View source for Wikipedia:Basic copyediting

{{Shortcut|[[WP:COPYEDIT]]}}
This page refers to [[copy editing|copy-editing]] an existing Wikipedia page.  Copy-editing involves the improvement of [[grammar]] and punctuation, and the correction of misspellings. Copy-editing extends to rephrasing to improve tone, style and cohesion, and texture. The term ''copy-editing'' comes from organizations that deal with printed media; it is loosely applied here. The author and the copy-editor are often the same Wikipedian.

When you copy-edit a page, you are helping the author and Wikipedia to express ideas in the clearest and most accurate way possible. You are also improving the credibility of the project and its articles. Mistakes, whether blatant or trivial, detract from Wikipedia's authority on the Internet, and should be corrected as soon as possible. 

Discussion and talk pages are much less formal and generally should not be copy-edited.  If you have a question, ask it. If you have a comment, make it.  Resist the temptation to modify someone's talk or discussion page entry in the name of grammar or style. 

For general page editing help see [[Wikipedia:How to edit a page]].

==Articles that need copy-editing==
* [[:Category:Wikipedia articles needing copy edit]] articles so tagged
* [[Wikipedia:Cleanup]] unsorted requests for copy-editing and other cleanup
* [[Wikipedia:Typo]] systematic fixing of mistakes
* [[Wikipedia:Pages needing attention]] cleanup requests sorted by topic

==Correcting spelling==
Please correct any mistakes that you find (even if they are very minor [[typo]]s). This greatly helps make Wikipedia as professional as possible.  The [[List_of_Google_services_and_tools#Toolbar|Google toolbar]] has a spell-checker for Web fields which can be used (''along with'' human observation) to spell-check articles efficiently.

Note that the English form of Wikipedia has no preference for American, British, or other forms of English so long as usage is consistent for the whole page.  It has occasionally been asserted that if a page refers to a European topic then British English should be used, and when referring to a topic in the Americas, American should be used. While this is not official policy, it is a handy rule to stick to when a dispute arises. Check the rest of the page before assuming that ''flavour'', ''colour'', ''metre'', or ''defence'' (or, on the other hand, ''flavor'', ''color'', ''meter'', or ''defense'') is a mistake. Note that the endings "-ize" and "-ization" are acceptable in both British and American English. The suffix -ise is more common in Commonwealth usage than -ize, but both spellings are correct. The use of -ize/-ise should remain consistent within a page.

* [[American and British English differences]] &mdash; see [[American and British English spelling differences|Spelling]].
* Use [http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/dict.html The American·British&ndash;British·American Dictionary for English Speaking People] or your own favorite/favourite reference.
* [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#National varieties of English]]

==Commonly required copy-edits==

''See also'' sections: These should be of the long form if relevant to the majority of the article, and of the short form if relevant only to a specific section. An example. (See also [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#"See also" and "Related topics" sections]].)

Words that are mentioned rather than used should be italicized. For example: "The term ''style'' can refer to the layout and context of an article."

Headings should generally be nouns (''History'') and not prepositional phrases (''About the history of...'').

Headings should be in sentence case and have only a single capital letter (apart from proper nouns, etc). For example: Differences in defining art.

Titles of works (art, literature, etc.) should be italicized rather than placed in quotes: ''Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance''.

Shortened word forms (''don't'', ''can't'', etc.) should be corrected where not in quotations.

Constructions such as "London, England" call for a comma or other appropriate punctuation at the end. Similarly, the year is also set off with punctuation, as in "June 10, 1993", when dates are written in the American style of writing the day between the month and the year.

External links generally belong at the end of an article under a heading titled ''External links'' or ''External link''.  References are an exception and should match the link in the reference section; these are then handled automatically.

==Summary note==
When you make a copy-edit, be sure to leave a note in the Summary field detailing what changes you made. Summary notes for copy-edits should be short and concise and mention that the edit in question is a correction or enhancement. Spelling and grammar corrections generally count as minor edits; stylistic corrections generally do not.
Example summary notes:<br>
''copy-edit: Corrected minor typo''<br>
''copy-edit: Reworded introductory paragraph for clarity''<br>
''copy-edit: Reworked history section for more encyclopedic style''<br>
hopefully not:<br>
''Reworked awful English, corrected author's bad language skills'' (see Etiquette section below)<br>
and '''never''':<br>
''Reworked pitiful excuse for English. Is the author retarded or something? My five-year-old child can spell better than that!'''

Your summary note should be concise and roughly detail the change (the history and differences will show detailed information if needed.)

For common summary-note abbreviations, see [[Wikipedia:Edit summary legend]].

==Etiquette==
If you are taking the trouble to copy-edit a page, please remember that the original author took the trouble to write a new page for Wikipedia and that however good or bad it is, the article is probably a valuable contribution. Your summary note should be concise and polite.  

If you are the author of a page that has been copy-edited, please try not to take corrections personally.  This can be especially hard with stylistic differences. Copy-editors are usually trying to make the article better, which reflects well on both the original author and the copy-editor.

There are times when caution is advisable.  A copy-edit should address only technical aspects of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.  Specialized or controversial topics may require specific wording for accuracy and NPOV.  One solution is to solicit a copy-edit from an editor with expertise in the subject.  Another good alternative is to post potential copy-edits to the talk page for discussion so the article remains balanced and accurate while the copy-editor avoids the risk of prolonging a content dispute.  

Just as some writers are better than others, some copy-editors are better than others.  In extreme cases, an impartial Wikipedian questions whether English is the editor's first language.  If a variety of editors revert your copy-edits to several articles, then odds are that your changes have not been productive.  Remember that copy-editing is a specific talent and many intelligent people are better at other things.

==Questions on proper English==

If you need help with English grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc., try asking a question on [[Wikipedia:Reference desk/Language]] or [[Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Grammar]].

==More advice==
* [[Wikipedia:Guide to improving articles]]
* [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style]]
* [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines]]

==External links==
*[http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/index.html Guide to Grammar and Style]

[[Category:Wikipedia how-to|How to copy-edit]]
[[Category:Wikipedia style guidelines|How to copy-edit]]
[[Category:Wikipedia copy editing|How to copy-edit]]

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[[hu:Wikipédia:Miért nem javítja ki valaki ezt a lapot]]
[[zh:Wikipedia:如何审核校对]]