User:Anon126/Guide for contributors with close connections/Principles

Introduction What is this guide? Conflicts of interest What is a close connection? A conflict of interest? Principles What Wikipedia is, and is not First steps Before you start editing New article How to write a new article about your subject Existing article What to do about an existing article on your subject Sourcing How to provide information on Wikipedia Copyright Avoiding copyright mishaps Copyright for text Copyright policies for text Copyright for images Copyright policies for images Linking What links we like (and don't like) Getting help Have any more questions?

Understanding Wikipedia's principles is important to avoiding a conflict of interest, because the principles define what improves, and does not improve, Wikipedia. In terms of close connections, the most important principle is: Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. So what does that mean? It means that Wikipedia should provide accurate and unbiased information. "Unbiased" means that promotion is not allowed. Promotion on Wikipedia means promoting any particular viewpoint. This includes: Advertising (which promotes a positive viewpoint about a certain organizations goods/services) Advocacy (which promotes a viewpoint by definition) Attacks (which promote a negative viewpoint about something) "Accurate" means that all information must come from reliable sources. Common examples of reliable sources are newspapers, books, magazines, and some websites. We'll return to the rules about sources later in this guide. Next >>