How+to+Write+a+Wikipedia+Article

Wikipedia is a web-based encyclopedia that anyone can edit, similar to this website. Wikipedia has over 2 million articles in the English language alone. Hide these ads  STEPS 1. **Begin.** Go to Wikipedia's [|Main Page] or, if you want to write your article in a language other than English, visit the [|international page] and click on your chosen language.
 * How to Write a Wikipedia Article **

2. **Search.** First, you'll need to do a search to see if the article already exists - if yours is a popular or well-known subject, the chances are it already exists. In the box, type in your word(s) (e.g. "underwater tennis") and press Enter.

3. **Results.** If an article about your subject already exists, the article will come up now; if no such article exists, you will get a list of search results. Check this list - it may be that your article is written under a slightly different heading.

4. **Think.** If no article exists and you wish to create an article, first ask yourself the following questions: · Will this really be an encyclopedia article? · Is it notable (will anyone else ever bother to read this)? · Is it verifiable (are there other references to it elsewhere on the internet, or in books)? If the answer is 'no' to any of these, do not create the article. Articles that aren't notable or verifiable are deleted, and all your hard work along with it.

5. **Create.** If a 'Create this article' link is visible on the search page, click that. If not, look under where it says 'Search' - it'll say (e.g) "You searched for Underwater tennis" Click on the link of the title you typed in - i.e. click on underwater tennis. Then click on "Start the Underwater tennis article"

6. **Log in / Create account.** You can //edit// wikipedia articles without having an account, but to //create// an article from scratch, you need an account. Click on "Log in or create an account". If you have an account, then log in now. If not, click on "Create one". Type yourself a username and password (twice), and click "Create account". Assuming no-one else has taken your name already, your account should be created successfully, and you can now create your article.

7. **Find page.** Use the 'Back' button on your browser to go back to the article you wanted to write: it should now say (e.g) "Editing underwater tennis". If you can't seem to find the page using your Back button, re-do steps 2-5.

8. **Start writing.** You should now have a big empty box in which you should write your article. Write a short introduction, and then the main body of your article. Make it a reasonable length, and informative (see Tips and Wikiformatting, below). When you have finished, click the "Show preview" button, and have a look at your handiwork.

9. **Proof-read and save.** Your article has not been saved yet!! Have a good read through, looking out for spelling or grammatical errors. If you are happy with it, click the "Save Page" button.

Tips

 * Make your article a reasonable length: aim for more than 200 words, but less than 5000.
 * Remain unbiased - an article about how dreadful a certain football team is does not belong in an encyclopedia.
 * Use Wikiformatting (see below) to make your article look good.

Wikiformatting
(Note - These techniques also apply to editing articles in WikiHow using //Advanced Editing//. That's how I added this extra heading!)
 * To make major subheadings, write your words in between two equals signs e.g. ==hello there==;
 * To make minor subheadings, write your words in between three equals signs e.g. ===hello there===;
 * To make something italic, put two apostophes (NOT one double quote) around the word(s) - e.g. ' ' hello there' ' will come out as: //hello there//;
 * To make something bold, put three apostrophes at each end of the word(s) e.g. ' ' ' hello there' ' ' will come out as: **hello there**;
 * To make something bold //and// italic, put five apostrophes around the word(s) e.g. ' ' ' ' ' hello there' ' ' ' ' will come out as: **//hello there//**;
 * To make an internal link (to another Wikipedia article) put the title of the article in double square brackets (make sure it's spelt exactly correctly) - e.g. hello there will link to the article called "hello there";
 * To make an external link (to somewhere else on the web,) put the entire URL within single square brackets (make sure it's exactly correct) - e.g. (must have "http") will link to the webpage at [|http://www.hello-there.com];
 * To indent a paragraph, put a colon beginning the line (2 colons = double indent);
 * To do bullet points, put a star (*) at the start of each line;
 * To do a numbered list, put a hash (#) at the start of each line.

Warnings

 * Don't write anything that breaches copyright - this includes using images off the internet.
 * Don't write anything unverifiable - e.g. a new word that just you and your friends use. Administrators will check your article, and if it is not verifiable, it will be deleted.
 * Do not write anything not notable - e.g. the results of the school fete. It's boring and no-one is ever going to read it, and an administrator will delete it.
 * Recognize that Wikipedia is a social group, with potential committee-style negotiations to get information accepted; if someone gets a bad attitude, the information will almost certainly be rejected. Wikipedia can sometimes seem more about consensus than about truth: if the majority of people consider something to be false, it can get deleted, even if you 'know' it is true.
 * Sometimes, the objections to new information in Wikipedia become rationalized censorship, and it may get deleted. Wikipedia needs to be understood by the masses; submitting highly intelligent or specialized articles runs the danger of "casting pearls before swine" and your article may be heavily edited, or in extreme cases, deleted.
 * Don't try to re-create a deleted article. Unless you have a good reason, it will be deleted again and you may be blocked by an admin.

Related wikiHows

 * [|How to Write a New Article on wikiHow]
 * [|How to Add Bullet Points to a wikiHow]
 * [|How to Put a Photo in a wikiHow]
 * [|How to Writer's Guide]
 * [|How to Write a Featured Article]
 * [|How to Get Wikipedia Via RSS Feed]
 * [|How to Use Wikipedia As a Document Comparison Application]
 * [|How to Add to an Existing Wikipedia Article]
 * [|How to Edit Wikipedia]
 * [|How to Be a Wikipedian]