User:Mh7kJ/FAQ
This is a page with all frequently asked questions (questions which are asked a lot) on Wikipedia. If you need help, please check this page before asking someone.
You can click the little black arrows to sort the table.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Someone deleted my article! What happened? | This was done by one of our administrators. The reason that he or she did this will be in the deletion log of the page. They will always have deleted it because it met Wikipedia's deletion policy. If you think this was a mistake, you can always ask for it to be undeleted. |
| What does the simple part of simple English mean? | Simple just means that here, we use basic grammar and vocabulary. We try to keep sentences short, with things called wikilinks on each important word. For more information on simplifying, see WP:How to write Simple English pages and for help with wikilinks, see WP:MOS. |
| What is a block? | A block is a setting in the software that Wikipedia uses. A block will not allow an IP address or a user to change pages here. Only administrators can block others. They do this under our blocking policy. This protects Wikipedia and stops the editor from causing any more harm to the project. If you think you have been incorrectly blocked, you can ask to be unblocked by placing {{unblock}} on your talk page. An administrator will look at your reason and will either unblock you, or leave you blocked and give you a reason why. |
| What is the difference between a block and a ban? | A block is the removal of the ability of a user to change Wikipedia. A ban is a community decision to remove a user's right to change. In other words, a ban is a block that was supported by the community. After a request of an indefinitely blocked user to be unblocked, if no administrator is willing to unblock or there is no community consensus to unblock, the user is de facto banned. See en:WP:BLOCKBANDIFF. |
| What is an administrator? | An administrator is a user here with some extra tools. They are here to protect the Wiki from harm. They can do many things that other editors can not. Administrators are not more important than other users here, and they do not have any more authority than the newest user on the project. If you would like to become an administrator, please use read this page. |
| Why and how should I sign my messages? | You should always sign your talk page messages so that other editors know that you wrote the message. To sign your messages, type four tildes (~~~~) at the end of your message. To type a tilde, hold the shift key and press the hash/tilde key. This is to the left of the enter key on most keyboards. |
| How do I delete my account? | You cannot delete your account. This is because other editors must know who has done each change. If your username was deleted in all history pages, then no-one would know who had done your changes. |
| What is copy-editing and how do I do it? | Copy-editing is proofreading articles for spelling, grammar, punctuation, tone, style and so on. It also includes re-wording sentences to make the meaning clearer. Copy-editing is an essential part of making Wikipedia professional and understandable. For more information, see How to copy-edit. |
| What can I write articles about? | If you would like ideas for topics to write about, see Requested pages and Special:WantedPages. You can also expand stubs with more information. |
| How do I ask someone to write an article? | First, search for the article and other names it may be called. If you cannot find anything, then you can place a request at Requested pages. |
| What is a stub? | A stub is a short article. Most stubs are only one paragraph or sometimes they are only one line. Stubs do not contain a complete description of a subject. They should be made bigger until they contain most information. For more information, see Stub. There is WikiProject called the Simple Stub Project which tries to improve stubs. |
| What are categories and how do I make one? | A category is a page which is used to group other pages on similar subjects together. Categories are useful because they help users find the pages they are looking for, even if they do not know whether it exists or what it is called. Every page should belong to at least one category. A page may often be in several categories.
Most categories have already been created. Before you make one, search for other names it may have been called. If you need to make a category, type After you have created the category, you must add it to the relevant articles. To add a category to an article, you type the name of the category inside double square brackets at the end of the article, e.g. You can add categories to articles quickly using a tool called HotCat. |
| What does citing sources mean? | Citing sources means telling people where the information and facts in articles comes from. Citing sources helps to make sure articles are correct. You should add a citation for each source of information. Each source of information must be a reliable source. For more information on citing sources, see WP:CITE. |
| What is a reliable resource? | Wikipedia:Reliable sources en:WP:42 |
| To whom do I talk if I need some help? | If you cannot find out how to do something yourself and need some help, you can ask an administrator (list of administrators) or post a message at simple talk. However, you should remember that you should be bold. Do not worry about making mistakes. They can be fixed later without any damage done. |
| What is adoption and how can I be adopted? |