Template:Fact

The fact template is best thought of as a question. It might be better thought of as the Fact? template. If you see an article which makes an assertion, but fails to provide a source, you should generally try to find a source and edit it yourself. But if you don't have time, or don't know where to start looking for the source, just type in {{fact}} after the statement. This will draw other editors' attention to specific work that needs to be done on an article.

The template should not be used in the case of a statement you suspect to be actually false. Rather, it should alert editors to the fact that we've failed to note the story or non-fictional source for something that is likely true.

For instance, let's say you're reading an article and you come across these two statements:

• Mel was an android from Poosh. This is most likely a false statement. It should be cut from the article, but then pasted to the Talk page of the article, along with a simple explanation of your reasons. That way, if you're wrong about it being false, the information is still on hand to be easily re-integrated into the article.
• Mel met the Sixth Doctor while an intern at a computer firm. This statement is not obviously false, but it's not something commonly known. It could easily be suspected that it might be true. Therefore a better response than cutting the information is just to flag it with this template.

It is also appropriate to use this flag when looking for a reference in an article written from a real world perspective. For instance, if the statement, David Tennant will appear as the villain in episode 5 of the 2011 season, appears in an article, you might want to use this template to demand a source in some reliable press article.

As can be imagined, what one person thinks of as "obviously" false, another person might think of as plausible. So there's an element of just "using your best judgment" about this template. Don't chastise other editors for using it the "wrong" way. As long as more sources eventually appear in articles, the more reliable the content of this wiki will be.

This wiki has a number of templates which put small, inline statements within the body of articles that seek specific improvements in articles. These include:

Attribution request templates

Categorised into articles with statements that need more specific attribution

Primary documentation at {{says who}}

These all do the same thing, but put different, contextually-appropriate phrases into the body of the article:

• {{which}}
• {{by whom}}
• {{says who}} or {{sezwho}}
• {{who}}

Clarification request templates

Categorised into articles with statements that need clarification

This indicates that a statement, as worded, makes so little sense that you can't figure out how to improve it. It's not meant as a statement of incredulity. You're not saying with this that you don't believe the statement. You're saying that it's so poorly written that you have no idea what the statement means.

• {{what}}

Source request templates

Categorised into articles needing citation

These templates challenge the veracity of a statement, to one degree or another, by indicating that the statement needs better sourcing:

• {{fact}} or {{source}}
• {{disputed}}
• {{facts}}, categorised into articles needing additional citations