Article guidance/Test feature guide

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This page explains how to try Article guidance in a test wiki and give feedback. You will need to create a test account on Patch demo first.

Step-by-step guide

1

Create a test account

This wiki is separate from other Wikimedia sites. Sign up with a new account if needed before you start.

2

Start a new article from the patch demo and follow the workflow.

Use the Article Guidance workflow to create a new article. Pick a topic you know, or use one from the example list below.

3

Review the article outline

Before writing, read the outline, it shows suggested sections and tips for your article type. Think of it as advice from an experienced editor sitting next to you with a sample requirement for that type of article.

4

Write the article

Write your article using the outline as a guide. You do not need to make it perfect, focus on a good first version.

5

Review the outlines in this category

You can also edit and improve existing outlines if something is missing or not represented well.

6

Share your thoughts on the project talk page

After testing and reviewing the outlines, tell us what you noticed, what you changed or improved in an outline in the project talk page.

Example articles to try
Type one of these article names in the patch demo to start a new article if you don't have a topic.

Back in black Caracas Paris Dog Museo del Prado Michael Jordan Mercury Influenza

Feedback we are looking for

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Compare old vs new

How does the new experience creating new articles compare to your normal experience?

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Was the guidance helpful?

Was the outline useful for the type of article you wrote? What worked, and what did not?

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Improvements you made or suggested

Did you change or propose changes to an outline? Tell us what you changed and why

Quick guide to markups used in outlines
Article type	Links the outline to a Wikidata topic.The outline appears when creating articles of that type (or any sub-type).
Notability risk	Sets rules for which topics can be created. For example, only topics on Wikidata, or only topics available in more than 5 other languages, only sources not discouraged by community
noinclude & Article guidance tags	Wraps the guidance shown to the editor. Keep it simple and practical — like advice you would give a new editor at an editathon.
Instructions	It summarises the guidance shown to the editor before they start. Keeping it simple and practical is key. Think of it like an advice you would give a new editor sitting close to you in an editathon. You won't just send the person to documentation pages.
Recommended-sources	They are a list of community-recommended resources. The info tag are used to provide information, and the source are used to include specific URLs representing these recommended sources. The system shows these to the user and checks if their sources match.
Discouraged-sources	Same structure as recommended-sources, but for sources the community wants to flag as problematic. The system shows a warning if the user's sources match.
The rest of the page	This captures starting content for the new article. It illustrates suggested sections and example paragraphs. Keep it minimal; do not try to write the full "featured" article.

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After the test: Outlines you create or improve will be reviewed, then moved to community Wikipedias where each community can translate and adjust them further.

Article guidance/Test feature guide - MediaWiki