Wikipedia:The newcomer's manual/The basics

It's hard to sum up Wikipedia in one page. You're urged to read the rest of the newcomer's manual when you have time. The information here should be enough to get most people started.

Overview
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, one of hundreds of educational projects hosted by the charitable non-profit body the Wikimedia Foundation, and created by a volunteer community of thousands of people worldwide. Everything you see in these projects is freely available under simple conditions, for use, modification, and re-use (both personal and commercial). You're invited and welcomed to use the information and materials you find here! (More...)

Wikipedia is written by people like you, who draw on reliable sources to write the articles. You can correct, improve, or start new articles by yourself. You won't break Wikipedia by doing so; it's designed for that and it has many safeguards against accidental mistakes. You are asked to edit to a good standard, and this manual explains in simple terms the few rules we'd like newcomers to follow.

This one page summarizes the entire newcomer's manual, in case you want to get going quickly!

Using Wikipedia
Summary: - You can use, reuse or modify anything on Wikipedia (subject to a couple of requirements). You should always check your information for yourself, and never use Wikipedia in place of professional advice. If you spot errors you can improve them. Wikipedia has sister projects you may also find helpful.

Editing principles
You can edit Wikipedia as simply as clicking one of the "edit this page" links, typing, and saving. We trust you, if you try to do right! You're encouraged to Be Bold when you see something missing or below par. It's worth reading the newcomer's manual, but this brief summary will at least get you going.

The secret of Wikipedia is that all edits people make, are preserved and visible, forever. Anyone in the world can always see how an article got where it did, check or reuse old versions, or look up bad edits and see who added them.

Quality control
Wikipedia's integrity is maintained by an army of error detecting and correcting programs, and users who patrol the thousands of edits and check they are legitimate. Nonetheless some things cannot be done automatically, and need you to be careful:


 * Articles are only as good as their authors. Check citations for yourself. Be aware there may be omissions, and use Wikipedia as a guide and overview rather that trusting everything is 100% checked. (More...)
 * Wikipedia is community-operated. Some articles and topics may receive more attention than others. We rely on users spotting any improvements and fixing them or letting us know.
 * Don't rely on Wikipedia in place of a professional (doctor, lawyer, etc). We provide general information, not professional advice.

Our range of reference sites
Wikipedia is vast, but it's still just one of our hundreds of sites. You may also find Wikipedia's sister projects useful. They include multilingual dictionaries, media repositories, historical source materials, and quotations, each in many languages. (More...)

Non-censorship policy
Wikipedia aims to inform people of all kinds, in all cultures; therefore Wikipedia is not censored and does not claim to always be work or family safe. A small minority of articles contain sexual, religious, medical, or other material that some will object to. We may remove material on grounds of copyright, U.S. law, some kinds of privacy breach, or when agreed by editors generally, to be unhelpful in describing the topic.

Anonymity and accounts
You can edit Wikipedia without signing up. You don't even need an account! We do take your privacy very seriously: we have editors in totalitarian countries where people can be locked up for it.

You can get an account in seconds without any validation (enter a desired name and a chosen password), and that account name will be your sole Wikipedia identity and acquire a reputation for good editing that is yours alone. While it doesn't guarantee anonymity, it will shield your IP address from almost anyone except the very few users trusted with our high-level abuse detection tools, who have provided ID and work under a very strict code of privacy. (More...)

You are advised to choose an account name with some thought (you can request a rename later but traces of the old name usually remain all over the place in old edits). If you use your own name, or a name that is clearly connected with you, and your editing is questioned, then people searching for you may see those comments (fair or unfair) in future. Choosing a name that's unconnected with you may be a good idea.

Working with others
Wikipedia users (or "editors") work on a kind of consensus basis. If a problem or issue comes up, and there is disagreement, then open the matter to the community for wider input and help, don't "fight" about it (no matter how annoying!). Fighting, and behaving against the main rules (below), are the top reasons users get "blocked". If you have a problem always refer to this manual or the relevant community pages for advice how to handle it.

This doesn't mean you have to ask on everything - you're encouraged to develop good judgment and "go it alone" in editing. But if others complain or "revert" (reverse your edits) then take it as a hint and discuss it with them, and (if necessary) with others too. Show your reasoning and explain it clearly (Wikipedia tends to base decisions on evidence not "hype".) And once again - don't just fight or argue!

What belongs in Wikipedia
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, so unless something has some kind of significance it doesn't really belong, however useful or interesting it might be. That might be historical significance (it's of enduring interest), or it might obtain genuine interest from "the world at large".

We call this "notability" - a topic where people who aren't paid by or connected to the topic, nor especially close or local to it, still find it interesting enough to write about and discuss. So for example a governor of a state would probably be notable, and so would most films, but most businesses, bands, individuals, and "things in the newspapers" are not.

If there is doubt whether a topic belongs in Wikipedia, then usually the article can be created and see if anyone objects. Articles about people, groups, and organizations that don't look valid will often be deleted on sight; others are more likely to be discussed first.

There's one major exception. If the article is about a living person, then anything in it has to be based upon sources of the highest quality, otherwise it might be deleted much quicker than other kinds of topics (to avoid harm).

Editing standards
Wikipedia is made up of many users with many viewpoints. We all work together on articles. To do that, we need to hear others (who we might strongly disagree with) and then edit according to the same agreed rules and policies. We have a handful of absolutely central rules. Every editor on any topic has to follow these:


 * Neutral point of view and original opinions and novel theories ("original research")
 * We do not "take sides" or discuss which sides are right and wrong. We decide how articles should look by reporting impartially what the different sides in the debate are and what they say, a subtly different approach. We decide how much "weight" to give each view by looking at standing of the different positions, and trying to show the topic in line with the balance (credibility, authority) they seem to have.


 * We do not impose our own views on the evidence, or try and use the article to "prove" something. If it's well written, the material itself will say all that needs saying. Especially, Wikipedia exists to report on material that's already acquired sufficient credible mentions. Some novel ideas, personal beliefs, research not yet in mainstream publication, might be valid - but we've reached a community agreement not to include them in Wikipedia.


 * Verifiable information, reliable sources and citations
 * Facts stated in Wikipedia have to be based on credible material, and capable of checking by readers. Professional journals, mainstream books, and credible media sources are "credible", but generally personal writings, blogs and other sources that "anyone can write" are not. An ideal source has been subject to reputable editorial scrutiny before publishing, which means we can rely on it too. When facts are stated, it is important to say where they came from so others can check (eg, a web link or a publication and page reference). The &lt;ref> ... &lt;/ref> tag allows end-notes and citations to be included in articles.


 * One major exception: An original document (a "primary source" such as a personal or corporate website, historical document, holy books, any other writing) may be cited as being the words or view of its author and as evidence that the book or author says those words or holds those beliefs. However, a source of this kind cannot usually be evidence of "facts" or "truth", because as a self-written work with no peer review, they don't provide formal evidence that they are "true" - we only know they are what the author has written.


 * Copyright and other matters
 * Nothing may be put on Wikipedia that is copyrighted, unless it is compatible with Wikipedia's licensing (Creative Commons/GFDL). You must not upload images and media that cannot be freely and legally used by anyone for any purpose, nor copy entire sections of copyright text from books and websites into Wikipedia.


 * ? anything else?