H:EDIT

Wikipedia is a wiki, meaning anyone can edit nearly any page and improve articles immediately. You do not need to register to do this, and anyone who has edited is known as a **' or ''editor.'' Small edits add up, and every editor can be proud to have made Wikipedia better for all. There are two editing interfaces: the new  (VE) and classic  editing (wiki markup), which uses the .

== Editing articles ==

=== Content style and policies ===

An  with a  is important: straightforward, , instead of essay-like, argumentative, or opinionated. The goal of a Wikipedia article is to create a comprehensive and  summary of existing mainstream knowledge about a topic. Wikipedia does not publish . An encyclopedia is, by its nature, a [[tertiary source]] that provides a survey of information already published in the wider world. Ideally, all information should be  and  by . Sourcing requirements are significantly stricter in .

=== Edit screen(s) ===
Editing most Wikipedia pages is simple. Wikipedia uses two interface methods: classic editing with the  through  (wiki markup), and a new  (VE). 

Wikitext editing using the Source Editor is chosen by clicking the <kbd>Edit source</kbd> tab at the top of a Wikipedia page (or on a ). This opens an editable copy of the page, showing all the wikitext used there, and the Source Editor toolbar offers simple menu options to add or change the formatting. Wikitext is used extensively throughout Wikipedia for such things as ,  and , , ,  and so on. The Source Editor lets users toggle on 'wikitext highlighting' which uses different colours to help differentiate article text from wikitext.

The VisualEditor option is intended as a user-friendly, "What You See Is What You Get" ([[WYSIWYG]]) editing aid, allowing one to edit pages without the need to learn wikitext markup. It is available only to registered, logged-in users through an opt-in choice available through . See the  for more information.

<gallery mode="packed" class="center" heights="233" style="font-size:95%" caption="Two editing environments: wikitext and VisualEditor">
File:How to edit a page Edit box.png|alt=Text in a large rectangle below two toolbars and next to a scrollbar.|Edit box showing the . You can change the formatting and contents of the page by changing what is written in this box.
File:Wikipedia article in VisualEditor 2018-02-12.png|Screenshot showing the same article in . Unlike the wikitext display, VisualEditor will show the text being edited almost as if it were already published.
</gallery>

The Wikipedia community has developed  to make articles and facts appear in a standardized form, and Wikipedia easier to use as a whole. A basic list of  can be found on the . An "" is provided just above the edit box (pictured below), which allows logged-in users (by selecting the option in ) to automatically place and format various aspects of wiki code. See  for more information, remember that you can't break Wikipedia, and, although there are many protocols, , as .



When you have finished editing, you should write a short  in the small field below the edit box (pictured below). You may use shorthand to describe your changes, as described in the . To see how the page looks with your edits, press the "**Show preview**" button. To see the differences between the page with your edits and the previous version of the page, press the "**Show changes**" button. If you're satisfied with what you see, **** and press the "**Publish changes**" button. Your changes will immediately be visible to all Wikipedia users.

Note: Do not sign the edit summary line with your  signature, as it does not work there.

==== Minor edits ====


A check to the "minor edit" box signifies that only superficial differences exist between the version with your edit and the previous version: typo/grammar corrections, formatting and presentational changes, rearranging of text without modifying content, etc. A ''minor edit'' is a version that the editor believes requires no review and could never be the subject of a dispute. The "minor edit" option is one of several  available only to . Editors should not feel that marking a change as minor devalues their effort to edit.

==== Major edits ====

All editors are encouraged to  and strong, but there are several things that a user can do to ensure that major edits are performed smoothly. Before engaging in a major edit, a user should consider discussing proposed changes on the article discussion/talk page. During the edit, if doing so over an extended period, the  tag can reduce the likelihood of an edit conflict. Once the edit has been completed, the inclusion of an  will assist in documenting the changes. These steps will help all to ensure that major edits are well received by the Wikipedia community.

A major edit should be reviewed to confirm that it is consensual to all concerned editors. Therefore, any change that affects the ''meaning'' of an article is major (not minor), even if the edit is a single word.

There are no necessary terms to which you have to agree when doing major edits, but the preceding recommendations have become best practice. If you do it your own way, the likelihood of your edits being reedited may be higher.


When performing a large edit, it is suggested that you periodically, and before pressing "Publish changes", copy your edits into an external text editor (preferably one without formatting, such as [[Windows Notepad]]). This ensures that in the case of a browser crash, you will not lose your work. If you are adding substantial amounts of work, it is also a good idea to publish changes in stages.

=== Adding references ===




Generally, sources are added directly after the facts they support at the end of the sentence and after any punctuation. Wikipedia permits editors to use any citation system that allows the reader to understand where the information came from and strongly encourages the use of  to do so. Common methods of placing inline citations include ,  and .

Inline citations are most commonly placed by inserting a reference between <code></code> ... <code></code> tags, directly in the text of an article. The reference is a footnote, appearing as an inline link (e.g. <small><sup><span style="color:#002BB8">[1][2]</span></sup></small>) to a particular item in a collated, numbered list of footnotes, found wherever a  template or <code></code> tag is present, usually in a section titled "References" or "Notes". If you are creating a new page or adding references to a page that didn't previously have any, don't forget to add a references section with this display markup.

There are a number of tools available to help with citation placement and formatting, some of which are internal tools and scripts, while others are available from external sites. For an example of the former,  is a [[JavaScript]] toolbar displayed above the edit box that provides the ability to automatically fill out various  and insert them in the text already formatted inside <code></code> ... <code></code> tags. For an example of the latter, the [https://alyw234237.github.io/wiki-doi-gbooks-citation-maker/ Wikipedia DOI and Google Books Citation Maker]  converts a [[digital object identifier]] (DOI) or [[Google Books]] address (URL) into a filled-out  or  template ready to be pasted into an article. See  for many others.

=== Adding images, sounds, and videos ===


A file that is already hosted on Wikipedia or the [[Wikimedia Commons]] can be inserted with the basic code <code></code>. (<code>Image:</code> can be substituted for <code>File:</code> with no change in effect; the choice between the two is purely a matter of editorial preference.) Using <code>thumb</code> generates a [[thumbnail]] of an image (the most common placement option), which is typically sized differently from the original image. The Wikimedia Commons'  and Wikipedia's  will guide you through the process of submitting media. There are various file formats available.

== Article creation ==


Before , please understand . In short, the topic of an article must have already been the subject of publication in , such as books published by major publishing houses, newspapers, magazines, peer-reviewed scholarly journals and websites that meet the same requirements as reputable print-based sources. Information on Wikipedia must be verifiable; if no reliable  sources can be found on a topic, then it should not have a separate article. Wikipedia's concept of notability applies this basic standard to avoid  inclusion of topics.

An  is available to help you create articles — it is not required but will help you construct better articles. **Note:** The ability to create articles directly in mainspace  to autoconfirmed users, though non-confirmed users and non-registered users can submit a proposed article through the  process, where it will be reviewed and considered for publication. Before creating an article, please  Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject, and please also review the  for guidance on what to name the article.

== Talk pages ==


Every article on Wikipedia has a , reached by clicking the "Talk" tab just above the title (for example, ). There, editors can discuss improvements to the content of an article. If you ever make a change that gets  by another editor, discuss the change on the talk page! The  is a popular method of reaching consensus. It is very important that you conduct yourself with  and  on the part of others.  (repeatedly overriding or reimplementing contributions) is highly discouraged.

Most other  on Wikipedia also have associated talk pages, including the  each editor is assigned once they sign up. When other editors need to contact you, they will usually do this by leaving a message on . When someone has left you a message that way, you will see a notice the next time you log in or view a page on Wikipedia.

:Sign your contributions to a Talk page by using four tildes (), which produces your username and a time/date stamp.

== Protected pages and source code ==

Some pages are . These pages have a "View&nbsp;source" tab instead of an "Edit" tab. You can still edit these pages indirectly by submitting an —an editor with the permission to edit the protected page will respond to it.

To submit an edit request, click on the protected page's "View&nbsp;source" tab and then the "Submit an edit request" link at the bottom right.

== Policies and conventions ==

, , and  are developed by the community to describe the best practices, to clarify principles, resolve conflicts, and otherwise further our goals. Make sure that you submit information that is relevant to Wikipedia's specific purpose, or your content might be deleted. You can always use the  to ask questions or check to see if your idea will be accepted. Please make note of which license will cover your contributions.

== See also ==




**Helpful tips**
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*: a Wikipedia administrator's personal experiences and advice about phone editing
**Naming and moving**
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**Style and layout**
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**Tools**
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* 

**Related'''
* : if you are writing an article about something that belongs to a group of topics, check here first!
* : learning materials, videos, and handouts
* : a glossary for Wikipedia editors

## Notes