Standard Definitions
Credible Sources
A "credible source" will be taken to be an online or in-print published story from a journalistic source, or information an organization posts publicly on its website to provide public information about that organization, or in another source where the preponderance of evidence suggests that the information is correct and that there is no significant controversy surrounding the information or its correctness. It will generally not include unsourced information found in blogs, Facebook or Twitter postings, or websites of individuals.
"Before [Date X]"
The phrase "Before [date X] will be taken to mean prior to the first moment at which [date X] would apply, in UTC. For example, "Before 2010" will be taken to mean prior to midnight January 1, 2010; "Before June 30" would mean prior to midnight (00:00:00) UTC June 30. It is a best practice to still spell out the date (e.g. "Before January 1, 2030") in the resolution criteria for greater clarity.
Previously this section used "by [date x]" instead of "before [date x]", however "before" is much clearer and should always be used instead of "by", where feasible.