Answers/Content
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Answers@ About Donors Press Affiliates
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The Wikimedia Foundation does not create or curate the contents on Wikipedia or the other educational sites we manage; instead, this work is done by a vast community of volunteers. Wikipedia is a collaborative encyclopedia (as explained at Wikipedia:Introduction). Our other projects are collaborative as well. Content is not created, reviewed or controlled by a central authority, but rather by anyone from the public who is interested in joining in to spread knowledge. There is information in the sections below on how to report a problem with content, request new content, add new content, or find out more information. If you cannot find your answer here, please check the "Help" link on the left hand side of the specific project you have questions about. If doing this does not answer your question, you may wish to write to the email response team at info Disclaimer: Emails to info
If you would like to report inaccuracy in content (click to expand or collapse)
Our projects are "wikis", which means that anyone visiting the site can edit or add to most pages. In most cases, if you believe that content could be improved, we ask you to address it on the site yourself. First, you can edit almost any page directly. You don't need to apply or get special permission to join us. At the top of each page is an "edit" label. Try it for example at the sandbox on the English Wikipedia. You don't even need to log in to edit, although creating an account gives you more options and helps you keep track of your contributions. You can create an account on our educational projects by pressing "create account" in the top right corner. Our projects are open to volunteers and encourage people to pitch in. You can generally find information on how in the sidebar of each project. w:Wikipedia:Introduction and w:Wikipedia:Tutorial are useful reading for how to edit MediaWiki software, if you choose to contribute directly. Please note that while contributions are welcome, the volunteer communities who create and curate content do have policies and guidelines which they have crafted to which content must adhere. These will vary according to the project you are editing and can generally be read by following the links on the left side of the page. For instance, the policies that govern Wikipedia ask that you remain neutral in your prose and provide reliable sources to substantiate the information you add. Content that does not meet local policies may be modified or removed. Second, you can raise your concern for review by members of the community. Each page on our projects has an associated "discussion page" or "talk page"; you can access this by clicking the "discussion" link at the top of the page. You can then voice your concerns by selecting the "new section" link in the tabs at the top of the page. You will see two text boxes for you to write in: one for a title for your note and one for the note itself. (See the MediaWiki help page on talk pages if you would like more information on using them.) If other contributors are not receptive to your note or edits, there are dispute resolution processes you can follow on the sites. You can frequently find more information about these by pressing the "help" link found on most projects in the sidebar on the left. If you cannot find the dispute resolution processes on a given project, you should be able visit the help desk or community portal to ask local volunteers on that project how to proceed. Finally, in some cases, it may be appropriate to reach out for information or assistance to the volunteer email response team at info If you do choose to reach out to the volunteer email response team, please keep in mind that our projects have no central editorial board. While volunteer responders are chosen from among the volunteer community by other volunteers for their experience on the projects, they can only act in accordance with the community-created policies and processes of the projects they serve. In some very exceptional circumstances, they may be able to help you directly, but, if not, should often be able to help you determine the best way to proceed. If contacting the volunteer email response team, please clearly explain the issues you are encountering and, if you are writing the general address, please specify the language and project where you are experiencing the issue (for example, French Wiktionary; Russian Wikipedia).
If you would like to contribute content on our sites (click to expand or collapse)
First, we want to thank you for your interest in joining our mission! Wikipedia and its sister sites rely on volunteers who generate and maintain all content as well as creating almost all of the policies and guidelines that govern the sites. They are collaborative projects, with people from all over the world bringing their skills and interests to join in the compilation and dissemination of knowledge to everyone, everywhere, free of charge. There are a number of ways you can join in.
As mentioned above, most of our projects' policies and practices are created by volunteers, who can best help if you have questions about the volunteering experience. If you would like more information, you may want to visit the "help" forums linked on the left hand side of each page on our websites to learn where questions can be addressed to the community of that particular project. If you cannot find the information you seek or have other questions for or about the projects, you might want to write to the volunteer email response team at info We hope you will decide to join us!
If you would like to suggest or contribute content about yourself, your clients or your business (click to expand or collapse)
The Wikimedia Foundation does not create or curate the contents on Wikipedia or the other educational sites we manage; instead, this work is done by a vast community of volunteers. Wikipedia is a collaborative encyclopedia (as explained at Wikipedia:Introduction). Our other projects are collaborative as well. Content is not created, reviewed or controlled by a central authority, but rather by anyone from the public who is interested in joining in to spread knowledge. Each project has its own policies and guidelines created by the volunteers who work on that particular project. Their mechanisms for requesting or creating content will vary, as will what they require in content submitted to them. Some projects have special guidelines governing submissions by people who are closely connected to the subjects they are writing about. For instance, the English Wikipedia has its "Conflict of interest guideline". Many other language Wikipedias have similar documents. You can use the English Wikipedia's "Conflict of interest" page to locate similar pages on other language Wikipedias by browsing the "language" links that are listed on the left hand side of that page. The English version of our travel project, Wikivoyage, has a guideline at Wikivoyage:Don't tout. Again, you can navigate from that page through the language links to find similar guidelines at other language Wikivoyages. Your best bet for creating or requesting content related to you, your business, or someone you represent is to first figure out the policies and guidelines that govern the project where you wish this content to appear. Projects have helpful links on the left side of every page of their screen. The English Wikipedia's sidebar is depicted here. These sidebars have sections titled something like "Interaction" or "Contribution" that include links to help and information pages. These are generally the best place to find out more about the project and its policies, including what content is appropriate for inclusion and how to request content—if there is a mechanism on the particular project for doing that—if you don't wish to or if it is inappropriate for you to create it yourself. Some projects, including many languages of Wikipedia, offer content creation wizards to walk you through the process. The English Wikipedia's Article Wizard is here. You can use the language links on the left of that page to find what other language Wikipedias offer a similar tool. If you cannot find the information you need or have questions about the policies and processes, most projects host an online "help" forum where experienced volunteers answer questions. These are generally accessible through the sidebar on the left hand side of the page. There are also experienced volunteers available to offer information via email at info
If you would like to resolve a dispute (click to expand or collapse)
Wikimedia wikis are collaborative projects, and so anyone may edit their pages. They do have policies governing page development, which were also created by community collaboration. For Wikipedia, in a nutshell, information in articles must be verifiable to reliable sources, as defined by the community, and must be written from a neutral point of view, representing all majority and significant-minority views fairly and without bias. (See the short Five Pillars explained in your languages for more details, and for links to the relevant policies and guidelines.) There is no central authority over Wikipedia or our other sites. The Wikimedia movement is based in part on the premise that good contents are achievable through the checks and balances editors provide for each other. When editors disagree on how to achieve these goals, they must resolve disputes through consensus, drawing on the wider community where necessary. You can read more about the dispute resolution processes. You will note in reading those pages that dispute resolution process also exist to resolve behavioral disputes - if editors believe that others are obstructing the proper development of Wikipedia, the community is the avenue of appeal for that as well. If you believe that content is being developed in a manner inconsistent with the policies discussed above, or that editors are obstructing the proper development of a page or project, we would encourage you to join the community in working through the issues within the dispute resolution process. You don't even need to log in to edit, although creating an account gives you more options and helps you keep track of your contributions. The pages Introduction and Tutorial are useful reading for newcomers. We hope you will join in the community in helping to develop a reliable resource for all.
If you would like to translate content (click to expand or collapse)
Thank you for your interest in assisting! Wikipedia relies on volunteers who generate and maintain all content as well as creating policies and guidelines to govern the site. It is a collaborative project, with people from all over the world bringing their skills and interests to join in the compilation and dissemination of knowledge to everyone, everywhere, free of charge. The other projects we maintain are also collaborative, crowd-sourced projects that rely on volunteers. Translation is a volunteer-driven activity on our websites, just like content creation. If you want to translate content from one of our projects to another, a general approach to translation from English Wikipedia to other projects is provided at w:Wikipedia:Translate us. This approach is likely to succeed on most projects with most languages, but it's a good idea to check on whichever project you wish to work to see if there are different local processes. You can reach out to the "help" or community discussion forum on the project where you want to place the translation. These are generally linked from the side of every page. If you can't find it, you can write to info If you are interested in helping to translate official documents used for management of Wikimedia projects, this work is also done by volunteers. Meta:Babylon is a good place to begin. There is a section there on getting started which includes some important links, and there is also a section on communication that tells you some of the best places to get in touch with other translators, who may be able to give you specifics about the work. We'd recommend reading the tutorial linked from the "getting started" section before beginning, if you choose to pitch in. Thanks for your interest, and we hope you will decide to join us. Disclaimer: Emails to info
If you would like to find out more information about subjects on our sites (click to expand or collapse)
Since content on our educational projects is not created, reviewed, or controlled by a central authority, but by members of the public volunteering to help out, we are not able to offer more information about the subjects on our sites via email. As an organization that relies almost entirely on the good will of volunteers, we do not have the resources to research such material. However, you may be able to get additional information on the site itself. Many languages of Wikipedia host a "reference desk"—an online resource where various volunteers do try to answer knowledge-based questions. The English Wikipedia's, for instance, is located at en:Wikipedia:Reference desk. You can find a long list of reference desks in other languages in the bottom of the toolbar on the left side of the page. Though there is no guarantee that they can provide an answer, they are often able. Please be specific in your question so that others can better assist you. Anything you post to the Reference Desk will become public. Therefore, we do not recommend that you post personal information such as email addresses or phone numbers. Generally, once you post your question you can check back on the webpage in a day or two to see if volunteers have been able to answer you.
If you would like contact information for a subject on our sites (click to expand or collapse)
While the websites we maintain host articles about a wide number of people, companies and corporations, we do not hold contact details for them. Contact details may be included in the article about the subject or in links provided within the article. If not, you may wish to use a search engine or other resource to try to locate this information. As an organization that relies almost entirely on the good will of volunteers, we do not have the resources to research inquiries of this nature. |
