User:AlphaBetaGamma/Specific Requests

When you first make an account and try to start by editing an article because you found a typo, or an update that could help, you might be hit by a notice saying "this page is protected". Although this is not the case in most of the articles that exist in Wikipedia, edit requests are always an option to inform users that are autoconfirmed or extended confirmed to make the edits on behalf of you. However, you might see that your request isn't being accepted nor answered, while users are answering other edit requests that were submitted later. This may be caused by several reasons.

One of the reasons would be that your request may be confusing. What the edit template means by "change X to Y" format doesn't mean you have to make your edit request like:

"X=Oshwah is an Wikipedian.

Y=Oshwah is a Wikipedian."

Edit requests like this makes it harder for people responding to them to read the request, and may cause people to answer other requests instead.

Another common example is:

"Please change "or" to "nor".

This kind of requests that involve typos or other issues with commonly used words, like "also", and it makes it difficult for the responding user to find where the word is. Your request may be processed quicker if you provide details for requests like this, an example would be:

"Under the section 'Controversy', please change "or" to "nor". This is a typo."

There are times when users overload their requests with paragraphs of statement to get large additions through. Although giving a proper explanation of why the change is needed in a case of a edit request removing sourced content or boldly rewriting a paragraph or even a section, adding a entire new section, etc... can increase the chance of the request being accepted, keep in mind that they will get rejected if it does not conform to one of the basic guidelines. A paragraph long explanation is not a ticket to getting anything inside a protected article, no matter how much effort you put into the request. In cases, excessive effort in edit requests can be rejected as giving something undue weight, or giving excessive details in controversy sections.

Sometimes, even if you try your best to be clear as possible with your requests, it can go weeks and even months with the edit request not being answered. Please give users time in this case, as most of the editors in Wikipedia are volunteers and are not paid to answer to edit requests. If you're trying to have someone notice a conflict of interest edit request, mentioning someone who has answered your previous edit requests may be a good idea to get attention.

Remember, don't be discouraged if your request is denied. Wikipedians are usually advised to be bold when making changes, and you'll eventually have enough experience to edit most protected pages without the restriction.