Wikipedia is not the place for original research such as "new" theories (Wikisource is).
Wikipedia is not a primary source. Specific factual content is not the question. Wikipedia is a secondary source (one that analyzes, assimilates, evaluates, interprets, and/or synthesizes primary sources) or tertiary source (one that generalizes existing research or secondary sources of a specific subject under consideration). A Wikipedia entry is a report not an essay. Please cite sources.
From a mailing list post by Jimbo Wales:
- If a viewpoint is in the majority, then it should be easy to substantiate with reference to commonly accepted reference texts.
- If a viewpoint is held by a significant minority, then it should be easy to name "prominent" adherents [ed. An article should address the controversy without taking sides].
- If a viewpoint is held by an extremely small (or vastly limited) minority, it doesn't belong in Wikipedia (except perhaps in some ancilliary article), regardless if it's true or not, whether you can prove it or not [ed. A polite rational discussion in the Talk page or "votes for deletion" is probably the way to settle this].
For theories:
- State the valid concepts,
- State the known and popular ideas and identify general "consensus", and
- Individual ideas (eg. stuff made up) and unstable neologisms should either go to 'votes for deletion' [because they "fail the test of confirmability" (not because they are false)], or be copyedited out.
The following are NOT grounds for exclusion:
- Listing claims which have little or no supporting evidence;
- Listing claims which contradict established conditions, explanations, or solutions;
- Including research that fails to provide the possibility of reproducible results; or
- Citing viewpoints that violate Occam's Razor (the principle of choosing the simplest explanation when multiple viable explanations are possible).
Further reading:
- Crackpot articles: Mailing list post by Jimbo Wales.
- A Request RE a WIKIArticle: Mailing list post by Jimbo Wales.
- Wikiresearch, a proposal for a wiki for original research.
Other encyclopedias
Places that do allow original research include Wikinfo and Everything 2.