Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2021 July 9

= July 9 =

Unwanted blank line in a template
Hello,

Please can someone help me resolve a problem with Template:Multiref2? The parameter text, when empty, should be "ignored" essentially; but right now, it produces a blank line at the top if the parameter isn't passed. Does anyone know how to fix this? Thanks, DesertPipeline (talk) 06:27, 9 July 2021 (UTC)

I just did a test in my sandbox and it seems that even just renders improperly. Is this problem not fixable? DesertPipeline (talk) 07:25, 9 July 2021 (UTC)

Text

I'm not sure I see the issue,. You want to be able to make a citation with no content? What do you want to accomplish by doing this? // &#91;NomadicVoxel&#93; &#91; talk \ ctbs &#93; 20:45, 10 July 2021 (UTC)

Page deleted
Articles for deletion/Nikul Desai

Page was deleted .. how can we restore it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Movingframes (talk • contribs)
 * Who is "we"? In any event, the article will not be restored in its prior form. If you can address the concerns in the deletion discussion and demonstrate that the person meets the special Wikipedia definition of a notable filmmaker, with significant coverage in independent reliable sources, you may create and submit a draft using Articles for Creation. I would suggest you take your time in learning more about Wikipedia and how it works, however, before undertaking such a project.  Please use the new user tutorial and read Your First Article.  Getting some experience editing existing articles first also helps. 331dot (talk) 09:43, 9 July 2021 (UTC)

NTIS image(s): public domain?
There are presently three images in NTIS. My question is about the three mentioned on Talk:NTIS: are these the same as the three in the article? I'm asking because NTIS content is public domain. Pi314m (talk) 12:26, 9 July 2021 (UTC)
 * All I can see on the Talk page at Talk:National Technical Information Service are bot comments dated back to 2012, so I think we can be sure the answer is "no". Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:35, 9 July 2021 (UTC)

Is there a way to make a bullet point list split into multiple columns
Hi

I know I've seen this before but can't find out where and if it is still possible or depreciated. I want to add a list of around 20 things to an article (a list of years an event has happened and the themes), but as a single column list it looks very long, is there a way to make it continue on multiple columns?

Thanks very much

John Cummings (talk) 12:36, 9 July 2021 (UTC)
 * —Trappist the monk (talk) 12:56, 9 July 2021 (UTC)
 * perfect, thanks very much. John Cummings (talk) 14:05, 9 July 2021 (UTC)
 * perfect, thanks very much. John Cummings (talk) 14:05, 9 July 2021 (UTC)

Hiding Wikidata edits from watchlist
Hi there! I'm tearing my hair out trying to figure out how to hide Wikidata-related edits from my watchlist. I have no interest in monitoring these edits, and over the past couple of days, they've accounted for >80% of edits in my watchlist. The help page for watchlists includes this paragraph:

"Show/hide different types of edit: You may choose to hide or show minor edits, bot edits, one's own edits, edits by anonymous users, edits by logged-in users, page categorization and edits made at a Wikidata page associated with a watched page. Links for this purpose appear at the top of the watchlist page. Initially the default behavior for all of these is 'show', except for Wikidata. The Wikidata option is omitted if you enable 'Group changes by page' at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rc. It does not work with this feature."

I do not see any of these options on my watchlist page. There's also an option in the Watchlist section of my account preferences to "Show Wikidata edits in your watchlist" and this is currently unchecked, but I'm still seeing the entries. Am I missing something? Thanks. WildCowboy (talk) 14:20, 9 July 2021 (UTC)

Any Wikidata editor here? Need help
I just uploaded a few images to commons and it turns out that I just don't know how to link them with the relevant Wikidata entry. Furthermore, it turns out that the entries already present in Wikidata pages are outdated and are superseded by new information, some of which is not yet available but the continuation of old and outdated data should be stopped. If you can help, please reply and also ping me. Thanks! ---CX Zoom (he/him) (chat with me|contributions) 16:34, 9 July 2021 (UTC)
 * I think that the main (and best) way to do the linking is to use Commons categories. See commons:Commons:Categories. If you need help to create a new Wikidata item, you would be better to ask at the Commons Help pages, where experts in that are more likely to hang out. Mike Turnbull (talk) 19:53, 9 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Note that, for example, Commons:Category:Political maps of Virginia has an authority control showing it is Wikidata item Q30686825. Mike Turnbull (talk) 19:59, 9 July 2021 (UTC)
 * ---CX Zoom (he/him) (chat with me|contributions) 16:16, 10 July 2021 (UTC)
 * you cannot remove data (or images) that is "outdated and superseded" if that older data is supported by references. Most especially, you cannot do this if the newer information has not been published in a reliable source. After new information has been published in a reliable source, you may then reference the reliable source with the new data, and depending on the situation, it may or may not make sense to remove the older information.-Arch dude (talk) 21:24, 9 July 2021 (UTC)
 * There are references from The Hill (newspaper) and Ballotpedia at the article Virginia's congressional districts. Also the maps are based on shapefiles made available by the census.gov. So I can put them as references. ---CX Zoom (he/him) (chat with me|contributions) 09:12, 10 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Excellent! I was (over?)reacting to your "some of which is not yet available" statement. -Arch dude (talk) 14:35, 10 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Basically, the information is kinda split across multiple references, with one only saying what Supreme Court said about the districts and the other (the census one) showing exact map boundaries. Hopefully that'll be acceptable. ---CX Zoom (he/him) (chat with me|contributions) 16:14, 10 July 2021 (UTC)

torrent software
I want to stop torrent software
 * Welcome to Wikipedia. Try asking at WP:RDC.  The help desk is for how to use or edit Wikipedia.  RudolfRed (talk) 17:32, 9 July 2021 (UTC)

Pre-Approve Adding an Author / Professor to Wikipedia?
Good afternoon, Wiki Help Desk Team -

I would like to add a profile listing for an Author and Professor not currently represented on Wikipedia. Is there merit to getting her listing pre-approved prior to me creating her page?

Thank you in advance for your help,

Jeff Baker Wikibaker
 * Wikipedia does not have "profiles", not a single one. Wikipedia has articles. No one needs to approve a topic you wish to write about, but new users cannot(and should not) directly create articles, and must use Articles for creation. If you have an association with this professor, please review conflict of interest and paid editing for information on required formal disclosures. 331dot (talk) 19:35, 9 July 2021 (UTC)

(edit conflict) There is no "preapproval process" but the volunteers here will try to help. Any living person whose biography is to be included needs to meet WP:GNG but for academics there are special criteria which may assist you to decide whether it is worth starting a draft article. This is WP:NACADEMIC. We need reliable sources to back up notability, some of which must be about the person, not just written by them. You could list the (say) four or so sources that you feel best meet the notability guidelines on this help page and others will comment. Also read WP:YFA to get a feeling for how articles should be styled and cited. Good luck! Mike Turnbull (talk) 19:41, 9 July 2021 (UTC)
 * I have also found it useful to look at a few existing articles about subjects similar to yours to see the styles others have used. You can pick a style that seems to fit well, and use it as a worked example. -Arch dude (talk) 21:16, 9 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Also there is no "Wikipedia Help Desk team". Any Wikipedia editor who feels qualified enough can answer questions on the Help Desk. There is no formal process to join a team, in fact there is no concept of a "team" in the first place. J I P  &#124; Talk 01:33, 10 July 2021 (UTC)