Biographies of living persons

Biographies of Living Persons (BLP) refers to any Wikipedia article, or section of an article, that contains material about a living individual. The creation and editing of BLPs are subject to Wikipedia's Biographies of living persons policy, which is designed to ensure the subjects' privacy and dignity are respected. This policy is one of the most stringent on Wikipedia, reflecting the potential for harm in the publication of inaccurate or defamatory material.

Policy Overview[edit | edit source]

The core of the BLP policy is the requirement for reliable sources. All material about living persons added to Wikipedia must be verifiably published by reliable sources and must adhere to Wikipedia's standards for neutrality and no original research. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libellous.

Content Guidelines[edit | edit source]

Verifiability and Reliable sources: Information about living individuals must be backed by reliable, third-party, published sources. Self-published sources or sources affiliated with the subject may only be used with caution and if independently published sources support the material.
Neutrality: Articles must be written from a neutral point of view, representing significant views fairly and without bias.
Privacy: Wikipedia editors must respect the privacy of subjects. Information that could be considered invasive, such as details about a person's health, finances, or family, should not be included unless widely published by reliable sources and relevant to the subject's notability.
No original research: Wikipedia does not publish original thought or original research. All material in BLPs must be attributable to a reliable, published source.

Editing BLPs[edit | edit source]

Editing BLPs requires a cautious approach. Editors are encouraged to discuss contentious changes on the article's talk page before implementing them. The three-revert rule, a guideline advising against making more than three reverts on a single page within a 24-hour period, is strictly enforced on BLPs to prevent edit wars.

Enforcement[edit | edit source]

Violations of the BLP policy may lead to warnings, blocks, or bans for editors. In cases of severe policy breaches, articles may be temporarily protected from editing or deleted.

Search WikiMD

Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.

Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.