Help:Menu/Site map

Help:Contents – Site map Displayed below are the pages of the main help menu. For the main help page, see Help:Contents. On this page: Navigating Wikipedia · Joining Wikipedia · Editing Wikipedia · Links · Images and media · Tracking changes · Policies and guidelines · Asking questions · The Wikipedia community · Resources and lists · Account settings and maintenance · Technical information Help Wikipedia Navigating Wikipedia [Edit] What is Wikipedia? A place to learn and share. Develop and explore. Basic navigation Navigation Browsing Wikipedia = scrolling, clicking on links Good starting points: To browse the encyclopedia: Wikipedia:Contents To browse the Wikipedia community: Wikipedia:Department directory To browse help resources: Help:Menu or Help:Contents/Directory Searching   —   type your search term into the search box (at the top right of every page) Go to the search screen   —   clicking on the magnifying glass will get you there too Browse the encyclopedia via the contents navbar: Advanced navigation Advanced browsing Shortcut List of shortcuts Tabbed browsing   —   open multiple links at the same time Tabbed browsing in Firefox Tab Mix Plus   —   add-on for Firefox Tabbed browsing in Opera Advanced searching Search titles with grep Searching Wikipedia with regular expressions (regex) See also Main Page alternatives Featured content Researching with Wikipedia Viewing media Using Wikipedia on your phone Pronouncing words shown in IPA Joining Wikipedia [Edit] Wikipedia is more than just an encyclopedia. It is a world-wide community of people who volunteer their time and share knowledge in order to make the world a better place. You are welcome to join us in this important mission... Getting an account Why create an account? (to get more privileges and to make communication easier) Choosing a username How to log in Teamwork Who writes Wikipedia? (Anyone with Internet access) We are Wikipedians Talk pages  — how to communicate in Wikipedia WikiProjects — collaborate with others to develop your favorite subject areas Quick directory/Department directory Getting started Just go for it! — the easiest and fastest way to get involved is to click on the edit tab at the top of an article that interests you, and improve the article in the editor that appears. Keep in mind... The Five Pillars  (the core rules) Tutorials Main tutorial — will help anyone become a Wikipedia contributor. Editing — almost every page has an "Edit" tab. Formatting — the basics on coding. Links — the basics on internal links. Sources — the basics on adding references. Talk pages — the basics on how to communicate with others. Policies — there are some things to keep in mind when editing Wikipedia. Registration — registering a username is optional, but encouraged. Graphics — the basics on how to use graphics. Images — the basics on how to use images. IRC (live chat) — to access the freenode IRC servers, follow the directions here. {{tutorials}} — place this on your user page to display a navigation box with helpful links Overviews Plain and simple — the basic mechanics of Wikipedia Primer for newcomers — an overview for new contributors Advice for parents Where to next? For comprehensive help, see The Missing Manual and the Help directory If you wish to express an opinion or make a comment, Where to ask questions will point you in the correct direction. If you're looking for things to edit, the Community portal has lists of open tasks, or you can join a subject-specific WikiProject. If you would like to create a new article, Starting an article will explain how to create a new page, with tips for success and a link to Wikipedia's Article Wizard, which can guide you through the process of submitting a new article to Wikipedia. Editing Wikipedia [Edit] Basic editing If you can't find what you're looking for on this page, you can ask questions at the Help desk or at the Teahouse. Volunteers will respond as soon as possible. Be bold! Introductory tutorial Contributing to Wikipedia How to edit a page Experiment in the sandbox Show preview to review your edits before you save Editing sections Creating links Making categories Saving your edits "Show preview"   —   always use this to avoid errors Edit summary   —   please explain your edits Minor edits   —   check this for typos and small corrections Edit conflict   —   what to do when another editor changes the page while you're editing it How to write an article Starting an article Article Wizard Name a page Naming conventions in general Full list of specific naming conventions Your first article Article development (advanced editing) Layout The perfect article Writing better articles Editing shortcuts Contributing to articles outside your native language Editing with a text editor Special page types Disambiguation pages Creating subpages Style and formatting Wikipedia's Manual of Style Article size Categorization Citing sources Article components Lists Tables Redirects Infoboxes Using templates Creating templates List of templates Modules, an advanced form of templates Pictures and videos Mathematical formulas Hatnotes Footnotes and references Wiki markup Cheatsheet "Magic words" Variables Valid HTML codes in wikitext Easy timeline syntax Article standards Biographies of living persons Citing sources Copyrights Editing External links Image use Using redirects Include only verifiable information Deletion Manual of Style Neutral point of view What Wikipedia is not Article maintenance Use talk pages (discussion pages) Archive a talk page Tagging pages for problems Merge two or more pages Move or rename a page Requested moves Delete pages/images/categories Stub articles List of stub types Revert a page to an earlier version Dealing with vandalism Protect and unprotect pages (Administrators only) Link together Wikipedia articles in different languages Link words in articles to Wikimedia sister projects Use page names Use namespaces Use headings as anchors to link to Do a purge Test edits and other things See also Tips on editing Simplified ruleset — Essential information to understand when editing articles (for new editors) Category:Wikipedia information pages and Category:Wikipedia how-to Links and references [Edit] Links Help:Link Types of links Category link Dates External link Internal link InterLanguage link InterWiki link ISBN, PMID and RFC Piped link Self link Guidance Wikipedia:Linking Wikipedia:Embedded list Wikipedia:Template messages/Links References How | Why | What is a reliable source?, info on citing sources Category:Wikipedia resources for researchers Wikipedia:Public domain resources Wikipedia:WikiProject Resource Exchange Wikipedia:Example requests for permission Wikipedia:Citation tools Images and media [Edit] Overview of images Creation and usage of media files Upload an image to Commons (preferred) or to English Wikipedia. Find Finding images tutorial Requested pictures Graphics Lab Image copyright tags Help File description pages How to upload files to Wikipedia Images and other uploaded files Preparing images for upload Visual file markup How to insert and use pictures in Wikipedia articles Use the Extended image syntax to place an image in an article Sound file markup Graphics tutorials How to request images or media for deletion Category:Wikipedia image help Media copyright questions Policy and guidelines Image use policy Guide to captions Guide to use of logos Guide to use of alternative text for images Other Featured pictures Featured picture candidates Public domain image resources Wikipedia:Requesting copyright permission Wikipedia:Example requests for permission Wikipedia:Moving images to the Commons Category:Wikipedia images Keeping track of changes [Edit] Tracking with the Wikipedia interface Edit summary Minor edit Recent changes (and the recent changes patrol) Enhanced recent changes Page history User contributions pages Talk pages Recent changes page Patrolling the recent changes Watching pages Public watchlists Related changes page Using "What links here" Diff pages Keyboard shortcuts Special pages Vandalism Reverting a page to undo vandalism (and the Three-revert rule) Reporting vandalism to administrators (urgent cases only) How and when to report to administrators Current vandalism Persistent vandals The Counter Vandalism Unit Most vandalized pages Don't provoke the vandals! Fighting vandalism Policies and guidelines [Edit] The principles which the policies and guidelines are based on Five pillars — statement of our principles Jimbo's statement — historic principles Simplified ruleset — synopsis of our conventions Wikimedia principles — common to all projects Principles — other essays on Wikipedia's principles Tutorial on policies Introduction to policies and guidelines —  a quick introduction to the major policies and guidelines for very new users. General policies Consensus Dispute resolution Editing policy Ignore all rules What Wikipedia is not Procedural policies Policies & guidelines — how policies and guidelines should be developed and maintained. Mediation Bot policy Content policies and guidelines Core content policies Neutral point of view No original research Verifiability Other content policies Article titles Biographies of living persons Deletion Image use Content guidelines Citing sources Disambiguation Do not create hoaxes Do not include copies of primary sources Identifying reliable sources Notability Patent nonsense Behavioural policies and guidelines Behavioural policies Civility Child protection Incivility is not tolerated Edit warring Harassment Legal threats Personal attacks Ownership of content Sock puppetry Behavioural guidelines Assume good faith Conflict of interest Do not disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point Etiquette Gaming the system Please do not bite the newcomers Editing policies and guidelines Editing policies Editing policy Editing guidelines Be bold Article size Hatnotes Signatures Subpages Talk page guidelines User pages Vandalism WikiProjects Style and formatting conventions Manual of Style Contents Accessibility Dates and numbers Images Layout Lead section Linking Lists Classification guidelines Categories, lists, and navigation templates Categorization Template namespace See also List of policies and guidelines — a list of principle policies and guidelines. List of policies — a comprehensive descriptive directory of policies. List of guidelines — a comprehensive descriptive directory of guidelines. Manual of Style contents — a comprehensive descriptive directory of the pages which make up the Manual of Style. Related essays Simplified rule-set — some basic aspect of Wikipedia norms and practices. Eight rules for editing  —  if you start out by following these simple rules, the rest should come naturally. Ten rules for editing  — Wikipedia can be daunting, but here we provide tips to make editing smoother. Trifecta — ultra fast overview of foundational principles related to policies and guidelines. The rules are principles — policies and guidelines exist as rough approximations of their underlying principles. Wikimedia Foundation policies List of policies Licensing and copyright Privacy Values Asking questions [Edit] First check these lists of frequently asked questions FAQ main page   —   questions about using and contributing. Administration   —   answers some questions related to Administrators. Article subjects   —   what to do about specific articles. Categories   —   about using Wikipedia's categories. Contributing   —   answers to questions commonly asked by contributors. Copyright   —   four most commonly asked questions about copyright. Editing   —   answers the most common questions about editing. Forking   —   how do I download and use Wikipedia content? IRC (live chat)   —   about "chat rooms" – real-time discussions. Organizations   —   editing without displaying a conflict of interest. Problems   —   solving problems you may encounter when browsing or editing. Readers   —   addresses concerns and questions readers may have. Schools   —   questions that teachers, librarians and administrators might have. Technical   —   answers some questions related to the technical workings of the site. (Miscellaneous)   —   questions that do not fit into any of above sections. If you can't find your question, then it's time to ask someone... Where to ask questions Where to ask factual questions Reference desk   —   volunteers will attempt to answer any factual question you may have. They are organized into the following subject areas: Computing Entertainment Language Humanities Mathematics Science Miscellaneous Where to ask help-related questions Help desk   —   the volunteers here will help you with Wikipedia-related questions. Wikipedia:Questions   —   another help page Wikipedia:Teahouse   —   friendly place for new editors to become accustomed to Wikipedia culture, ask questions, and develop community relationships. Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)   —   the place to ask technical questions about Wikipedia and all related technology. Wikipedia:Media copyright questions   —   about images, audio files, and other media. {{Help me}}   —   write a question or request on your user talk page, and place {{Help me}} with it, and someone will be by shortly to help you on it. Live help   —   ask other editors questions in real time in a Wikipedia chat room. See also Adopt-a-user   —   new users can find mentors here. Mentors are dedicated to answering questions and teaching. Questions and comments Requests department   —   for when you need assistance. The Wikipedia community [Edit] The Community Portal Wikipedia department directory Wikipedia quick directory Community support Teahouse - peer support for new editors Harmonious editing club - keep the peace, peacefully Kindness Campaign - spread kindness and recognition of users Adopt-a-User - experienced editors can "adopt" newer editors, helping to mentor them along the way as they learn about Wikipedia Welcoming committee Editor assistance User pages How to report a bug Mailing lists In-person meetings Wikipedians Local Embassy – find a user that speaks your language Babel – Another way to find multi-lingual Wikipedians Surveys Expressing thanks Voting and consensus Feedback by editors, to editors. Featuring an article Featuring lists Featuring pictures Featuring sounds Featuring portals Featuring topics Good articles Peer review Administrator nominations Discussing Deleting pages Deleting articles (full policy) Deleting categories (or a stub type) Deleting templates Deleting files Moving/Merging a page (and how to actually do it) Protecting pages (full policy) Resolving disputes Stay cool! Be nice to newcomers Alert others Dispute resolution Arbitration policy Keeping informed: News Community Portal – Bulletin board collaborations and updates – Wikipedia's hub of activity. The Signpost – Wikipedia's newspaper Wikipedia in the media Wikipedia milestone announcements Wikizine – news letter about the Wikimedia projects Press releases Stats Milestones Regional notice boards Goings-on Dashboard Administrators Administrator nominations List of administrators Administration FAQ Administrator's reading list Bureaucrats Elections Meta Fix cut & paste moves Page protection Wikipedian culture Wikipedians: the people who contribute to Wikipedia List of Wikipedians WikiProjects: where people interested in specific topics work together List of WikiProjects WikiProjects category Collaborations: Wikipedians focusing on one article for a set amount of time List of collaborations Wikipedia essays User essays Wikipedian humor Bad jokes and other deleted nonsense Department of Fun Wikipediholism Unusual articles Editcountitis: a condition that can be fatal Wikipedian games Barnstars Awards programs More about Wikipedia Overview of Wikipedia (All about Wikipedia) Category:Wikipedia Category-based access to pages about Wikipedia Another way to browse help topics Category:Wikipedia how-to (a full list of help topics) The wider community Meta – The site that organizes all Wikimedia projects. Resources and lists [Edit] List of wiki markup Categories General information Resource Description Wikipedia:Categorization Introduction to categorization. Wikipedia:Naming conventions (categories) Discusses naming conventions for categories. Wikipedia:Categories, lists, and navigation templates Discusses the three different ways to group and organize articles. WikiProject Categories-related pages /uncategorized Taskforce page for categorizing and patrolling for uncategorized articles. Category:Wikipedia categorization Category page listing our project pages. Wikipedia:WikiProject Categories/Current subprojects WikiProject Categories subprojects. Category:WikiProjects Category page containing list of WikiProjects and helpful resources. Category:Category needed Category containing articles that need categorization. Category:Uncategorized pages Category containing pages that need categorization. Special:UncategorizedPages Special page for uncategorized pages. Uncategorized Categories Special page for uncategorized categories. Advanced resources Wikimedia stats:Category Overview Index Dumps of the category tree. Wikipedia:Database_reports#Categories Page containing generated reports about categories. Wikipedia:Categories for discussion Where deletion, merging, and renaming of categories is discussed. Miscellaneous Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting Similar WikiProject for stubs. Wikipedia:Contents Browse Wikipedia's contents. Wikipedia:Contents/Overviews Browse Wikipedia's contents overviews. Wikipedia:Categories are different from articles Wikipedia:Categories vs lists Wikipedia:Categorising fiction Wikipedia:Do not write articles using categories Wikipedia:Overcategorization/Intersection of location and occupation User:Alan Liefting/Essays/On categorisation Lists General Wikipedia:Categories, lists, and navigation templates Wikipedia:Lists Wikipedia:Lists (stand-alone lists) Wikipedia:Embedded list Wikipedia:Manual of Style (lists of works) Wikipedia:Naming conventions (long lists) Wikipedia:Notability (organizations and companies) Wikipedia:Pro and con lists Help Help:List Help:Table. External links section has free HTML-to-wiki converters. User:Hyacinth/How to use tables Wikipedia:When to use tables Help:Sorting. All about automatic sorting of table rows. Rejected proposals Wikipedia:Overlistification Wikipedia:Proposed guideline for lists of people by ethnicity, religion, and other cultural categorizations Essays Wikipedia:Lists in Wikipedia Wikipedia:Listcruft Wikipedia:Write the Article First - one solution to cruft-y red links in lists Creating A Better List - A User Essay Wikipedia:Lists within articles Stubs List of stub types How to name stubs Guide to stubbing Infoboxes List of infoboxes List of templates used in infoboxes Templates List of templates List of navigational templates List of citation templates Wikiprojects & article series List of WikiProjects Creating a WikiProject List of article series Shortcuts & "magic words" List of shortcuts List of "magic words" - Magic words can be used to automate text or change the display of pages. Other resources Cleanup resources List of Resources for researchers Public domain resources Wikipedia:Free online resources Wikipedia:Free or semi-free non-Public-Domain information resources Wikipedia:Public domain image resources Wikipedia:Free sound resources WikiProject Resource Exchange Web Browser tools - Tools for your Web browser Web colors Administration Mailing lists List of protected pages Links to disambiguating pages List of controversial issues Administrators List of administrators Requests for administrator attention Copyright Sample letters requesting content be made available to Wikipedia Sample letters for violations of Wikipedia's licence (GFDL) New user greetings Standard user greeting Welcome templates Essays Account settings [Edit] Customize your Wikipedia experience Change your preferences Change your signature Change your username Confirm your email address Delete your account Log in (troubleshooting) User page help User page design Customizing your display with CSS (advanced web design knowledge required) Technical information [Edit] Tools to make Wikipedia work better. Catalogue of CSS classes used on the English Wikipedia Editing articles of such length that you can't edit them The MediaWiki software MediaWiki User hub – help with installation and configuration of the MediaWiki software that runs Wikipedia, for those looking to set up their own wiki. MediaWiki User's Guide – help with general use of the MediaWiki software that runs Wikipedia Wikipedia:Village pump (technical) Requests and bug reports Browser notes Bots Download Wikipedia content – how to download Wikipedia and Wikimedia content Export page(s) in XML Computer help desk – Help with computers and software generally (i.e. not related to Wikipedia) See also: Category:Wikipedia information pages and Category:Wikipedia how-to

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