Wikipedia:FAQ/Main - Wikipedia

Wikipedia:FAQ/Main - Wikipedia
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Wikipedia:FAQ
Wikimedia help page
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This is a list of
frequently asked questions
about using and contributing to Wikipedia.
For many more questions and answers, you can browse our additional FAQ pages (see above). To ask a question not covered in any of the FAQ pages, see
Wikipedia:Questions
How do I edit a page?
Main page:
Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia
Editing most Wikipedia pages is easy! Simply click the "Edit" tab at the top of a Wikipedia page or on a
section-edit link
. This will take you to a new page with a
text box
containing the editable text of the page you were viewing. In this box, you can type in the text that you want to add using
wiki markup
to format text and add other elements like images and tables. If you don't want to learn the wiki markup syntax, you can enable the
VisualEditor
, which allows you to edit pages in a user-friendly way. When you have finished editing, you should write a short
edit summary
in the small field below the edit-box describing your changes.
How do I create a new page?
You have to be logged in to your Wikipedia account to create a new article. You can
register here
For creating a new article, see
Help:Your first article
and
Wikipedia:Article development
. You may also wish to try the
Article wizard
. For creating a new page in your userspace, see
How do I create a user subpage?
, or use the
Article wizard
, which has an option for that. Make sure that the new page is backed up by
reliable sources
and that its subject is
notable
Why was my article deleted?
Further information:
Wikipedia:Why was the page I created deleted?
If you look at the address where your page was, it should have a red box above it that shows the user who deleted it (in the form "Username ( talk | contribs )") and their reason (which appears in italics). If the reason is not helpful, or you disagree with it, you can click on the "talk" link to send them a message and ask.
How do I change the name of an article?
You can
move
the article using the "move" link under "Tools" in the sidebar. In order to do this on most pages, you must have an account that has reached
autoconfirmed
status, meaning it must be at least four days old and have made at least ten edits. If you are not an autoconfirmed user, if the move is controversial, or if the page you wish to rename is
move-protected
, visit
Wikipedia:Requested moves
. You may also
request
to have an admin grant you confirmed status if you are a
legitimate alternative account
of an autoconfirmed user.
How do I change my username/delete my account?
To change your username, see
Wikipedia:Changing username
An account cannot be deleted. If an account was deleted, the edits made by the user could not be properly attributed. You can, however,
courtesy vanish
, and request that your userpage be deleted by adding the code
{{db-user}}
to the top of the page.
How do I cite Wikipedia?
See
Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia
for details.
Who writes the articles on Wikipedia?
If your purpose is to cite Wikipedia, see the question above.
Almost all articles on Wikipedia are written by multiple editors, not just one. If you click on the "
View history
" tab at the top of an article, a list of all the contributors to the article will be displayed, along with the time when their contributions were made. A more comprehensive history can be accessed in the "Page statistics" which can be found in the External tools of the "View history" tab. See
Who writes Wikipedia
for further details.
Can I rely on Wikipedia for advice on medical, legal, financial, safety, and other critical issues?
In a word, no. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area. Wikipedia cannot guarantee the validity of the information found here. The content of any given article may recently have been changed, vandalized or altered by someone whose opinion does not correspond with the state of knowledge in the relevant fields. See
Wikipedia:General disclaimer
for more cautionary information.
Who owns Wikipedia?
See
who owns Wikipedia
for details.
Why am I having trouble logging in?
See
Help:Logging in
for details.
How can I contact Wikipedia?
See
Wikipedia:Contact us
for information.
More FAQ topics
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Index of FAQs
Main FAQ
Overview
Readers
Schools
Contributing
Editing
Featured articles
Administrators
Blocks
Technical
Problems
Article subjects
Categories
Categorization
Forking
Templates
Main Page
Miscellaneous
Basic information on Wikipedia
- (
Help
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(interactive help for new editors)
About Wikipedia
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Who writes Wikipedia?
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In brief
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and guidelines
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Ignore all rules
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Visit the
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or the
Help desk
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forum.
FAQs
(?)
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(?)
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(?)
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(?)
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(?)
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(?)
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"Ignore all rules"
"The rules are principles"
Style-tips
Tip of the day
Your first article
article wizard
Getting started
(?)
Why create an account?
Introductions by topic
Graphics tutorials
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(live chat)
tutorial
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(?)
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References
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How-to pages
and
information pages
(?)
Appealing blocks
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Convert
Diff
Editing
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(?)
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(?)
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Tips
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Missing Manual
Ask for help on your talk page
(?)
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