View source for Wiki143:Editing policy

{{redirect|Wikipedia:Editing guidelines|editing guidelines that are not part of this policy|Wikipedia:List of guidelines#Editing}}
{{redirect|Wikipedia:Editing|basic information about how to edit Wikipedia|Help:Editing}}
{{redirect|WP:EP|the education program|WP:EDUP|extended confirmed protection|WP:ECP}}
{{Short description|Wikipedia policy}}
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{{policy|WP:E|WP:EP|WP:EDIT|WP:EDITING}}
{{policy in a nutshell|Improve pages wherever you can, and do not worry about leaving them imperfect. Preserve the value that others add, even if they "did it wrong" (try to fix it rather than remove it).}}
{{Conduct policy list}}
[[Wikipedia:About|Wikipedia]] is the product of the '''contributions''' of millions of [[WP:Wikipedians|editors]], each one bringing something different to the table, whether it be researching skills, technical expertise, writing prowess or tidbits of information, but all united by a willingness to help. Even the [[Wikipedia:Featured articles|best articles]] should not be considered complete, as each new editor can offer new insights on how to enhance and improve the content in it at any time.

==Adding information to Wikipedia==
{{See also|Wikipedia:Plagiarism#Copying material from free sources}}
Wikipedia ''[[WP:What Wikipedia is not#Encyclopedic content|summarizes]]'' accepted knowledge. As a rule, the more accepted knowledge it contains, the better. Please [[WP:Be bold|be bold]] and add content summarizing accepted knowledge, but be particularly cautious about removing sourced content. Information in Wikipedia must be [[WP:Verifiability|verifiable]] and cannot be [[WP:No original research|original research]]. Show that content is verifiable by citing [[WP:Reliable sources|reliable sources]]. Because a lack of content is better than misleading or false content, unsourced content may be challenged and [[WP:BURDEN|removed]]. To avoid such challenges, the best practice is to provide an [[WP:inline citation|inline citation]] when adding content (see: [[WP:Citing sources]] for instructions on how to do this, or ask for help at the [[WP:Help desk|Help desk]]).

Wikipedia respects others' copyright. Although content must be backed by reliable sources, [[WP:Copying text from other sources|avoid copying]] or [[WP:Close paraphrasing|closely paraphrasing]] a copyrighted source. You should read the source, understand it, and then express what it says [[WP:Verifiability#Copyright and plagiarism|in your own words]]. An exception exists for the often necessary use of short quotations; they must be enclosed in quotations marks, accompanied by an inline reference to the source, and usually attributed to the author. (See the [[Wikipedia:Non-free content|fair use doctrine]] which allows limited quoting without permission.) 

Another way you can improve an article is by finding a source for existing unsourced content. This is especially true if you come across statements that are potentially controversial. You do not need to be the person who added the content to add a source and citation for it.

==Creating articles==
The guideline [[Wikipedia:Notability]] describes what is needed to support the creation of a new article.

=== Mass page creation ===
{{Shortcut|WP:MASSCREATE}}
{{See also|Wikipedia:Bot-created articles}}
Any large-scale automated or [[WP:SEMIAUTOMATED|semi-automated]] content page creation task must be approved by the community.<ref>While no specific definition of "large-scale" was decided, a suggestion of "anything more than 25 or 50" [[Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)/Archive 66#Proposal: Any large-scale semi-/automated article creation task require BRFA|was not opposed]].</ref><ref>This requirement [[Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)/Archive 66#Proposal: Any large-scale semi-/automated article creation task require BRFA|initially applied to articles]] but has since been expanded to [[Wikipedia talk:Bot policy/Archive 28#Semi-automated Portal creation|include all "content pages"]], [[Wikipedia:Reader#Project versus content|broadly meaning]] pages designed to be viewed by [[Wikipedia:Reader|readers]] through the [[WP:MAINSPACE|mainspace]]. These include [[WP:ARTICLE|articles]], most visible [[WP:CAT|categories]], [[WP:FILES|files]] hosted on Wikipedia, mainspace [[WP:EDITNOTICE|editnotices]], and [[WP:PORTALS|portals]].</ref> Community input may be solicited at [[WP:Village pump (proposals)]] and the talk pages of any relevant WikiProjects. Creators must ensure that all creations are strictly within the terms of their approval. All mass-created articles (except those not required to meet [[WP:GNG]]) must cite at least one source which would plausibly contribute to GNG, that is, which constitutes significant coverage in an independent, reliable, secondary source.<ref>{{section link|Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee/Requests for comment/Article creation at scale/Closing statement#Question 2: Should we require (a) source(s) that plausibly contribute(s) to WP:GNG?}}</ref>

Alternatives to simply creating mass quantities of content pages include creating the pages in small batches or creating the content pages as subpages of a relevant WikiProject to be individually [[WP:MOVE|moved]] to public-facing space after each has been reviewed by human editors. While use of these alternatives does not remove the need for approval, it may garner more support from the community at large.

Mass creation by automated means may additionally require approval as specified by [[Wikipedia:Bot policy]]. Approval of a bot for mass creation does not override the need for community consensus for the creation itself, nor does community consensus for a creation override the need for approval of the bot itself.

Note that while creation of ''non''-content pages (such as redirects from systematic names, or maintenance categories) is not covered by this mass creation policy, other policies, such as [[Wikipedia:Bot policy]], still apply.

==<span class="anchor" id="Perfection is not required"></span> Wikipedia is a work in progress: perfection is not required==
{{policy shortcut|WP:IMPERFECT|WP:PERFECTION|WP:NOTPERFECT}}

According to the old [[aphorism]], [["Perfect is the enemy of good"]]. Hence, perfection is not required, as [[WP:Wikipedia is a work in progress|Wikipedia is a work in progress]]. Collaborative editing means that incomplete or poorly written first drafts can evolve over time into [[WP:Featured articles|excellent articles]]. Even poor articles, if they can be improved, are welcome. For instance, one person may start an article with an overview of a subject or a few random facts. Another may help standardize the article's formatting or have additional facts and figures or a graphic to add. Yet another may bring better [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view#Due and undue weight|balance]] to the views represented in the article and perform fact-checking and [[WP:Citing sources|sourcing]] to existing content. At any point during this process, the article may become disorganized or contain substandard writing.

=== Neutrality in articles of living or recently deceased persons ===
{{further|Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons}}
While perfection is not required, extra care should be taken on articles that mention living persons. Contentious material about living or recently deceased persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced—whether the material is negative, positive, neutral, or just questionable—should either be verified immediately, with one or more reliable sources and presented in a [[WP:Neutral point of view|neutral manner]] without [[WP:UNDUE|undue weight]], or be removed immediately, without waiting for discussion.

=={{Anchor|Try to fix problems: preserve information|Preserve content}} Try to fix problems==
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{{Anchor|How to handle problematic material|Handling problematic material|Fix problems: preserve information|Remove libel, nonsense, and copyright violations|Handling material that violates policy}}
{{Policy shortcut|WP:PRESERVE|WP:HANDLE|WP:FIXTHEPROBLEM}}
Fix problems if you can, [[WP:CLEANUPTAG|tag]] or remove them if you can't. '''Preserve appropriate content.''' Retain facts or ideas that [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia is an encyclopedia|would belong in an encyclopedia.]]

Facts or ideas that [[WP:ONUS|would belong]] in the "finished" article should be kept if they meet the three core content policies: [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|Neutral point of view]] (which does not mean [[WP:YESPOV|no point of view]]), [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|Verifiability]], and [[Wikipedia:No original research|No original research]].

Instead of removing content, consider cleaning up the writing, [[WP:FIXFIRST|formatting or sourcing]], or [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup|tagging]] as appropriate. If you think an article needs to be rewritten or changed substantially, [[WP:BOLD|go ahead]], but [[Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines#How to use article talk pages|leave a comment]] about why you made the changes on the article's talk page. The [[Wikipedia:How to edit a page|editing process]] tends to guide articles through ever-higher [[WP:ASSESS|levels of quality]] over time.  Great Wikipedia articles can come from a succession of editors' efforts.

Consider:
* [[Paraphrase|Rephrasing]] or [[copy editing|copy-edit]]ing to improve grammar or more accurately represent the sources
* Correcting [[Wikipedia:Accuracy dispute|inaccuracies]], while keeping the rest of the content intact
* [[WP:MERGE|Merging]] or moving the content to a more relevant existing article, or [[WP:SS|splitting]] the content to [[H:YFA|an entirely new article]]
* [[WP:YESPOV|Adding another point of view]] to the existing points of view to make the article more balanced
* Requesting a citation by adding the {{tl|citation needed}} tag, or adding any other [[Template:Inline cleanup tags]] as appropriate
* Doing a quick [[Template:Find sources|search for sources]] and adding a citation yourself
* Adding [[Template:Inline cleanup tags|appropriate cleanup tags]] to content you cannot fix yourself
* [[WP:DEADREF|Repairing a dead link]] if a new [[URL]] for the page or an [[archive site|archive]] of the old one can be located
* Merging the entire article into another article with the original article turned into a [[WP:redirect|redirect]] as described at [[Wikipedia:MERGETEXT|performing a merge]]
* Fixing errors in [[wikitext]] or formatting

Otherwise, if the content could seed a new sub-article, or if you are unsure about removing it from [[WP:5P|the project]] entirely, consider copying the information to the article's talk page for further discussion. If the content might find a better home elsewhere, consider moving it to a talk page of any article you think might be more relevant, so that editors there can decide how it might be best included in our encyclopedia.

===Problems that may justify removal===
{{Policy shortcut|WP:CANTFIX|WP:WONTWORK|WP:DON'T PRESERVE}}
{{Anchor|REMOVE}}Several of our core policies discuss situations when it ''might'' be more appropriate to remove information from an article rather than preserve it. [[Wikipedia:Verifiability]] discusses handling unsourced and contentious material; [[Wikipedia:No original research]] discusses the need to remove original research; [[WP:NOT|What Wikipedia is not]] describes material that is fundamentally inappropriate for Wikipedia; and [[WP:UNDUE]] discusses how to balance material that gives undue weight to a particular viewpoint, which might include removal of trivia, tiny minority viewpoints, or material that cannot be supported with high-quality sources. Keep redundancy within an article to a minimum (except the [[WP:LEAD|lead]], which is meant to be a summary of the entire article, and so is intentionally duplicative).

Remove libel, nonsense, and vandalism, material that [[Wikipedia:Copyright violations|violates copyright]] and [[WP:OR|original research]] for which no reliable source that supports it has ever been [[Wikipedia:Published|published]].

Take special care with biographies of living people, especially when handling unsourced or poorly sourced claims about the subject. Editors working on such articles need to know and understand the extra restrictions that are laid out at [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons]].

==Talking and editing==
{{policy shortcut|WP:EPTALK}}
{{seealso|WP:PGCHANGE|label 1 = Policies and guidelines § Content changes}}

''[[Wikipedia:Be bold|Be bold in updating articles]], especially for [[Help:Minor edit|minor changes]], fixing problems, and changes that you believe are [[wikipedia:Likely to be challenged|unlikely to be controversial]].'' Previous authors do not need to be consulted before making changes. [[WP:Ownership of content|Nobody owns articles]], so if you see an improvement you can make, make it.

If you think the edit might be controversial, then a better course of action may be to first [[Help:Introduction to talk pages/1|make a proposal on the talk page]]. Bold editing does not excuse edits against [[WP:Consensus|existing consensus]]; edits in violation of core policies, such as [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|Neutral point of view]] and [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|Verifiability]]; or edits designed to create a [[Wikipedia:Fait accompli|''fait accompli'']], where actions are justified by the fact that they have already been carried out.

If someone indicates disagreement with your bold edit by reverting it or contesting it in a talk page discussion, [[WP:BRB|consider your options]] and respond appropriately. 

===Be helpful: explain===
{{policy shortcut|WP:UNRESPONSIVE}}
''Be helpful: explain your changes''. When you edit an article, the more radical or controversial the change, the greater the need to explain it. Be sure to leave a comment about ''why'' you made the change. Try to use an appropriate [[Help:Edit summary|edit summary]]. For larger or more significant changes, the edit summary may not give you enough space to fully explain the edit; in this case, you may leave a note on the [[Help:Talk pages|article's talk page]] as well. Remember too that notes on the talk page are more visible, make misunderstandings less likely, and encourage discussion rather than [[WP:Edit warring|edit warring]].

===Be cautious with major changes: discuss===
{{policy shortcut|WP:CAUTIOUS}}
''Be cautious about making a major change to an article.'' Prevent [[WP:Edit warring|edit warring]] by discussing such edits first on the [[Help:Talk pages|article's talk page]]. An edit that one editor thinks is minor or clearly warranted might be seen as major or unwarranted by others. If you choose to [[WP:be bold|be bold]], provide the rationale for any change in the edit summary or on the article talk page. If your change is lengthy or complex, consider first creating a new draft on a [[Wikipedia:User_pages#SUB|subpage of your own user page]] and start a discussion that includes a link to it on the article's talk page.

===But&nbsp;– Wikipedia is not a discussion forum===
{{further|Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not#Wikipedia is not a publisher of original thought}}
Whether you decide to edit very boldly or discuss carefully on the talk page first, please bear in mind that Wikipedia is not a discussion forum. It is best to concentrate our energies on improving articles rather than debating our personal ideas and beliefs. This is discussed further at [[Wikipedia:Etiquette]].

===If you need help===
The [[Wikipedia:Dispute resolution]] processes are available if you need help reaching an agreement with other editors.

==Editing and refactoring talk pages==
For guidance on how to edit talk pages see:
* [[Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines]]
* [[Wikipedia:Refactoring talk pages]]
* [[Help:Archiving a talk page]]

==See also==
* [[Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia|Contributing to Wikipedia]]: how and where you can help Wikipedia
* [[Wikipedia:Disruptive editing|Disruptive editing]]: how not to edit Wikipedia
* [[Help:Edit conflict|Edit conflicts]]: how to deal with an edit conflict
* [[Wikipedia:There is no deadline|There is no deadline]]: various points of view on what this lack of a deadline means
* [[Wikipedia:Template index/User talk namespace/Multi-level templates#Blanking/Removal of content]] (warning templates)

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

{{Wikipedia principles}}
{{Wikipedia policies and guidelines}}

[[Category:Wikipedia conduct policies]]
[[Category:Wikipedia editing]]