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

[Stan Shebs]

Steve Bennett wrote:
>>> 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.
>   
As it happens, contributors to the Dictionary of Scientific Biography 
have done primary sources legwork for many of the earlies, digging 
through parish and city records and the like. Result is kind of a 
patchwork though, so for instance we know that a scientist was born in 
one city, married on a specific date in another, and was later on a 
university payroll in a third city, but we have no information on when 
or why he moved.

Stan