Wikipedia:WikiProject Public art/IndianaStatehouse/Neutral Point of View

Neutral Point of View (NPOV) Links[edit]

NPOV Summary[edit]

According to the NPOV tutorial page, writing with neutrality necessitates "representing fairly, proportionately, and as far as possible without bias, all significant views that have been published by reliable sources."

Neutrality in Wikipedia involves more than simply writing an article without bias. Care should also be taken when choosing the name of the article, organizing the information within it, and representing different points of view. When writing your article, think about how someone with an opposite point of view to that of the subject would interpret its contents. As the Wikipedia NPOV tutorial page cautions, a seemingly neutral article can always be made even more neutral.

An article which has been labeled as POV is considered to be biased, though this doesn't automatically qualify it for deletion. Instead, the author of the article (or other contributors to Wikipedia) should rewrite the sections or sentences which have been identified as being POV. The POV template page gives a breakdown of the different messages which can be inserted into the edit page of such an article. Using the POV-check template alerts readers that the article in question needs to be checked for POV problems.

Opinions may be introduced in an article, as long as they are identified as such, attributed to a specific source, and appropriately cited. Instead of giving your own opinion of a work, try to find a source which provides a "public or scholarly critique" of the piece.

Don't omit opposing views simply because you (or a majority of people) don't believe them. Take care when choosing your sources that you don't omit those which present opposing information. Views held by the majority of the population should be given more space within the article, but those held by the minority should also be fairly represented. If a viewpoint has more or less prominence within the article than it deserves, it is considered having been given "undue weight." In addition to viewpoints, try not to give "undue weight" to images, links, or article categories either.

Avoid using phrases such as "Critics say" or "Some people think" because they are considered intentionally ambiguous. Instead of writing, "A majority of Hoosiers were initially opposed to the somewhat controversial piece," find a reliable source that provides more specific information about exactly how many were opposed.

Try to avoid using words like "noted," "claimed," or "suggested," and use a more neutral term like "said" instead. Using "said" is more straightforward, without a connotation of bias. Wikipedia provides an extensive list of words and expressions to avoid using, which will aid you in writing your article in a more neutral voice.

The best way to avoid NPOV disputes is by using reliable and well-researched sources. If there is a dispute about the neutrality of an article, try to solve it on the talk page first. There is also an NPOV noticeboard for disputes which remain unresolved, though it is backlogged for the moment. Mkadams888 (talk) 00:57, 14 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Questions[edit]

I'd recommend checking the FAQ page first, but if you have any questions or concerns regarding NPOV, post them here, and I'll do my best to answer them!