Wikipedia:Using maps and analogous media: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:37, 7 December 2022

Revision as of 18:31, 7 December 2022

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{{Essay|WP:MAPCITE}}

{{Nutshell|[[Map|Maps]] and [[Line chart|line charts]] used as illustrations follow the same rules as pictures that are used as illustrations|Maps and line charts may be used as sources, but the rules [[WP:V|Verifiability]], and [[WP:NOR|No original research]] still apply.|It is not [[WP:OR|Originaloriginal Researchresearch]] to extract information from a map or line chart using standard techniques, particularly if those techniques are common to two or more disciplines.}}

[[File:1930 D&RGW WP.jpg|thumb|300px|This map is a commercial map of the [[Denver and Rio Grande Western]] and [[Western Pacific Railroad]]s as they existed in 1914. This map is valuable as a source of information and as illustration for what it depicts. The map depicts the general route of the two railroads advertised, the route of their primary rivals, several long abandoned [[short line railroad]]s and short-lived mining [[boomtown]]s in the [[western United States]], and this map is used appropriately in articles about these subjects. However, the map's limitations should also be understood. Comparing this map with others will reveal that this commercial map is drawn on an inconsistent scale, perhaps to minimize the fact that the competing [[Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)|Overland Route]] is more direct than the route of the railroads advertised.]]

Any map or line chart used in Wikipedia should conform with Wikipedia's policies of [[WP:neutrality|neutrality]], [[WP:reliability|reliability]] and [[WP:verifiability|verifiability]]. Maps can be used for two purposes in Wikipedia articles, as sources or as illustration. Regardless of the point of using a map in an article, the following points should be kept in mind: