Help:Advice for beginners

Wikipedia's culture has lots of weird quirks, and it's okay if you don't get them at first. Links to more detailed advice pages can be found at the bottom of this page.

Editing

Making changes to articles

• Wikipedia encourages users to be bold. If you see something that needs to be changed, then change it! It's very easy to undo an edit if you make a mistake, so you can't break anything just by editing. If someone reverts one of your edits and you want to restore it, have a discussion about it.
• If you want to add something to an article, check the talk page to see if people have already talked about it. There might be a reason it's not there. Also check to make sure it isn't already somewhere in the article.
• Remember to use an edit summary after each edit! This is so other people know what you changed and why you changed it. If you're just fixing typos, you can use a summary like copyedit (or ce for short). If you're removing a sentence, you can use the edit summary to explain why it doesn't belong.
• When you're editing, you'll see a checkbox to label your change as a "minor edit". This is only for edits that don't change the meaning in any way, like fixing typos or grammar errors.
• Make sure your sources are high quality: no random blogs or user-edited websites. Reputable newspapers and publishers are good. Academic journals and books are even better! Once you've been around for a while, you'll be granted access to the Wikipedia Library, which has access to lots of academic libraries. It's incredibly useful, so take advantage of it once you're able to.
• You might notice that articles have "ratings" like B, C, and Start. You can ignore these for now. They're just for behind the scenes sorting, and they're not important.
• When you're learning how to edit, you might get a generic notice on your talk page warning you not to do something. Anyone can leave these notices, and they're just reminders. Make sure you read them so you know what the problem is, and ask for help if something is unclear.

Undoing other people's edits

Since anyone can edit Wikipedia, anyone can undo/revert other people's edits.

• It's okay to undo/revert other people's edits, but it should be done carefully and only if necessary. The exception is unsourced controversial information about living people—this should be removed immediately.
• It's common for people to revert edits that add information without a source. This is always allowed, unless the info was added to the lead which summarizes sourced info below.
• When people go back and forth reverting each other's undo, that's called an edit war. Everyone involved in an edit war risks being blocked. If you disagree with a revert, talk it out on the talk page. Three reverts in one day (3RR) is an automatic block, but accounts can be blocked sooner if they're clearly trying to edit war. The exception is when someone is adding patent nonsense, which you can revert as many times as you need.

Contentious topics

• Some topics are labeled as "contentious topics". Extra caution should be taken when editing these areas, as edits here are more closely scrutinized. If you're still learning how to edit, consider avoiding these topics.
• There are a few areas so contentious that new editors are not allowed to participate. As of 2024, these are: Antisemitism in Poland, the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Kurds and Kurdistan, the Palestine-Israel conflict, and the Russo-Ukrainian War. You can edit in these areas once your account is six months old and has at least 500 edits, but it's recommended that you also wait until you have a strong understanding of Wikipedia's best practices.

Discussions and other users

Types of users

Users on Wikipedia are sometimes called editors.

• Administrators (also called sysops or janitors) are editors who can delete pages, block users, and perform a few other sensitive actions. Administrators do not have more authority than other editors, and there are strict procedures for when administrators may use their administrative tools. But if an administrator tells you not to do something, they probably know what they're talking about.
• Bots are accounts which run automatically to perform simple tasks. Each bot is maintained by a specific editor.
• IP users or unregistered users are editors who do not have accounts. Their names will display as a string of numbers like 127.0.0.1.

Participating in discussions

Discussions happen on talk pages. Each article has its own talk page, and you should discuss any major changes here before you make them, especially if it's a widely viewed article. Users also have their own personal talk pages if you need to reach out to someone.

• When using a talk page, don't forget to type four tildes (~~~~) at the end of your message. This will automatically add your signature.
• Sometimes discussions will take the form of a poll in which people say Support or Oppose. Remember that this is not a vote, and it's just to get an idea of what arguments there are for or against something. Ultimately the goal is to find consensus based on the application of policies and guidelines.
• Users on Wikipedia appreciate good grammar and spelling! Even during informal discussions, it goes a long way in showing that you're a serious, capable editor. If you're not fluent in English, you can practice editing on the Wikipedia for your native language.
• You might see abbreviations or all caps links like WP:NPOV, WP:V, and WP:OR. They're just short hand for pages that explain things about Wikipedia or help people collaborate. If you see an abbreviation you don't recognize, you can check Wikipedia:Wikipedia abbreviations or type Wikipedia:[the abbreviation] into the search bar.
• If you're in a heated discussion, don't go arguing with everyone who disagrees with you. This is bludgeoning and is considered rude. Leave a comment stating your position, and reply to anyone who addresses you specifically. Only add a new comment if you have something new to say.

Dealing with troublemakers

Most of us are here to improve Wikipedia, but sometimes you'll meet someone who's stubborn or even someone who vandalizes pages.

• Assuming good faith (AGF) is expected on Wikipedia. If someone is disagreeing with you or being difficult, assume that they're not a troublemaker and that they're genuinely trying to make Wikipedia better. Have a discussion to resolve the disagreement.
• Wikipedia values civility. On some websites it's normal to argue with people or engage in name-calling, but that doesn't work here. Even if you're right or if they deserve it.
• Don't go reporting people preemptively! This a last resort, and you can even get in trouble too if you contributed to the problem. Instead, talk to the person you're in a disagreement with or consider using another dispute resolution process. Try not to comment on other reports either until you have a really good understanding of Wikipedia's different policies and guidelines.

Behind the scenes

Types of pages

There are several types of pages called namespaces. You can see which namespace a page is in based on the prefix in its title. These are the most important ones:

• Mainspace is where we keep the actual articles on Wikipedia. Mainspace does not have a prefix.
• User pages have the "User:" prefix. These are user pages, where editors can tell us about themselves. It's usually considered impolite to edit other people's user pages.
• Drafts have the "Draft:" prefix. This is where you can edit articles that aren't ready to be moved to mainspace yet.
• Project namespace has the "Wikipedia:" prefix. This is for behind the scenes pages like policies, projects, and other administrative or organizational pages.
• Talk pages have the "Talk:" prefix. This is where discussions about an article happen.
  • Each namespace has its own talk namespace. For example, user talk pages have the "User talk:" prefix.

Policies, guidelines, and essays

Over time, Wikipedia's expectations and best practices have been documented in various ways.

• The main documentation is policies and guidelines (P&G). Policies are widely agreed upon standards that everyone is expected to follow, while guidelines document best practices that everyone should keep in mind.
• The Manual of Style is a guideline that describes how everything should be written on Wikipedia. If you're unsure how to present certain information, the Manual of Style probably has a section about it.
• Essays are another type of documentation. These represent opinions of editors, and some may be followed more than others.
• Some essays are designated as "explanatory essays" that interpret a specific policy or guideline or as "help pages" that give instructions on how to use Wikipedia. You are currently reading a help page.

Important rules

Most of the time, doing something wrong means a friendly editor will come along and explain it. Wikipedia believes in second chances. But there are a few actions that are more serious:

• Don't use Wikipedia for promotion! Sometimes people want to create articles about themselves, someone they know, or an organization they're affiliated with. Wikipedia is supposed to be a neutral encyclopedia, so this is a conflict of interest!
• Don't copy and paste from other websites! That's a copyright violation!
• Don't create a secret second account! This is called a sockpuppet, and it usually means an automatic ban.
• Don't threaten to take legal action against Wikipedia or against other users! Accounts that do this are automatically blocked until the legal threat is revoked.

Other common terms

Wikipedia uses certain terms in unusual ways. It's good to know what they mean:

• Bitey – If someone is being rude to a new editor, they are being bitey.
• Diff – Short for difference. It's a link to a page that shows what changes a particular edit made.
• Notability – This doesn't actually mean how important something is. Notability is whether reliable sources have written enough about a subject to warrant an article. All subjects must be notable to have an article.
  • The main notability rule is called the General Notability Guideline (GNG).
  • Sometimes the notability of certain things will be prefixed with the letter N. For example, NSPORTS means notability about a sports-related article.
• NPOV – Stands for neutral point of view. Articles are expected to neutrally report what is said by reliable sources.
• Original research (OR) – This is information that editors came up with themselves, including things they've observed or their personal opinions. Original research shouldn't be added to articles.
• Per – Used in discussions. Per a user means you agree with their stance. Per a policy means you believe that the policy justifies your stance. "Per nom" means agreeing with the person who nominated the subject of discussion.
• Reliable sources (RS) – Books, newspapers, articles, and other publications written by qualified authors and published by reputable publishers.
• WikiMedia Foundation (WMF) – The nonprofit organization that hosts Wikipedia's servers and keeps it running, among other functions.

Helpful links

• The Teahouse – A question and answer board for new users. If you have any questions, ask them here!
• Introduction – A basic guide for people who have never edited Wikipedia before.
• Ruleset – A simple explanation of Wikipedia's rules. Don't worry about memorizing them all, just be aware of what they are.
• Frequently asked questions – Including questions about editing and other aspects of Wikipedia.
• Help contents – A list of other help pages for different circumstances.
• Glossary – A full list of terms commonly used on Wikipedia. Note that some may have fallen out of common use.
• Avoiding common mistakes – A more technical list of things to keep in mind if you start writing articles.