Wikipedia due weight: How to balance sources and avoid bias in editing
When you read a Wikipedia article, you expect the most important facts to stand out—not the outliers. That’s where Wikipedia due weight, the principle that article content should reflect the relative prominence of viewpoints based on reliable sources. Also known as proportional representation, it stops editors from giving equal space to fringe theories and mainstream consensus. It’s not about popularity—it’s about how much credible coverage a claim gets in published, independent sources. If 95% of historians agree on a fact, and one obscure blog disagrees, the article should reflect that imbalance. You won’t see a 50/50 split unless the sources actually support it.
This rule connects directly to reliable sources, the backbone of Wikipedia’s credibility, typically peer-reviewed journals, major news outlets, and authoritative books. Without solid sources, due weight has nothing to measure against. It also ties into Wikipedia bias, systemic gaps where underrepresented groups or minority perspectives are either ignored or falsely balanced. For example, an article on climate change that gives equal weight to a single denialist paper alongside thousands of scientific studies isn’t neutral—it’s misleading. The due weight policy exists to fix that. It’s why Wikipedia doesn’t treat conspiracy theories like legitimate viewpoints, even if they get viral attention. And it’s why editors use Wikipedia sourcing, the practice of selecting, evaluating, and citing sources to ensure claims are grounded in evidence. You don’t just add facts—you weigh them.
What you’ll find in the posts below are real examples of how this rule plays out: from correcting misinformation in medical articles, to handling controversial historical claims, to how volunteer editors push back when AI-generated summaries misrepresent source importance. You’ll see how due weight isn’t just a policy—it’s a daily practice that keeps Wikipedia from becoming a mirror for noise.
Due Weight on Wikipedia: How to Balance Majority and Minority Views in Articles
Wikipedia's due weight policy ensures articles reflect the real balance of evidence from reliable sources-not popularity or personal bias. Learn how to fairly represent majority and minority views without misleading readers.
