Chalo Chatu:Article Creation and Editorial Guidelines Policy

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This policy defines what types of sources are considered reliable for use on Chalo Chatu, especially in article references and citations.

At Chalo Chatu, reliability is defined by factual accuracy, editorial oversight, and the ability to be independently verified. Our aim is to document Zambia’s past and present using sources that can withstand both academic and community-based scrutiny.

General Criteria for Reliable Sources

A reliable source must meet at least one of the following:

  • Published by a reputable institution (e.g. universities, ministries, NGOs)
  • Editorially controlled and fact-checked (e.g. legacy newspapers)
  • Authored by subject-matter experts or official representatives
  • Based on verifiable public records, law, or data
  • Peer-reviewed (for academic sources)
  • Endorsed by institutional authority (e.g. official government statements)

→ All claims on Chalo Chatu is verified by one or more of these types of sources.

Preferred Types of Sources

Academic and Institutional Sources

  • Academic journals and research papers
  • Theses or dissertations hosted on university portals
  • Books published by scholarly or regional publishers

Government Publications

  • Ministry reports (e.g. Ministry of General Education, Ministry of Local Government)
  • National Assembly reports or Hansard records
  • Census data, economic indicators, and official maps
  • Statements from official Zambian Government social media pages (Facebook, X, WhatsApp)

News Media

  • Respected Zambian newspapers: Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail, Daily Nation
  • International outlets reporting on Zambia: BBC, Al Jazeera, Reuters
  • Radio and TV transcripts from state broadcasters or regulated private stations

Institutional Reports

  • Publications by credible NGOs (e.g. Transparency International, Amnesty International)
  • United Nations or AU-backed documents with Zambia relevance
  • Court rulings, legal notices, and gazetted items

Community-Verified Oral History

  • Documented through field interviews and editorial review
  • Valid when corroborated by at least two independent oral sources
  • Especially important for topics with little to no written record

→ See: Chalo Chatu:Oral History Protocol Pack

Acceptable Social Media (With Conditions)

Chalo Chatu may use social media as a source only if it meets these strict conditions:

  • The post originates from an official, verified government account, such as:
  • Ministry of Information and Media
  • Zambia Police official Facebook page
  • President’s verified X (Twitter) account
  • The post relates to public interest: announcements, events, appointments, statements, or government actions
  • The post is dated and publicly available for cross-checking

→ Example: Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 4515: attempt to index field 'date_names' (a nil value).

Sources to Avoid

  • Personal blogs or websites without editorial control
  • YouTube or TikTok videos without official verification
  • Wikipedia itself (you may use references found within Wikipedia articles, but not the articles directly)
  • WhatsApp forwards or unverifiable social media threads
  • Unnamed “sources” or gossip-based material

Images and Media as Sources

Images from government websites or official social media accounts may be used if:

  • Properly attributed with date, post source, and author (if available)
  • Used under a public domain or CC license
  • Related to the topic of the article (not decorative)

→ See: Chalo Chatu:File Upload and Metadata Policy

Source Attribution

Always cite your sources using citation templates:

  • {{cite web}}
  • {{cite news}}
  • {{cite book}}
  • {{cite tweet}} (used rarely, only for verified institutional accounts)

All quotes, facts, dates, and statistics must be accompanied by a reference, placed directly after the sentence or fact.

Special Note on Developing Articles

For breaking events or underreported developments:

  • Use official social media posts from ministries or local authorities
  • Supplement with field reports and oral updates
  • Tag with {{Developing article}} and cite the source time and author

See Also

Reminder: If in doubt, seek peer review or tag the content with Template:Source needed until verification can be completed.

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