Template:Scc

The Template:Scc (abbreviation for Source Color Code) is an informational template intended to help users assess how much information on a topic is contained in a source listed in the source index. Four levels are provided for evaluating the content of the source. They are explained in the overview below.

Overview

Icon	Rating	Explanation	Range
	minimal	The topic is described with at most a few scattered sentences. It may be mentioned in a list, a table, on a map or diagram, depicted in a picture, or cited as an example. Rule of thumb: 1-5% of a typical source book page
	some	The topic is discussed in at least a paragraph of more than two sentences up to a third of a full page. Rule of thumb: 5-30% of a typical source book page
	a lot	Rule of thumb: 45-80% of a typical source book page
	extensive	Rule of thumb: 90%+ of a typical source book page

Notes

Some things should be considered when interpreting the rating:

1. Since the information on an article topic is not always concentrated in one place in the source, the rating is generally based on the largest section. Example: With two minimal mentions and one other place with some information on the topic, the source would receive the rating "some" (orange).
2. If the topic is covered in many different places within the source, the accumulated amount of information can lead to a higher rating than the largest section indicates. Example: The topic is mentioned in the source in six places with two to four paragraphs each, the information is different each time. Although the largest section with four paragraphs only justifies the rating "a lot" (yellow), the large amount of accumulated information leads to the rating "extensive" (green). Counterexample: In a novel about the Seattle Metroplex, Lone Star is mentioned over 50 times, but no information about the police corporation is provided. Although the name Lone Star is very frequently found in the novel, the rating remains "minimal" (red).
3. The rating "extensive" (green) can range from one page to the entire content of the source. This means that information amounts exceeding one page are no longer distinguished. The justification for this is that the page count often has more to do with the importance of the topic than with the extent of its treatment in the source. One page on a topic usually means extensive treatment. If necessary, the page count can be used for better evaluation of several extensive sources.
4. The ratings should not be understood as an assessment of the importance of the information contained in the source. Even a source with the rating "minimal" (red) can contain a crucial piece of information. The rating refers to the extent of the content.
5. The rating should be considered an imperfect art. The extremes are the most clear: sources rated "minimal" (red) contain little more than a brief mention of the topic, while sources rated "extensive" (green) can be considered a major information source.