Wikipedia:WikiProject Medicine/How to edit

This help page is a how-to guide. It details processes or procedures of some aspect(s) of Wikipedia's norms and practices. It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, and may reflect varying levels of consensus and vetting.

Shortcut WP:MEDHOW

This page in a nutshell: Proceed with due diligence and caution when editing medicine-related articles

For those who are familiar with editing other Wikipedia content, editing medical articles is a little different. This difference is primarily the need for greater diligence in the use of

.

For contributors with a biomedical background who have not edited Wikipedia before, the ground rules here are slightly different from writing peer-reviewed literature or textbooks; you may find

.

Wikipedia's conflict of interest advice

.

New editor method

Wikipedia also has an editor that functions similar to a word processor. Many new editors find it easier. The video to the right shows you how to add a properly formatted reference using the new editor. If you are using PubMed simply add the URL with the PMID such as https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=123456 and it will generate most of the details.

Please NOTE: If you are copy and pasting text around Wikipedia you must be in the visual editor editing mode when you copy and the visual editor editing mode when you paste.

Older editor method

wikimarkup code

, the editing language of Wikipedia.

To insert a journal reference, click on the Cite tab and then select Cite journal from the dropdown template menu. This will bring up a pop-up window.

Here is a simple step-by-step overview, assuming you've already chosen a page you'd like to edit:

1. You may like to register an account and choose a username, which can be as anonymous as you like. Alternatively, many pages can be edited as an IP address (in this case your edits will be publicly linked to your computer's IP address but not to any particular persona).
2. Read what
   review articles
   , major textbooks, and statements by major medical and scientific bodies  – say. Take from them what the mainstream, key ideas are.
   • Some good sources may be found from TRIP database or here.
   • Wikipedia's guidelines explaining the preferred references for medical content are discussed at Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources (medicine), and further explained at Dispatches: Sources in biology and medicine.
3. Hit the Edit button for the corresponding section you wish to add or change. The page will turn into code, called wikimarkup. See
   wikimarkup
   .
4. here
   .
5. Cite the relevant reference
   • Find the
     ISBN
     and the page number(s).
     • By using the toolbar (nb: this doesn't work in Internet Explorer) –
       • Click the Cite tab in the top of the edit box. In the dropdown Templates menu, select Cite journal or Cite book, as appropriate.
       • Type in the PMID, DOI or ISBN with the page number/s, and then click on the magnifying glass icon. The cite tool will automatically process the details.
     • Another method is to enter the PMID into the Diberri Boghog template filler, which will generate a cite journal template in the format used in most medical articles.
6. To see what your edit is going to look like live, click the Show preview button.
7. When you're happy with your edits, hit Save page.
8. Welcome! If this was your first edit, you are now a
   Wikipedian
   ...

Using the same citation multiple times

It's helpful to add a name tag, especially if you want to cite the reference more than once. There is a box to enter a name tag on the bottom left of the journal citation pop-up window (ref name) or if using the template filler tool, tick the "Add ref tag" box. Alternatively the tag can be entered manually. To do this, type in name= followed by the family name of the first author of the work and the year of publication:

<ref name=Ozturan2002>{{cite journal|last=Ozturan|...|pmid=12122621}}</ref>

Then, to refer to the same source elsewhere in the same article, simply enter this name tag as:

<ref name=Ozturan2002/>

See

for more detail.

As an innovative online encyclopedia, Wikipedia sees itself primarily as a

information). The easiest way to find reviews is to search PubMed using the "Reviews" filter. There is a template that may be used on article Talk pages that generates links to appropriate searches on pubmed based on the article's title: {{Reliable sources for medical articles}}. If it not on the talk page of an article about health, please feel free to copy it there and use it.

Wikipedia's manual of style specific to medical content is at Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Medicine-related articles; this page explains how articles are organized, what kinds of terminology to use and avoid, and discusses other pitfalls of editing medical articles.

Every Wikipedia page has its own

is the primary consideration.

As a newcomer, you may prefer to avoid getting involved in any heated or boring disputes; if you find yourself in one, remember that

.

	Wikipedia:Pagename	WP:Shortcut
Basic principles of Wikipedia	Wikipedia:Five pillars	WP:FIVE
Quick guide to wikicode (wikimarkup)	Help:Cheatsheet	WP:CHEAT
Medicine project	Wikipedia:WikiProject Medicine	WP:MED
Medicine project talk page	Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Medicine	WT:MED
Identifying reliable medical sources	Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources (medicine)	WP:MEDRS
Resources for finding medical sources	Wikipedia:WikiProject Medicine/Resources	WP:MEDRES
Medical style manual	Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Medicine-related articles	WP:MEDMOS
General style manual (searchable)	Wikipedia:Manual of Style	WP:MOS
Policies and guidelines	Wikipedia:List of policies and guidelines	WP:PGLIST

• WP:MED
  has a useful list of Medicine Project links in the 'infobox' on the top right of the page

Some hints to help find Wikipedia-related content

The array of policies and guidelines (and other, less formal material such as essays) can make the 'Cochrane Handbook' feel almost slim. Here are some Wikipedia-related search tips:

• To locate an 'internal' Wikipedia page, type "WP:" or "Wikipedia:" in the Search box followed by the name/shortcut of the page you're looking for (e.g. "WP:MED").
• To find a user, type "User:" in the Search box followed by the user's name (e.g. "User:Doc James").
• To locate a template, type "Template:" followed by its name (e.g. "Template:Cite web").
• If you can't remember the exact name of what you need, the search box will make suggestions based on your input (you don't need to worry about using upper/lower case).

There is an extensive, searchable Help section at

is available 24/7.

For queries about the content of medical articles, try posting a message on the WikiProject Medicine talk page (

watchlist

your creation to see if you need a helping hand. WT:MED could also be a good first port of call if you find yourself feeling at all bewildered by anything that's happening on an article Talk page.

For more general friendly discussion about matters related to Wikipedia, the Teahouse is a place where some experienced editors hang out to help new editors become acquainted with community culture, answer any questions, and facilitate community relationships.

Related resources:

• Wikimedia Medicine
• Explanatory video by Dr.Amin Azzam at UCSF
• Slide presentation by Dr. James Heilman at UBC