Help:Contents
To start, click on what you need assistance with below, or search all the help pages using the search box to the right. Or browse the Help menu or the Help directory.
Read or find an article
The Readers' FAQ and our about page contain the most commonly sought information about Wikipedia.
For simple searches, there is a search box at the top of every page. Type what you are looking for in the box. Partial matches will appear in a dropdown list. Select any page in the list to go to that page. Or, select the magnifying glass "Go" button, or press ↵ Enter, to go to a full search result. For advanced searches, see Help:Searching.
There are other ways to browse and explore Wikipedia articles; many can be found at Portal:Contents. Also see our disclaimer for cautions about Wikipedia's limitations.
Edit an article
Contributing is easy: see how to edit a page. For a quick summary on participating, see contributing to Wikipedia. For a listing of introductions and tutorials by topic, see getting started. Or play the Wikipedia Adventure to learn to edit in an hour. The Cheatsheet can remind you of basic wiki markup.
Be bold in improving articles! When adding facts, please provide references so others may verify them. If you are affiliated with the article subject, please see our conflict of interest guideline.
If you're looking for places you can help out, the community portal is the place to go. You can practice editing and experiment in a sandbox.
Report a problem with an article
If there is a problem with an article about yourself, a family member, a friend or a colleague, please read Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons/Help and, if necessary, add a discussion to the biographies of living persons noticeboard.
If you spot a problem with an article, you can fix it directly, by clicking on the "Edit" link at the beginning of that page. See the "edit an article" section of this page for more information.
If you don't feel ready to fix the article yourself, please post a message on the article's talk page. This will bring the matter to the attention of others who work on that article. There is a "Talk" link at the beginning of every article page.
Alternatively you can contact us. If it's an article about you or your organization, see Contact us – Subjects.
Create a new article or upload media
Check Your first article to see if your topic is appropriate, then the Article wizard will walk you through creating the article.
Once you have created an article, see Writing better articles for guidance on how to improve it and what to include (like reference citations).
For contributing images, audio or video files, see the Introduction to uploading images. Then the Upload wizard will guide you through that process.
Factual questions
If searching Wikipedia has not answered your question (for example, questions like "Which country has the world's largest fishing fleet?"), try the Reference Desk. Volunteers there will attempt to answer your questions on any topic, or point you towards the information you need.
Stuck?
For your convenience, answers have been recorded for the most frequently asked questions.
You can find also where to ask questions or make comments.
You can ask questions about using Wikipedia at the Help desk or at the Teahouse. Volunteers will respond as soon as possible.
Or and a volunteer will visit you there!
You can get live help with editing in the help chatroom.
For help with technical issues, ask at Village pump (technical)
Directories
- Directory: main list of directories and indexes.
- Help directory: for informative, instructional and consultation pages.
- Request directory: for services and assistance that can be requested on Wikipedia.
- Tips library: where you can digest how to use Wikipedia in bite-sized morsels.
- Editor's index: for everything an editor needs to know to work on Wikipedia.
Protocols and conventions
- Policy directory: official policies for "English Wikipedia"
- Guideline directory: official guidelines for "English Wikipedia"
- Manual of Style directory: pages related to the style manual of Wikipedia articles.
- Department directory: for the different divisions of Wikipedia.
- Essay directory: for Wikipedia namespace essays.
- Dashboard: for current discussions taking place throughout Wikipedia.
- WikiProject directory: for people who want to work together as a team to improve Wikipedia.
Terms
- Glossary: for Wikipedia jargon, with definitions.
- Abbreviations: for various pages, processes, policies, and proposals.
Help by topic
- Help Menu: for searching by subject matter.
- Navigating Wikipedia: for searching and browsing the encyclopedia.
- Joining Wikipedia: how to get involved.
- Editing Wikipedia: has general help for editors.
- Links and references: has help for creating links, or dealing with references
- Images and media: how to use images, videos and sound files
- Keeping track of changes: how to track the evolution of a page, or follow a user.
- Policies and guidelines: for community standards.
- Asking questions: volunteers will attempt to answer.
- The Wikipedia community: how to submit or debate a proposal.
- Resources and lists: has resources for editors.
- Account settings: has tips and tools for registered users.
- Technical information: has tools for advanced users, and troubleshooting.
- Site map: is the above twelve pages on a single page.
Tip of the day
"Tags" are often used to indicate problems. Some Wikipedia editors object to the practice of tagging instead of fixing, but there is value in pointing out an article's problems. Tagging allows editors to specialize, teaches editors and warns readers about subpar or problematic content. It is better if people solve the problems they encounter themselves, but not everyone may be able to. Editors are sometimes obliged to justify inclusion of tags, such as in the case of Template:POV.
Constructive criticism given in a civil, respectful manner is a vital part in a collaborative project like Wikipedia, and it should be welcomed rather than discouraged. Wikipedia values contributions from everyone—novices and experts alike. It is important to listen to readers who find an article biased, confusing or unconvincing. They might not have the expertise to fix those problems, but the fact that they report them probably means that an article needs improvement.
Ask for help on your talk page
