Wikipedia:Please discuss on talk page first
 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Many Wikipedia articles have hidden notes instructing editors to "Please discuss on talk page before editing". There is no Wikipedia policy or guideline requiring prior discussion before editing articles. If you want to update an article, correct an error, or add new information, just press "Edit this page". |
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Many Wikipedia articles have hidden notes requesting or requiring that any changes to the articles be proposed first on the talk page: "Please discuss all changes on the talk page first" or "The lead to this article is the product of substantial consensus. Do not edit the lead without discussing your proposed changes".
Do I have to follow these instructions?
Despite the purported existence of these "rules", there is no requirement under Wikipedia policies to discuss edits on the talk page first for articles. Neither an editor or a group of editors who watch an article and contribute regularly nor the creator of an article own an article and have the right to "approve" or "disapprove" of any edits to the article before they are made. The WP:Be bold editing guideline actually encourages editors to boldly make changes. It doesn't say "Propose your edits on the talk page and seek approval".
Almost any editor can edit almost any article on Wikipedia, including a Featured article or even a Featured article on the main page, just by clicking the "Edit" button. The Wikipedia policy on editing Featured articles, at WP:OWN, does not require changes on Featured articles to be discussed first on the talk page; it says "Editors are asked to take particular care when editing a Featured article; it is considerate to discuss significant changes of text or images on the talk page first." While it is considerate to discuss significant changes, it is not required, even for a Featured article.
In fact, "being bold in making changes" is a Wikipedia editing guideline. Being bold in making edits is part of an editing practice known as Bold-Revert-Discuss (or BRD). In the BRD cycle of editing, an editor boldly changes an article, the changes are reverted by other editors, and then there is a discussion on the talk page. An editor acting in good faith can make edits to articles, including major edits which change the lead, add sections, and add content, without seeking talk page approval.
Note
The statements made above, encouraging editors to directly edit articles, apply solely to Wikipedia articles. Wikipedia policies and guidelines should not be directly edited (with the possible exception of fixing an obvious minor error, like a duplicate period). Instead, editors should propose changes to Wikipedia policies and guidelines on their talk pages, and seek consensus from other editors before editing. This is normally a lengthy process, which requires a great deal of discussion. Editing a Wikipedia policy or guideline directly, without prior talk page discussion, could lead to WP:Discretionary sanctions.