Ikwipedia:Source transparency: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 22:01, 31 December 2024

Ikwipedia prioritizes transparency over strict verifiability for the sources of claims. Statements from public interviews, podcasts, and firsthand or testimonial accounts are acceptable but should be properly sourced, contextualized, and caveated. Given the fundamental unknowability of anything, factual claims do not need to meet particular standards of verifiability; rather, seemingly questionable claims should merely be transparently sourced.

Secondary sources are useful for showing alignment with mainstream or alternative viewpoints, though they may be scarce for topics lacking mainstream coverage. Ikwipedia's policy on sources seeks to reflect that all knowledge ultimately arises from either direct sensory experience or reports from others.

Philosophical stance on sources of knowledge

Knowledge, whether in science, history, or any other domain, comes primarily from direct observation or the reports of individuals. Textbooks, for example, are authored by scientists who draw from personal research experiences and insights gained from studying others' work in order to synthesize findings from sources such as review articles. Review articles, in turn, reference individual research papers, where data consists of personal observations using the senses or instrument readings. Ultimately, even rigorously reviewed information depends on the honor system, with readers trusting that reported and recorded observations are accurate and genuine. Readers equipped with enough background can theoretically examine both raw data and author interpretations to form their own conclusions. Despite various review layers in knowledge generation, the ultimate source remains individual accounts and records.

Guidance

Reflecting this understanding, Ikwipedia aims to clarify the original human source of any given claim and to transparently present claims based on testimonial accounts. As part of this philosophy, Ikwipedia allows previously published primary sources, including public interviews and firsthand accounts, as well as any sources accepted by Wikipedia. Additional secondary and tertiary sources are preferred but not required.

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-Factual claims on Ikwipedia do not necessarily need to be verifiable due to the [[Cartesian skepticism|fundamental unknowability of anything]]. However, claims ultimately have to come from somewhere. They can only come from individuals or from the evidence of one’s own senses combined with one’s cognition. In the case of individual sources, the source either gets the claims from their sense-based experiences or from other individuals. Usually, information [[Ikwipedia:Testimonial accounts|comes from individuals]]. For example, information in a textbook is written by one or more scientists who have personal experience doing research in the topic at hand as well as knowledge gained from learning about others’ experiments and viewpoints. This information is often sourced from other scientists’ review articles, which in turn are sourced from individual research papers. Here, the data consists either of personal observations recorded down or instrument/tool readouts directly recorded or copied. All this data is transmissible only as recordings of the observers, which is essentially based on the honor system. Theoretically, this system allows individual readers with sufficient prior knowledge to examine the data themselves along with the authors' statements and determine for themselves what the best conclusion is. Despite the knowledge generation system's multiple levels of review, the information ultimately comes from the recollections of individuals. Ikwipedia’s policy on source transparency and verifiability allows [[Ikwipedia:Acceptable sources|the use of previously published direct primary sources]], such as public interviews, podcasts, and firsthand or testimonial accounts. Factual claims should be transparently and clearly sourced, so each claim is connected to a publicly accessible source whenever possible so that readers can examine the claim origins directly. Secondary-source and tertiary-source discussion or mention of claims is preferable but not required and [[Ikwipedia:Hypothesis of Ikwipedia|may be difficult to obtain]]. This policy aligns with our [[Ikwipedia:Neutral point of view|commitment to provide an objective overview]] while respecting the personal nature of testimonial accounts. Only [[Ikwipedia:Published|previously published sources]] are [[Ikwipedia:Acceptable sources|acceptable]]. Editors should include publicly accessible sources when possible, whether through freely available platforms or archives.
+Ikwipedia prioritizes transparency over strict verifiability for the sources of claims. Statements from public interviews, podcasts, and firsthand or testimonial accounts are acceptable but should be properly sourced, [[Ikwipedia:Synthesis and interpretation of source material|contextualized, and caveated]]. Given the [[wikipedia::Cartesian skepticism|fundamental unknowability of anything]], factual claims do not need to meet particular standards of verifiability; rather, seemingly questionable claims should merely be transparently sourced.
+Secondary sources are useful for showing alignment with mainstream or alternative viewpoints, though they [[Ikwipedia:Hypothesis of Ikwipedia|may be scarce for topics lacking mainstream coverage]]. Ikwipedia's policy on sources seeks to reflect that all knowledge ultimately arises from either direct sensory experience or reports from others.
+=== Philosophical stance on sources of knowledge ===
+Knowledge, whether in science, history, or any other domain, comes primarily from direct observation or the reports of individuals. Textbooks, for example, are authored by scientists who draw from personal research experiences and insights gained from studying others' work in order to synthesize findings from sources such as review articles. Review articles, in turn, reference individual research papers, where data consists of personal observations using the senses or instrument readings. Ultimately, even rigorously reviewed information depends on the honor system, with readers trusting that reported and recorded observations are accurate and genuine. Readers equipped with enough background can theoretically examine both raw data and author interpretations to form their own conclusions. Despite various review layers in knowledge generation, the ultimate source remains individual accounts and records.
+=== Guidance ===
+Reflecting this understanding, Ikwipedia aims to clarify the original [[Ikwipedia:Acceptable sources|human source]] of any given claim and to transparently present claims based on [[Ikwipedia:testimonial accounts|testimonial accounts]]. As part of this philosophy, Ikwipedia allows [[Ikwipedia:Published|previously published]] [[Ikwipedia:Acceptable sources|primary sources]], including public interviews and firsthand accounts, as well as any sources [[Ikwipedia:Reliable sources|accepted by Wikipedia]]. Additional secondary and tertiary sources are preferred but not required.