User:John F. Lewis/Adopt/Policies



''Note: This lesson assumes you are new to Wikipedia, or have little knowledge of the core rules of Wikipedia. It assumes you are "at the beginning". Either way, this lesson would serve new and experienced editors well.''

Note: This lesson aims to be as detailed as possible, however some details might be missing.

Welcome to Wikipedia. The main purpose of Wikipedia is to produce a high quality encyclopedia.

Normally, you can get by quite fine by simply using common sense, and many Wikipedia policies are based around common sense. Some of these policies are very important, and should be followed at all times, others are more informal, and you will learn these over time. If in doubt, use common sense. If what you do seems sensible, it normally will be.

Be bold in editing Wikipedia articles, because no matter what edits you make, if you make a mistake, they can be fixed later. Don't feel like you need to learn all the rules before you can edit.

Obviously, you should try to pick up on policies when you can, and take on the advice of Wikipedians who offer it. If you happen to make a mistake, don't worry. We all were new once.

The remainder of this lesson will summarise a guide for editing Wikipedia, when it comes to basic editing rules, as well as policies that need to be followed.

The basics
Here are some of the basic policies on Wikipedia. You don't need to know them by heart right away, but it is important to have a basic knowledge of most of them. See the link below for further information, but the details I have provided on this page will get you going.


 * Sign your posts to talk pages.
 * Signing posts to talk pages is done by inserting 4 tildes (~), which inserts your signature, and the current date and time. Doing this allows editors to know who said what on talk pages. However, remember, do not sign your edits to articles.


 * Use edit summaries
 * Using edit summaries allows other editors to see what you changed in an edit. Especially when you are new, removing or adding a large amount of content, without an edit summary, may lead recent changes patrollers to undo your edits. Using edit summaries makes it easier for other editors to review your contributions, and in general is considered good practice.


 * Format your edits using Wikipedia markup.
 * Using Wikipedia markup helps format articles and discussions. Take a look at this lesson for more info, and also see this help page.


 * Use common sense
 * Using common sense on Wikipedia can go a long way, especially when you aren't familiar with the common policies. You wouldn't swear at someone in real life. You wouldn't spray paint over a building. Common sense can really help. If in doubt, on Wikipedia, think "Would I do this in real life? and if the answer is No, then don't do it, or ask for help from someone.


 * Ignore all rules
 * This one works hand-in-hand with common sense. It's not necessary to know every policy to contribute to Wikipedia, indeed, very few Wikipedians know all the policies back to front. Most of the time, if you make an edit in good faith, it will be the right one. But note, this doesn't mean that you can ignore rules for any reason. Ignorance of the rules is an excuse here, but you wouldn't vandalize and say you were ignoring all rules, would you (though that'd be against common sense, now wouldn't it? ;-))


 * Make edits boldly
 * See a page that interests you? Add to it. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. A large majority of edits made to articles were made boldly, and remember that Wikipedia is a large community of many editors, and if you make a mistake, someone will fix it up and point it out to you. Don't be afraid :). Editing Wikipedia initially can be daunting, but remember, we were all new once.

Policies 101 - Things you should know

 * Don't vandalise
 * This is especially important. If you feel the urge to blow of some steam, take a break. Have a cup of tea and a sit down. Messing up articles because you are stressed out is a big no-no.


 * Be civil in discussions with others
 * Yelling and screaming, regardless of any issues you may be having with someone else, doesn't really help. Approaching situations with a calm and collected approach will make other users more welcome to your opinion. It's common courtesy too, remember, treat others how you want to be treated.


 * Don't undo someone else's edit repeatedly without proper discussion
 * On Wikipedia, there may become times where someone makes an edit you don't agree with. The Bold edit, revert, and discuss cycle encourages users to discuss changes that they don't agree with, on the associated talk page, rather than undo each other's edits repeatedly. This sort of behaviour can lead to blocks, too. It's generally the best solution to discuss issues, that way compromises can be achieved.


 * Assume that other editors are making edits to try to help the encyclopedia
 * People make edits all the time. Some are excellent, others not so good. Do try and realise that there is a difference between vandalising Wikipedia and simply being ignorant or unaware of policies. Unless completely obvious and blatant, assume editors are doing what they can to improve the encyclopedia.


 * When you write articles, add sources to show that you found the info in a reliable source, like a newspaper, news site, or a book
 * This is a tricky policy to fully understand, but it's important to add references to what you wrote, like a newspaper, news site, a reputable website, or a book. Something that "you know" or heard of shouldn't be added to Wikipedia unless you saw it somewhere else, like in the news or in a book, or on what we call a reliable source. Make sure it's relevant to the article you wish to add it to. For example, if you read a fact on a website that wasn't already in the Wikipedia article, as long as it is relevant to the article, you can add it. Ask me for more info on this policy, and how to add references.


 * Make sure that the topic you want to write about merits an article
 * Notability is one of the complex policies on Wikipedia, but in short, if it has received significant coverage in reliable secondary sources, it may warrant an article. Read over the notability policy carefully, but don't worry too much. It takes a long time to understand some policies. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.


 * Information you add to articles must come from a different source, and cannot be something that you have discovered yourself
 * Articles may not contain previously unpublished arguments, concepts, data, or theories, nor any new analysis or synthesis of them if it advances a position. In other words, you can't make a point that hasn't already been directly made somewhere else in a reliable source. You can summarize, but it has to be based in the sources.


 * Do not edit Wikipedia to promote your own interests, or those of other individuals or of organizations, including employers.
 * On Wikipedia, it's very important to put the interests of Wikipedia above personal interests. This encompasses a lot of things, like not using Wikipedia to advertise or promote ones business.

''This is just a basic summary of some key policies, just to get you going. There are many policies on Wikipedia, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me.''

The assignment
In a few paragraphs, explain to me on my talk page what you have learned. I don't want you to regurgitate what I've written here, or what's on policy pages. In your own words, please.