User talk:Old Barnes nurse

Welcome!
Hello, Old Barnes nurse, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your messages on talk pages using four tildes ( ~ ); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place  before the question. Again, welcome! Dismas |(talk) 01:08, 14 April 2012 (UTC)
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 * I am needing to make my changes to the article in Sandbox, I don't want to put in on the web. Can I just cut and paste and put the whole thing in my sandbox?  Then work on it as time allows and save my changes?  Old Barnes nurse (talk) 01:56, 14 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Are you referring to the cardiac catheterization article? You can do that I suppose.  Though you run the risk of other people making changes to the original article between your copy and your paste.  Their changes wouldn't be in your version.  And you shouldn't put their changes in as your own due to the fact that you would essentially be stealing the attribution for their edits.  There's no harm in making small changes every few days or whatever your schedule will allow.  Maybe it would help if I understood why it was so important that you only make edits in a sandbox.  Dismas |(talk) 02:03, 14 April 2012 (UTC)
 * two reasons really, one is I am way out of my league here and don't want to do anything drastic! I do have professional experience I could contribute to the article though.  My second reason for using sandbox is because it is a classroom assignment, and as silly as it sounds, that's what the teacher told us to do.  Then we will post our sandbox URL to a DQ board for class.  Old Barnes nurse (talk) 02:08, 14 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Okay, two things. First, if you're just doing this for a class assignment and you only need to post the sandbox link, then go for it.  I thought you wanted to put the content back to the live article.  If you do want to put it into the live article, then I feel compelled to point out WP:OR.  What that basically says is that you should not add "original research" to articles.  Basically, everything here should be able to be verified by a reliable source (newspapers, text books, interviews with experts, etc).  We can't use "because I know it" as a source.  If you know something about the medical field, then it should be in a medical text book or paper somewhere.  That book or paper or whatever is what you'll need to cite.  Does that help?  Dismas |(talk) 02:18, 14 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Yes that helps and the assignment is two-fold. I will first do sandbox, then post the article live after receiving feedback from my instructor.  But rather than retype the article in my sandbox, is there a way to get it to pop over to my sandbox and then I can make the changes there?  I understand the need for citations, that part I get (that is old school), it is the whole virtual chalk board thing that gets me!  Old Barnes nurse (talk) 02:27, 14 April 2012 (UTC)
 * (outdenting) Copying and pasting the article is easy. Go to the article (cardiac catheterization) and click on the edit link at the very top of the article (next to the "view history" link).  Highlight everything and copy it.  Go to your sandbox (User:Old Barnes nurse/sandbox) and click "edit" in the same place and then paste the content in.  Hit "save".  Done.  Clear?  Questions?  Dismas |(talk) 02:40, 14 April 2012 (UTC)
 * I understand how to do it, I just didn't know if it was permissible, or if that was the best route to use. Thank you for helping the Old Dog who is learning new tricks!  P.S. are you in the U.K., I noticed the time and date are different than here.  Old Barnes nurse (talk) 02:49, 14 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Nope. Vermont.  All the times are saved as UTC.  That way everyone is on the same time and it's easier to tell who said what when.  Dismas |(talk) 02:56, 14 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Thank you for all your help! Even my teenager and college student are blown away by their old mom doing an edit and playin' in the sandbox.  Thx again!  Old Barnes nurse (talk) 03:06, 14 April 2012 (UTC)
 * You're welcome! If you have any further questions for me, please post to my talk page (see link in signature) and I'll get back to you.  Or if you'd like a wider audience, don't hesitate to ask your questions at the help desk as you did earlier tonight.  Dismas |(talk) 04:42, 14 April 2012 (UTC)

Starting Out
Again, welcome! I'm also new and undertaking a major revision. You already found one great resource: The Teahouse. Another is working through the homework assignments in Pluma's Adoption page. For me, those Adoption assignments were a great quick start guide to Wikipedia.

Copy-and-pasting an article into your sandbox is a quick start for a revision. Next, see if you can find a featured article on a similar subject and open it in a separate browser window. Use the featured article as a guide for style and format as you reorganize and rewrite your article.

Give a shout on my talk page if I can be of any help. DocTree (talk) 03:33, 15 April 2012 (UTC)