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Essays and information pages represent the opinion(s) or summaries of an individual or group of editors and are intended to supplement or clarify a process while sometimes offering advice. Essays and information pages are not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, thus have no official status within the community. Following the instructions or guidance given in an essay or information page is optional, as they may be written and edited by anyone without overall community oversight.
About Wikipedia – a general introduction for visitors to Wikipedia.
Administration – discuses both the non-human administrative structure of Wikipedia, as well as its human components.
Academic use – how citation of Wikipedia in research papers may be considered unacceptable, because Wikipedia is not considered a credible or authoritative source.
Editing environment – how is Wikipedia governed? What happens when content disputes 'boil over' into accusations of bad conduct?
Editorial oversight and control – the various processes and structures by which Wikipedia articles and their editing are editorially controlled, and the processes which are built into that model to ensure quality of article content.
Quality control – how the very wiki-nature of Wikipedia enables instant and continuous quality control, by allowing anyone and everyone to participate in improving articles and the encyclopedia as a whole.
Replies to common objections – answers a number of common criticisms of the Wikipedia project as outlined in publications (see WP:Criticisms for a list of quotations from critics).
Researching with Wikipedia – Wikipedia can be a great tool for learning and researching information. However, as with all reference works, not everything in Wikipedia is accurate, comprehensive, or unbiased.
Role of Jimmy Wales – Jimmy Wales holds a special role in the governance of the English Wikipedia, because of the central and vital stake he had in its founding.
The essence of Wikipedia – how Wikipedia is the harnessing of the collective intelligence and collaborative efforts of editors who hold opposing points of view, in an attempt to preserve all serious contributions which are reliably sourced. The aim is the progressive building of more and better NPOV content.
Who writes Wikipedia? – anyone (EVEN YOU!) can edit existing articles or create new ones, and volunteers do not need to have any formal training to contribute.
Wikipedia is a community – how there is nothing wrong with occasionally doing other things than writing the encyclopedia, and that community spirit is a positive thing.
How to not get outed on Wikipedia – for some editors of Wikipedia, having their "real life" identity discovered can be a major problem, threatening their well-being, careers, or even personal safety. There are a variety of steps you can take to help protect yourself from this happening.
IP edits are not anonymous – editing Wikipedia with an IP address as your identifier is often less anonymous than editing with a normal account.
On privacy, confidentiality and discretion – everyone should be careful about revealing and handling personal and/or private information, as your rights to privacy may not extend as far as you believe.
Personal security practices – intended as a guideline for user security concerns and practices on Wikipedia. It adapts some information from the Wikimedia foundation's privacy policy to address some personal security concerns that may arise in the course of editing Wikipedia.
Protecting children's privacy – all users, including children, are permitted to edit anonymously without submitting identifying information. Reasonable efforts to discourage children from disclosing identifying personal information are appropriate.
Responding to threats of harm – anyone who observes potentially suicidal or violent behavior should notify Wikipedia administrators quickly. (Editors may not provide counselling services or professional referrals).
User account security – editors should use a strong password to avoid being blocked for bad edits by someone who guesses or "cracks" other editors' passwords.
Why create an account – you don't need to be registered to edit; however it does provide additional features and privacy.
Wikipedia is a volunteer service – editors on Wikipedia are mainly volunteers. Editors can contribute as much as they want, and for however long they desire.
Wikipedia is anonymous – Wikipedia can be anonymous. Still, there are various ways your identity can be revealed.
Competence is required – not every person belongs on Wikipedia, because some people are not sufficiently competent.
Disruptive user – examples of what would make someone a disruptive user.
Editorial discretion – common sense and Wikipedia policy dictate that editors must practice discretion regarding the proper inclusion of relevant and well-sourced content.
Editor integrity – editors have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of Wikipedia and respect intellectual property rights of the sources they draw upon when they create and improve encyclopedia pages.
Editors matter – Wikipedia's most important resource is its contributors.
Honor system – how editors are trusted to obey all the rules and do the right thing. There is no central authority and no police force, just the assumption of good faith.
IP users – guest users or unregistered users are users who edit Wikipedia without registering for an account.
IP addresses are not people – with some exceptions, unregistered users can edit articles and participate on talk pages in the same way as registered users.
Levels of competence – all editors go through a series of levels in their understanding of Wikipedia.
New account – a new account is a registered user which has too few contributions to obtain a definite reputation, or is registered too recently for it.
Paid editing (essay) – some editors (usually for money) create or edit Wikipedia articles for an individual or entity.
Retiring – sometimes active users decide to retire from or leave Wikipedia, and may return at any point.
Single-purpose account – many single-purpose accounts turn out to be well-intentioned editors with a niche interest, a significant number appear to edit for the purposes of promotion or showcasing their favoured point of view.
User rights are not a golden ticket – user rights, as they appear in the log, do not denote a hierarchy of Wikipedians. Rollback, sysop, checkuser, oversight etc. are not special groups. While we call these privileges, they are not a measure of status.
Wikipedians – the volunteers who write and edit Wikipedia's articles, unlike readers who simply read them.
You are not irreplaceable – how every good-faith editor is important to the overall success of Wikipedia, but that all editors must edit responsibly and be civil, regardless of their other contributions. Additionally, Wikipedia can still function without any single editor.
Contributing to Wikipedia – the main "how-to" page that provides information, links, videos and other resources on the basics needed to comprehend, comment on, and edit Wikipedia.
Frequent mistakes – a few common mistakes everyone should try to avoid.
Plain and simple overview – the policies and customs that have developed over the years which reflect the experience of thousands of editors who are constantly learning and refining how to create balanced, accurate articles.
Honesty – how honesty is expected in all processes of Wikipedia, including content discussion, the dispute process and all other functions of the community.
Gender-neutral language – how gender-neutral language should be used where this can be done with clarity and precision.
Introduction to structurism – an editing philosophy emphasizing interconnection, organization, and uniformity as the best way to improve the usefulness of content across all Wikimedia projects.
Most ideas are bad – how most proposals are bad and how to handle that point.
News policy abuse – breaking news should not be covered by a new Wikipedia article.
Oversimplification – how not to oversimplify material in the effort to make it more understandable.
Paradoxes – explains the major conceptual contradictions within our project.
Paraphrasing – how editors should generally summarize source material in their own words.
Readers first – how, whenever we write something, we should always put our readers first.
Responsible tagging – the best care should be taken to add only the most relevant and specific tags, and to leave an explanation on the talk page so that others can understand what the problem was/is.
Statement of principles – by the co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, as updated by the community since then.
Student assignments – students that edit Wikipedia as part of an assignment should improve Wikipedia without any serious violations of content norms.
Snowball clause – you should use common sense and not follow a process for the sake of it; but, when in doubt, allow discussions to take place.
Tagging pages for problems – "tags" (template messages) should be used to clearly identify problems with Wikipedia pages and to indicate to other editors that improvements are needed.
Tendentious editing – how to recognize bad editing, how to avoid it, and how not to be accused of it.
Time management – your time reading and editing Wikipedia may be limited. Thus, you should focus your editing toward the most enjoyable and productive goals.
Too long; didn't read – the cause of excessive length, suggestions on how to reduce it, and a reminder to always exercise civility with other editors when paring.
What "Ignore all rules" means – how most rules are ultimately descriptive, not prescriptive; they describe existing current practice.
Words of wisdom – editors should remember that the goal is encyclopedic information, and should attempt to set aside their egos while they are here at Wikipedia.
Writing about women – the subtle and more obvious ways in which titles, language, images and linking practices on the English Wikipedia can discriminate against women.
Adjectives in your recommendations – editors choose to put adjectives in their recommendations (sometimes described as votes or !votes); there is disagreement on if this is a good practice or not.
Avoiding talk-page disruption – how best to use clear, expository, and even-handed responses in clashes over a new contribution.
Arguments to avoid in edit wars – when an edit war takes place, arguments should be productive and should be aimed at reaching an agreement, and not about acting superior, having it one's way, or otherwise discounting the other(s) involved.
BOLD, revert, discuss cycle – making bold edits is encouraged, as it will result in either improving an article or stimulating discussion. If your edit gets reverted, do not revert again. Instead, begin a discussion with the person who reverted your change to establish consensus.
BRD misuse – two types of editors exhibiting behaviors that misuse the BOLD, revert, discuss cycle.
Contributing to complicated discussions – when you lack requisite knowledge required to contribute to a discussion productively, it's often better to stay silent or at least acknowledge your ignorance. Educate yourself when it's an efficient use of your time.
Discussing cruft – many Wikipedians use "cruft" as a shorthand term to describe content that is inappropriate for Wikipedia.
Don't bludgeon the process – it is not necessary or desirable to reply to every comment in a discussion.
Don't restore removed comments – users may remove comments from their own talk page. There is no need for others to replace those comments.
Don't revert due solely to "no consensus" – if the only thing you have to say about a contribution to the encyclopedia is that it lacks consensus, it's best not to revert it.
I just don't like it – expressing a like or dislike for the issue in question is not a helpful or useful argument in a discussion.
IPs are human too – unregistered users can edit articles and participate on talk pages in the same way as registered users. Their input is just as important in building consensus.
Nothing – editors who use the "everything" argument are urged to provide more detail of their argument.
Notification – if you begin a discussion of another user on a common notice board, it is expected that you will notify the subject user by posting a message on their talk page.
Polling is not a substitute for discussion – how some decisions on Wikipedia are not made by popular vote, but rather through discussions to achieve consensus. Polling is only meant to facilitate discussion, and should be used with care.
Provide diffs – editors making claims about the conduct of other editors should always provide diffs as evidence during discussions.
Read before commenting – familiarize yourself with a discussion before participating in it.
Shadowless Fists of Death! – it is best not to mindlessly quote policy or guideline titles at other editors in arguments. It's obnoxious and counter productive. Explain thyself.
Sham consensus – a consensus may not be relied on if it violates a policy, a guideline, or an ArbCom decision.
Silence and consensus – how consensus is assumed when there's no evidence of disagreement.
Supervote – several varieties of supervote, and how most of them are problematic.
Tag team – using meatpuppetry to coordinate the actions of multiple editors to circumvent the normal process of consensus is inappropriate.
What is consensus? – disputes on Wikipedia are settled by editing and discussion, not voting.
What "no consensus" means – a "no consensus" result's meaning differs depending on the nature of the discussion.
Wikipedia is not Whack-A-Mole – editors should not rush into a discussion pointing at lots of policies without expanding on why they're doing so.
Wisdom of the crowd - why in large discussions we can trust more in a count of editors on various sides to determine consensus.
Beef up that first revision – new page patrollers judge the articles by their first mainspace revisions; they prefer these to already contain basic context, assertion of notability, and sources.
Build content to endure – take steps to ensure that content you write will not degrade or become outdated over time.
Categorising fiction – categorising fictional constructs on Wikipedia can be problematic.
Common-style fallacy – Wikipedia has its own set of policies and guidelines for article content and naming, which are distinct from each other. Facts on a subject are drawn from reliable sources, but no particular subset of them dictates how Wikipedia must write. Style is a matter of Wikipedia community consensus, based on general-audience style guides, not mimicry of any particular genre (or trademark).
Concept cloud – how brainstorming can help editors to overcome editorial struggles, and conceptualize, in a material way, the way an article is formed.
Complete bollocks – articles that are obviously false should be treated differently from similar articles.
Creating controversial content – how new articles or facts that are especially controversial can survive severe dispute.
Editors are not mindreaders – how can someone distinguish the incomplete, unreferenced article you've just created but plan to improve from one that will never be improved?
Run an edit-a-thon – an "edit-a-thon" improves the encyclopedia and can be a great way to help new Wikipedians learn to edit.
Ignore STRONGNAT for date formats – provides a rational argument for refusing editors who insist on using a date format that matches the most common style in a particular country.
Keep it short and simple – rules and procedure pages should be simple and short, or else people will not read them.
Let the dust settle – it is best to wait until things have calmed down before creating an article about current topics to Wikipedia. For breaking news, use Wikinewsorcurrent events.
Merge Test – If a merge will result in an article too large to comfortably read or the deletion of encyclopedic content, it should not occur.
Myth vs fiction – be careful when using the words "fiction" and "myth." While related, they are not interchangeable,
"Murder of" articles – articles titled "Murder of [victim]" are a possible solution to the notability guidelines that would bar articles on the perpetrator or victim.
Not everything needs a navbox – navigation-box templates can be useful as a tool for navigation, but use them sparingly.
Nothing is in stone – how easy it is for Wikipedia to change, and how all Wikipedians should pay attention to the changes.
Main article fixation – about how editors may insist that their contribution appear in the most prominent article.
Permastub – some stub articles have no reasonable prospect for expansion.
Potential, not just current state – why it is best to keep articles based on their potential notability and verification, not just how they look now.
Presentism – judging historical events by current standards, should be avoided; explain what reliable sources have said regarding changed standards.
Printability – editors decide whether or not any given type of article-namespace redirect is suitable for an offline, CD/DVD or print version of Wikipedia.
Proseline – why articles being comprehensive and up-to-date is perfectly reasonable and okay to a point, but "proseline" (timelines) tends to degrade the quality of the articles.
Pruning article revisions – for publicists who may want tips on legitimately reporting clients' achievements and have their articles stay in Wikipedia, not deleted.
Put a little effort into it – when creating a new article, even if it is a stub, try to put in at least a little bit more than just the absolute minimum.
Redirects are cheap – redirects take up minimal system resources, so it doesn't really hurt things if there are a few of them scattered around.
Restoring part of a reverted edit – it is sometimes better to remove the content that is objectionable instead of entirely reverting an edit.
Robotic editing – the manual performance of the same or similar edit to multiple, perhaps numerous pages.
Specialized-style fallacy – Wikipedia has its own set of guidelines for article layout, content formatting, and page naming. Facts on a subject should be drawn from reliable sources, but how content is styled is a matter for the Wikipedia community, which strongly favors the style found in general-audience works over highly specialized ones, because of the breadth of our audience.
Writing better articles – advice on how to write an effective article, including information on layout, style, and how to make an article clear, precise and relevant to the reader.
Wikipedia is not about YOU – Wikipedia is not the place to promote a topic with which you have personal involvement.
AfD is not a war zone – how articles for deletion (AfD) discussions should remain calm and civil, and editors should avoid adhering too strongly to either deletionism or inclusionism.
AfD stats don't measure what you think - the agreement of a user's AfD !votes and AfD outcomes is not easy to interpret and is frequently used in misleading ways.
Arguments to avoid in deletion discussions – arguments that should generally be avoided, or at the least supplemented with a better-grounded rationale for the position.
Arguments to make in deletion discussions – some arguments that have successfully saved articles from deletion in the past, or otherwise supported one's cause, and therefore, may support yours.
Baby and bathwater – good-faith editors can mistakenly delete content that is actually properly sourced, and citations which are valid, by misunderstanding our sourcing-related policies and guidelines.
Content removal – when removing content from a page, it is important to be sure there is consensus to do so.
Delete the junk – we don't need to keep an article with no merit in itself just because it might, theoretically, be possible to make a good article on the subject.
Deletion and deletionism – the processes used on Wikipedia for removing articles, images, miscellaneous pages, user pages, stubs, and categories.
Deletion by redirection – redirecting an article is often an appropriate course of action to be taken when an article clearly fails to meet the general notability guidelines for inclusion.
Deletion is not cleanup – if an article on a notable subject can be improved through normal editing, do not put it through a deletion discussion.
Does deletion help – whether or not articles add to a reader's knowledge without misleading or biasing them in any way is the main criteria for deciding to delete. It may sometimes be better to have an imperfect article than no article on a topic.
Help, my article got nominated for deletion! – new editors who decide to be bold sometimes encounter the deletion process because the new article may be at odds with a Wikipedia policy.
How to delete a page – how to ask for an article to be deleted, because only administrators can delete articles. Note that removing all text from a page does not delete it, it just leaves a blank page, which is discouraged.
Identifying blatant advertising – to locate, identify, and respond to articles, pages, and content that are blatantly created as an advertisement or promotion.
Immunity – the idea that an article cannot possibly be deleted, either because no one will dispute the fact that it belongs, or that it meets inclusion criteria so well, no one will dare think of deleting it.
Introduction to deletion process – an overview of the guidelines and policies relevant to deletion, as well as the overall process.
Liar Liar Pants on Fire – calling an editor a liar is not a valid argument in AfD discussions (or anywhere else, for that matter).
NPOV deletion – Controversial, barely notable subjects are difficult to describe in a neutral fashion.
Overzealous deletion – overzealous deletion goes against Wikipedia's "assume good faith" principle.
Relisting can be abusive – editors should not relisting a deletion discussion if a consensus has been firmly and recently established.
Revert only when necessary – editors should revert vandalism upon sight, but revert an edit made in good faith only after careful consideration.
Viewing deleted content – normally, only administrators have the right to view deleted material.
Why was the page I created deleted? – how to find out why a particular page or file was removed, and what you can do about a deletion you disagree with.
When in doubt, hide it in the woodwork – when an event article of borderline notability that could potentially become notable in the future is nominated for deletion, the best solution is to transfer it out of article space without deleting it so it can potentially be re-added at a later date.
Advice for hotheads – how argumentative, cantankerous and curmudgeonly personalities can avoid getting themselves into trouble.
Accepting other users – how and why we work cooperatively with other users and assume good faith. Wikipedia is a collaborative project.
Apologizing – we should not be afraid to apologize, and a reminder to apologize with sincerity.
Civil POV pushing – how the dispute resolution process has a difficult time dealing with civil POV pushers.
Compromise – how negotiation skills often assist editors in delicate situations.
Divisiveness – why content on your userpage might be seen by some as "divisive", and how it is recommended that you expand and explain the content in question.
Don't retaliate - how retaliation and reacting while mad can get you in bigger trouble
Encouraging newcomers – why the more guidance you offer novice editors, the better they will get at using Wikipedia.
Keep it concise - AfD discussions are best served by keeping your comments short. The closing admin isn't grading you by volume.
Keep it down to earth – workable solutions that have a realistic chance at succeeding.
How to be civil – editors should offer constructive comments, forgive other editors, be polite, and walk away if they have to.
How to improve civility – you should treat your fellow editor as a respected and admired colleague, who is working in collaboration with you on an important project.
Imagine others complexly – how civility issues, misunderstandings, and discomfort on Wikipedia can sometimes arise from a failure to imagine others complexly.
Maintaining a friendly space – Wikipedia should strive to provide a respectful, transparent, and positive experience for everyone.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder editors – editors with OCD may have different wiring patterns in their brains, and you may have to learn how to interact well with them, but they can still make a valuable contribution to Wikipedia.
Avoid instruction creep – why guidance that is too wordy and tries to cover all the bases and every conceivable outlying case tends to become counterproductive.
Be the glue – how following WP:AGF can be a tactic that will let you either discover common ground when you're really facing good faith, or empirically establish that you aren't.
Civility warnings – an explanation of best practice in leaving those notifications and warnings.
Drama – creating and spreading drama disrupts and harms Wikipedia – and it may get you blocked.
Don't be high-maintenance – editors should not threaten to quit, or otherwise make trouble, if you don't get your way.
Editors' pronouns – respect the pronouns that editors request for themselves. Alternatively, just refer to everyone as they.
Expert retention – how the issue of how to attract and retain expert specialists, given the anarchic and often frustrating nature of Wikipedia, is one that many Wikipedians feel needs to be addressed.
Expect no thanks – we should edit Wikipedia for the love of the project, not primarily with the hope of being thanked. However, a little more thanks would go a long way.
Expressing thanks – common methods for communicating your thanks to other users.
Failure – how failure is a good thing because people are prone to mistakes, and they learn as a result of them.
Ignore personal attacks – if someone attacks you personally, you should ignore it, rise above it, and continue to comment solely on relevant content.
Forgive and forget – how editors should stop fighting. Forgive others, apologize, and move on.
It's not the end of the world – how if people disagree with you or revert your edits, it probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
Nobody cares – how lack of action by others can mean a lack of interest.
Policy shopping – how it is best to present all justifications for a change at one time (not incrementally).
Reasonableness – how reasonable people with good intentions can still disagree over matters of substance.
Relationships with academic editors – Wikipedia is not a place to make an academic reputation, nor to post still-unpublished theories, and attempting academic defence of material is an emotional danger to one's self.
There is no seniority – The number of edits (or if the editor is a Wikipedia Administrator) does not mean that they are always right. Seniority does not add weight to arguments.
Wikipedia is not about winning – how everyone should work together to build a reliable encyclopedia, not try to prove themselves to be "better" than others.
Writing for the opponent – how editors should represent all point of views neutrally and with due weight, even if you disagree with the view.
You can search, too – search engines exist for a reason, and it is not the other editors' job to use one for you.
Assume no clue – you should assume that people don't know what they're doing before you assume bad faith.
Avoid personal remarks – all should focus on editing, stay civil, and not make it personal.
Call a spade a spade – why it's okay to call a spade a spade – to speak plainly – but remember to remain civil, and to stay focused on improving the encyclopedia.
Candor – how being honest and frank can be beneficial before an editing disagreement gets worse.
Deny recognition – how recognition is a motivation for vandalism. Trolls require food. Don't feed the trolls.
Don't overlook legal threats – when editors blank articles or make legal threats, they may have good cause. Stop and look carefully before assuming they're disruptive or wielding a banhammer.
Encourage full discussions – editors are encouraged to fully discuss all arguments in AfD discussions. If you bring up a point in the discussion, it is okay if someone else responds to it.
Get over it – editors should not get frustrated over a dispute. Get over it and move on.
How to lose – knowing how to "lose" a debate, with civility and grace, is sometimes as important as winning it.
Ignore all dramas – if the dramas prevent you from improving or maintaining Wikipedia, ignore them.
Just drop it – if you want an argument to stop, it is best that you stop arguing.
Keep it down to earth – editors should aim for workable solutions that have a realistic chance of succeeding.
Mind your own business – if editors are in a dispute that has nothing to do with you, then stay away.
Thank not criticize – why editors should focus on the positives of a user more than the negatives. Try earning them carrots rather than sticks.
Don't be a WikiBigot – intolerance on the basis of people's ethnicity, race or other characteristics is not acceptable.
Don't be an ostrich – why you should help other editors when they need help. Don't ignore them.
Don't be ashamed – sometimes, an edit made in good faith does not comply to policy or consensus. Don't be ashamed of making mistakes.
Don't be a fanatic – editors need to recognize that all Wikipedia editors are ultimately colleagues working together. Listen with civility, and try to find ways to respect and incorporate others' viewpoints and material as well as your own.
Don't be inconsiderate – if people were considerate, we wouldn't need any other policies about behaviour. If people are telling you that you're inconsiderate, chances are that you need to change your behaviour.
Don't be obnoxious – why it is best to avoid behaving in away that is unpleasant and offends or annoys other editors.
Don't be prejudiced – how every user should give every other user a fair chance.
Don't be rude – why it is crucial that everyone be considerate to others in all situations.
Don't call a spade a spade – how editors are unlikely to listen to anything further that you say once the dispute escalates to name calling.
Don't call the kettle black – someone will call other people names while at the same time reminding them to not make personal attacks.
Don't come down like a ton of bricks – editors should not create rancor amongst good faith contributors. People are not obliged to memorize policies and guidelines before editing.
Don't cry COI – why it is best not to attack editors because they are paid editors or have a conflict of interest.
Don't cry wolf – why you should not make accusations of harassment or personal attacks lightly.
Don't edit for power – you should not edit Wikipedia just for power or to become an admin. Edit Wikipedia to build an encyclopedia!
Don't enlist the masses – calling uninformed fellow editors in simply for the safety in numbers does not make you a winner.
Don't give a fuck – the idea that attachment to things (articles, policies, AfDs, etc.) which are essentially beyond your control is a stumbling block to being a good Wikipedian.
Don't take the bait – how goading others into making uncivil comments is a common tactic. Don't be fooled.
Don't template the regulars – when dealing with experienced users, it is generally more effective to write them a short personal message than to apply a standardized template.
Don't remind others of past misdeeds – you should not criticize a repentant editor in good standing for past mistakes or behavior that have stopped reoccurring.
Don't spite your face – when faced with enforcing a solution that will predictably escalate the evident problem beyond present levels, back off and seek other, less inflammatory, actions to go about solving it.
Don't stuff beans up your nose – if you tell people not to do something, your advice may backfire and instead tempt them to do it.
The motivation of a vandal – why would anyone wish to vandalize a source of information that benefits people?
Vandalism-only account – most vandalism on Wikipedia is done by anonymous users who do not log in. However...
Vandalism types – on Wikipedia, there are many types of vandalism that occur. Each act of vandalism may fit into one or more categories.
Not every IP is a vandal – you should check before you revert an IP's edit, as what may seem like being bold and clever may just be shoving a new user out of Wikipedia editing forever.
Block on demand – how a self-requested block will be done by some, but not all, Wikipedia administrators.
Don't lower the boom just yet – why administering sanctions with a light hand, combined with ongoing monitoring and coaching, can be more effective than coming down hard like a ton of bricks.
Disruptive sanctions – how restricting an editor's ability to contribute to the encyclopedia is inherently a measure of last resort.
Give 'em enough rope – why it may be better to just unblock them and make it clear that this is their last chance... and see what happens.
Guide to appealing blocks – understand, in full, the reasons of your block before requesting an unblock is your best bet.
Hate is disruptive – there's nothing radical about sanctioning users for hateful speech or actions
I have been blocked – a block is a measure used to protect Wikipedia from possible improper activity in breach of editorial policies.
Sanctions – sanctions act to limit or remove user privileges and may lead to blocks and bans.
Clean start – how a user who is not under current restrictions or blocks may stop using their current account and start using a new one.
Consequences of sockpuppetry – why the use of a second account, unless explicitly permitted by the rules, is a violation known to many as sockpuppetry.
Dealing with sockpuppets – sockpuppetry is a problem at Wikipedia, and you can help make a difference by reporting them to the correct admin board and by proper conduct when dealing with them.
Lurkers – why one should never assume a user is a sockpuppet; it can create bad feeling and violates our "Assume good faith" policy.
Obvious sock is obvious – if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
Signs of sockpuppetry – there are many possible signs of sockpuppetry or other multiple account usage. Still, none of them are absolute proof sockpuppetry is occurring.
Sleeper account – a sleeper account is still enabled and it is still possible to use it. However, any such use of an account must conform to Wikipedia guidelines, particularly those of sockpuppetry.
Basic copyright issues – the basic requirements for uploading images to the English language Wikipedia.
Close paraphrasing – closely paraphrased material that infringes on the copyright of its source material should be rewritten or deleted to avoid infringement and to ensure that it complies with Wikipedia policy.
Copying text from other sources – with the exceptions of short quotations and text copied from a free source, text from other sources may not be copied into Wikipedia. Doing so is a copyright violation and may constitute plagiarism.
Copyright on emblems – explains the status of flags, coats of arms, seals, and similar official symbols, as well as drawings of such emblems, under United States copyright law.
Declaration of consent for all enquiries – discuses the process of uploading media which protects both the uploader and Wikipedia users by making clear to both how shared content can be used.
Donating copyrighted materials – the process of how editors who would like to grant permission to Wikipedia to use their own previously published work can do so.
Quotations – the guidelines of how a brief excerpt from an original source can be used in Wikipedia articles.
Mirrors and forks – publications that copy Wikipedia content should follow the licensing terms; however, many others fail – accidentally or intentionally – to place the notice required by these terms.
Multi-licensing – it is best to use multiple licensing for one's contributions made to Wikipedia so that they are in the public domain or licensed under alternative licenses in addition to the CC-BY-SA license (and GFDL, often).
Plain and simple non-free content guide – Wikipedia's copyright guidelines are probably the most complicated part of the whole site. This is a breakdown of what the rules are and what they mean.
Restricted materials – how free images may still have restrictions independent of their copyright status, but they are still considered free.
Spotting possible copyright violations – a guide to spotting violations of the Wikipedia copyright policy that are simple copy-and-pastes from other websites.
Advocacy – Wikipedia is not a venue for raising the visibility of an issue or agenda.
Academic bias – how and why Wikipedia articles may have an academic (scholarly) bias. This does not mean the articles take sides, and it is not a violation of WP:NPOV.
Activist – advice for determining if an article is being unduly influenced by activists, as well as advice on how to deal with the various problems caused by violations of Wikipedia's policies.
An interest is not a conflict of interest – a conflict of interest can be cited as a cause for some other violation, but the existence of a conflict of interest by itself is not a policy violation.
Avoid thread mode – don't "However" a position in the middle of stating its case.
Be neutral in form – how being neutral in both content and in form is an asset.
Coatrack – articles about one thing shouldn't mostly focus on another thing.
Controversial articles – controversial articles, by their very nature, require far greater care to achieve a neutral point of view.
Criticism – articles should include both positive and negative viewpoints from reliable sources, without giving undue weight to particular viewpoints, either negative or positive.
Describing points of view – article should represent the POVs of the main scholars and specialists who have produced reliable sources on the issue.
Let the reader decide – you should not consider a statement neutral just because you agree with it.
Endorsements (commercial) – how commercial endorsements of goods, services, businesses, companies, nonprofits, and famous persons present special editorial challenges that require particular care.
Neutral and proportionate point of view – Wikipedia does not aim for the midpoint between them. Rather, it gives weight to each view in proportion to its prevalence in reliable sources.
Partisanship – how Wikipedia's coverage of political issues needs to adhere to NPOV in the face of partisanship.
Systemic bias – how systemic bias created by the shared social and cultural characteristics of most editors results in an imbalanced coverage of subjects and perspectives on the encyclopedia.
What is fringe? – how fringe theories range from theories that almost qualify as alternative mainstream theories to things that have just barely too many scientific chops to be called pseudoscience.
Why Wikipedia cannot claim the Earth is not flat – ten types of arguments commonly used by advocates of fringe concepts, and advice for the neutrally-minded editor or administrator on how to defuse them.
Citation overkill – when citing material in an article, it is better to cite a couple of great sources than a stack of decent or sub-par sources.
Cite tendentious texts directly – any text which takes a side on a difficult or controversial question – especially in cases where the text represents an extreme viewpoint – should be cited directly.
Citing textbooks – there are several situations in which textbooks should be completely avoided as your primary source of information about a subject.
Clones – websites that contain information that is directly copied from Wikipedia cannot be used to establish notability or verify the accuracy of any information on Wikipedia.
Conflicting sources – if two reliable sources offer contradicting information on a subject and none of them can be demonstrated unreliable, then an article should cite both.
Dictionaries as sources – dictionaries and glossaries present a special challenge in determining whether one is primary, secondary, or tertiary.
Evaluating sources – when using primary sources, editors should stick to describing what the sources say. Any interpretive claims, analyses, or synthetic claims require a secondary source.
Fruit of the poisonous tree – if an otherwise reliable source attributes information to an unreliable source, then that information is likewise unreliable.
Handling original research – material for which no reliable, published source exists is called "original research." There are various ways to deal with it.
Independent sources – independent sources are not necessarily "neutral" in the sense of being even-handed. An independent source may hold a strongly positive or negative view of a topic or an idea.
Inaccuracy – addresses what editors should do with concerns about potentially inaccurate source material.
Interviews – interviews generally count as primary sources, but commentary added to interviews by a publication can sometimes count as secondary-source material.
Law sources – some law sources may not be reliable. Others may be very complicated to use.
Link rot – how there are steps to be taken to reduce or repair its effect, and why it is not good to delete cited information solely because the URL to the source does not work any longer.
Mine a source – how articles with "citation needed" tags often already have sufficient sources that simply have been under-utilized.
Objective sources – you should be mindful that a reliable source to you may not be to others. Try to obtain objectively reliable sourcing.
Offline sources – even though Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia, there is no distinction between using online versus offline sources.
Open government data – Wikipedia often uses open government data, but official does not systematically mean reliable, and often involves a conflict of interest. With increasing amounts of open government data, how should this be handled?
Party and person – explains the commonly misunderstood distinctions between "secondary source" and "third party".
Perennial sources – sources that editors frequently discuss on Wikipedia. Some of these are currently deemed reliable, some are currently deemed unreliable, and some may be reliable in some circumstances.
Perennial websites – describes websites that editors frequently inquire about, and how some are accepted, some are currently opposed for inclusion, and some depend on the circumstances.
Potentially unreliable sources – analyses specific examples of sources that might initially appear to be reliable, yet may not be.
POV and OR from editors, sources, and fields – how editors, sources, and fields can have a point of view and original research, and how even edits can have a POV, as long as the article in Wikipedia does not.
Reliable sources and undue weight – how an article should not give undue weight to any aspects of the subject, but should strive to treat each aspect with a weight appropriate to its significance to the subject.
Significant coverage – if a topic has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject, it is presumed to be suitable for a stand-alone article or list.
Sourcing content about newer phenomena – some subcultures have been around for a long time and there is significant published material from which to describe these long-term subcultures on Wikipedia.
Templates do not excuse citations – why "citation needed" templates are not an excuse to make as many claims as you can without verification.
Tertiary-source fallacy – dictionaries, encyclopedias, and style guides do not magically trump other sources, policy, and reasoning.
Third-party sources – every article on Wikipedia must be based upon verifiable statements from multiple third-party reliable sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy.
Trivial mentions – how notability requires significant coverage by reliable sources. Trivial mentions are not enough.
Use of tertiary sources – how tertiary sources differ from secondary ones because they themselves do not provide significant analysis, commentary, or synthesis.
Using sources – references must be reliable sources, used in accordance with the three core content policies.
Verifiability, and truth – it is not enough for encyclopedic content to be verifiable via reliable sources. It must also conform to known, objective facts.
Verifiability, not truth – how editors may not add (or delete!) content solely because they believe it is true (or false!).
Videos as references – it's okay to cite movies, documentaries, TV programs and other video as references.
Video links – how videos on user-submitted sites can sometimes be used as references or external links, but copyright infringement and unreliability will rule out the use of many of these videos.
When to cite – when a source may or may not be needed.
Alternative outlets – there are other places for potentially useful or valuable content which is not appropriate for Wikipedia.
Articles with a single source – if an article is based on only one source, there may be copyright, original research, and notability concerns.
Bare notability – editors should be cautious about creating articles that are borderline notable. A subject that seems to be barely notable may really not be notable at all.
Bombardment – editors should not indiscriminately add excessive references to an article in the hope that the weight of numbers will prevent it from being deleted.
Businesses with a single location – how a subject that meets all inclusion guidelines is likely to merit an article, even if one is yet to be created. This includes many businesses with one address.
But it's true! – just because it is out there, it is not a sufficient reason to keep information on Wikipedia.
Don't assume negative notability – all should assume good faith, take a look to see if the article's subject could be notable after all, and give a new article a little time before playing Cybermen and shouting "DELETE!"
Every snowflake is unique – many similar items can have encyclopedic articles of their own; each article's content should describe which peculiarities distinguish one item from the others, based on critical commentary found in reliable sources.
Fart – just because a piece of trivial information was printed in a newspaper or gossip magazine, or on a website, there is no requirement for it to be included on Wikipedia.
Google searches and numbers – one fallacy in determining the notability of a subject is the view that the results of a Google search can be used to assess notability.
Handling trivia – trivia is information that is not important to the subject it is presented in relation to.
High Schools – how high schools and secondary schools are generally considered to be notable, but they must be able to meet the relevant guidelines for notability.
Inherent notability – ultimately, the community decides if a subject is intrinsically notable.
Insignificant – what is insignificant to some may be extremely significant to others.
IT'S A CASTLE – castles, museums, tourist attractions, and other public attractions usually do have significant coverage.
Lipstick on a pig – describes articles whose subject does not meet notability guidelines, but have nonetheless been written with considerable care and effort, and may be embellished with sources, citations, or images.
Masking the lack of notability – how excellent prose and the sheer number of citations or external links have no effect on a subject's notability.
Make stubs – why make a red link, when you can make a stub?
News coverage does not decrease notability – articles that are subject to news coverage should not be nominated for deletion if they meet Wikipedia's general notability requirements and notability requirements for events.
Notability is not a matter of opinion – during a deletion discussion, arguments for keeping the article should be based on reliable sources, not opinions.
Notability means impact – the concept of notability can also be described as a measure of the topic's impact, particularly with biographic articles.
Notability points – how everything has a certain amount of notability, and can be put on a (rough) scale.
Notability sub-pages – notability guideline sub-pages should be created only if there is a specific need to do so.
Notability vs. prominence – explains the differences and the similarities between these two concepts.
Obscurity ≠ Lack of notability – just because a topic is of little interest to the general public does not mean Wikipedia should not include it.
One hundred words – the general notability guideline provides inadequate guidance as to what level of coverage is significant.
Overreliance upon Google – describes Google search limitations and provides examples for custom searches.
Pokémon test – a test that involves the comparison of the article nominated for deletion with an article for a character from Pokémon, to decide whether it is more notable.
Run-of-the-mill – there are some items that are very commonplace for which sources verifying their existence do exist. Since there are so many of these that can be verified given the same sources, there shouldn't be an article on each one, so only those with additional sources deserve articles.
Significant coverage not required – the requirement of significant coverage as a criterion for notability is completely unjustifiable and absurd.
Solutions are mixtures and nothing else – public relations slang, like "we offer solutions", is a good indication that an article is promotional and likely not notable.
Subjective importance – some subjects may seem notable because they are perceived as being important, but without meeting Wikipedia's inclusion criteria, they are not notable.
Up and coming next big thing - you may be convinced that something is about to break big, and Wikipedia will regret not already having an article on the topic. We won't.
What BLP1E is not - about the commonly misunderstood WP:BLP1E policy and when it does and doesn't apply.
What notability is not – argues that notability is not objective. Notability is not permanent; it can change. Notability is not judged in isolation. Notability is not a meritocracy.
What is significant coverage? – editors have differing interpretations about how much detail is required for a source to qualify as "significant coverage".
Writing about breeds – a crash course (mostly for new editors) in how to write encyclopedically about animal breeds and related topics.
Wikipedia is not Crunchbase - discussion of problems with articles created to make businesses appear significant and important.
Articles on suicides – an article about a notable suicide is not a biography, nor is it a memorial. Care must be taken both in articles and discussions not to cause further distress to the bereaved, and to stay neutral and to neither record nor synthesise original research.
Avoiding harm – contains a number of other ideas that were considered during the formation of the biographies of living persons policy. Many of them continue to resonate strongly with our current policy.
Borderline biographies – when low-notability biographies of living people are considered for deletion, closing administrators may wish to consider requiring a positive consensus to retain the article.
Current Events Editing – editors should refrain from making substantive changes to or creating new articles that are biographies of a living person where current events are the driving factor for edits.
Signatures of living persons – how there is no consensus on reproducing signatures in Wikipedia articles, and why there is some concern regarding reproducing the signatures of living persons.
Smokers – smoking, or the use of other legal tobacco products, is not inherently important enough to mention and should not be included in biographical articles by default.
Victim lists – why lists of victims of an event are inappropriate unless the majority of listed victims have Wikipedia articles or sections of their own.
Who is a low-profile individual – a low-profile individual is a person, usually notable for only one event, who has not sought or desired the attention.
Wikibreak – refers to a period when even an editor must be parted from Wikipedia—though, presumably, only temporarily.
WikiBullying – refers to using Wikipedia to threaten and/or intimidate other people, whether they are Wikipedia editors or not.
WikiCrime – refers to an act that deliberately and seriously hurts the objective of creating quality articles.
Wikiderata – a prose poem of advice, support, and philosophy about Wikipedia.
WikiFauna – a listing of characterizations related to the culture of Wikipedia and its users about themselves that other editors may find helpful to understand.
WikiHate – refers to a counterproductive attitude and behavior pattern that takes away time from many Wikipedians.
WikiLawyering – refers to a pejorative term which describes various questionable ways of judging other Wikipedians' actions.
WikiHarassment – refers to a pattern of repeated offensive behavior that appears to a reasonable observer to intentionally target a specific person or persons.
Wiki-Hell – refers to the many negative situations editors will deal with daily.
WikiLove – refers to a general spirit of collegiality and mutual understanding among wiki users.
WikiPeace – refers to the idea of to making Wikipedia a more peaceful place for everyone.
Wikipediholic – refers to someone who has Wikipediholism, or obsession (addiction in some cases) with Wikipedia or other wikis (see Wikipediholism test).
Wiki-POV-railroading – refers to the use of bullying tactics to discredit an editor with an opposing viewpoint or eliminate them from a discussion.
WikiRose – refers to an editor who will stop whatever they're doing, and give their time for other editor's benefit.
Wikiville – refers to Wikipedia as a town, and all the users as the citizens that have positions within the community.
The following is a list of Wikipedia and User essays categories.
Note: User essays are similar to essays placed in the Wikipedia namespace; however, they are often authored/edited by only one person, and may represent a strictly personal viewpoint about Wikipedia or its processes. The author of a personal essay located in their user space generally has the right to revert any changes made to it by any other user.
The Wikimedia Foundation's Meta-wiki was envisioned as the original place for editors to comment on and discuss Wikipedia, although the "Wikipedia" project space has since taken over most of that role. Many historical essays can still be found within Meta:Category:Essays.
