# Another wikipedia editing question: "Checkability"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-wikipedia-editing-question-checkability/1033460>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 29, 2026, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-wikipedia-editing-question-checkability/1033460 "2026-09-29T01:46:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-wikipedia-editing-question-checkability/1033460/1 "2026-09-29T01:46:39Z")

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I made an edit on wikipedia, pretty minor, just changing from where a couple “had a son” to “adopted a son.” I supplied a citation to a (paywalled) newspaper article attesting to as much. Five hours later, it was reverted saying “Needs a checkable reference.” OK, fair enough–so how do I make my reference “checkable,” as that is not the same thing as “clickable,” and many wiki cites are not readily available online. (It’s FQ, but too trivial for FQ.)

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**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-wikipedia-editing-question-checkability/1033460/2 "2026-09-29T05:03:44Z")

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The person who reverted you on the basis that your source is not “checkable” is mistaken about Wikipedia policy. See [WP:PAYWALL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Access_to_sources), which says

> Do not reject reliable sources just because they are difficult or costly to access. Some reliable sources are not easily accessible. For example, an online source may require payment or otherwise be hidden behind a [paywall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paywall "Paywall"), and a print-only source may be available only through libraries.

In other words, a paywalled source is perfectly acceptable. A more easily accessible source would be preferable, but if one cannot be found the paywalled source is fine.