Wikipedia:Offline sources: Difference between revisions

Wikipedia's [[WPWikipedia:RSIdentifying reliable sources|reliable sources guideline]] states that articles should be sourced with reliable, third-party, published sources. '''Even though Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia, there is no distinction between using online versus offline sources.''' In fact, many great sources are only available offline. Don't let that fact scare you away from using them as a [[WPWikipedia:SOURCEVerifiability|source]] in Wikipedia.

Books are thea archetypaltypical example of an offline source. These are often great resources, with information that can't be found online. Several effortsongoing are underway to digitize certain books and to present them onlineprojects, includingsuch as [[Project Gutenberg]] and [[Google Book Search]], aim at [[digitizing]] certain books and presenting them online. Even if the books are online, it might be necessary to consult a print edition to double-check any errors from the [[Optical character recognition|OCR scanning]]. Many [[academic journal]]s only make short [[Abstract (summary)|abstracts]] available online. Other content providers, like the ''[[Wall Street Journal]],'' publish their content behind a [[paywall]] that prevents non-subscribers from accessing the content. Other websites, like the ''[[Philadelphia Inquirer]],'' only publish their content online for a few weeks. Sometimes a source was once online, but now is offline ([[link rot]]).

Special care should be taken when using offline sources. Make sure to provide full bibliographic information, often by using a fully-filled out [[Wikipedia:Citation templates|citation template]], like {{tl|cite book}} or {{tl|cite news}}. Complete information helps Wikipedia's readers find the source when they need it, and also increases the source's credibility among the Wikipedia editing community (who may otherwise be skeptical of its [[WP:RS|reliability]]). Second, use the <code>quote=</code> parameter within those [[Wikipedia:Citation templates|citation templates]] to provide some context for the reference. This is especially important when using the off-line source to support a fact that might be controversial or is likely to be challenged.

Sometimes, the use of an offline source will be challenged. Be sure to [[WPWikipedia:AGFAssume good faith|assume good faith]] for the user who cited the offline source. They might even be able to provide you a scan or an excerpt from that source. Consider visiting your local library to obtain a copy. Even if the library doesn't have that particular book or journal article, it might be available through [[interlibrary loan]]. Also consider posting an inquiry on the relevant [[Wikipedia:WikiProject|WikiProject]], because some interested editors might have a copy of that source. The volunteers at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Resource Exchange|WikiProject Resource Exchange]] might be able to help you coordinate your search.

*[[Wikipedia:LinkrotLink rot]]