Wikipedia:New contributors' help page/questions
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This help forum has been discontinued. New contributors will instead be made welcome at the Wikipedia:Teahouse, a friendly place to help new editors become accustomed to Wikipedia culture, ask questions, and develop community relationships.
There is an extensive Archive of old questions from 2004 onwards.
Oldest
HOW MUCH IS THE USCIS FORM I-821D
HOW MUCH IS THE USCIS FORM I-821D 99.9.32.122 (talk) 05:22, 18 August 2012 (UTC)
- I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 4 million articles and thought we were affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck.Template:Z25 Mdann52 (talk) 07:08, 18 August 2012 (UTC)
west point graduates:
you do not list George Horatio Derby in any of the categories. ?? 108.201.97.55 (talk) 21:28, 18 August 2012 (UTC)
- I have added George Derby to Category:United States Military Academy alumni. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:12, 18 August 2012 (UTC)
August 19
Am I not autoconfirmed?
I am having a problem editing an article. When I hit preview, I get the version of the article BEFORE my edits were made, my edits are removed from the edit box, and there is a pink message at the top of the screen stating:
Note: This page has been semi-protected so that only autoconfirmed users can edit it. If you need any help getting started with editing, see the New contributors' help page.
I thought autoconfirmed users were automatic when your account was 4 days old and had 10 edits. My account is from 2008 and I have 42+ edits.
Please help. --Dmg46664 (talk) 02:01, 19 August 2012 (UTC)
- It would say "view source", not edit, if you could not edit the page. There would be no edit box, no preview, no save page button. So yes, you're autoconfirmed. Does this happen on all semi-protected pages, or only some? Does it happen on some pages that are not semi'd? What browser are you using, and which version, and on which operating system? Someguy1221 (talk) 02:17, 19 August 2012 (UTC)
August 20
TCS Associates
Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{Reflist}} template or a <references /> tag; see the help page.
I don't understand what i did wrong in the article for TCS Associates? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kareem.dore (talk • contribs) 13:10, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
- I have fixed the formatting problem at User:Kareem.dore/sandbox; you can read about using "ref" and "reflist" at Help:Footnotes.
- However, your draft article is a long way from being acceptable as a Wikipedia article in its current form. Your references need to show that the organisation is "notable" by Wikipedia standards - the organisation must have attracted considerable coverage in reliable sources such as newspapers and respected news websites. The page WP:42 is a handy summary of the kind of coverage needed. -- John of Reading (talk) 13:28, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
- Not only that but the tone is far too promotional - expressions like "advanced total solutions technologies services" are pure PR-speak. In addition the grammar and spelling need work.--ukexpat (talk) 13:58, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
declined submission - style
The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
Hi!
This is my article: Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Caligola (music project)
İt has been declined for the third time now - the sources should be fine now, but i don't know what about the style. What else can İ change? İ'd be grateful for a littie bit of help for İ have changed it so manz times now and İ honestlz don't know what else to do! Thanks to anyone who can help me!!!Andrea Schweinberger (talk) 15:07, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
- This is being dealt with at your crosspost at the Help Desk - Wikipedia:Help desk#declined submission - style. Please do not crosspost the same question to more that one help venue -- thanks.--ukexpat (talk) 17:42, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
HIgh Noon Western Americana Los Angeles
Dear Wikipedia,
We have been stalled since July 14th in review. You have requested several changes over the past several months which we have made. Please review our most recent revisions as we are anxious to get closure on our submission. We have attempted to accommodate all of your requests.
Your prompt attention is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
High Noon — Preceding unsigned comment added by HighNoon (talk • contribs) 21:12, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
- I guess you refer to Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/High Noon Western Americana. You removed the submission template in [1] and never readded it so the page was never submitted for a new review. I have readded the old submission template. Don't remove it. You can submit the page for a new review by clicking the "click here" link in the box at the top. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:29, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
- If [2] was an attempt to submit it for a new review then you made two mistakes: You didn't place it on the page Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/High Noon Western Americana, and you included the <tt> and <nowiki> stuff seen in the source code for the instructions at User talk:HighNoon#Your submission at Articles for creation. You should only have placed the displayed text {{subst:submit}}. The nowiki in the source code is needed there to display the text to you without making a real submission of the page the instruction is placed on. If you had only made the first mistake then a reviewer would probably have guessed you just placed it on the wrong page, but the second mistake meant that no reviewers were alerted that you attempted to submit a page. The simplest way to resumbit is to use the "click here" link I readded. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:42, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
August 21
Updating an existing article
Hi there, I am a new user and created an Article that I would like to update on the "Vrededorp, Gauteng" Stub. Currently the Article is saved in User:Michelle19660620/sandbox. How do I go about getting it reviewed? thansk Michelle Michelle19660620 (talk) 21:05, 21 August 2012 (UTC)
- Hi there and welcome to Wikipedia! :) Just on my own reading of your proposed article, it's much more thorough than the stub, so my first thought is that you should (since there is no talk page for the article) just put your changes in section by section after you have carefully reviewed them once more by yourself. You need to avoid close paraphrasing in some of your history timeline, and also respect NPOV - for instance where you have "the suburb is in a state of gross neglect", this may well be true, but you need to have a specific reliable source that you can cite. And you should read WP:CITE in general and provide footnotes in the text for your statements - and again, make sure you're not copy-pasting other people's writing - but from my reading, you've done a lot of work, so be bold and add it to the live article.
- And if you want some focused review, we have WikiProjects and it looks like this one would be a good place to find interested editors. Hope that helps! Franamax (talk) 03:18, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
August 22
Requesting a primary source to backup a statement made on Wikipedia
This Wiki Page: Kōsō Abe (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) Makes the following statement:
"...However, Abe was advised by central military authorities in Tokyo that the new official policy was to execute all prisoners of war in the field, and not to hold any in captivity or to send them to the home islands."
It gives no verifiable reference for this particular statement. At the end of the paragraph it gives a footnote, but having checked the footnote references, nothing refers specifically to the above statement and certainly; as well that footnote provides no clue as to where this statements primary source is (The references in the footnote offer nothing on this statement.)
This statement if true has ramifications in another sphere of The Pacific War in WW2, where 22 Europeans were murdered by beheading the previous day (to the event being discussed in the wiki-page above.) The question has been what precipitated this massacre of the previous day? Hence the importance of this statement and the need for a verifiable primary source. Is there anyway that you or I can contact the writer to discuss this point and seek a verifiable primary source?
60.234.221.203 (talk) 02:05, 22 August 2012 (UTC)Kevin Menzies
- Put {{dubious}} or {{sources}} by the paragraph in question and seperately raise it on the articles Talk page. Seeks a dialogue first with the author, giving your objections. Check any conversations on Talk, as this often identifies the major author. if you have found the author, contact them directly. Irondome (talk) 02:23, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
Jimmy Grafton
I am Jimmy Grafton's daughter. There are some inaccuracies in the article, how do I correct them? 86.130.57.161 (talk) 09:39, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
- Thank you for asking. Because of you potential conflict of interest, you should be cautious in making changes yourself, and in general should suggest changes you would like made on the article's talk page. However, if there is information in the article which is not cited to a reliable source, anybody may remove it.
- It is more problematic when you want to add information to the article: if you can find a published indepedent reliable source, then the information may be added; but matter from your personal knowledge - or anybody else's - is not acceptable on Wikipedia, because it is not verifiable. Most difficult of all to handle is if there is information which is cited to a reliable source, which you would like to have removed from the article: in that case you may not remove it, but should discuss the matter on the talk page, and try to persuade others that there are reasons why this material should not be in the article. --ColinFine (talk) 12:20, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
Astern of the convoy?
If the convoy was heading East, how could Bramble be simultaneously astern and North-East of the conbvoy? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.44.58.118 (talk) 10:54, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
- We have around four million articles. Searching shows you refer to Battle of the Barents Sea#The battle. The article may be inaccurate. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:20, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
Inserting external links to a wiki page
Hello, I am really struggling to insert links in a wiki page - first contribution. The reference section is a sea of red. I understand putting the http address in one square bracket. I do not understand how to attach copy to the link or a reference. Please can you just send me the format for inserting the external link, the text it will link to and code for the reference section. Thanks! Incidentally I do not have a tool bar with the simple add link so need to have the full coding format. Thanks, R — Preceding unsigned comment added by Moorey01 (talk • contribs) 13:55, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
- The problem you are having at Wikipedia_talk:Articles_for_creation/Eurosif is in the use of cite_web; the format to use is shown at Template:Cite_web. - David Biddulph (talk) 14:09, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
Sea of Japan
Hello. I am a Korean student living in Seoul, South Korea. I tried to find the manager's e-mail address, but I couldn't find it. So, I just decided to write this here. I want to make an apology first, because my English isn't that good. A few days ago, I was researching about Dokdo and East Sea, and I found a horrible mistake in this website. The description was titled 'Sea of Japan', instead of 'East Sea'. You may know that 'East Sea' is considered to be a territorial dispute-but it is a certain territory of South Korea. And it made me a bit angry that there is a shade of meaning that Korea is claiming it to be its sea-not Japan. It is Japan that is claiming that it is theirs, and Korea is actually the owner of the sea. Well, I guess the mistake wasn't on purpose. It may have been in this way for many years, for there are lots of WRONG websites and maps that are saying 'Sea of Japan', not'East Sea'. I am writing this complaint because Wikipedia is a well-known global website and many people around the world can get wrong information. I wish this to be modified as soon as possible.
This is my e-mail address and you can give the answer by e-mail. I really want this to be modified. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ha Kyeong Ju (talk • contribs) 14:42, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
- Please see Talk:Sea of Japan/FAQ and the pages it links to. I have removed your email address to protect your privacy; as it says at the top of the page, "Your message will be answered here, and not by email". -- John of Reading (talk) 15:16, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
August 23
Article submitted but not online after 2 weeks
Dear editor, About two weeks ago I submitted and article on Prof Howard Chase SCD, FREng, head of the School of Technology and Professor of Chemical Engineering at Cambridge University. So far, this has not come up on Wikipedia. As this is the first time I have tried to do this, I am not sure whether I have made mistakes in submitting it so that you have not received it, or whether it is still in the queue for consideration, or if for some reason you thought it unacceptable. I would be grateful if you could advise me. Best wishes Keep up your amazingly useful work. Chris Carr Hemmingsxyz (talk) 18:00, 23 August 2012 (UTC)
- Hello,
The article submission does not seem to be listed at Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Submissions so it has probably been declined. If it has you should find out why on Your talk page. If not, check Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/YourArticleName and also check if it has been submitted. If you still cannot find it, please message me.Thomas85753 18:24, 23 August 2012 (UTC)
- It's at Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Howard Chase. The box at the top of that page explains why the submission was declined. -- John of Reading (talk) 20:40, 23 August 2012 (UTC)
- I am somewhat surprised that it was declined. While the sourcing is all pretty much primary in nature, the guy is a professor at Cambridge University. Unlike US universities, professorial appointments at UK universities are given only to the top level of academics. At the very least I think this guy qualifies for a stub referenced to the primary sources.--ukexpat (talk) 17:35, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
question
can someone review my article about a new music band? some of them come from other rock bands?21:44, 23 August 2012 (UTC)~ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hoangngu (talk • contribs)
- Not done - this page was deleted in accordance with criterion for speedy deletion A7. If you believe that this decision was found in error, or that significant new information has come to light since the deletion, please contact the administrator who implemented the deletion request, user Atama (talk · contribs). If you have already done so, your concerns can be taken to deletion review. --Orange Mike | Talk 16:29, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
Adding to an article
I can not, for the life of me, find the answer to the question: How do I submit a brief addition to an already existing article, to a Wiki editor? (If this is an easily answered question that is somewhere and I, idiotically, didn't see it - I'm so sorry.)
It's just a small thing but wanted to include to the Ernestown Secondary School list of alumni; Mike McDonald, Hubble Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. http://www.lfpress.com/news/canada/2012/08/15/20107336.html http://space.mit.edu/~mcdonald/
Thanks!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.193.200.93 (talk) 23:41, 23 August 2012 (UTC)
- Usually lists of alumni are only for individuals who have a Wikipedia article about them. As far as I can tell (see Michael McDonald) this guy doesn't, yet.--ukexpat (talk) 14:58, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
August 24
Editing a page for a Client - Reference
How do you reference a wiki page section if the information you are adding comes directly from the person that the page is about? For example if the wikipage is about John Doe and John Doe gives me information to update for him. Any suggestions on how to reference the entire section?
Any help on this will be GREATLY appreciated. Reddexquisite (talk) 14:15, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
- Please see WP:RS for guidance as to reliable sources. More importantly, please read WP:COI for guidance about editing when you have a conflict of interest.--ukexpat (talk) 14:15, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
- So basically remain neutral and avoid COI as I edit and remember no one can control/dictate what is added by other users. Sounds good, thanks for the info. But how do you actually reference the information. Let's say I create a new section, do I just add a footnote at the end of the section and say this entire section has come directly from John Doe? If someone later edits the section, then the section no longer comes from John Doe. Reddexquisite (talk) 14:27, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
- See WP:Referencing for beginners but note that "this entire section has come directly from John Doe" is not a reliable source per WP:RS.--ukexpat (talk) 14:54, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
Wikipedia requires that information must have been published by reliable sources and display a neutral point of view. "Stuff John Doe told me" does not meet these criteria, and cannot be used. --Orange Mike | Talk 16:32, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
add the definition of tolerance in Optimization
- Tolerance in Optimization, maximal increase (upper tolerance) [decrease (lower tolerance) of a single element in the given optimal solution keeping all other data of a minimization problem unchanged — Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.190.181.146 (talk) 07:20, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
Operation Mockingbird
my wife is writing a book about media manipulation and is naming it Operation Mockingbird. What is the process of editing the page to include a description of my wife's book/synopsis and her biography once the book is published? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.100.244.254 (talk) 20:02, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
- First read WP:NBOOK and WP:BIO for the notability guidelines for books and people respectively. Then, if or when either are notable per those guidelines, you can either request the creation of an article here or use the articles for creation process to create it yourself, bearing in mind the guidance as to conflicts of interest.--ukexpat (talk) 20:19, 24 August 2012 (UTC)
August 25
i'm trying to put my photo on my page Liberia9 name; Michel Okai
i'm trying to put my photo on my page Liberia9....my name is; Michel Okai..please help me..please -- — Preceding unsigned comment added by Liberia9 (talk • contribs) 04:26, 25 August 2012 (UTC)
- I've edited User:Liberia9 so that the picture is now showing. However, I noticed that File:Michel Okai.jpg lacks the source and licensing information that Wikipedia requires. We need to know who owns the copyright (probably the photographer who took the picture), and what rights the photographer is willing to give up for the picture to be used here. The page User:ww2censor/IfD explains this better than I can, so I suggest you look there. -- John of Reading (talk) 06:07, 25 August 2012 (UTC)
My new contribution: disambiguation, and uploading a photo
Today I submitted a new contribution which is a new article on John Frawley the astrologer.
(1) There needs to be a disambiguation page created. There are two existing articles for other people called John Frawley: John Frawley and John Frawley (actor).
(2) I would like to upload a photograph of John Frawley for this page. I believe I need special permission for this? I also will need some instruction.
I'd have to say so far that the how-to blurb for beginners is really heavily text intensive and difficult to find the way around. It could really do with better organisation - a simple top down menu thing, instead of having embedded links everywhere. But that is just a little feedback.
Please respond on my talk page.
Thanks for the assistance, in advance. Farmer bevFarmer bev (talk) 08:42, 25 August 2012 (UTC)
- Your draft is at Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/John Frawley. Advice for uploading and adding images to articles follows:
- If you want to upload an image from your computer for use in an article, you must determine the proper license of the image (or whether it is in the public domain). If you know the image is public domain or copyrighted but under a suitable free-license, upload it to the Wikimedia Commons instead of here, so that all projects have access to the image (sign up). If you are unsure of the licensing status, see the file upload wizard for more information. Please also read Wikipedia's image use policy.
- If you want to add an image that has already been uploaded to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons, add
[[File:File name.jpg|thumb|Caption text.]]
to the area of the article where you want the image to appear – replacingFile name.jpg
with the actual file name of the image, andCaption text
with a short description of the image. See our picture tutorial for more information. I hope this helps.Template:Z40--ukexpat (talk) 15:02, 25 August 2012 (UTC)
August 26
Dinesh DeSousa
Please remove the words "Douche Bag" from under his photo. I can't figure out how to do it67.233.64.125 (talk) 02:42, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
- It was reverted by this edit.--ukexpat (talk) 03:32, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
There is no Douche Bag under his picture.Eskimopie300 (talk) 04:14, 26 August 2012 (UTC)