Wikipedia:Article checklist
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Checklist for New Article Creation
This checklist has been prepared primarily to help new editors write articles. Not all the points in the checklist below apply to all articles. The "Check" column is for those who want to print the list and tick off as they work on their article.
Check | Task | How-to Link/s | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Apply {{in use}} or {{under construction}} templates, if appropriate | These make it clear that an article is being worked on and help prevent misunderstandings with other editors. Remove the template when edits are complete. | ||
Meet Naming Conventions | WP:NC | These help keep Wikipedia article titles consistent | |
Meet Style Guidelines | WP:MOS; WP:MOSNUM | Comprehensive style guide; Numbers style guide | |
Check specific Wikipedia Project style guidelines, if applicable | WP:PROJ Example: MOS:FILM | These are guidelines prepared by project groups for specific types of articles, such as the Film Project style guideline | |
Ensure Redirects are in place, as appropriate | WP:R | ||
Ensure Disambiguations are in place, as appropriate | WP:D | Also MOS:DP for further information | |
Add appropriate Infobox | WP:INFO | Infoboxes provide a summary of the subject of the article. They are commonly used for people, films, books, albums, countries, cities... | |
Add Notes/References/Further reading, as needed | WP:CITE; WP:CIT | CITE is general guide; CIT contains templates | |
Add Exernal Links, as appropriate | WP:EL | ||
Add link to Main article, as appropriate | For example, in the article on Thomas Keneally, a link is made from the section on Schindler's Ark to the article on the novel | ||
Add See alsos, if appropriate | See also | Article containing links to managing "See alsos" in Wiki | |
Create WikiLinks, as appropriate, and check them | Help:Contents/Links; WP:LINK | Article containing links to managing "Links" in Wiki; Check wikilinks by previewing before saving (but don't forget then to save!) | |
Make sure it is not an orphan | WP:Orphan | An orphan is an article which has no articles linking to it. Links to articles make them more accessible/findable. Click "What links here" in the left hand column to check. | |
Add Persondata, if biography | WP:PDATA | ||
Add DEFAULTSORT instruction | WP:CAT | This ensures that articles are filed/sorted/listed accurately eg that people are listed under their last name, that articles such as "the", "a" and "an" are ignored in filing/sorting | |
Add appropriate Categories | WP:CAT and WP:Categorization | All articles in Wikipedia must have categories. They work like subject headings in a library catalogue and help users find articles on like subjects | |
Add Stub Tag/Categories, if appropriate | WP:Stub | ||
Add Image, if available | WP:IMAGE | ||
Rate article on Discussion Page, in Project Banner if appropriate | WP:ASSESS | Normal editors can rate their own articles as Stub, Start or B | |
Add Project Banners to Discussion Page, if appropriate | |||
Add {{talkpage}} to Discussion Page | WP:TP | ||
Check for typos - and again! |
Other useful sources for creating and editing articles
Source | How-to Link/s | Comments |
---|---|---|
Help Contents Page | WP:HELP | |
Glossary | WP:G |