Wikipedia:Third opinion
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Wikipedia:Third Opinion is a guide for the use of third-party mediators in a dispute. When editors cannot reach a compromise and need a third opinion, they may list a dispute here. The third-opinion process requires good faith on both sides of the dispute.
This page is primarily for informally resolving disputes involving only two editors. More complex disputes should be worked out on article talk pages or by following the dispute resolution process.
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[edit] Listing a dispute
- Please try to discuss the dispute on the talk page before coming here.
- If, after discussion, only two editors are involved, you may list the dispute here. Otherwise, follow other parts of the dispute resolution process.
- Provide a short, neutral description of the disagreement, with links to the specific section of the talk page where it is discussed.
- Sign with five tildes ("~~~~~") to add the date without your name.
→ Example:
"Talk:Style guide#"Descriptive" style guides: Disagreement about existence of nonprescriptive style guides. 12:34, 5 June 2006 (UTC)"
- Do not discuss on this page. Leave the discussion to the linked talk page.
- Listings that do not follow the above instructions may be removed.
[edit] Providing third opinions
- Provide third opinions on the disputed article talk pages, not on this page.
- Read the arguments of the disputants.
- Do not provide third opinions recklessly. In some cases your opinion is a tie-breaker, while in others both sides may have presented valid arguments, or you may disagree with both.
- Write your opinion in a civil and nonjudgemental way.
- Third opinions must be neutral. If you have previously had dealings with the article or with the editors involved in the dispute which would bias your response, do not offer a third opinion on that dispute.
- Consider keeping pages on which you have given a third opinion on your watchlist for a few days. Often, articles listed here are watched by very few people.
- After providing a third opinion, remove the listing from this page with a brief edit summary.
[edit] Third opinion project
- The informal nature of the third opinion process is its chief advantage over more formal methods of resolving disputes. If you are a third opinion provider, you are part of the project and are encouraged to add the Category:Third opinion Wikipedians (with or without the {{User Third opinion}} userbox, as you prefer) to your userpage.
