Gourt Home::Gourt :: Wikipedia:List of guidelines
See Policies and guidelines for a general overview of what policies and guidelines are about, how they are made, and why we have them.
There are a vast number of guidelines on Wikipedia. It is recommended to review these guidelines whenever in doubt on Wikipedia. This list is currently far from comprehensive. You can also access all guidelines, without descriptions, at Category:Wikipedia guidelines.
Guidelines
General
- Article size:Article size is limited by technical issues and considerations of readability and organization. It's useful to split long articles and combine small pages.
- Be bold in updating pages
- Consensus
- Build the web
- Edit summary
Content
- Autobiography:Avoid writing or editing articles about yourself, since we all find objectivity especially difficult when we ourselves are concerned. Contribute on the talk page instead. Feel free to correct mistaken or out-of-date facts about yourself.
- Biographies of living persons:Editors must take particular care when writing biographies of living persons, which require a degree of sensitivity, and which must adhere strictly to our content policies: Verifiability, Neutral point of view and No original research.
- Don't include copies of primary sources: Don't copy lengthy poems, speeches or other source text into Wikipedia. Put them in Main Page if you need to.
- Disambiguation: If an article's name is very similar to another, make a note at the top. If many articles share a name, create a disambiguation page.
- Guide to writing better articles
- Deal appropriately with patent nonsense
- Cite sources: point the reader to authoritative references (and list them properly), so that facts can be verified.
- Avoid statements that will date quickly
- Warn readers about spoilers
- Check your facts
- Guidelines for using Talk pages
- Words to avoid
Classification
- Subpages: Don't use slashes (/) in the names of articles to create subpages.
- Choosing appropriate grouping technique(s): Categories, lists, and series boxes
- By grouping technique:
- List
- Categorization, and other articles in Category:Wikipedia categorization
- Navigational templates (or: navigational templates)
Editing
- Editing policy: Improve any page without hesitation, regardless of the state you leave it in. Avoid removing information wherever possible.
- Build the web: Link articles sideways to neighbours, and upwards to categories and contexts to create a useful web of information.
- Edit summary: Always type at least a brief summary of the change that you made in the Edit summary box. Avoid misleading summaries.
Discussion
- Talk page guidelines
- Sign your posts on talk pages: Sign all your posts on Wikipedia talk pages by typing
~~~~ to be accountable and to help others understand the conversation. - Discuss and draft graphical layout overhauls: When redesigning a few select pages, such as the Community Portal, take your time and get consensus before implementing a new design.
Behavior
- Don't disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point:By all means state your point. But don't spam Wikipedia, disingenously nominate articles for deletion, push rules to their limits or otherwise create work for other people just to "prove your point".
- Etiquette:Contributors have different views, perspectives, and backgrounds, sometimes varying widely. Treating others with respect is key to collaborating effectively in building an encyclopedia.
- Please do not bite the newcomers:Many new contributors lack knowledge about Wikipedia policies. But always understand that new contributors are prospective "members" and are therefore our most valuable resource.
- Profanity:Words and images that might be considered offensive, profane, or obscene by other Wikipedia readers should be used if and only if their omission would cause the article to be less informative, relevant, or accurate, and no equally suitable alternatives are available.
- Sign your posts on talk pages:Sign all your posts on Wikipedia talk pages using a reasonable signature.
- User page: You can use your user page to add a little information about yourself or to help you to use Wikipedia more effectively. But remember that NOT#Wikipedia_is_not_a_free_host.2C_blog.2C_webspace_provider_or_social_networking_site.
Style guidelines
- Manual of Style
- Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)
- Guide to writing better articles
- See Category:Wikipedia style guidelines for the other 100+ style guidelines.
See also
"Wikipedia:List of guidelines"