Wikipedia:Absence of evidence
 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article or a Wikipedia policy, as it has not been reviewed by the community. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. |
An argument to avoid:
- Delete no evidence this is notable. User:McUserFace (talk) 12:27, 1 August 2026 (UTC)
- Remove there's no sources provided for this claim. Absent-minded (talk) 12:27, 1 August 2026 (UTC)
- Oppose nominee provides no argument this is WP:COMMONNAME. Not Carl Sagan (talk) 12:27, 1 August 2026 (UTC)
These sound like arguments or evidence, but they're not. They're descriptions of other people's arguments (or lack thereof), meaning they're just another form of WP:EVERYONEELSE. These statements clog up a discussion, making it harder to see what evidence people have provided.
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, and doesn't mean someone else won't do so later. The world’s greatest fool may say the Sun is shining, but that doesn’t make it dark out. Because consensus is not a vote, there's no need for you to drop in just to say nobody's made a good argument yet, and arguments from ignorance should be ignored when closing discussions.
Note, however, that absence of evidence can sometimes be evidence of absence, if it comes after a thorough search. If that's what you mean, you should explain what steps you took to try and find sources, so readers can update accordingly:
- Delete A Google search provides no evidence this is notable. User:McUserFace (talk) 12:27, 1 August 2026 (UTC)
- Remove I couldn't find any sources for this claim. Absent-minded (talk) 12:27, 1 August 2026 (UTC)
- Oppose The nominee's source provides no argument this is WP:COMMONNAME. Carl Sagan (talk) 12:27, 1 August 2026 (UTC)