Help:Getting started

This page is about help in general. For the software feature for newly registered users, see Wikipedia:GettingStarted.

As a new editor, also known as a contributor, you may feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer size and scope of Wikipedia. Don't worry if you don't understand everything at first, as it is acceptable to use common sense as you go about editing. We encourage you to be bold in a fair and accurate manner, with a straightforward, just-the-facts style.

The contributing to Wikipedia page is an article that provides information, links, videos and other resources on the basics needed to edit Wikipedia. The five pillars is a popular summary of the most pertinent Wikipedia principles. The community portal is a central location to find collaborations, tasks, and news about Wikipedia. If you somehow do get stuck, there are volunteers available to answer your questions; see asking for help for more information.

Introductory editing tutorials These tutorials explain how to edit with wiki markup (Wikipedia's source code) and with VisualEditor (a user-friendly interface). Starting introduction Policies and Guidelines Editing Referencing Images Tables Editing Referencing Images Tables Talk pages Navigating Wikipedia Manual of Style Conclusion

A video that articulates the diversity and enthusiasm of the Wikipedia Community by editors like you. (4:10 min)

Overview tutorials

• Introduction: our main tutorial to the core principles of how to edit contained in thirteen short modules (as listed below).
• The Wikipedia Adventure: a module guided tour with fun, interactive learning, and practice.
• Your first article: an article that discusses some of the DOs and DON'Ts, then shows you how to create an article. Note: The ability to create articles directly in mainspace is restricted to autoconfirmed users, though non-confirmed users and non-registered users can submit a proposed article through the Articles for Creation process, where it will be reviewed and considered for publication.

Topic-specific introductions

• Introduction to navigating Wikipedia: a seven-part guide to navigating Wikipedia. Introduction. Namespaces. Searching pages. Page histories. Redirects and shortcuts. Useful links. Summary.

Protocols and conventions

• Introduction to policies and guidelines: a four-part guide to the rules. Policies and guidelines. Content. Conduct. Summary.
• Introduction to the Manual of Style: a six-part introduction to the Manual of Style. The MoS. Article sections. Images and refs. Linking. Consistency. Summary.
• Introduction to the deletion process: discusses the guidelines and policies relevant to deletion, as well as the overall process.

Editing with Source editor

• Introduction to editing: a six-part guide to editing. Editing pages. Formatting. Links and wikilinks. Saving your changes. Creating new articles. Summary.
• Introduction to referencing: a five-part introduction to referencing. Verifiability. Inline citations. RefToolbar. Reliable sources. Summary
• Introduction to uploading images: a four-part guide on uploading images. Introduction. Uploading images. Using an image. Summary.
• Introduction to tables: a four-part guide to putting tables in pages. Introduction to tables. Editing tables. Expanding tables. Summary.
• Introduction to talk pages: a six-part guide to using talk pages. Talk pages. User talk pages. Layout. Examples. Drawing attention. Summary.

Editing with VisualEditor

• Introduction to editing with VisualEditor: a six-part introduction to editing with VisualEditor. Opening the editor. Toolbar basics. Links and wikilinks. Publishing changes. Creating new articles. Summary.
• Introduction to referencing with VisualEditor: a six-part introduction to referencing. Verifiability. Adding references. Editing existing ones. Reusing references. Reliable sources. Summary.
• Introduction to uploading images with VisualEditor: a six-part guide on uploading images. Introduction. Uploading images. Inserting images. Editing the details. Galleries. Summary.
• Introduction to tables with VisualEditor: a five-part guide to putting tables in pages. Introduction to tables. Editing tables. Adding new tables. Expanding tables. Summary.

Training for student assignments

These self-guided trainings help users involved with student assignments to learn the basics of Wikipedia.

• Training for students: students start here! A four-part, 57-page training intended for students doing assignments on Wikipedia, with more detailed introductions to core Wikipedia policies, editing basics, and more specific editing advice for students. Welcome (4 pages). The Core (14 pages). Editing (24 pages). Advanced and background (15 pages).
• Training for educators: educators start here! A five-part, 97-page training for professors and other educators who want to run Wikipedia assignments for class, with introductions to core Wikipedia policies, editing basics, and an overview of best practices for designing and implementing Wikipedia assignments.

Guides

• VisualEditor user guide: a full manual for Wikipedia:VisualEditor.
• Plain and simple: the basic mechanics of Wikipedia. There are similar guides for:
  • Plain and simple conflict of interest guide: for editors with a conflict of interests.
  • Plain and simple guide for medical editors: for editing medical subjects.
  • Plain and simple non-free content guide: discusses how Wikipedia's copyright guidelines are probably the most complicated part of the whole site, and breaks down what the rules are and what they mean.
• Smartphone editing (Personal User essay): a Wikipedia administrator's personal experiences and advice about phone editing.

Quick guides

• Edit toolbar: how to use the edit toolbar while editing.
• Media help: how to get media to work on your computer.
• Citations quick reference: a quick guide to using citations.
• Wikitext cheatsheet: a quick guide to wikitext.

Overview articles

• 8 simple rules for editing our encyclopedia: describes some basics about contributing and interactions with others.
• 10 Simple Rules for Editing Wikipedia: discusses some basic aspects of Wikipedia norms and practices.
• A primer for newcomers: an overview intended for new contributors.
• Avoiding common mistakes: discusses a few common mistakes everyone should try to avoid.
• Expectations and norms of the community: discusses the general social norms that Wikipedia editors are expected to follow.
• Everything you need to know: a quick overview of some of Wikipedia's most important policies.
• Learning the ropes: discusses how to learn about Wikipedia.

Books and videos

• The Missing Manual: a comprehensive how-to book that explains everything about contributing for novice to expert editors.
• Wikipedia instructional material : a listing of screencasts, videos, and books.
• The Bookshelf: (external link) a vast collection of high-quality, freely licensed, user-generated informational material about Wikipedia.

Specialised tutorials

• Pictures tutorial: how to insert pictures in pages. A long tutorial, but the basics are simple.
• Wikipedia:Graphics tutorials: lots of links to graphics software tutorials.
• IRC tutorial: how to use Internet Relay Chat on Wikipedia.

Help resources and assistance

Help desk

• There is the Help Menu and Help Directory for a listing of help related pages.
• Wikipedia:Directory: a descriptive list of Wikipedia's directories and indexes.
• Wikipedia:FAQ: a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
• Wikipedia:Questions: discusses how to ask questions on Wikipedia.
• Wikipedia:Tips: how to use Wikipedia in bite-sized morsels.
• Wikipedia:Dos and don'ts: summarizes some of Wikipedia's protocols in a bullet-point format.

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