User:Shannonkaminski/sandbox

= Article Evaluation =
 * The best articles have been evaluated as “Good” or “Featured”; these are the best that Wikipedia has to offer. “Start” or “Stub” class articles aren’t considered as reliable, so these are great to work on because there is a lot of information to provide.
 * Elements of quality articles include:
 * 1) Clear, easy-to-understand lead section (overview of the article)
 * 2) Clear structure with several headings and subheadings arranged chronologically or themes with images or diagrams when appropriate
 * 3) Balanced coverage of many aspects of the subject
 * 4) Neutral coverage, written without bias toward particular point of view
 * 5) Reliable sources used throughout the article
 * Elements of not-so-great articles include:
 * 1) Are there warning banners? Often these make a statement about the reliability, sometimes it is a suggestion, sometimes it’s a suggestion for improvement
 * 2) Are there language problems? Short lead could mean article was written through staggered contributions
 * 3) Are there value statements, “the best” or “the most important”? those are flags that it is written to persuade, or not properly referenced.
 * 4) Are there references to unnamed sources of information? Examples include “some people say”, “many believe”.
 * 5) Are there few references or citations? Are they from good, reliable publishers, or questionable websites?
 * 6) Are some sections longer than others, despite being equally (or less) important? Are relevant section missing completely?
 * Everything you write on Wikipedia must be attributable to a reliable source. You should be citing at least once per paragraph you contribute to Wikipedia. Quotations, hard facts, controversial claims must be cited.
 * Information on Wikipedia must:
 * 1) Come from independent sources
 * 2) Come from sources known for fact-checking and neutrality
 * 3) Come from reliable publishers, and represent a general consensus in the field
 * Poor sources include:
 * 1) Blog posts and social media
 * 2) Press releases and promotional material
 * 3) Official websites
 * 4) Self-published materials
 * Example of close paraphrasing:
 * 1) Original text: Because the weather forecast called for rain, the league decided to switch the location of the game to an indoor facility.
 * 2) Close paraphrased text, not acceptable on Wikipedia: The league switched the game’s location to an indoor facility due to a weather forecast calling for rain.
 * 3) Acceptable text: Forecasted rain caused the league to move the game indoors.
 * Everything on Wikipedia is free to use. Copyrighted materials, including lengthy passages from books, illustrations, and photographs, don’t belong on Wikipedia. The exception is for work that is so old, it is not under copyright anymore, called “public domain”.
 * Tips on plagiarism:
 * 1) Material in your sandbox is still subject to Wikipedia’s policies, so do not copy and paste information from your sources into your sandbox.
 * 2) Start by taking notes of key concepts, not phrases, from your sources, noting where each came from.
 * 3) Write the draft from your notes rather than from original source.
 * 4) More sources the better you’ll understand the topic
 * Add citation by first checking if the page has a reference section. If not, click “Edit” option, scroll down to bottom, type the word references on a new line. On visual editor’s toolbar, you’ll see the word paragraph, with an arrow next to it. Click on it for a drop-down menu, select “Heading” (makes the word references larger and underline it). Hit enter to create new line. Go to toolbar again and click insert, then template from drop-down. When “Add a Template” appears, type Reflist in box. Click “Add Template” next to box, then click the blue insert button at the top right, then save. Don’t forget to leave an edit summary, something like “Added a reference section”.
 * Add citation with WikiCode:
 * 1) Click pencil icon, select “Source editing”
 * 2) Check bottom of the page has a “References” or “Notes” section, if not type: ==References==
 * 3) Check references section either has  or < references / >, if not type  . This determines where references will appear on page.
 * 4) Click after the text you would like to create a reference for.
 * 5) Type tag before your reference and < / ref  > after reference. Wiki software will automatically add your inline reference number.