Wikipedia:A primer for newcomers
 | This is an information page. It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of consensus and vetting. |
 | This page in a nutshell: This article provides a quick and simple guide to people who are new to Wikipedia. |
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Introduction
Okay, so you're new to Wikipedia, and want to learn how to use it or even perhaps write an article. This guide is intended to focus on the most important rules and hopefully prevent newcomers from getting into too much trouble during their first few days or weeks of editing. As new editors gain familiarity with Wikipedia, interest in the more in-depth coverage of these "rules" elsewhere will replace their need for this very basic guide.
This newcomer's primer presents an easy-to-understand introduction to the "rules" of Wikipedia, written for the benefit of beginning Wikipedians who would like a summary of our extensive guidelines on a single page. It is hoped that this guide will help newcomers better understand what is required to create an article that will be accepted by the Wikipedia community, and that it will help a newcomer avoid the information overload that may result from trying to digest all our individual guideline and policy pages at once.
Even for experienced editors, Wikipedia's "rules" can sometimes be confusing. While you'll find this information covered in far greater depth at the various specific guideline and policy pages, for you, the newcomer, here is an attempt to explain some of these concepts, in a most basic way in the hopes of helping you to get started on writing your first article.
Newcomers are always encouraged to ask for input or assistance from others, to ensure that something they have written is suitable for Wikipedia's
The basics
All rules come from Wikipedia's Five Pillars, which summarize the basic principles by which Wikipedia tries to function. In a nutshell:
1. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia
- It brings together information one might expect to find in other general and/or specialized source documents. Wikipedia has sister projectswhere that type of material might be welcome instead.
2. Wikipedia requires a neutral point of view
- Wikipedia articles do not push a single talk page, and if not worked out there, resolved through the various stages of Wikipedia dispute resolution. There is a process. Accept and respect it.
3. Wikipedia is free content that anyone can edit and distribute.
- Contributors MUST respect freely licensed to the public. Whatever you might write can and will be mercilessly edited and re-edited and tweaked and poked and changed by others.
4. Wikipedians should always be polite to each other
- Treat fellow contributors with respect, even when there are disagreements. With so many different persons and personalities editing these pages, it is best to always be courteous and avoid personal attacks. Find common ground in discussions. Avoid battling over edits or content. And remember that there are currently 6,812,255 articles on the English Wikipedia to work on and discuss. Always try to assume the best in other editors, not the worst. Don't presume someone is messing with you just to mess with you. Don't take it personally nor make it personal. Never start messing things up just to make a point. And though it is sometimes difficult (we are human after all), do your best to assume good faith on the part of others. Be open and welcoming to new editors.
5. Wikipedia does not have firm rules besides the five general principles presented here.
- Policies and guidelines are subject to change. A contributor can usually be bold in updating an article, and they do not have to worry too much about making mistakes. However, it's always best to be careful and only act from understanding and knowledge, not personal opinion. An editor's efforts do not have to be perfect, because prior versions are saved by default and any damage done can be fixed. However (and you'll learn this as you go), there is a sometimes unrealistic expectation from veteran editors that every newcomer already understands all the confusing rules before they begin editing. If you make an error, the person who catches it might not realize or care that you are new. The person may even presume you did whatever it was you did on purpose just to mess with them or with Wikipedia. Well, that's their own lack of good faith... don't let it be yours. Remember that Wikipedia is full of many different sorts of personalities and temperaments... so if someone is a bit brusque, don't take it personally. If you make a mistake, apologize and ask for clarification. Wikipedia's strength is in it being a community; so communicate!
Policies
Policies have wide acceptance among editors and were created by Wikipedia editors as the standards that all users should follow. Policies are considered the "rules" which govern how Wikipedia is run. They are related to the Five Pillars of Wikipedia. If ever in doubt, remember that a user is always welcome and encouraged to ask for clarifications or ask for specific help on the talk pages of the various policies.
- Behavior policies (or conduct) are the standards set for behavior on Wikipedia to make it a pleasant experience for everyone. Most succinctly: be polite. Violating behavioral guidelines can result in being blocked from editing.
- Content policies define which topics are welcome on Wikipedia, and provide the standards for quality and naming.
- Deletion policies deal with page deletion: the how-to, whys and why-nots.
- Enforcement policies outline what actions editors can take to enforce other policies.
- Legal and copyright policies are the law-based rules about what material may be used here, and the remedies for misuse.
- When in doubt, don't hesitate to ask for clarification.
Guidelines
Guidelines are considered advisory, but are still given a great deal of weight when editing Wikipedia. They advise on how to prevent or avoid causing problems, and on how to apply and execute policy under various circumstances. Occasionally a guideline appears to conflict with a policy. In those cases, the policy usually takes precedence.
A new editor is encouraged to ask for clarifications or ask for specific help on the talk pages of the various guidelines. It is never incorrect to ask for an explanation.
- Behavioral guidelines outline ways for editors to behave and interact with each other on talk pages and elsewhere at Wikipedia. Again, at the heart of this is... be polite (which has a natural counterpart: don't be a jerk).
- Content guidelines apply to the article namespace (unless otherwise specified in the guideline), and offer advice on how you might identify and include encyclopedic information in articles.
- Deletion guidelines explain the hows and whys of deleting unwanted or unneeded pages.
- Editing guidelines usually provide non-content advice about categorization, navigation or other how-to-edit advices.
- Naming conventions deal with the best ways to name articles on particular topics.
- Notability guidelines detail the various criteria a subject should meet to merit having a Wikipedia article.
- Style guidelines contain extensive advice on preferred writing style, formatting, grammar, and more.
- Again, when in doubt, don't hesitate to ask for clarification.
Essays and information pages
- Once again, when in doubt, don't hesitate to ask for clarification.
- Does it sound like I am repeating myself needlessly? My suggesting that a newcomer ask for input from others when creating a new article is some of the best advice that can be offered. Wikipedia is a community of volunteers ... so getting help in the beginning can usually avoid later confusions and conflicts. Never be afraid to ask.
Shortcuts
You may have noticed editors using all-caps links that don't seem to make sense, such as
Often, you can find the information you need by typing WP:KEYWORD into the Wikipedia search box, substituting a word describing your needs for "KEYWORD". You will see a list of policies, guidelines and essays related to your inquiry.
Get familiar with Wikipedia
It's best to start slow, rather than jump in and perhaps flounder. There are a number of terrific guides within Wikipedia that can help new editors to create their first articles (see the bottom of this essay).
- It should be remembered that it is always good for a newcomer to use a personal "Wikipedia:Your first article. Here is a short summary:
- Create an account. You must be a registered user to create a new article. Registering as a user is free. Anyone can do this. Don't create more than one account. Use of multiple accounts by one person is frowned upon. It's allowed under special circumstances, yes... but generally speaking, one is enough.
- Play around with Wikipedia's sandbox, an area for any editor to test out formatting and editing Wikipedia. This is a great first step, because a lot of Wikipedia's editing policies don't apply there and you don't have to worry about messing up formatting. Almost like a cat's litter box, it gets cleaned out on a regular basis.
- Try editing existing articles in order to get a feel for writing and for using the mark-up language used within Wikipedia. For instance, pick a random articleand check it for grammar or spelling.
- Double-check to make sure that the topic you might wish to write about has not already been created by someone else, perhaps under a different or modified title. If the article already exists, you might make a few constructive edits to it.
- Find and gather your references, both to use as sources for your information and also to show the required reliable sources, and for the most part those aren't reliable.
- Never be afraid to ask for feedback. You can ask questions about current articles or about articles you might wish to create in a number of places, including the . Help from others is available; all one need do is ask.
- Consider Wikipedia:Why was my page deleted?instructive.
- Registered users have and can create their own subpage, and can be whipped into shape at leisure. There is no real hurry, after all. Beginning an article in a userspace allows the benefit of time in order to sweeten the article, ask other editors for advice and input, make the article shine, and then move it into the "live" Wikipedia only when it is ready to go and survive on its own.
- Learn the not-too-confusing details about creating your own subpage by checking out "moveit into that main area.
- Registered users have and can create their own
Picking a topic
On notability
On Wikipedia, notability is a test used by editors to decide whether a topic can or should have its own article. What is written in Wikipedia must in some manner be notable, or "worthy of notice". The concept of notability, as used on Wikipedia, is not the same as the dictionary definition; it does not necessarily depend on things like fame, importance, or popularity—although those may enhance the acceptability of a subject that meets the guidelines explained at
The existence and
Here are some important things to remember about creating an article... and there are lots of things
Important cautions
- Don't write about yourself, your friends, your website, your company, your business, your family, a band you're in, your teacher, a word you made up, a story you wrote, or anything else you're closely affiliated with (exception: we welcome academics, museum curators, etc., who write about their area of expertise, subject to our usual policies). If the subject is too close to you, it falls under scrutiny as a conflict of interest. If your username is "Big Blast" and you write about Big Blast the musician, or Big Blast the Demolition Company, or Big Blast Pancakes, you'll catch the immediate eye of editors whose chosen task is to investigate and curtail conflict of interest or blatant advertising. Oh, perhaps Big Blast the musician or Big Blast Pancakes might very well be worth writing about... but if that's you, you may as well wait until someone else writes it. If it's not you, then perhaps starting with a different username will prevent the appearance that it is. Conflict of interest is a big deal on Wikipedia, as Wikipedia strongly discourages any attempt at self-promotion. So choose something else that interests you and that will itself be of interest to others.
- Pick something notable to write about. Go and take a good look at the verifiabilityof any information in an article must themselves be reliable.
- Be neutral in point of view. Whatever you write about has to be presented in the same dry and informative (or even boring) fashion as you might expect to read it in Encyclopædia Britannica or Encyclopedia Americana. Avoid use of adjectives and superlative, unless they were used in the sources you have found for your article. Don't write "biggest pancake ever seen" unless your sources says exactly that... in which case you repeat it within quotation marks, followed by the reference citation to the source(s) which actually made that statement (more on that below).
- original researchand that's not for Wikipedia.
The article you create will be
Also, articles that do not meet Wikipedia's
- You may find the userspace essay "On notability" to be very helpful.
To summarize: DO NOT create pages about
- And here are two userspace essays that may be of great help in understanding what NOT to write about: "Not a noticeboard" and "What notability is not"
Userspace
When you first create an account, you will automatically have reserved blank pages called your
- Writings, information, discussions, and activities not closely related to Wikipedia's goals;
- Promotional and advocacy material and links;
- Highly divisive or offensive material unrelated to encyclopedia editing;
- Personal information about others or excessive personal information about yourself; and
- Wikipedia content not suited to the userspace.
At its most basic, your user page is where you can share basic information if you wish, about yourself or your wiki-related activities. There is no rule nor norm that you must share such information, and some users choose to leave their user page blank.
A user talk page is a place for messages from, and discussion with, other editors. For more information on using talk pages see
What we are dealing with here, though, are the
- It bears repeating that there ARE restrictions on userpage use. Study WP:UPNOto avoid problems from the outset. If you are even the least bit in doubt, ask for advice.
On building an article
While we cover this here at its most basic, many editors suggest you review the more in-depth coverage at
Many editors begin by simply titling a page and adding content, but unless you know what you're doing, that method can lead to problems. So let's begin on the right foot by your creation of an article in
Using your sandbox(es)
A workspace or sandbox in "userspace" is easy to create. One simple method is to use the
[[User:Your Username/Name of Intended Article]].
Hitting "Show preview" it would then look like this:
- User:Your Username/Name of Intended Article
...and then clicking that redlink creates the initial editing page for the article you wish to build. In the editing screen on that page, begin by typing {{userspace draft}} and then click "Publish changes". It might be useful to save the name of the workspace page you've created on your userpage so you can easily navigate back to it.
Another easy way to create a workspace is to visit
You just created a userspace page to begin a draft of your work. It's that simple.
Building the article IN your sandbox
Again, you are encouraged to spend some time reading
- Since there are more topics which might be written about than can be described in any one essay, and rather than try to use a generic example here, you are encouraged to read the Wikipedia:Your first articleto learn what is expected from any article.
- Build that article, go over it to ensure it does not run afoul of the policies and guidelines set in place. If at all in doubt, be sure to seek input from others. Asking questions is how we all learn.
Verification and reliable sources
When you've decided on your topic and you're certain it's not already covered elsewhere on Wikipedia, now you need to write your content. The most important thing to remember is that all of your content should be
Verifiability
For information to be included on Wikipedia, it has to be
Reliable sources
No matter the topic, articles need to be based upon reliable, third-party published sources (see
Libraries, newspapers, and books are decent "real-world" places to look for reliable sources. If you want to get your sources online, use Google or one of the other major search engines and find sources that deal with your chosen topic. Or visit a library or bookstore to find sources that support your article. Make yourself a list of the sources you'll be using, and what each source offers for your article.
If you can't find sources, maybe the topic is not as publicly recognized as you hoped, and isn't going to survive being added to Wikipedia. You can't just say something is notable, you must be able to prove it.
Hardcopy sources considered most reliable are peer-reviewed journals, books published by university presses, university-level textbooks, magazines, journals and books published by respected publishing houses, and mainstream newspapers. Online media can be used but must meet the same criteria. The place to check to see what makes or breaks a source is over at the above-mentioned
External links
To place an external link in an article, you put the link in single brackets like this [URL text you want to show]. For example [https://www.google.com Google] will display as Google. Before adding external links to an article, you should check out Wikipedia:External links to better understand which ones are okay to use and why.
Citations
Above, you've read that articles need to have verifiable sources. So go spend some time at Wikipedia:Verifiability and then spend some time at Wikipedia:Citing sources.
Here's the short version: "
When adding one to an article it begins with a "<ref>" and ends with a "</ref>". The information between those two is the "citation" and must include the required information that can lead a reader to the publication or place where the information being cited was obtained.
To add the "inline citation", immediately after the word or sentence in the text that requires citation, add:
- <ref>(details of the source)</ref>.
The required details might be only as simple and sloppy as a URL link to the source... squeezed in between the "<ref>" and "</ref>"... but that's a bit lazy and aggravates more experienced editors... so let's not be lazy.
To properly use a cite in an article, you need to include a section called "==References==" (usually preferred), or alternatively either "==Footnotes==" or "==Notes==" followed on the next line by the wiki markup "{{reflist}}" to be seen in the edit screen as
==References==
{{reflist}}
And to be clear, for your citation to actually be seen by others, you need that "==References==" section (or one of the others) AND the template {{reflist}} on the edit line immediately below it, or your cites will not show up for the reader.
- For example
In an article for Hunter Ellis, you might read "In 2008 Ellis became host of the television series In Harm's Way".
That "fact" requires a reference citation to the source confirming the fact. A sample citation could be
<ref> http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117990132.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&query=Hunter+Ellis Hunter Ellis to host 'In Harm's Way' by Stuart Levine, Variety Magazine, August 5, 2008 </ref>
You could also get fancier and use a citation template:
- <ref>{{cite news
- | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117990132.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&query=Hunter+Ellis
- | title=Hunter Ellis to host 'In Harm's Way'
- | last=Levine
- | first=Stuart
- | date=5 August 2008
- | newspaper=Variety (magazine)
- | accessdate=29 December 2009}}</ref>
...as providing the minimum required information... plus a bit more, as the cite structure in this example contains
- the online URL of the source,
- the title of the article being used as a source,
- the name of the source's author,
- the date the online source was first created,
- the publisher of the online source, and
- the date the source was first added to the Wikipedia article.
Again, various source types require slightly different information, and you can study various citation structures at Wikipedia:Citation templates... but in all cases a citation MUST properly acknowledge the source from which it came.
Proper format for a citation can be a bit more involved and/or slightly different for the different types of sources, but at the minimum each must at the very least contain the basic information that explains the source, allowing a reader to confirm it for themself. A quite decent tutorial can be found at "
If you have questions (and I'd be surprised if you don't), always ask for help.
From sandbox to mainspace
Are you sure it's ready? Really sure?? Have you double-checked your sources to make sure they actually support the sentence they are meant to support? Have you checked your article for
How to move the page
At the top of the userspace page where you created your article is the tab "Move". When you click on that tab, you will be offered the opportunity to move the article you created. To be able to move pages yourself, you must be logged in, have had the account for four days, and made at least ten article edits with it.
- Under "Move page:", you will see User:YOURUSERNAMEHERE/workspace/Your article name here as a bluelink.
- Immediately below that you will see "To new title:" where you can remove the first portions of the article name, for example removing the "User:YOURUSERNAMEHERE/workspace/" from the shown name to simplify it to be only the desired article name as it would appear in mainspace.
- And immediately below that you will see "Reason:" and a box where you might type as an edit summary just why you are doing the move from userspace to mainspace. If the article is ready, you might simply type "article ready for mainspace" and then click on the "Move page" button.
It is just that simple to move something from a workspace into mainspace.
What to expect
If you've done a decent job, the most you might expect is that others may come by to correct a typo or two, or perhaps modify a sentence. What's better is that another editor might appreciate your article enough to expand it a bit and add a few more sources... or better yet, expand it a lot and add many more sources.
But remember: what you contribute to Wikipedia is no longer "yours". It can be and quite often is edited, sometimes mercilessly, by other editors. But don't take it as a personal affront. Always remain polite and seek advice from those more experienced. And never think of your work as being
Oops... did somebody tag your article for deletion?
Hopefully, nothing that you have contributed will become the subject of deletion. But if it does...
- First off, don't fret. Don't get angry. Don't take it personally. And don't despair. It is hoped that by following the guide here that your article was pretty much set to go, so it may just be that the article needs a few tweaks to address the concerns of the tagger. First thing is you might ask the tagger on their talk page what you might do to address their concerns. More often than not, the tagger will be happy to give you a response with which you can work.
Why and how
Why and how something might be tagged for deletion is covered in depth at
Speedy deletion
Speedy deletion is meant to remove pages that are so obviously inappropriate for Wikipedia that they have no chance of surviving a deletion discussion. Speedy deletion should not be used except in the most obvious cases. An article can be tagged for speedy deletion if it meets one of the criteria for speedy deletion.
If ANY page you created is tagged for speedy deletion, you may use the "Contest this speedy deletion" button to explain your reasoning on the relevant talk page. The tag exists to give you some extra time and to tell the deleting administrator about things that they might not have realized. However, the page may still be deleted if it meets the speedy deletion criteria. There are more details about this at the section at "Speedy deletion".
Proposed deletion
A little less imperative than a "speedy" is a "Proposed deletion" (often known as PROD) and it only applies to pages in the main namespace (like your article) and the file namespace (like images and media). When an editor feels that a page obviously and uncontroversially doesn't belong in this encyclopedia, but it does not fit the criteria for a "Speedy", it can be tagged for "proposed deletion". This gives you or others seven days in which to address concerns, after which time an
Proposed deletion of biographies of living people
As of April 3, 2010, a proposed deletion process for unsourced biographies was established, requiring all biographies of living persons to have at least one
Deletion nomination
If something does not fall into the categories above, it may be sent to a
How to act / react
Worried or confused? Don't be. Wikipedia is built upon the principle that contributors and editors are acting in
Be polite
In all cases, you should politely and
Fixing the problems
Often, the tagger will create a
Your article might also benefit from
The
Graciousness
The principles of professionalism,
- And to repeat yet again, if you have questions (and I'll be surprised if you don't), be willing to seek input and advice from others. Ask those questions. You will get answers.
Moving on
If your article is deleted, you might ask the closing editor to "
Regardless, stick with it and continue to participate in Wikipedia, for it is the only way the community will thrive.
And on images
The requirements for uploading and using images in Wikipedia are a complex area because overall they serve two somewhat conflicting goals. One is to meet legal requirements for protecting the rights of owners of the images. The other is to amass content which can freely be redistributed. The result is a "minefield" of requirements and enforcement which essentially says that there are two viable routes for using images:
- Get the owner of the image to release it for nearly unlimited use (per one of the offered acceptable licenses), which is authorization for both non-commercial and commercial re-use with the only limitation being that the user must acknowledge the owner. Wikipedia does not accept other permissions with restrictions (such as "only for use by Wikipedia" or "only for non-profit use"). Some of the upload wizards offer those as trick questions; if you choose one of those it will cause your upload to crash and burn.
- "Fair use" This is the route that requires no permission from the owner of the image. In addition to fulfilling the real world legal requirements for such a use, there are additional Wikipedia requirements for this type of use which are designed to make it very difficult to use this route. This is done to encourage/force you to use #1 instead. So #1 is your best route if you can do it. Other than these notes, this essay is not discussing the use of images within your article because a comprehensive section on their use might be longer than what has been offered here already. If you are interested in learning more, please visit the following:
- Wikipedia:Creation and usage of media files
- Wikipedia:Copyrights#Image guidelines
- Wikipedia:Image copyright tags
- Wikipedia:Logos
- meta:Avoid copyright paranoia
- Wikipedia:Images
- Wikipedia legal and copyright policies
- Wikipedia:Non-free content
- Picture tutorial
- Graphics tutorials
- Public domain image resources
- Free image resources
- Media
- Music samples– a related guideline for copyrighted music samples
- Images linking to a specific page
- Choosing appropriate illustrations
- WikiProject Illustration
- Tutorial on finding images
- How to create graphs for Wikipedia articles
- Category:Images requiring maintenance
Other helpful pages
- Help:Directory - a descriptive directory of informative, instructional and supportive pages.
- little improvementshelp the encyclopedia.
- Wikipedia:Your first article– A superb page that explains in some detail the steps to take in building an article for Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia:Article wizard – The article wizard will help you through the process of submitting a new article to Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia:Copy-pasteexplains why copy-pasting is unacceptable.
- Wikipedia:Plain and simple- A simple guide to contributing and using Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia:Requests for Feedback– A place where any editor may request feedback on an idea or an article.
- Wikipedia:Training – Self-guided training modules to help learning the basics of navigating and contributing.
- Wikipedia:The difference between policies, guidelines and essays – an essay that clarifies some misconceptions.
- Wikipedia:Tutorial– Step-by-step instructions for new editors.
- Article Wizard.
- Wikipedia:Cheatsheet– Offers insight into how you can create bold or italicized lettering, bulleted or numbered lists, how to indent text, and a few other instructions.
- Help: Wikipedia: The Missing Manual – A set of pages, a complete copy of a book published in 2008, where one can find out almost anything about editing Wikipedia.
Further reading (external links)
- Wikimedia Foundation
- The Bookshelf – A vast collection of high-quality, freely licensed, user-generated informational material about Wikipedia
- Mission statement – The Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikimedia values – The five values of the Wikimedia Foundation
- In a nutshell, what is Wikipedia? And what is the Wikimedia Foundation? – The Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikimedia founding principles – Principles generally supported by all of the Wikimedia communities
- How to and about Wikipedia by third parties
