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Template:Dubious

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[dubious ]

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Add {{Dubious}} after a specific statement or alleged fact which is sourced but which nevertheless seems dubious or unlikely. Most commonly, this involves uncertainty regarding the veracity or accuracy of the given source, or of an editor's interpretation of that source. This template's wording is milder than that of {{Disputed-inline}}, which indicates that the material in question is being directly challenged as being incorrect.

Purpose

The purposes of this template are:

  • to warn readers that a specific statement in the article may not be accurate
  • to point out uncertainty over conflicting sources
  • to question the veracity, accuracy, or methodology employed by a given source
  • to express concerns that the source may have been misinterpreted
  • to alert editors that additional sources need to be found, to ascertain the statement's validity

Note: Refer to the Incorrect uses section below for examples of inappropriate uses, and suggested alternatives.

Usage

When using this template, it is strongly suggested to simultaneously discuss the dubious statement on the article's talk page – and to point this template to a specific talk page section (either new or existing) which contains that discussion. To do so, use the following syntax:

{{Dubious |Talk section name |reason=Summary of problem |date=June 2016}}

Do not add this template to a page more than a reasonable number of times. Please consider using one of the other templates mentioned below instead.

Parameters

  • |1=Talk section name – the first field should point to the section name on the talk page which contains the discussion.
    • If the section name contains an equal sign, use the following syntax: {{Dubious|1=Does x = 5?}}.
    • Other special characters used in section names (such as brackets, "[" and "]") may need to be escaped. For example, the markup:
{{Dubious|K%5BX%5D is NOT integral}}
would produce:
{{Dubious|K[X] is NOT integral}}.
  • |reason= an optional parameter, used to add a short explanation of the issue.
  • |date= the month and year when the template was added. Example: |date=June 2016.

Incorrect uses

This template is not to be used:

  • to directly challenge a sourced statement as being incorrect (with sources to back up your claim) – use {{Disputed-inline}}
  • to flag unsourced statements, including those which you think might be incorrect – use {{Citation needed}}
  • to question the reliability / verifiability of a source – use {{Verify credibility}}
  • to request verification whether the source in fact says as the statement claims – use {{Verify source}}
  • to request that a difficult-to-understand statement be re-written – use {{Clarify}}

Template data

Use this template to tag a specific statement or alleged fact that is sourced but which nevertheless seems dubious or unlikely to be correct.

Template parameters

Parameter Description Type Status
Month and year date

Month and year

Default
empty
Example
empty
Auto value
empty
Date suggested
Section name on talk page 1

Section name on talk page where further information or discussion can be found

Default
empty
Example
empty
Auto value
empty
String optional
Reason reason

Short explanation of why you tagged this statement

Default
empty
Example
empty
Auto value
empty
String optional

See also

Wikipedia project pages

Templates

Wiki