Wikipedia:No original research

This page is a policy on the Simple English Wikipedia. Many people agree with it. They see it as a standard idea that all users should normally follow. When changing this page (except for minor errors like typos), please check that other people agree with your changes. Use the talk page when you are not sure or when you want to suggest a change.

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This page in a nutshell: Wikipedia does not publish original thought. Everything on Wikipedia must be linked to a reliable, published source. Articles may not contain any new analysis or synthesis of published material that tries to promote a position not clearly mentioned by the sources.

Wikipedia does not publish original research or original thought. This includes unpublished facts, arguments, speculation, and ideas, as well as any unpublished analysis or synthesis of published material that serves to advance a position. This means that Wikipedia is not the place to publish your own opinions, experiences, arguments, or conclusions.

Citing sources and avoiding original research are linked. In order to show that what is stated in an article or section, reliable sources must be cited. These sources should be directly related to the topic of the article. They should also directly support the information as it is presented.

"No original research" is one of three core content policies. The others are neutral point of view and verifiability. Together, these policies determine the type and quality of material that is acceptable in articles. These three support each other and make a whole. For this reason, they should not be interpreted standing alone, but only together. Editors should familiarize themselves with all three.