Doc Summary
Module: GyanVapy Wiki™ (Community Knowledge Base)
Document Type: Policy
Trademark: GyanVapy Wiki™ is a trademark of MyMahotsav Futuretech Ltd (™ pending)
Effective Date: 24th February 2026
Version: 1.0
Part A: Plain English Summary #
Giving Credit Where It’s Due #
Accurate attribution and citation are the foundation of a trustworthy knowledge base. This policy explains how to properly credit sources and cite references in your contributions.
The Simple Truth #
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Cite Your Sources: Any information that isn’t common knowledge should include a reference to where you found it.
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Avoid Plagiarism: Don’t copy text directly from sources without quotation marks and attribution.
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Credit Other Contributors: The CC BY-SA license requires attribution to the community of editors who created the work.
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Verifiability Matters: Readers should be able to check your sources and verify the information.
Part B: Attribution Requirements #
1. Attribution Under CC BY-SA #
1.1 All contributions to GyanVapy Wiki™ are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
1.2 How Attribution Works: When you reuse content from GyanVapy Wiki™, you must provide attribution by:
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Identifying the authors (typically by linking to the article’s history page)
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Providing a link to the license
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Indicating if changes were made
1.3 Within the Wiki: The platform automatically maintains attribution through page history. You do not need to manually credit other editors when making incremental contributions.
2. Attribution for Imported Content #
2.1 If you import content from other CC BY-SA sources (such as Wikipedia):
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Clearly note the source in the edit summary
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Provide a link to the original article
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Ensure compatibility with our license
2.2 Importing content from incompatible licenses is prohibited.
3. Moral Rights #
3.1 Under applicable law, you retain moral rights to your contributions, including the right to be identified as the author.
3.2 By contributing, you agree that your name may be associated with your contributions in page histories and edit logs.
Part C: Citation Standards #
4. When to Cite #
4.1 Citations are required for:
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Direct quotations
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Statistical data
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Historical dates and events
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Interpretations of scriptures or traditions
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Claims that may be controversial or disputed
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Information specific to a particular source
4.2 Citations are generally not required for:
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Widely known facts about common practices
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Descriptions that can be verified by general observation
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Information that is clearly indicated as the editor’s own synthesis (with appropriate caveats)
5. Citation Quality #
5.1 Prefer Reliable Sources:
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Academic publications (peer-reviewed journals, university presses)
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Recognized religious authorities (with attribution)
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Primary sources (scriptures, historical documents, inscriptions)
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Reputable media outlets for contemporary events
5.2 Avoid:
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Self-published sources (except for statements about the author’s own views)
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Anonymous blogs or forums
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Sources with clear bias presented as objective
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Predatory publishers
5.3 For Religious Topics: Recognize that traditional knowledge may be transmitted orally or through community practice. Where written sources are limited:
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Identify the source of information (e.g., “According to the priest of the X temple…”)
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Acknowledge limitations
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Seek multiple confirmations where possible
6. Citation Format #
6.1 Use consistent citation formatting. The preferred format includes:
For Books:
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Author(s)
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Title (italicized)
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Publisher
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Year of publication
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Page number(s)
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ISBN (optional)
For Journal Articles:
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Author(s)
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Article title (in quotes)
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Journal title (italicized)
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Volume, issue
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Year
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Page numbers
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DOI (if available)
For Websites:
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Author (if known)
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Title of page
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Website name
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Publication date
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URL
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Access date
For Scriptures:
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Scripture name (italicized)
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Chapter/verse (standard citation format for that tradition)
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Translation used (if applicable)
7. Quotations #
7.1 Use quotation marks for direct quotes from sources.
7.2 For longer quotations (more than 40 words), use blockquote formatting.
7.3 Do not alter quotations except to add clarifications in [brackets].
7.4 Always provide a citation for quotations.
8. Plagiarism #
8.1 Plagiarism—presenting others’ work as your own—is strictly prohibited.
8.2 Examples of plagiarism include:
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Copying text verbatim without quotation marks and citation
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Paraphrasing closely without attribution
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Using others’ ideas without acknowledgment
8.3 Consequences of plagiarism may include:
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Reversion of plagiarized content
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Warnings
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Account suspension for repeated violations
Part D: Enforcement #
9.1 Suspected violations of this policy may be reported to moderators.
9.2 The platform reserves the right to remove content that fails to meet citation standards.
9.3 Users who repeatedly violate attribution and citation requirements may face editing restrictions.
Responses