Wikipedia:Five pillars
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia
Wikipedia combines many features of general and specialized
vanity press, an experiment in anarchy or democracy, an indiscriminate collection of information, nor a web directory. It is not a dictionary, a newspaper, nor a collection of source documents, although some of its fellow Wikimedia projects
are.
Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view
We strive for articles with an impartial tone that
reliable sources, especially when the topic is controversial or is about a living person. Editors' personal experiences, interpretations, or opinions
do not belong on Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is free content that anyone can use, edit, and distribute
All editors freely license their work to the public, and no editor owns an article – any contributions can and may be mercilessly edited and redistributed. Respect copyright laws and never plagiarize from any sources. Borrowing non-free media is sometimes allowed as fair use, but editors should strive to find free alternatives first.
Wikipedia's editors should treat each other with respect and civility
talk pages, follow dispute resolution procedures
, and consider that there are 6,895,715 other articles on the English Wikipedia to improve and discuss.
Wikipedia has no firm rules
Wikipedia has
reckless, in updating articles. And do not agonize over making mistakes: they can be corrected easily because (almost) every past version of each article is saved
.
