Wikipedia:Do not create hoaxes
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This page documents an English Wikipedia content guideline. It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though it is best treated with common sense, and occasional exceptions may apply. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page. |
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A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. Since Wikipedia is an "encyclopedia anyone can edit", it can be abused to create hoaxes.
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Do not create hoaxes
Please do not attempt to put misinformation into Wikipedia to test our ability to detect and remove it. This has been done before, with varying results. Most hoaxes are marked for deletion within a few hours after they are created. Some hoaxes are created simply to experiment with or test the system.
It has been tried, tested, and confirmed—it is indeed possible to insert hoaxes into Wikipedia, just as it is possible to insert profanity. That goes along with the territory of being a free encyclopedia anyone can edit. A hoax is simply a more obscure, less obvious form of vandalism. Hoaxes in Wikipedia are considered vandalism, and persistent perpetrators of hoaxes are subject to blocking and banning.
If you are interested in how accurate Wikipedia is, a more constructive test method is to try to find inaccurate statements that are already in Wikipedia, and then to check to see how long they have been in place and, if possible, correct them.
Verifiability
Wikipedia requires material to be verifiable to a reliable published source. If challenged, the burden is on the original author to prove the claims in the article. Thus, it is futile to try to continue a hoax once it is under scrutiny of Wikipedia editors if the general population does not already believe it external to Wikipedia. Moreover, if a hoaxer has already successfully tricked the public, then they need not create an article themselves; someone else will do it.
Hoaxes, versus articles about hoaxes
Wikipedia does have articles about notable hoaxes describing them as hoaxes, such as Piltdown Man, the Dihydrogen monoxide hoax or the South Korean fan death urban legend. This is completely different from an article presenting a hoax as factual.
For example, this is a hoax:
Dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless substance responsible for the deaths of thousands of people every year, mostly due to accidental inhalation. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly nausea and vomiting....
While this is the start of an article about a hoax:
The dihydrogen monoxide hoax involves listing negative effects of water under an unfamiliar name, then asking individuals to help control the seemingly dangerous substance. The hoax is designed to illustrate how the lack of scientific knowledge and an exaggerated analysis can lead to misplaced fears.
Like everything else, hoaxes must be notable to be covered in Wikipedia—for example, a hoax may have received sustained media attention, been believed by thousands of people including academics, or been believed for many years. Wikipedia is not for things made up one day.
Dealing with hoaxes
If you see an article or image that may be a hoax, mark it with {{hoax}} or {{image hoax}} and propose it for deletion. If it is indeed found to be a hoax, it is appropriate to warn the user with {{uw-hoax}}.
Hoaxes are generally not speedy deletion candidates. It is usually not enough for just one or two editors to investigate a hoax, as there have been cases in the past where something has been thought to have been a hoax by several editors, but has turned out to be true, and merely obscure. Suspected hoaxes should be investigated thoroughly, and only in extreme cases of blatant and obvious hoaxes should articles be tagged for speedy deletion as {{db-hoax}}.
Also, completely implausible text may be legitimate descriptions of fictional works that use an inappropriate in-universe style. Use "What links here" to check if this is the case, and if so rewrite the article in the out-of-universe perspective, or tag the article with {{in-universe}} or {{fiction}}.
See also
- Category:Wikipedia suspected hoax articles
- Wikipedia:List of hoaxes on Wikipedia
- Wikipedia:Fictitious references
- Wikipedia:Society for the Preservation of the Quazer Beast
Further reading
- "An article is a construct – hoaxes and Wikipedia" Wikipedia Signpost 11 February 2013
External links
- "How the Professor Who Fooled Wikipedia Got Caught by Reddit". The Atlantic, May 15, 2012.
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