Misplaced Pages

:Policies and guidelines - Misplaced Pages

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This page documents an English Misplaced Pages policy.It describes a widely accepted standard that editors should normally follow, though exceptions may apply. Changes made to it should reflect consensus.
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What to read if you don't want to read

There exist 3 summaries of the[REDACTED] guidelines, which can be useful in different circumstances. If you just want to do a quick readthrough and get on with editing, you can get away with reading one of these pages to start with. Later on you can always look further.

  • The five pillars of wikipedia; A quick rundown of the key rules you need to edit. Don't worry, it's easy.
  • Simplified ruleset; 15 rules of thumb that'll keep you out of trouble and will help you gain adminship.
  • The policy trifecta; The hardest set. The rules to follow even when there are no rules. Even trusted editors sometimes have trouble with these. If you stick to them, you'll go far.


Misplaced Pages is

Misplaced Pages is a collaborative project and its founders and contributors have a common goal:

Our goal with Misplaced Pages is to create a reliable and 💕: The largest encyclopedia in history, in both breadth and depth.

Misplaced Pages has some policies and guidelines that help us to work toward that common goal. Some of these policies are still evolving, while others are long settled and largely uncontroversial.

While our policies continue to evolve, many Wikipedians feel that written rules are inherently inadequate to cover every possible variation of disruptive or malevolent behavior. For example, a user who acts against the spirit of our written policies might be reprimanded even if the letter of the rules has not been violated. Those who edit in good faith, show civility, seek consensus, and work towards the goal of creating an impartial encyclopedia, should find a welcoming environment.


Key policies

You don't need to read every Misplaced Pages policy before you contribute! However, the following policies are key to a productive Misplaced Pages experience, and the sooner you get to grips with them, the better.

  1. Misplaced Pages is an encyclopedia. Its goals go no further. See What Misplaced Pages is not for more info.
  2. Avoid bias. Articles should be written from a neutral point of view, representing differing views on a subject factually and objectively.
  3. Don't infringe copyrights. Misplaced Pages is a 💕 licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. Submitting work which infringes copyrights threatens our objective to build a truly 💕 that anyone can redistribute, and could lead to legal problems. See Misplaced Pages copyrights for more information.
  4. Respect other contributors. Misplaced Pages contributors come from many different countries and cultures, and have widely different views. Treating others with respect is key to collaborating effectively in building an encyclopedia. For some guidelines, see Misplaced Pages etiquette, Misplaced Pages:Writers' rules of engagement, Misplaced Pages:Civility, Dispute resolution.

Other policies and guidelines

Links to various policies can be found in the following categories:

Procedural questions

How are policies decided?

Most Misplaced Pages policy was formulated in the early days of the project, generally prior to the end of 2002. Changes and additions are made by consensus, though in practice consensus on policy changes is extremely difficult to achieve. In many cases policy has developed informally; written policies usually codify longstanding tradition. A select few important policies are not decided by community consensus, but imposed by Jimbo, the Board, or the Developers - in particular, anything related to copyright, legal issues, or server load. Policies are only rarely established (or amended) through voting. Discussion is preferred.

Proposed and rejected policies are in these categories:

See also Misplaced Pages:How to create policy.

How are policies enforced?

You are a Misplaced Pages editor. Misplaced Pages lacks an editor-in-chief or a central, top-down mechanism whereby the day-to-day progress on the encyclopedia is monitored and approved. Instead, active participants make copyedits and corrections to the content and format problems they see. So the participants are both writers and editors.

Most policies and guidelines are thus enforced by individual users editing pages, and discussing matters with each other. Some policies are also enforced by temporary blocks (notably as a mechanism for dealing with vandalism) by Administrators. In extreme cases the Arbitration Committee may make a ruling to deal with highly disruptive situations, as part of the general dispute resolution procedure.

Restricted features

Some features of the software which could potentially be misused, such as deleting pages and locking pages from editing, are restricted to Administrators, who are experienced and trusted members of the community. Policies particularly relevant to Administrators include:

Types of guidelines

In addition to the generally accepted policies listed above, the following guidelines have been suggested by various participants:

General guidelines

For other useful tips, see avoiding common mistakes.

Behavior guidelines

Content guidelines

Style guidelines

Guidelines regarding grouping techniques for articles

Other essays and discussions about Misplaced Pages

See also

Categories:
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