Requirements for Profiles of Notables

Profile managers: David Randall [send private message], Scott Fulkerson [send private message], and Russell Butler [send private message]

This Page Outlines the Requirements for Notables on WikiTree.

Importance of Privacy

Before working on the profiles of notables or their family members, it is imperative that you understand WikiTree's strict requirements regarding privacy. For full details on this topic, please see WikiTree's Privacy Policy.

In addition to understanding the general privacy requirements, anyone working on either Living Notables or Living Family Members of Notables needs to be aware of the specific requirements for Living Notables and Living Family Members of Notables. For details on policies regarding Living Notables, please reference the help file in the link.

WikiTree's Policy on Living Persons states that, you must not create a profile for any living person without their explicit, prior permission. The exceptions are close family members, or Notables under the direction of a top level WikiTree project. This includes the profiles of Living Notables and their family members. Please be aware that, for privacy reasons and as a matter of policy, members who create or work on the profiles of Living Notables, with or without authorization, may be removed from those profiles once their work is complete.

For the Notables Project, creating or updating one of these profiles requires the express approval of one of the Notables Project Leaders.

Privacy levels

1. Except in rare circumstances as determined by the Notables Project, all deceased notables and all deceased family members of notables, shall have Open Privacy (white) and shall not have Project Protection (PPP).
2. Living notables that have at least three Wikipedia pages in different languages and at least two Wikipedia pages in different languages that reference a nuclear family member shall have Private with Public Biography and Family Tree Privacy (yellow) privacy and Project Protection (PPP).
3. Living notables and family members of living notables who do not meet the above criteria for yellow privacy, shall have Unlisted Privacy (black).

Managed Profiles vis-à-vis Monitored Profiles

1. All notables managed by the Notables Project will include the Project's Email and the Notables Project Box. See: Profiles with Notables Boxes - Row 1 and Row 9
2. All notables monitored by the Notables Project will have the Notables Sticker. See:Profiles with Notables Stickers.

Standards for Notability

General Standards

1. WikiTree has adopted Wikipedia's standards for notability. Because Wikipedia has acknowledged these individuals as notables, so does WikiTree.
2. WikiTree also accepts anyone from an "official" Dictionary of National Biography (in any language).

A. Note that many qualified notables may not yet have a page on Wikipedia or an entry in a National Biography. These individuals may qualify as WikiTree notables, nonetheless.

B. Likewise, occasionally an individual may get a Wikipedia page without having met Wikipedia's criteria for such - although these pages are typically taken down once discovered and reviewed. If the Wikipedia page is removed, WikiTree's designation of being notable will also be removed.

C. For clarity, WikiTree's standard for notability is not based on whether an individual has a Wikipedia page, but whether Wikipedia's requirements have been established.

D. When unsure if an individual qualifies as notable, ask a Notables Project Leader for a determination.

Higher Standards for Non-Private Privacy on Living Notables

WikiTree does permit the profiles for qualified Living Notables to be made viewable. In these cases, the criteria for Living Notables are more stringent. To qualify for non-private privacy on a Living Notable, an individual must have:

1. At least three Wikipedia pages in different languages.
2. At least two Wikipedia pages in different languages that reference at least one nuclear family member.

NOTE: Alternatives such as a Dictionary of National Biography or establishing the Wikipedia Standards of Notability are not applicable to allow the viewing of a Living Notable.

If you find an individual does not meet the standard for a Living Notable to be viewable, please contact a Notables Project Leader.

Requirements for Family Members and Children

Requirements for Living Family Members of Notables

Profiles for the living relatives of notables may be created if their identity and relationship to the notable has been made public and you can reasonably assume the living family member has had the opportunity to have their name removed from your public source. For example, acceptable sources would include obituaries, interviews, and other reports where the living family member has a right to have their name removed. It would not include official records if the living individual does not have that right. Those sources that you use to reasonably assume the living family member had the opportunity to have their name removed from your public source, must be cited on the profile.

Even in these cases, the profile must remain Unlisted and be managed by a project unless the living family member chooses to join WikiTree and take over the profile. Because the unlisted family members must be project-managed, you must obtain the permission of a project or family member before creating the profile.

Profiles of living relatives of Notables are generally governed by the guidelines for all living persons and can be found in the Help guide.

Requirements for Minors

The creation of profiles for minors on WikiTree is permitted only by consent of a parent or legal guardian. WikiTree rules indicate that the creation of profiles for minors under the age of sixteen is prohibited under any other circumstances, regardless of that minor's fame or notability. In addition, Personal information about a child just like any other living individual who does not have a viewable Wiketree profile shall not be included in a profile. e.g. Living children should not be mentioned in a biography or comment on a profile or on G2G. See. Discussion Rule about Living Individuals; Rules about Children

General Requirement for Creating Notable Profiles

General Profile Creation Procedures

1. Create the Profile: Add the individual's full name with dates and places of birth and death (of known), along with at least one source citation to create the initial profile.
2. Write a Statement of Notability: Add one of two sentences explaining why this person is notable. Bold lettering is recommended. For a particularly long profile, add the statement above the ==Biography Heading==. For other profiles, add the statement below the ==Biography Heading==.
3. Create an Original Biography: Biographies should cover a person's entire life, not just their career highlights. That's part of what makes WikiTree bios different from those found on other sites. Consider adding links to detailed online information about their accomplishments such as discographies, film and book reviews, lists of quotes or speeches, and other biographical resources. Also, please do not copy and paste large segments of material from other sites such as Wikipedia. This is called plagiarism, and not only is it a potential violation of copyright law, but it is also highly unethical.
4. Cite Your Sources: WikiTree requires that all profiles have a minimum of one solid source citation. However, an ideal profile will have a source for every included fact. These may be included “inline” or listed at the end of the profile.
5. Add a Wikipedia Link: If your Notable has a Wikipedia entry, add "See also:" under the Sources section, and then add [[Wikipedia:Person's Name]] on a new line, replacing "WikiTree ID" with Notable's name as it appears in the URL of their WikiTree profile. (For example, Queen Elizabeth's Wikipedia URL reads https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II, so her Wikipedia link should read *[[Wikipedia:Elizabeth II].)
6. Add a Wikidata Link: Under the just-created Wikipedia link, add "* {{Wikidata|Q1234567}}", replacing "Q1234567" with the Notables Wikidata ID. To find the Wikdata number, look for the menu bar on the right-hand side of their Wikipedia page. Click on the "Tools" drop-down menu, then click on "Wikidata Item" link. The Wikidata ID is the number beginning with “Q” that you see on the top line in medium-sized grey type. (For example, Queen Elizabeth II's Wikidata number is "Q9682".)
7. Add a WikiTree ID to Wikidata: Scroll down to the bottom of the Wikidata page and check to see if there is a already a WikiTree ID entry listed under Identifiers. (You can also do a page search for “WikiTree” using the Cntl +7 keys) If there is one, you need do nothing further. If there is not, click on the “+ add statement” link at the bottom of the Identifiers section; type "WikiTree ID" into the property box (it should bring up a match after you type the first few letters); enter the Notable's WikiTree ID into the next box; and finally, click "publish".
8. Add a Notables Sticker: Directly under the ==Biography== header, add one {{Notables Sticker}}. This will generate a sticker for the profile identifying them as a Notable and will add their name to the Notables Category.
9. Add Categories: Categorize each person by their accomplishments and significant locations.
10. Add Images: Upload a copyright-free image of the Notable. Include a statement as to where you found the image and why you believe it is copyright-free (i.e. “in the public domain”). Remember, not all images found online are copyright-free so please be careful. Wikimedia Commons is a good place to find copy-right free images.
11. Set the Proper Privacy Level: All deceased Notables and their deceased family members should have their privacy level set to "Open". All members must be able to contribute to these profiles. Living Notables, by default, will be set to Unlisted. This is extremely important for GDPR privacy compliance.
12. Begin Adding Deceased Family Members: While its often tempting to want to jump right in to searching for a connection to the Big Tree, please don't forget to add profiles for each of the Notable's immediate deceased family members: parents, siblings, spouses, and children. Then move on to extended deceased family members and find that connection!

Project Management Request

The large number of Notables on WikiTree makes it impossible for the Notables Project to effectively manage every Notable profile on WikiTree. Project management does not indicate that the managed profile is more or less notable than another monitored Notable. Currently, project-managed profiles fall into one of three categories:

1. Living Notables - As only a project may manage the profile of a living notable, the Notables Project will manage the profiles of all living notables until the second year after their death. (For example, Notables who pass in 2024 will be released at the start of 2026).
2. Living Family Members of Notables - Similarly, as only projects can manage profiles of living family members of Notables (unless a family member manages the profile), the Notables Project will manage all living family members of Notables until being made aware of the individual's death.
3. Legacy Notables - These individuals are contentious, notorious, or frequently duplicated, have problems related to their last name at birth, problems associated with the identification of immediate family members, privacy-related issues, or need of temporary project protection until the completion of a merge.

Project Management Request Form

• To request profile management by the Notables Project, complete the WikiTree Notables - Project Management Request Form. This form is designed to help the Notables Team maintain an accurate inventory of Living Notables, Legacy Notables, and Living Family Members of Notables, and to ensure that WikiTree's privacy standards are consistently upheld. To help expediate the process, please find all requisite information before submitting the form, as all questions must to be answered before approval can be given.

Resources

While none of these sites count as a primary source, citing them on Notable Profiles is necessary when they exist. The citations for these authorities should be listed under "See also:" on the Notable's profile.

• Wikipedia
• WikiData
• Wikimedia Commons: for public domain images of notables.
• An entry in an officially recognized National Biographical Dictionary. e.g.
  • The Dictionary of African Biography: A good source for identifying African Notables.
  • The Dictionary of African-American Biography: A good source for identifying African-American Notables
  • The Australian Dictionary of Biography: A good source for identifying Australian Notables.
  • Dictionary of Canadian Biography: A good source for identifying Canadian Notables.
  • Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biography: A good source for identifying Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Notables.
  • Dictionary of National Biography: A good source for identifying English Notables prior to 1900.