Lexipedium:Sources

Acceptable sources for citing on Lexipedium are any secondary and tertiary sources that have been published by a major reputable publisher and that have not been debunked as incorrect or severely flawed. A major publisher is a traditional publishing company that is capable of its own print distribution.

Using sources
Reputable sources should be used to support claims in articles. Only claims that are made directly by the original source should be made in the article, and encyclopedia articles should never contain any original research, which is any claim made by the reader based on information from sources. Secondary sources are preferred, with tertiary sources being acceptable for general and undisputed information. Primary sources are only acceptable when information is taken directly from them, and they are never interpreted.

Types of sources

 * Primary
 * Consists of documents or other materials created during the time period. Considerable skill and reputation is required for analyzing them, and analysis is often accompanied by peer review.


 * Secondary
 * Contain original research and conclusions based on primary sources. Summarizing the claims of multiple secondary sources on specific topics is the goal of Lexipedium.


 * Tertiary
 * Summaries of information and conclusions made by secondary sources. These sources include encyclopedias and textbooks.  They are less preferred for work at Lexipedium because of the difficulty with tracking down the source of the original research.

Acceptable publication types

 * Acceptable
 * Books available in print form by major publishers
 * Quality controlled websites by reputable organizations


 * Unacceptable
 * Most websites
 * Documentaries
 * Grade school textbooks
 * Any books by small business publishers that rely on self publishing distributors

Circular logic
For reliability and to prevent an endless citation loop that in effect cites nothing, Lexipedium is not a source for itself. The one exception is the journal can be used as a source for encyclopedia articles.

Reliability
Sources should be considered reliable when they meet the following criteria:
 * Printed by a reputable publisher
 * Written by an experienced historian
 * Research contained in the work has not been subsequently debunked or otherwise found to be flawed
 * Does not contain fringe theories

Disputes over sources
If the validity of a source is in dispute, it should be discussed at Lexipedium:Acceptable sources/noticeboard