Wikipedia Principles
Wikipedia has a number of rules and policies which are summarized at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Five_pillars as the Five Pillars of Wikipedia:
- Wikipedia is an encyclopedia: it collects existing information, instead of reporting on new discoveries or research, and tries to be as accurate as possible. As an encyclopedia it's meant to be an introduction on each subject, so articles should provide references to more detailed sources.
- Wikipedia has a neutral point of view: it does not take sides in an issue. It tries to give as full a picture of each topic as possible, providing multiple points of view when necessary.
- Wikipedia is free content: anyone can edit a Wikipedia article, and anyone can copy a Wikipedia article so long as what they're using it for non-commercial purposes.
- Wikipedia has a code of content: users should respect each other even when they disagree. Users should assume "good faith" in dealing with other users; in other words, assume that other people sincerely believe in their point of view and aren't just trying to start an argument, and assume that other people might have a point, even if they disagree with you.
- Wikipedia has few rules, and users are encouraged to be bold: it's easy to track and reverse changes, so if you think you can improve an article, go for it.
Cleanup Banners
Cleanup banners are placed at the top of Wikipedia articles to show that there may be a problem with the article. Any user can place a banner if they think there is an issue that should be addressed.
Common banners include:
- The neutrality of this article is disputed: the article may not take a neutral point of view.
- The factual accuracy of this article is disputed: some or all of the article may be untrue.
- This needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling: there are problems with the writing of the article.
- This may contain material not appropriate for an encyclopedia: most often this means that it contains opinions or "original research" (a new theory or discovery).
- This article only describes one highly specialized aspect of its associated subject: the article is too specific, covering only part of the topic.
- This article requires authentication or verification by an expert: the article needs to be verified by someone who's an expert in the subject.
- This article or section needs to be updated: the article is out-of-date.
- This is missing citations or needs footnotes: not everything in the article is supported by references
to other sources.
- This article does not cite any references or sources. Nothing in the article is supported by references to other sources.
References
Because Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, everything in it should be based on information from other sources. These sources should be listed at the bottom of the article, linked to the part of the article; if they're online sources there should be links to them.
Remember that a Wikipedia article is only as good as its sources, so if you're going to trust an article you have to be sure you can trust the sources as well.
Rating Scale
Each Wikipedia article is given a rating, which you can see on the Discussion page (click on the "Discussion" tab at the top of the page). A complete explanation of this rating scale can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Wikipedia:Version_1.0_Editorial_Team/Assessment. The ratings are based on the evaluation of Wikipedia users, most often those involved in Assessment teams dealing with a particular topic. A list of these teams can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:WikiProject_assessments. The rating tells you something about how complete and reliable the article is:
- Stub: covers only the most basic information.
- Start: an incomplete article, without external sources.
- C: a reasonably complete article with some major issues such as gaps or incomplete sources.
- B: a complete article with reliable sources but where the writing or structure can be improved.
- GA: an article that is broad enough to be complete, has many reliable sources, is entirely neutral and has gone a fairly long time without major edits.
- A: a GA-class article that is also well-written in terms of style and structure.
- FA: an article that is good enough in terms of accuracy, completeness, sources, structure and writing to be held up as an example of what a good Wikipedia article should be.
Discussion Page
The Discussion page (click the tab at the top of the article) is where users record their opinions about what changes should be made to an article. If there are any problems with the article, they'll usually be discussed here.
History Page
The History page (click the tab at the top of the article) records all changes that have been made to the article and who made them.
