User:Chaotic Enby/Plain and simple guide to Wikipedia

A quick guide to avoid (most) beginner mistakes and understand how to Wikipedia.

Conflict of interest

 * If you have a conflict of interest (connection to the article subject), you must declare it.
 * If you are editing in exchange for payment or compensation, you must declare it.
 * You shouldn't directly write articles on which you have a conflict of interest.
 * Instead, you should make requests through Articles for Creation and Edit requests.
 * User accounts are individual, they shouldn't have the name of a company or a company position.
 * Writing an article about yourself is highly discouraged.

Style

 * Our titles are written in sentence case, not in title case.
 * Bolding is only used for the topic name (and alternate names), in the first paragraph of the article.
 * The lead should be a summary of the article.
 * Wikipedia should be neutral: articles can't be written in a promotional tone.
 * Avoid puffery and contentious labels.
 * Don't add external links in the body of the article.
 * Articles don't have conclusions.
 * All the more detailed stuff is at Manual of Style.

Sourcing and notability

 * To have a standalone article, a topic must be considered notable enough.
 * This can be done by having three sources independent from the topic (no interviews, paid promotion, or press releases) discussing it at-length.
 * Members of the executive or legislature of a sovereign state are automatically considered notable.
 * Sources must be reliable. The most frequent sources are assessed at WP:RSP.
 * Non-independent sources (such as company websites or press releases) are highly discouraged.
 * Don't cite other articles: Wikipedia is not a source. Instead, look at the sources these other articles are using.
 * You should only write what the sources say, not add your own opinions or conjectures without sources.
 * If you need help finding sources, you can use the reference desk to ask for help!

Civility and behavior

 * Don't be a jerk, calling someone else "idiot" is never productive.
 * If you have several accounts, they should be explicitly declared.
 * If someone reverts your edit, don't revert it back, discuss it with them.
 * Talk about content, not about another editor and always assume good faith when dealing with other users.
 * When in doubt, always discuss the issue and try to get consensus for the changes you want to make.
 * When discussing with other editors, sign your name by adding four tildes or clicking the signature icon OOjs UI icon signature-ltr.svg in the edit toolbar.
 * Don't be afraid to ask for help at the Teahouse!

Copyright

 * Anything you find on the Internet is copyrighted unless noted otherwise, it cannot be copy-pasted or uploaded on Wikipedia.
 * Close paraphrasing (replacing individual words in a text) isn't enough to avoid copyright issues. Instead, rewrite the ideas in your own words.
 * Don't upload stuff you or your company owns the copyright to, even if you say it's okay for us to use it.
 * Don't upload stuff licensed under CC BY-NC. If you release the rights to Wikipedia, you also release them to anyone who might want to use them for commercial purposes.