What is the Wikipedia general notability guideline vs specific notability guidelines?

Wikipedia operates a tiered notability system. Every subject must clear the General Notability Guideline (GNG) unless a subject-specific guideline (SNG) applies instead, and picking the right guideline at the start changes which sources matter for the readiness assessment.

The General Notability Guideline

The GNG applies to all subjects by default: a topic must have received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject. Each term carries weight, the coverage must treat the subject directly, come from editorially independent outlets with professional standards, and consist of secondary analysis rather than primary documents or press releases.

Subject-specific notability guidelines

Companies and organizations (WP:NCORP)

A stricter version of the GNG that explicitly emphasizes in-depth independent coverage and excludes routine business announcements, press releases, and sponsored content. Being a private company does not exempt a subject, and there is no inherent notability for any organization regardless of size.

Academics (WP:NACADEMIC)

Centers on academic impact and citation patterns rather than mainstream press coverage. A person whose research has had a significant impact on their scholarly discipline, as demonstrated by independent reliable sources, can qualify even without broad media coverage.

Athletes (WP:NATHLETES)

Based on competitive level and competition records. An athlete who has competed at the highest recognized professional or national level in their sport generally qualifies, regardless of press coverage volume.

Politicians (WP:NPOL)

Based on the level of office held. Individuals who have held international, national, or state/province-wide office, or have served in legislative bodies at those levels, generally qualify.

Books, films, and other creative works

Each category of creative work has its own dedicated guideline. A creative professional who has created or played a major role in co-creating a significant or well-known work or body of work can also qualify through the people guideline.

Why the guideline choice matters in practice

A corporate executive who also holds an academic appointment may qualify under the academic SNG on citation impact alone, where a purely business-press source record would fall short of WP:NCORP. An athlete with strong competition records but thin media coverage may qualify under NATHLETES while failing the GNG. Readiness assessment should identify the applicable guideline before evaluating whether the existing source record is sufficient, applying the wrong standard at the start either overstates or understates the work required to get a durable article created.