Preparing to edit
Anyone can edit Wikipedia, but there are some basic rules. Here are some of the most important ones to follow as you start editing:
Neutral point of view
Everything on Wikipedia must be written from a neutral point of view. Articles must not take sides, but instead should describe — accurately and without bias—all the significant viewpoints on the topic published in reliable sources. Argumentation or advocacy does not belong in Wikipedia articles.
No original research
Simply put, Wikipedia is not a place to publish original ideas. Rather, you should summarize what others have published in reliable sources about the topic. Articles may not contain any new analysis, and they should not synthesize published materials to reach broader conclusions beyond what the individual sources say.
Copyright and plagiarism
Since all contributions are freely licensed, no editor owns any article; all of your contributions can and will be edited and redistributed. Except for brief quotations, copying content from copyrighted sources onto Wikipedia is not allowed. Whether direct copying or close paraphrasing, plagiarism and copyright violation are disruptive and time-consuming for volunteers to clean up. It's important that all content you contribute to Wikipedia is written in your own words. (Public domain and freely licensed content may also be added to Wikipedia as long as it is properly attributed.)
Reliable sources
Information in Wikipedia needs to be verifiable, based on reliable published sources. You should include citations for the information you add to the encyclopedia, so that others can check it for themselves. The most reliable sources for Wikipedia are third-party sources with a reputation for fact-checking, such as books published by academic presses, peer-reviewed academic journals, and international newspapers. You should be using sources that represent significant viewpoints, rather than one-off studies or fringe work. Try to find the best and most reliable sources available on the topic.
Conflict of interest
If you have a conflict of interest about a particular topic—such as an employer or an organization you are a part of—you should avoid editing articles about it.
| “ | We've developed these policies and principles over the years so we can be sure that Wikipedia is as reliable and useful as possible. | ” |
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