Wikipedia:Guide to improving articles: Difference between revisions

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-:''Also known as: '''Guide to improving articles'''''
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-Wikipedia's articles are like living things: they are born into [[Wikipedia:Perfect stub article|stubhood]] and (ideally) grow up into [[Wikipedia:The perfect article|well-written, comprehensive]] articles. Unlike other living things, articles have an infinite life expectancy (excepting [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|inappropriate]] articles that get [[Wikipedia:Deletion policy|deleted]]).
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-This page details the different stages in an article's life, and lists the various ways '''you can help articles grow''' into the next stage. Note that skipping stages is allowed &mdash; in fact, it's a very good thing if you can accomplish this! Also, there is no hard line in between stages, except for [[Wikipedia:Featured articles|featured articles]]. These are rough categories to help you get an idea of how articles typically grow on Wikipedia.
-Please note that this life cycle doesn't concern itself with [[Wikipedia:Votes for deletion|votes for deletion]], [[Wikipedia:Duplicate articles|merging]], [[:Category:Articles to be split|splitting]], [[Wikipedia:Template messages|templates]], [[Wikipedia:Images|images]], [[Wikipedia:Category|categories]], or any of the [[Wikipedia:Topical index|other]] issues and organizational techniques that will crop up from time to time. ''The road to hell is paved with good intentions; the road to heaven is bumpy and unpaved.'' Handle [[Wikipedia:Dispute resolution|controversies]] as they arise, with grace, [[Wikipedia:Civility|tact]], and a minimum waste of time. Organize when you can, but always keep the big picture in sight: we're here to '''help improve encyclopedia articles'''.
-==[[Help:Starting a new page|Uncreated article]]==
-Every article starts with an idea in the mind of a contributor. You should create articles about whatever you're interested in, so long as they [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|belong in Wikipedia]]. If you see a [[MediaWiki:Red link|red link]] that strikes your fancy, create an article!
-Be sure to read the [[Wikipedia:Your first article|guidelines]] on creating new articles to get an idea of what you should consider (article scope, lead, organization, internal and external links, references, NPOV, etc.) If you don't have time to write a full article, consider writing a stub after reading [[Wikipedia:Perfect stub article]].
-Good ways to find articles to create:
-*[[Wikipedia:Requested articles]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Most wanted articles]]
-*[[Template:Opentask]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Pages needing translation into English]]
-==[[Wikipedia:Substub|Substub]]==
-Substubs are ultra-short stubs, and can be expanded the same way as regular stubs. Please avoid creating substubs at all costs &mdash; if you're going to write a quick definition article, at least aim to make it a stub. It's only a few sentences more.
-==[[Wikipedia:Perfect stub article|Stub]]==
-Stubs are very short articles, generally of one paragraph or less. These are the "[[The Ugly Duckling|ugly ducklings]]" of Wikipedia. With effort, they can grow into swans, of course.
-Good ways to find and grow stubs:
-*[[Wikipedia:Collaboration of the week]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Requests for expansion]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Find or fix a stub]]
-*[[Template:Opentask]]
-*[[Special:Newpages]]
-*[[Special:Randompage]]
-*[[Special:Shortpages]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Shortpages]]
-==Developing article==
-Once a stub has some real content, it's a real article. The vast majority of articles fall into this category. They may have mistakes, but you are encouraged to [[Wikipedia:How to copyedit|copyedit]] and correct them.
-Good ways to find and improve developing articles:
-*[[Wikipedia:Cleanup]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Pages needing attention]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Requests for expansion]]
-*[[Template:Opentask]]
-*[[Wikipedia:To-do list]]
-*[[Wikipedia:WikiProject]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Recent additions]]
-*[[Special:Ancientpages]]
-*[[Special:Randompage]]
-===Disputed article===
-Occasionally a developing article (or even a good or great article) will get sick: two or more editors disagree with each other and have trouble reaching a compromise. These articles need extra "tender loving care" from [[Wikipedia:Mediation|mediators]] who are willing to help all parties come to a consensus.
-If you choose to help these articles out as a mediator, please keep [[Wikipedia:Wikiquette|Wikiquette]] and [[Wikipedia:Civility|civility]] in mind at all times. ''[[Wikipedia:Staying cool when the editing gets hot|Stay cool when the editing gets hot]]''.
-If you find yourself involved as one of the editors, '''don't panic'''. Re-read the three pages linked in the previous paragraph, and follow their advice. If a bitter revert war is in progress, submit a request for [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|page protection]]. Ask some neutral Wikipedians to come mediate the dispute.
-Good ways to find and heal disputed articles:
-*[[Wikipedia:Mediation]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Requests for comment]]
-*[[Wikipedia:NPOV dispute]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Accuracy dispute]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Disputed statement]]
-==Good article==
-A good article has one or more contributors dedicated to improving the article's quality. The article at least tries to be comprehensive. Many Wikipedians "sponsor" or "adopt" a small number of articles, which they add to their [[Wikipedia:Watchlist help|watchlists]] and update whenever they can. Please note that once an article has been "adopted" by one Wikipedian, there's no reason that you shouldn't "adopt" it too, if it strikes your fancy. With two editors collaborating on the same article, it will often improve three times as fast.
-Good ways to find and further improve good articles:
-*[[Wikipedia:Peer review]]
-*[[Wikipedia:To-do list]]
-*[[Wikipedia:WikiProject]]
-*[[Wikipedia:WikiReader]]
-==[[Wikipedia:How to write a great article|Great article]]==
-After thorough peer review, with lots of people working together to smooth out the rough edges, a good article can become [[Wikipedia:How to write a great article|great]]. You'll know a great article when you see it. It's steadily approaching [[Wikipedia:The perfect article|perfection]]. Polish it up as best you can, maybe give it another round in [[Wikipedia:Peer review|peer review]], then submit it as a [[Wikipedia:Featured article candidates|featured article candidate]].
-How to get great articles up to featured-quality:
-*[[Wikipedia:Peer review]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Featured article candidates]]
-==[[Wikipedia:Featured articles|Featured article]]==
-Once the article is certified as feature-quality, it can usually be featured on the main page. Just be patient, and the article will eventually get its turn. The day before the article is scheduled to appear on the main page, give it a last once-over, polishing it wherever you find anything.
-Note: occasionally, some articles are feature-quality but cannot be featured on the main page for various reasons. For example, if an article is about a subject that would offend a significant number of readers, it will probably not be listed on the main page.
-*[[Wikipedia:Today's featured article]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Tomorrow's featured article]]
-==Beyond...==
-Featured articles are well-polished, but there are almost always small improvements that can be made. Don't ever be afraid to correct mistakes when you see them; no article is [[Wikipedia:The perfect article|perfect]], though perfection will always remain our goal.
-Without a doubt, though, our featured articles are excellent, so why not show them off? There are a number of ways you can showcase our best work to people who might not know about Wikipedia. This is an excellent way to [[Wikipedia:Building Wikipedia membership|recruit new Wikipedians]] and gain [http://wikimediafoundation.org/fundraising donations], both of which help Wikipedia immensely.
-Good ways to showcase our best articles:
-*[[Wikipedia:Publicity]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Press releases]]
-*[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia in the media]]
-[[Category:Policy thinktank|Life cycle of the ideal article]]