test for whether an individual
> > is encyclopaedically notable.  If there are no sources for basic
> > biographical data other than the individual themselves, in other
> > words
> > if there has never been a reputably published biography or profile,
> > then I don't believe we can have an article.

I would see no problem with an article about a scientist which was
entirely about his professional contributions, and didn't so much as
mention a date of birth, middle name or anything vaguely personal. The
article should be primarily about their work, and that "biographical"
information is purely incidental.

I suspect that for very early scientists (eg, 1700s or earlier) we may
be in this situation anyway.

Steve