Talk:Pusapati

Using "The Imperial Gazetteer of India" as a source

Hello @Sharkslayer87 - Hope you're well and thanks for assisting with improving the Pusapati article.

Would you mind pointing me towards specific Wikipedia policy (either within WP:RS or elsewhere) that concludes, "Source from pre independence era are not considered reliable per wiki standards"?

I can certainly understand the need to be careful and ensure a neutral point of view (as per WP:NPOV). Please let me know if you believe that we can do a better job at this and I'd be happy to go over the edits with a fine-tooth comb. However, it would seem to be a disservice to blanket-categorize The Imperial Gazetteer of India and other sources from the pre-independence era to be unreliable sources (especially without highlighting how the source may be unreliable within this specific context).

I look forward to hearing from you and collaborating on this article.

The Shadow Hokage (talk) 03:47, 4 July 2023 (UTC)

Hi The Shadow Hokage, I appreciate your willingness to collaboratively work on this project. After several discussions, it was deemed that sources from pre independence era are significantly old and not reliable per wiki standards. It is always advisable to use sources from the more recent past for things such as this article. Let me ping @Kautilya3: who is a veteran in this area. Gazzetteers are from pre independence era and they are significantly old to be used as sources here. However, reliable modern sources that cite gazzetteers can be used here. We cannot directly cite these old sources. Let's hear what Kautilya has to say. I once again appreciate your gesture to work collaboratively. Sharkslayer87 (talk) 06:41, 4 July 2023 (UTC)

For historical information stated in Wikipedia voice, we need WP:HISTRS. For attributed clams like this, the older sources are generally ok, when used with caution. If modern sources contradict those claims, the older information should be discarded. -- Kautilya3 (talk) 07:43, 4 July 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for the clarification Kautilya. I guess you can use that source then The Shadow Hokage. Sharkslayer87 (talk) 08:12, 4 July 2023 (UTC)

Hello @Kautilya3 and @Sharkslayer87 - Hope you're doing well and thanks for engaging and providing guidance on this topic.

@Kautilya3 - Thanks for directing me towards the HISTRS essay. Should the objective be to consider HISTRS as a supplement to WP:RS and WP:NPOV when assessing reliability of sources and their weighting? I'd appreciate it if you could provide further context when you have a moment. The Shadow Hokage (talk) 00:31, 6 July 2023 (UTC)

WP:HISTRS explains what constitutes a RS for historical topics. You can call it a "supplement" if you wish. -- Kautilya3 (talk) 08:44, 6 July 2023 (UTC)

@Sharkslayer87 - Thanks for the feedback and for looping in @Kautilya3. I fully agree that, (1) we should maintain WP:NPOV, and (2) we should use more recent sources where possible (as per WP:RSAGE). To the extent I come across any, I'll certainly update the references / edits, especially in the case of any contradictions. Lastly, would you mind pointing me to the aforementioned discussions that deemed that "sources from pre independence era are significantly old and not reliable per wiki standards"? I'd like to familiarize myself with these and any consensus therein so as to ensure that I keep those best practices in mind for future edits. Thanks in advance for your help!

The Shadow Hokage (talk) 00:31, 6 July 2023 (UTC)