Aide:What to do on Wikipedia?
Getting involved in the Wikipedia community Preamble[edit | edit source]
First and foremost, Wikipedia is based on founding principles, essential and respected by all.
Keep in mind that Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, that is, a collection of knowledge, with a universal vocation. This is a reasoned synthesis of all established human knowledge, which can be verified by everyone through the sources presented on each article.
The English-language version now includes 91 articles, written and maintained by volunteers who write the articles, their correction, their layout, their maintenance, their illustration... For more information, Help:About presents the essentials about our common encyclopedia.
For your tests[edit | edit source]
Avoid modifying articles to "test the system", introducing a fault, or removing items without justification. This could be considered vandalism, even if you act in good faith.
For your tests, there is a dedicated space:
- By creating a user account, you have a personal space for your tests, called draft. You can access it by clicking on this link if you are connected to this account.
Some tasks[edit | edit source]
If, after your modifications, you feel that the page you have improved no longer has any reason to appear in these lists, you can remove the banner which automatically categorizes, present in the form of [ [help:model|model]] at the top of the page.
You are beginning? Improve existing articles![edit | edit source]
Familiarize yourself with the encyclopedia with a few simple tasks. Once published, a modification is instantly put online and visible to all, so we count on your cooperation and your seriousness!
Uou have more experience? Try your hand at content creation.[edit | edit source]
Be careful not to add content to Wikipedia that has already been published elsewhere. It's a crime! The content of Wikipedia articles must comply with the terms of the Creative Commons license.
Creating an article is a demanding task:take your time for it and don't forget to use a draft. Keep in mind that for an article to appear in the encyclopedia, there must be `` independent and quality sources that can verify its reputation. So ask yourself these questions:
- Have I checked that the chosen subject is not already covered?
- Who is talking about my topic? Is it a recognized media?
- Are the eligibility criteria met for my topic?
By answering these three questions in a thoughtful way, you will know if your topic is well chosen and you will have every chance of laying a new stone of the immense edifice that is Wikipedia.
- Advice
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- High school or college courses can be useful for developing and building articles. However, be careful not to lose sight of the fact that the encyclopedic process is distinct from the educational process. An article does not look like a course (for this there is in particular Wikiversity).
- Reading other encyclopedias can be useful to avoid any point of view and to locate themes closely related to the subject being dealt with.
- Do personal research:synthesizing journals, books, conferences, websites, documentaries, etc. is very enriching and allows you to be exhaustive.
- Under no circumstances should you copy to Wikipedia a text from an existing publication. This type of contribution is illegal and engages your responsibility. Also, avoid copying content that you have created and published elsewhere.
