SparkNotes

SparkNotes
Type	website
Status	No consensus
Deprecated	no
Blacklisted	no
Recency	2018
Domain sparknotes.com
	In source code; External links in articles; Spamcheck tool

This page is a test version of a potential new layout for the Perennial sources project. It is a demo and not part of the live listings. See Talk.

This source in a nutshell: There is

no consensus on the reliability of SparkNotes. See § Summary.

SparkNotes is a source that has been repeatedly discussed at the Reliable sources noticeboard. This page collects and links information about previous discussions and current consensus, and summarizes it here for convenience.

Summary

SparkNotes is a study guide. Editors consider SparkNotes usable for superficial analyses of literature, and recommend supplementing SparkNotes citations with additional sources.

Excerpt

SparkNotes, originally part of a website called The Spark, is a company started by Harvard students Sam Yagan, Max Krohn, Chris Coyne, and Eli Bolotin in 1999 that originally provided study guides for literature, poetry, history, film, and philosophy. Later on, SparkNotes expanded to provide study guides for a number of other subjects, including biology, chemistry, economics, health, math, physics, and sociology. Until 2022, when SparkNotes Plus, a paid service, released, SparkNotes did not charge users to use any of its resources. SparkNotes receives revenue from advertisements.

Discussions

Links

RSN

WP:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 227#Reliability of Cliffsnotes, Sparknotes and study guides in general

WP:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 236#Reliability of CliffsNotes and SparkNotes?

Recency

2018

Rfcs

No Rfcs for this source.

Notes

References

Original table row for comparison

(remove this when this source page is ready to go live)

Perennial sources
Source	Status (legend)	Discussions			Use
Source	Status (legend)	List	Last	Summary	Use
SparkNotes		1 2	2018	SparkNotes is a study guide. Editors consider SparkNotes usable for superficial analyses of literature, and recommend supplementing SparkNotes citations with additional sources.	1