View source for Help:Writing an article

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{{pullbox|Writing an article|Learn how you can create an article.|3=|4=To experiment, you can use the shared [[Wikipedia:Sandbox|'''sandbox''']] – or if you're logged in, [[Special:MyPage/sandbox|'''your personal sandbox''']].<br/><br/> To create an article, you can try the [[Wikipedia:Article wizard|Article Wizard]].}}
{{nutshell|Wikipedia articles follow certain guidelines: the topic should be [[Wikipedia:Notability|notable]] and be covered in detail in [[Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources|good references]] from [[Wikipedia:Third-party sources|independent sources]]. Wikipedia is an [[encyclopedia]] – [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|it is not a personal home page or a business list]]. Do not use content from other websites even if you, your school, or your boss owns them. If you choose to create the article with only a limited knowledge of the standards here, you should be aware that other editors may delete it if it's not considered appropriate.}}
<div class="notice" style="background:#def; border:1px solid #468; padding:0.5em; margin:0.5em auto; background-color:#EBFFEB;"><center>Note: To create pages directly in the [[Wikipedia:What is an article?#Namespace|article mainspace]]  your account must be at least 4 days (96 hours) old, and you must have made more than ten edits.</center></div>

'''Welcome to Wikipedia!'''

You have probably already edited blogs or social media sites. Maybe you have already made minor edits to our articles –  but now you want to start a new article from scratch.

{{wikipedia article creation}}

==Introduction==
First, please be aware that Wikipedia is an '''encyclopedia''', and our mission is to share accepted knowledge to benefit people who want to learn.   We are not social media, or a place to promote a company or product or person, or a place to advocate for or against anyone or anything.  Please keep this in mind, always. (This is described in our "mission statement", [[WP:NOT|"What Wikipedia is not"]].)

We find "accepted knowledge" in high quality, published sources. By "high quality" we mean books by reputable publishers, high quality newspapers like ''The New York Times'', or [[literature reviews]] in the scientific literature.  We ''summarize'' such sources here.  That is all we do!  Please make sure that anything you write in Wikipedia is based on such sources - not what is in your head. 

Here are some tips that can help you with your first article:

* Consider [[Wikipedia:Why create an account?|registering an account]] first—you need only choose a username and password.  (This will help you find things you create, and help other people find you)
* Search Wikipedia first in case an article ''already exists'' on the subject, perhaps under a different title.  If the article already exists, feel free to make any constructive edits to improve it.

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{| cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" border="0"
| align="right" |'''''Is it new?'''''<br/><small>Type, then click "Go (try title)"</small>
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type=search
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buttonlabel=Go (try title)
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*Nothing?  OK, now you need to try to determine if the subject you want to write about is what we call [[WP:N|"notable"]] in Wikipedia. The question we ask is - '''does this topic belong in an ''encyclopedia''?'''
:*We generally judge this by asking if there are at least three high quality sources that a) have substantial discussion of the subject (not just a mention) ''and''  b)  are written and published independently of the subject (so, a company's website or press releases are not OK).  Everything here is based on high quality independent sources, and without them, we generally just cannot write an article.  If you are not sure if the subject you want to write about is "notable", you can ask questions at the Wikipedia [[WP:Teahouse|Teahouse]].
:*Please be mindful of [[WP:COI|conflict of interest]].  If you have one, you will probably have a hard time writing a good enough Wikipedia article (this is not about you, it is just human nature).  However if you insist on trying, you need to disclose your conflict of interest, and you need to try very hard to not allow your "external interest" to drive you to abuse Wikipedia. And you need to try hard to ''hear'' the feedback from independent people who review the draft, before it is published.  Your conflict of interest might lead you to believe something is "notable" when it isn't, and to argue too hard for it to be published. 
* '''Practice first.''' Before starting, try editing existing articles to get a feel for writing and for using Wikipedia's mark-up language—we recommend that you first take a tour through the [[Wikipedia:Tutorial|Wikipedia tutorial]]  or review [[Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia|contributing to Wikipedia]] to learn editing basics. 

* The '''Article Wizard''' will help you create your article in Draft space, and will put some useful templates into your draft, including the button to click when you are ready to submit the draft for review.

{{Clickable button 2|{{font|size=125%|color=white|Article Wizard}}<br/>{{font|size=80%|color=white|css=font-weight:normal|An easy way to create articles.}}|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Article_wizard|class=mw-ui-progressive|style=line-height:1.2em; width:100%; margin-top:10px; padding:1em 0;}}

These points are  explained in further detail below.


==Search for an existing article==
Wikipedia already has {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} articles. Before creating an article, try to make sure there is not already an article on the same topic, perhaps under a slightly different name. [[Help:Searching|Search]] for the article, and review Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:Article titles|article titling policy]] before creating your first article. If an article on your topic already exists, but you think people might  look for it under some different name or spelling, learn how to [[Wikipedia:Redirect|create ''redirects'' to alternative titles]]; adding needed redirects is a good way to help Wikipedia. Also, remember to check the article's [[Special:Log/delete|deletion log]] in order to avoid creating an article that has already been deleted. (In some cases, the topic may be suitable even if deleted in the past; the past deletion may have been because it was a copyright violation, did not explain the importance of the topic, or on other grounds addressed to the writing rather that the topic's suitability.)

If a search does not find the topic, consider broadening your search to find existing articles that might include the subject of your article. For example, if you want to write an article about a band member, you might search for the band and then add information about your subject as a [[Help:Section|section]] within that broader article.
{{-}}

==Gathering references==
{{IncGuide}}Gather sources for the information you will be writing about.  To be worthy of inclusion in an encyclopedia, a subject must be sufficiently [[Wikipedia:Notability|notable]], and that notability must be [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|verifiable]] through [[Wikipedia:Citing sources|citations]] to [[Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources|reliable sources]].

As noted, the sources you use must be <u>reliable</u>; that is, they must be sources that exercise some form of editorial control and have some reputation for fact checking and accuracy. Print sources (and web-based versions of those sources) tend to be the most reliable, though some web-only sources may also be reliable. Examples might include (but are not limited to) books published by major publishing houses, newspapers, magazines, peer-reviewed scholarly journals, websites of any of the above, and other websites that meet the same requirements as a reputable print-based source.

In general, sources with '''no''' editorial control are not reliable. These include (but are not limited to) books published by vanity presses, self-published 'zines', blogs, web forums, usenet discussions, personal social media, fan sites, vanity websites that permit the creation of self-promotional articles, and other similar venues. If anyone at all can post information without anyone else checking that information, it is probably not reliable.

To put it simply, if there are reliable sources (such as newspapers, journals, or books) with extensive information published over an extended period about a subject, then that subject is notable and you must cite such sources as part of the process of creating (or expanding) the Wikipedia article. If you cannot find such ''reliable sources'' that provide extensive and comprehensive information about your proposed subject, then the subject is not notable or verifiable and almost certainly will be deleted. So your first job is to '''go find references''' to cite.

There are many places to find reliable sources, including your local library, but if internet-based sources are to be used, start with [http://books.google.com/bkshp?hl=en&tab=wp books] and [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=a#hl=en&safe=off&gl=us&tbs=ar:1&tbm=nws&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22your+search+here%22&oq=%22your+search+here%22&gs_l=serp.3...13840.16191.2.16495.2.2.0.0.0.0.75.150.2.2.0...0.0...1c.gI5pLKtnlBw&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=eaf35048cd590c78&biw=1550&bih=1201 news archive] searches rather than a web search.

Once you have references for your article, you can learn to place the references into the article by reading [[Help:Referencing for beginners]] and [[Wikipedia:Citing sources]]. Do not worry too much about formatting citations properly. It would be great if you did that, but the main thing is to '''get references into the article''', even if they are not perfectly formatted.

==Things to avoid==
{{Main|Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|Wikipedia:Avoiding common mistakes}}

; Articles about yourself, your family or friends, your website, a band you're in, your teacher, a word you made up, or a story you wrote : If you ''are'' worthy of inclusion in the encyclopedia, let someone else add an article for you. Putting your friends in an encyclopedia may seem like a nice surprise or an amusing joke, but articles like this are likely to be [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion|removed]]. In this process, feelings may be hurt and you may be [[Wikipedia: Blocking Policy|blocked]] from editing if you repeatedly make attempts to re-create the article. These things can be avoided by a little forethought on your part. The article may remain if you have enough humility to make it neutral and you really are notable, but even then it's best to submit a draft for approval and [[WP:CONSENSUS|consensus]] of the community instead of just posting it up, since unconscious biases may still exist of which you may not be aware.
; Advertising : Please do not [[Wikipedia:spam|try to promote your product or business]].  Please do not insert external links to your commercial website unless a neutral party would judge that the link truly belongs in the article; we do have articles about products like [[Kleenex]] or [[Sharpie (marker)|Sharpie]]s, or notable businesses such as [[McDonald's]], but if you are writing about a product or business be sure you write from a [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|neutral point of view]], that you have no [[WP:COI|conflict of interest]], and that you are able to find references in [[WP:RS|reliable sources]] that are independent from the subject you are writing about.
; Attacks on a person or organization : Material that violates our [[WP:BLP|biographies of living persons]] policy or is intended to threaten, defame, or harass its subject or another entity is not permitted. Unsourced negative information, especially in articles about living people, is quickly removed, and [[WP:Attack page|attack pages]] may be deleted immediately.
; Personal essays or original research : Wikipedia surveys ''existing'' human knowledge; it is not a place to publish new work. Do not write articles that present your own [[Wikipedia:No original research|original theories, opinions, or insights,]] ''even if'' you can support them by reference to accepted work.  A common mistake is to present a novel synthesis of ideas in an article.  Remember, just because both Fact A and Fact B are true does not mean that A caused B, or vice versa ([[fallacies]]). If the synthesis or causation is true, locate and cite [[WP:RS|reliable sources]] that report the connection.
; Non-notable topics : People frequently add pages to Wikipedia without considering [[Wikipedia:Notability|whether the topic is really notable enough]] to go into an encyclopedia. Because Wikipedia does not have the space limitations of paper-based encyclopedias, our [[WP:Notability|notability]] policies and guidelines allow a wide range of articles – however, they do not allow ''every'' topic to be included. A particularly common special case of this is pages about people, companies, or groups of people, that do not substantiate the notability or importance of their subject with reliable sources, so we have decided that such pages may be speedily deleted under our [[WP:SPEEDY]] policy. This can offend – so ''please'' consider whether your chosen topic is notable enough for Wikipedia, and then substantiate the notability or importance of your subject by citing those reliable sources in the process of creating your article. [[WP:NOT|Wikipedia is not]] a directory of everything in existence.
; A single sentence or only a website link: Articles need to have real content of their own.
;''See also:''
*[[Wikipedia:List of bad article ideas|List of bad article ideas]]

==And be careful about...==
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|quote     = As a general rule, '''do not copy-paste text from other websites'''. <small>(There are a few limited exceptions, and a few words as part of a properly [[WP:CITE|cited]] and clearly attributed quotation is OK.)</small>
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|source    = – ''[[Wikipedia:Copy-paste]]''
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; Copying things. Do not violate copyrights
: Never copy and paste text into a Wikipedia article unless it is a relatively short quotation, placed in quotation marks, and cited using an [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|inline citation]]. Even material that you are ''sure'' is in the [[Wikipedia:public domain|public domain]] must be attributed to the source, or the result, while not a copyright violation, is [[WP:PLAGIARISM|plagiarism]]. Also note that most web pages '''are not''' in the public domain and most song [[lyrics]] '''are not''' either. In fact, most things published after 1923, and almost everything written since [[January 1]], [[1978]] are automatically under [[copyright]] as per the [[Copyright Act of 1976]] ''even if they have no copyright notice or © symbol.'' If you think what you are contributing is in the public domain, ''say where you got it,'' either in the article or on the discussion page, and on the discussion page give the reason why you think it is in the public domain (e.g. "It was published in 1895..."). For more information, see [[Wikipedia:Copyrights]] (which includes instructions for verifying permission to copy previously published text) and [[WP:NFC#Text|our non-free content guidelines for text]]. Finally, please note that superficial modification of material, such as minor rewording, is insufficient to avoid plagiarism and copyright violations. See [[Wikipedia:Close paraphrasing]].

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1. have a reputation for reliability: they are [[WP:RS|reliable sources]]<br>
2. are independent of the subject<br>
3. are [[WP:V|verifiable]] by other editors
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; Good research and citing your sources
: Articles written out of thin air may be better than nothing, but they are hard to [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|verify]], which is an important part of building a trusted reference work. Please research with the [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources|best sources available]] and [[Wikipedia:Cite sources|cite them]] properly. Doing this, along with not copying text, will help avoid any possibility of [[plagiarism]]. We welcome ''good'' short articles, called "[[Wikipedia:stub|stubs]]", that can serve as launching pads from which others can take off – stubs can be relatively short, a few sentences, but should provide some useful information. If you do not have enough material to write a good stub, you probably should not create an article. At the end of a stub, you should include a "stub template" like this: <nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki>. (Other Wikipedians will appreciate it if you use a more specific stub template, like <nowiki>{{art-stub}}</nowiki>.  See the [[Wikipedia:WikiProject_Stub_sorting/Stub_types|list of stub types]] for a list of all specific stub templates.)  Stubs help track articles that need expansion.

; Articles about [[WP:BLP|living persons]]
: Articles written about living persons must be referenced so that they can be [[WP:V|verified]]. Biographies about living subjects that lack sources may be deleted.

; Advocacy and controversial material
: Please do not write articles that advocate one particular viewpoint on politics, religion, or anything else. Understand what we mean by a [[Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view|neutral point of view]] before tackling this sort of topic.

; Articles that contain different definitions of the topic
: Articles are primarily about what something '''is''', ''not'' any term(s). If the article is [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia is not a dictionary|just about a word or phrase]] and especially if there are very different ways that a term is used, it usually belongs in [[Wiktionary:Main Page|Wiktionary]]. Instead, try to write a good short first paragraph that [[WP:GOODDEF|defines]] one ''subject'' as well as some more material to go with it.

; Organization
: Make sure there are incoming links to the new article from other Wikipedia articles (click "What links here" in the toolbox) and that the new article is included in at least one appropriate category (see [[help:category]]). Otherwise it will be difficult for readers to find the article.

; Local-interest articles
: These are articles about places like schools, or streets that are of interest to a relatively small number of people such as alumni or people who live nearby. ''There is no consensus'' about such articles, but some will challenge them if they include nothing that shows how the place is special and different from tens of thousands of similar places. Photographs add interest. Try to give [[Wikipedia:Places of local interest|local-interest articles]] local colour. [[Wikipedia:Third-party sources|Third-party sources]] are the only way to prove that the subject you are writing about is [[WP:N|notable]].

; Breaking news events
: While Wikipedia accepts articles about notable recent events, articles about breaking news events with no enduring notability are [[WP:NOTNEWS|not appropriate for our project]]. Consider writing such articles on our sister project [[Wikinews]]. See [[Wikipedia:Notability (events)]] for further information.

;Editing on the wrong page
:If you're trying to create a new page, you'll start with a completely empty edit box. If you see text in the editing box that is filled with words you didn't write (for example, the contents of this page), you're accidentally editing a pre-existing page. Don't save your changes. See [[Wikipedia:How to create a page]], and start over.

==Are you closely connected to the article topic?==

Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit, but there are special guidelines for editors who are paid or sponsored. These guidelines are intended to prevent biased articles, and maintain the public's trust that content in Wikipedia is impartial and has been added in good faith. (See Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:Conflict_of_interest|conflict of interest (COI)]] guideline.)

The official guidelines are that editors '''must be volunteers.''' That means Wikipedia discourages editing articles about individuals, companies, organizations, products/services, or political causes that pay you directly or indirectly. This includes in-house PR departments and marketing departments, other company employees, [[public relations]] firms and publicists, social media consultants, and [[online reputation management]] consultants. However, Wikipedia recognizes the large volume of good faith contributions by people who have some affiliation to the articles they work on.

Here are some ground rules. If you break these rules, your edits are likely to be reverted, and the article(s) and your other edits may get extra scrutiny from other Wikipedia editors. Your account may also be blocked.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Things to avoid !! Things to be careful about !! Great ways to contribute

|-
| width="30%" style="vertical-align:top;" | 
* Don't add promotional language
* Don't remove negative/critical text from an article
* Don't make a "group" account for multiple people to share
* Don't neglect to disclose your affiliation on the article's talk page
| width="30%" style="vertical-align:top;" |
* Maintain a neutral, objective tone in any content you add or edit
* Cite secondary sources (e.g., a major media article) for any new statements you add – even if you are confident a statement is true (e.g., it is about your work), only say it if it has been restated already in a secondary source.
| width="40%" style="vertical-align:top;" |
* Make minor edits/corrections to articles (e.g., typos, fixing links, adding references to new secondary sources)
* If you are biased, suggest new article text or edits on the ''[[Help:Using_talk_pages|article talk page]]'' (not on the main article page).
* Disclose your relationship to the client/topic.
* Edit using personal accounts.
* Recruit help: Seek out a sponsor (volunteer editor) who has worked on similar articles, or submit ideas for article topics via [[WP:RA|Requested articles]].
|}

Note that this has to do only with conflict of interest. Editors are encouraged to write on topics related to their expertise: e.g., a NASA staffperson might write about planets, or an academic researcher might write about their field. Also, [http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedian_in_Residence Wikipedians-in-residence] or other interns who are paid, hosted or otherwise sponsored by a scientific or cultural institution can upload content and write articles in partnership with curators, indirectly providing positive branding for their hosts.

==Create your draft==
Click here: [[Wikipedia:Article wizard|Article wizard]], read the brief introduction, and then click the big blue button to get started creating your draft.

==And then what?==
Now that you have created the page, there are still several things you can do.

===Keep making improvements===
[[WP:FINISH|Wikipedia is not finished]]. Generally, an article is nowhere near being completed the moment it is created. There is a long way to go. In fact, it may take you several edits just to get it started.

If you have so much interest in the article you just created, you may learn more about it in the future, and accordingly have more to add. This may be later today, tomorrow, or several months from now. Any time – go ahead.

===Improve formatting===
To format your article correctly (and expand it, and possibly even make it [[Wikipedia:Featured articles|featured]]!), see

*[[Wikipedia:Tutorial]] to learn how to format your article
*[[Wikipedia:Writing better articles]]
*[[Wikipedia:The perfect article]]
*[[Wikipedia:Lead section]]

Others can freely contribute to the article when it has been saved. The creator does not have special rights to control the later content. See [[Wikipedia:Ownership of articles]].

Also, before you get frustrated or offended about the way others modify or remove your contributions, see [[Wikipedia:Don't be ashamed]].

===Avoid orphans===
An [[WP:Orphan|orphaned article]] is an article that has few or no other articles linking to it. The main problem with an orphan is that it'll be unknown to others, and may get fewer readers if it is not de-orphaned.

Most new articles are orphans from the moment they are created, but you can work to change that. This will involve editing one or more ''other'' articles.  Try searching Wikipedia for other pages referring to the subject of your article, then turn those references into links by adding double brackets to either side: <nowiki>"[[" and "]]"</nowiki>. If another article has a word or phrase that has the same meaning as your new article, but not expressed in the same words as the title, you can link that word or phrase as follows: "<nowiki>[[title of your new article|word or phrase found in other article]]</nowiki>." Or in certain cases, you could create that word or phrase as a redirect to your new article.

One of the first things you want to do after creating a new article is to provide links to it so it will not be an orphan. You can do that right away, or if you find that exhausting, you can wait a while, provided that you keep the task in mind.

See [[Wikipedia:Drawing attention to new pages]] to learn how to get others to see your new articles.

===Add to a disambiguation page===
If the term is ambiguous (meaning there are multiple pages using that or a similar title), see if there is a [[WP:DAB|disambiguation page]] for articles bearing that title. If so, add it to that page.

==Still need help?==
{{Help desk}}
* For a list of informative, instructional and supportive pages, see [[Help:Contents/Directory|Help directory]].
* The best places to ask for assistance  is at the [[WP:TH/Q|Teahouse]]  and at the main [[WP:HD|Help desk]].
* {{edit|Special:MyTalk|Click here to ask for help on your talk page|section=new|preload=Help:Contents/helpmepreload|preloadtitle=Help me!}}, a volunteer will visit you there shortly!
* For a list of the  services and assistance that can be requested on Wikipedia, see [[Wikipedia:Requests|Request departments]]. 
* Alternately you can ask a question through the Wikipedia {{Freenode|wikipedia-en-help}} on IRC chat.

===Read a traditional encyclopedia===
Try to read traditional paper encyclopedia articles to get the layout, style, tone, and other elements of encyclopedic content. It is suggested that if you plan to write articles for an encyclopedia, you have some background knowledge in formal writing as well as about the topic at hand. A composition class in your high school or college is recommended before you start writing encyclopedia articles.

The ''[[World Book]]'' is a good place to start. The goal of Wikipedia is to create an up-to-the-moment encyclopedia on every notable subject imaginable. Pretend that your article will be published in a paper encyclopedia.

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