Wikipedia:Help desk

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The help desk is currently semi-protected, meaning it cannot be edited by unregistered users (IP addresses), as well as accounts that are not confirmed or autoconfirmed (accounts that are at least 4 days old with at least 10 edits on English Wikipedia).

However, you can still get direct assistance on your talk page. ; a volunteer will visit you there shortly!

There are currently 0 user(s) asking for help via the {{Help me}} template:

Reading Talk pages on mobile device

I’m often reading Wikipedia pages using my mobile device. Occasionally I find a User Talk page with a long sequence of posts such that the most recent posts occupy a narrow strip down the right-hand side of the screen. Sometimes this strip is so narrow that each line holds only one or two words!

How do I adjust a Talk page to make it easily readable using my mobile device? Dolphin (t) 08:05, 24 July 2025 (UTC)

@Dolphin51 you mean because people keep infinitely indenting their replies instead of doing an outdent at some point ? There unfortunately isn't really a good way to deal with that. —TheDJ (talk • contribs) 08:13, 24 July 2025 (UTC)

@Dolphin51 You can try the desktop view. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 10:37, 24 July 2025 (UTC)

@Dolphin51: You can reduce indentation of all posts in mobile with this in Special:MyPage/minerva.css:

dl dd {margin-left: 0.5em !important;}

You can also set it to 0em or another value. The default is 1em. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:06, 24 July 2025 (UTC)

When that happens to me, I'm usually holding my phone in portrait mode. If I flip it a half-turn to landscape, it usually makes it easier to read. Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 18:46, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Page Back

How to apply for removed page back? 103.99.250.216 (talk) 03:12, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

What page are you looking for? See WP:REFUND and WP:DRV. Ahri Boy (talk) 03:56, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Hide and Show table

 Courtesy link: BK VEF Rīga

Is it possible to hide the existing table and leave only the title? Mc krams (talk) 07:20, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

@Mc krams: MOS:DONTHIDE says that's not a good idea. Bazza 7 (talk) 08:12, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

I'll explain why:

I want to hide the 2024 basketball team roster and create a new 2025 roster. It would be nice if the historical rosters remained hidden. Mc krams (talk) 08:23, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

@Mc krams: So create the new roster above the 2024 one. You could place both in a section titled "Rosters", with subsections "2025 roster" and "2024 roster" inside it. There seems to be a lack of reliable sources for the information you are describing; please remember to supply some for any new information you add. Bazza 7 (talk) 13:12, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Good idea, thank you! Done. Mc krams (talk) 13:57, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Ngerekebesang (village)

This probably shouldn’t be here, but can anyone create a Wikipedia article for Ngerekebesang (village) please? It is a village on Ngerekebesang Island, along with Meyuns and Echang. Can someone do this? Palauan Wikipedian (talk) 09:23, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Hello, @Palauan Wikipedian.

The place to ask for an article to be created is Requested articles; but in all honesty, the chance of anybody picking up a request there is small.

It is possible that you will have more luck if you ask at WT:WikiProject Palau, or WT:WikiProject Micronesia; but I see that both those projects are said to be inactive, so I don't know whether anybody will see a request there.

Generally, the best way to get an article written is to write it yourself; but My earnest advice to new editors is to not even think about trying to create an article until you have spent several weeks - at least - learning about how Wikipedia works by making improvements to existing articles. Once you have understood core policies such as verifiability, neutral point of view, reliable, independent sources, and notability, and experienced how we handle disagreements with other editors (the Bold, Revert, Discuss cycle), then you might be ready to read your first article carefully, and try creating a draft. If you don't follow this advice but try to create an article without this preparation, you are likely to have a frustrating and disappointing experience with Wikipedia. ColinFine (talk) 15:02, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

@Palauan Wikipedian The current article on Echang is very limited in scope. Wikipedia allows it because the relevant advice about notability of settlements is is WP:GEOLAND, which is not very demanding. A recent essay on the notability of settlements, at WP:SETTLETHRESH, makes what I think is a good suggestion. Once you have built up some experience editing, you should find it fairly easy to create a draft for the village. The alternative would be to add information about it to the existing article Ngerekebesang, citing whatever reliable sources you have. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:47, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Making a Wikipedia page for my recently deceased husband

Hello, I have had a Wikipedia page for many decades..I didn't set it up and actually I don't know who did but it seems to be automatically added to by 'someone'! My husband, Julian Spear, recently tragically killed, is a well known PR guy in the music industry and I would like to make a page for him, or have someone else help me to do it as I'm not great at this kind of thing - can you advice me please? Carol Royle (talk) 10:40, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Hello. I am sorry to hear about the loss of your husband. I intend the following comments to be as gentle as possible and in no way want to diminish his loss.

The presence of a Wikipedia article(not a "page") isn't intended to memorialize someone, but to summarize what independent reliable sources with significant coverage have chosen on their own to say about the topic, showing how it is notable as Wikipedia uses the word- such as a notable person or a notable creative professional more narrowly. As you have already surmised, that is difficult for someone with a conflict of interest to do- as it requires that they set aside everything they know about the topic and only summarize what others say about it. Our articles are typically written by independent editors wholly unconnected with the topic(this is why you were unaware about the article about you being created- the subject cannot grant or deny permission).

The presence of an article is not necessarily a good thing- there are good reasons to not want one for your husband. Any article about him would need to include publicly reported details of his death, which- if it were me- I would find upsetting to read over and over.

My gentle advice is that you not worry about this right now and allow an article to organically develop the usual way- when an independent editor takes note of coverage of your husband and chooses on their own to write about them. There is a place to ask that an article be created- but it is backlogged to the point of uselessness and no one will likely even see your request, much less act on it. If you still wish to see this done, you would need to do it yourself via the Article Wizard, which will still be challenging.

I will lastly advise you that now that you have publicly stated you want to see an article created, you may be approached by scammers- please see WP:SCAM. 331dot (talk) 10:50, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Adding an image

I want to add a new image to a post made by someone else. How can I do that?

Having difficulties adding anew picture. Erikmausratz (talk) 16:16, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Are you asking about uploading an image you (or someone else) took, or about adding an image that is already on Wikimedia Commons to the article?

Help:Images has the basics, but we can't advise further without knowing what you mean. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:49, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Page not listing on Google

The Wiki page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Fred_Bendheim is not showing up on Google. Can you tell me why and how to fix? thanks! Bodhitree3 (talk) 18:12, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk pages are not generally indexed by google. If you mean the article Fred Bendheim itself rather than its talk page, then pages remain unindexed for up to 90 days until WP:New page patrol approves them, so all you can do is wait. * Pppery * _{it has begun...} 18:15, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

thank you Bodhitree3 (talk) 18:23, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Probably mistaken

Yesterday, I got a talk page message saying that I might be engaged in paid editing, even though I am not. On the same day, I got another message saying that I rejected an article for being short. I don't reject articles, and I don't really talk on AFD discussions. I only really tried two proposed deletions. I think these 2 messages belong to someone else. I also don't want to accuse them of it to assume good faith :) ~Rafael! (He, him) • talk • guestbook • projects 20:12, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

@Rafaelthegreat: the two messages you mention are from admins. If you don't know what articles they are talking about, I would suggest you ask them. Helpers here might be able to do some research and guess, but we might guess wrong. TSventon (talk) 20:55, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Well, I messaged both of them. ~Rafael! (He, him) • talk • guestbook • projects 21:34, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

I suspect the message about you commenting on an article being short was not a mistake, but was in relation to this comment. I do not participate in AfD enough myself to know if your comment was unhelpful. -- NotCharizard ^🗨 23:02, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

@Rafaelthegreat sorry, I forgot to @ you in my original reply. -- NotCharizard ^🗨 23:03, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

Sorry, I forgot that. I also wrote that as a minor. ~Rafael! (He, him) • talk • guestbook • projects 00:03, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Rafaelthegreat, My guess is that the "paid editing concerns" may relate to articles that you created, which had been deleted before and were deleted again, i.e. Seez (company) (2 previous deletions) and SiGMA Group (3 previous deletions). TSventon (talk) 00:11, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Sourcing for coordinates

I'm working on adding references to a lot of articles about meridians, mainly using books as sources. However, I looked at the featured list about India's extreme points and saw Google Maps as a source. I also came across the Google Maps listing on WP:RSPS, which states that Google Maps is a reliable source for coordinates and that references are not usually required for geographic coordinates.

Can Google Maps alone be used as a source for such articles (ex. 176th meridian west, 123rd meridian west, etc.)? Or, do these articles need sources at all? OfTheUsername (talk) 22:51, 25 July 2025 (UTC)

They would need other sources to demonstrate notability, because Google Maps does not provide the significant coverage required by our "golden rule". Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:25, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

So, effectively, almost all the articles about meridians would fail notability? They are countlessly included in maps and reference books, but they are never the main subject of those works. OfTheUsername (talk) 15:23, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

"Significant coverage" does not require a topic to be "the main subject" of a work. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:28, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Cani delete a userpage

A userpage has only 42 edits with only 15 mainspace edits. Can it be deleted under WP:U5 criteria ? Parker (talk) 07:48, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

15 main space edits would not prevent a U5 deletion, assuming that the user page really is unrelated to Wikipedia. Meters (talk) 07:55, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Please be more upfront about the circumstances, when asking questions here.

This relates to User:Wiki881 which, according to your edit summary when you blanked that page, was your old account, whose password you have lost.

You were told by @Pppery: who declined your speedy request "None of the content of this page (even before the blanking) was U5-eligible. U1 doesn't apply either since we have no proof you're you other than simple forgable say-so. Blanking will have to suffice then" This page is not an appeal court for overturning that decision.

Also, User:Wiki881 last edited in May 2024, but your account was created in 2018. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:34, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Nahuatl Wikipedia

Why is the Nahuatl Wikipedia so empty? Articles on basic information are missing, and new articles are rarely reviewed. Questionadora ávida (talk) 12:05, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

According to the Wikipedia article Nahuatl, the language has around 1.7 million native speakers. This places it at the low end of the scale compared to English, Spanish, Portuguese etc. The Nahuatl Wikipedia is here and it has 4,274 articles, which is obviously on the low side.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 12:50, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

I hope we can improve this soon. Questionadora ávida (talk) 13:02, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

You might find help at the Celtic Knot Conference, held online, which is especially for Wikimedians working in smaller languages. It is on 23 September, this year. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:35, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Contentious topic draft

Hello all! I am currently writing a draft on a library in the Gaza Strip, which is related to the Arab-Israeli conflict as it discusses the library's destruction after Israeli airstrikes and subsequent rebuilding. While I've written articles before, I have never written one on a contentious topic. Most of the advice I can find is about editing existing articles, so I am unsure - do I have to use the Articles for Creation process here even though I am extended-confirmed? Is it best to do it that way even if I do not have to? Thank you so much for any help. -- NotCharizard ^🗨 12:36, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

I don't know whether or not you are required to, but if you do so, ping me and I will publish it for you - it looks fine. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:31, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Template:Family tree scrollable left to right?

I would appreciate help with making Template:Family tree. I have a problem when I add too many people in the same generation. The names become squeezed into multiple lines, and so the tree as a whole becomes taller. See User:Surtsicna/Genealogy for an example. How can I make the tree scrollable left to right instead? Surtsicna (talk) 13:41, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

This is quite specialised. I suggest you ask at WT:WikiProject Genealogy. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:29, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

I doubt they'll know any better than people here. It's not something particular to genealogy or even to Template:Family tree. I've seen images that are too wide for the screen with this horizontal scrolling option. Surtsicna (talk) 15:38, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Try WP:VPT then. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:40, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Transcripts

I need to obtain my transcript Holmestere39 (talk) 16:48, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

@Holmestere39: Even if we had any sort of context, this is not something anyone on Wikipedia can assist with. —Jéské Couriano v^_^v ^{threads critiques} 16:52, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

George Floyd

Why does the page not include any links to the autopsy report? It is a very misleading and biased page that would absolutely misinform anyone who reads it. 24.144.190.152 (talk) 17:30, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

The main purpose of a Wikipedia article is to summarize what independent reliable sources say about the topic, not primary source documents. Murder of George Floyd extensively discusses what independent sources say about the autopsy report. If you feel the sources provided are inaccurately summarized, please detail the errors on Talk:Murder of George Floyd. I would suggest that you review the talk page archives carefully as you aren't the first and won't be the last to ask this question. If the sources are accurately summarized, but you feel they are in error, you will have to take that up with the sources themselves. This is not the forum to relitigate Floyd's murder or engage in original research. You can certainly think that the jury got it wrong, but this isn't the forum to express your disagreement with the verdict or its reporting. 331dot (talk) 17:37, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Delete My Page?

 Courtesy link: Richard Bellis

Is there no way to delete my page merely because I don't want a wikipedia page. I would like to NOT be "notable" Richard Bellis 47.144.35.19 (talk) 17:34, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Hi IP editor. It's a common misconception that you own or can influence the article which is about you. Unfortunately, as an Emmy award winner, Richard Bellis meets our criteria for inclusion ("notability"). qcne (talk) 18:24, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

You might find Wikipedia:About you helpful.

Are there any particular issues with the article? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 20:11, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Putting text in columns?

Hi, is there a way to add columns to a page?

I'm working on this article: Proclamation_of_the_Constitution_Act,_1867, which has a long list of names towards the end.

Is there a way to put those names into two sets of columns, with the first set having the names for Ontario and Quebec in two columns, and followed by the names for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in two columns?

I've tried different formatting codes, but haven't been successful.

Thanks. Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 18:32, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

I think you can look at Help:Columns. Ruslik_Zero 19:05, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, that works. My search skills are obviously poor - I didn't find that page before. Mr Serjeant Buzfuz (talk) 19:28, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Editing -

I need help completing the article. i'm always getting error and i don' know what i am doing Chimenax (talk) 23:44, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

Hi, @. Are you referring to the message on your talk page about a "CS1 error on Timothy Menakaya"?

For help on how to format citations, see Help:Referencing for beginners and Help:Citation Style 1, although there's some more technical material in that last one. Looking at the source for other articles with citations can also help you understand how they are formatted. TheDowningStreetCat (talk) 00:48, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

I think fixed your error: [1] Rockfang (talk) 03:36, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Chimenax, your article tells the reader that its subject founded Menax Hospital. Your username rather resembles this. Are you perhaps related? -- Hoary (talk) 04:48, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Raw CSS displaying when previewing a section of an article

Greetings. When I go to edit and preview this weekly charts section I get some raw CSS that shows up:

| class="col-break col-break-2" |

Any thoughts why this might be? Rockfang (talk) 03:26, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

@Rockfang: There is nothing wrong. When Will I Be Famous?#Charts opens a table with {{col-begin}}. The purpose is to display the two chart tables in two columns of a larger table without borders. The subsection When Will I Be Famous?#Weekly charts adds a table cell with {{col-2}} which produces what the preview shows. When it's processed without the table opening from an earlier section, the cell code (with an initial pipe to start the cell) is rendered instead. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:06, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Roger that. Thank you. Rockfang (talk) 12:04, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Emerald, Victoria

Emerald, Victoria

I have added to the article above this new file: File:"An English House" in Emerald, Vic. Australia, (November 1932, Australian Home Beautiful Magazine).png

Could the new file (an old photo of a house) please be trimmed so that it doesn't include the pages (but please keep the date at the top of the magazine's page and the description below the actual photo) and can the house itself and file be made bigger? Please assist if you can, thank you. Brrowbottom (talk) 03:42, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Yes, Brrowbottom, one can crop an image. I can; you can. (I am however puzzled by your request for the file to "be made bigger".) I remember that under your previous username you asked the same question some years ago, and I explained how to use GIMP for this -- but you showed no interest. DIY with GIMP should be easier for you (let alone for others) than asking (better done here than at this help desk). Here we go: (1) download and install GIMP. Load the file in GIMP. (2) At the top left, click on "Rectangle Select Tool". (3) Using your cursor, select the area that you want to retain. (Err on the side of inclusiveness.) (4) From the menu system: "Image | Crop to selection"). (5) If you're not yet happy with the result, repeat (3) and (4). If at any point you mae a mistake, Ctrl-Z to revert. (6) From the menu system "File | Export as" (I suggest that you don't overwrite the original, and that you choose JPEG as the format, and 86% or so for the quality). (7) When you're happy, Ctrl-W to close. (GIMP will warn you that you haven't saved your work. Click on the option to "Discard".) If you're using a Mac, then not Ctrl-X but instead Command-X. Yes, there are also good alternatives to GIMP. Happy photo editing! -- Hoary (talk) 04:38, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

This is so very difficult to do, but thank you for offering directions.

This website; https://www.gimp.org/downloads/

offers two different platforms and I don't know which one to use . I also get confused - neither website state where to upload the file.

Please advise

Thanks 49.199.154.94 (talk) 06:17, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

I am still trying ( I managed to get onto the GIMP website) but I don't know how or where to download this file https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald,_Victoria#/media/File:%22An_English_House%22_in_Emerald,_Vic._Australia,_(November_1932,_Australian_Home_Beautiful_Magazine).png

I am so embarresed - this is very hard to do 49.199.154.94 (talk) 06:37, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Thank you for asking. Is it for macOS? If so, then somebody here who knows about these matters will tell you how to tell if you need the version for ARM64 (Apple Silicon) or the version for x86_64. Then I recommend BitTorrent if your computer understands this -- but unless you've set it up to do so, it probably won't; so choose "directly". Just download it to wherever macOS suggests (I'd guess a directory/folder named "Downloads"). Instructions: "Just open the downloaded DMG and drag and drop GIMP into your 'Applications' folder." You open the DMG file by double-clicking on it. ¶ You should download the largest version of the file that you want to edit. Download it wherever you like -- just don't forget where. (But don't you already have it on your hard drive?) Once GIMP is installed, right-click the filename and choose GIMP as the "application" (i.e. software) you want to use on it. -- Hoary (talk) 07:27, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

(edit conflict) I have a copy of GIMP installed, and know how to use it to crop images. I could download the image, do the cropping, and then try uploading the cropped version to en:Wikipedia. But I'm concerned that the image is still covered by copyright, and only a low-resolution version would be accepted.

An alternative solution is to leave the image as it is, but to present a cropped version of it in the article. There are instructions for this at [2]. If you also find this hard to do, you can ask me to do it - but please specify how closely you want it cropped. Maproom (talk) 07:39, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Thank you - you are very patient with me! (I have a "MacBook Air") and I am not good at the more technical stuff and often cease editing for a while (having been reprimanded by clever editors)!

Here is the file which should I feel be larger on the Emerald, Victoria page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald,_Victoria#/media/File:%22An_English_House%22_in_Emerald,_Vic._Australia,_(November_1932,_Australian_Home_Beautiful_Magazine).png

The image should be a fair bit bigger - nearly as big as the other photos on this page - so that the house stands out. Also, please crop the flicker of pages seen on the left hand side but leave in the writing at the TOP of the page and the description immediately below the image. It is out of copyright as it is an Australian image form 1932

Thank you again - if you can take over from here, that would be great! 49.199.154.94 (talk) 07:57, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

I've made the image (as diplayed in Emerald, Victoria) larger. That was easy. I just replaced "|thumb|" by "|300px|" in the source of the page. If you change 300 for 360, it will get bigger again.

I thought the use of Gimp would be for cropping the image, not enlarging it. That way, it could just show the house, without the black background, the cover of the book, etc. Would you want it to include the frame, and maybe the caption, as shown in the book? Maproom (talk) 09:56, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

I have done it now. All good Thank you so much for your help 49.199.154.94 (talk) 10:24, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Don't do that. "300px" (or any hard-coded value) can appear smaller, depending on the user's system. Use |upright=1.2 (or some other numeric value), which changes the size proportionally. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 10:43, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

I don't know why you are being told to use GIMP. Commons has its own, relatively easy to use, cropping tool: c:Commons:CropTool. I have now used this to make a cropped version of the image. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:02, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Report

report a child pornography 143.44.157.65 (talk) 08:45, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

See this page for information on how to report inappropriate images of children. 331dot (talk) 09:14, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Embeding an infobox within an infobox

Hi I am looking for embeding a Infobox academic within an Infobox officeholder. I've tried embed = {{infobox academic}} but it doesn't render the latter. Xpander (talk) 12:49, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

@Xpander1: That's not how it works. See Template:Infobox officeholder#Embedding other templates, and come back with a link to your attempted code if you still have problems. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:40, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Thanks. It works pretty well. @PrimeHunter Xpander (talk) 12:08, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Genyk Lyubov Yaroslavivna

I am Genyk Lyubov Yaroslavivna, PhD in Ukraine. Todei work in Europe. I want neu artice to download it to the English wersion of Wikipedia. 2A00:1028:8398:49F6:10A1:B6A5:734:790A (talk) 14:49, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

It's not clear what you are asking for. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:06, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Genyk Lyubov Yaroslavivna did have an article on the Ukrainian language Wikipedia but it was deleted today. As for having an article here on the English Wikipedia, see Your first article.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 16:26, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Hello, Genyk.

My earnest advice to new editors is to not even think about trying to create an article until you have spent several weeks - at least - learning about how Wikipedia works by making improvements to existing articles. Once you have understood core policies such as verifiability, neutral point of view, reliable, independent sources, and notability, and experienced how we handle disagreements with other editors (the Bold, Revert, Discuss cycle), then you might be ready to read your first article carefully, and try creating a draft. If you don't follow this advice but try to create an article without this preparation, you are likely to have a frustrating and disappointing experience with Wikipedia.

Writing an article about yourself is even harder, and is strongly discouraged: see autobiography.

Most people (even with PhDs) do not meet English Wikipedia's criteria for notability and so unless you can find the necessary independent, reliable sources it is a total waste of everybody's time to try and write an article. ColinFine (talk) 17:01, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Article reprinted in book -- different dates, different translators

I'm trying to wikify the following citation (from this article):

Freire, P. (1969) Extension y Comunicacion, translated by Louise Bigwood & Margaret Marshall and re-printed in 'Education: The Practice of Freedom' (1976), Writers and Readers Publishing Cooperative.

So far I have this:

{{Citation  |last=Freire  |first=P.  |orig-year=1969
|chapter=Extension y Comunicacion
|translator-last1=Bigwood  |translator-first1=Louise
|translator-last2=Marshall  |translator-first2=Margaret
|title=Education: The Practice of Freedom  |date=1976
|publisher=Writers and Readers Publishing Cooperative  |publication-place=London, UK }}

which renders as "Freire, P. (1976) [1969], "Extension y Comunicacion", Education: The Practice of Freedom, translated by Bigwood, Louise; Marshall, Margaret, London, UK: Writers and Readers Publishing Cooperative". That's almost correct, but for two problems:

1. It implies that Bigwood and Marshall translated the whole book, not just the article.
2. It makes it look like the entire book was printed in 1969 and reprinted in 1976, when in fact the article was printed in 1969 (I'm not sure where -- haven't been able to track down the source) and reprinted in the book when it was first published in 1976.

Any idea how to fix those? {{Cite book}} and {{Citation}} won't accept the |book-title parameter from {{Cite journal}}, but the latter demands a journal-title parameter that I don't have.
-- Photosynthetic430 ❧ 16:59, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

|book-title= is only supported by {{cite conference}}. Where did you see anywhere that |book-title= is supported by {{cite journal}}? That mention needs to be fixed.

If the original article was translated by someone other than Bigwood & Marshall, how can the article be called a reprint? The different translators make it a different article. WP:SAYWHEREYOUREADIT applies; cite the source that you consulted.

—Trappist the monk (talk) 17:40, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Apology

Dear Wikipedia Community,

Nice to meet you. Noam, 33 years old, from Israel.

I was born with a neurodevelopmental disorder called Asperger Syndrome(today known as High Functioning Autism). Because of this, I might appear harsh at times or become rude or easily angry. I'd like to say sorry for being rude to some Wikipedia members / users and I hope you accept the apology.

With that, I have a few questions,

1. I hve sources for the delirium article, but an error popped up, how do I contact technical support?
2. do you accept my apology
3. do you need something from me now, or I can just continue editing normally?
4. how do I add sources with "blank" error while trying to add it?

. Noamatadgy (talk) 19:19, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Hi, thank you for apologising here, I would suggest that you also apologise at Talk:Delirium to the user you were talking to there and possibly reply on your talk page to say you have apologised. I recommend reading Wikipedia:Civility, to see what is expected here, but generally avoiding rudeness is a good starting point.

I am not sure what adding sources with "blank" error means, can you do the edit and revert it so we can see what the problem is? TSventon (talk) 19:52, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

the error sometimes appears and sometimes not, but i will try to take a screenshot. Noamatadgy (talk) 19:53, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

I have added title and website fields to your reference at The Rock of Tanios, I don't know whether that was the same problem? TSventon (talk) 21:00, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

the error appear at all articles i try to edit, but randomly..... now it stopped. Noamatadgy (talk) 21:03, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Moves

WP:RM/T

Am I allowed to perform moves requested there if I think they are not controversial, even though I am not an admin? Justjourney (talk | contribs) 21:18, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Justjourney Edits at WP:RM/T will mostly require Wikipedia:Page mover or admin permission, so you could look into becoming a page mover. That requires a minimum of 3,000 edits, so you are not yet eligible. TSventon (talk) 21:55, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

@TSventon How about the requests there that don't require such permissions, such as moving a page onto a redirect with no prior page history? Justjourney (talk | contribs) 22:05, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

(such as this one) Justjourney (talk | contribs) 22:09, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

That wasn't over a redirect, that was into an unoccupied title. Theoretically you could do that, though for redirects with history or pointing to a different page than the one you're moving will require page movers. — Tenshi! (Talk page) 23:22, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

@Justjourney - in your history on Wikipedia you have only commented on two move discussions so far, so I would be concerned with your understanding of what is truly a "non-controversial move" looks like. Until you've participated in a many more move disucssions and see the rational provided by the closer, it is difficult to really understand how controversial a given move might be. I think on average over 30% of all technical moves are rejected for controversial or other policy based reasons, and you should have more experience participating over at WP:RM in general. TiggerJay (talk) 05:47, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Help linking old account with new one

I lost access to my previous account which I've had for many years because the email that was associated with that account is so old that I no longer have accesss to it. When Wikipedia logged me out of my account and wanted me to verify my account they sent the verification to the old, "dead" email address which I can't get into anymore. I had to start a new account on Wikipedia. How do I get all of my previous edits and info linked back to my new account? FourLeos (talk) 21:29, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

There is no way to assign the edits under your old account to your new account. The only thing you can do is post on your current user page something to the effect of "i previously was User1234 but lost access", you can post on the user page of your old account a similar statement. 331dot (talk) 21:31, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Thanks...I appreciate the help! FourLeos (talk) 21:55, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

@FourLeos: If you still know the password to the old account then you can probably get access again by mailing ca@wikimedia.org and ask to set a new mail address for the account. Don't reveal the password in the mail. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:53, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Thanks...waiting to hear back from ca@wikimedia.org FourLeos (talk) 00:48, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

@FourLeos: I would like to hear how it ends out. I have given this advice several times in the last months after such verification requests became common. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:00, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

It worked. Trust & Safety helped me get back into my old account. I suggest people reach outreach to them if they encounter this same problem. Kedesk (talk) 21:05, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

@Kedesk: Thanks for the update. Until recently, the usual login problem was that users forgot their password. We told them they had to abandon the account if it didn't have a working mail address. I'm glad it worked out better for you. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:54, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

I want to correct misinformation but I am not yet a subscriber

What do I have to do 1. to join and then to log in 2. To edit incorrect information 94.228.11.121 (talk) 22:08, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Even though it's recommended, you don't need to log in to edit information (as evidenced by this comment, which counts as an edit, posted under an IP address). For how to edit: Help:Tutorial is a good place to start. There are, of course, hundreds of guidelines, policies, and how-to pages that detail the ways in which you should be editing, so feel free to ask if you have any other specific questions. The Five pillars are a general introduction of the overall goal of this project, and it links to many other important guidelines. TheDowningStreetCat (talk) 23:15, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

Hello, IP user. To add to what TheDowningStreetCat said: all information in a Wikipedia article should be verifiable from a reliable published source.

If the information you want to change is cited to what appears to be a reliable source (and that source does verify it), you should not remove or change it, even if you think it is wrong: rather, open a discussion on the article's talk page.

Any information that you wish to add, you should find a published source that verifies it: your own knowledge is not enough (whoever you are).

When you make an edit, it may happen that another editor disagrees in some way, and reverts your edit. This is a normal part of how Wikipedia works: it doesn't mean that you are wrong, or they are wrong, it just means that they disagree that your edit is an improvement. If you are new, this is often because there is some aspect of Wikipedia policies that you don't know yet.

At that point, you might decide that it doesn't matter, or that they are right, and choose to leave it. But if you want to pursue it, the next thing is to open a discussion with the other person, to try and reach consensus with them. See WP:BRD for how this works. ColinFine (talk) 10:35, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

James N. Moore

Contributing an article for Distinguished Professor James N. Moore, Horticulture Dept., University of Arkansas

i have an autobiography to contribute regarding my father, who was a Distinguished Professor at the University of Arkansas Horticulture Department. He created the small fruits program there in 1964 and created the first primacane blackberry. In additioin, his grape cultivar helped create the Cotton Candy grape. How may I contriute this article to Wikipedia? IM2ADHD (talk) 00:10, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

The notability of your father must be demonstrated through significant coverage in reliable and independent sources (see WP:42). It is strongly discouraged to write about someone connected to you, and you must disclose it. In general, if the subject is notable an article will develop naturally over time. If you still think you can create this article, read Help:Your first article and use the article wizard, though I wouldn't recommend beginning this article right away, as per my previous comments. TheDowningStreetCat (talk) 01:21, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

My translation not showing in list

My new Macedonian translation of Esperance, Western Australia (here) isn’t showing up in the lost of languages the page is translated into. Why, and how to fix? HtialilwW (talk) 03:49, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

It looks like you're looking for help on a different language version of Wikipedia. This helpdesk can only assist you with problems you're having on the English Wikipedia. I suggest you find the appropriate help desk page on that other language variant. TiggerJay (talk) 05:49, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

@HtialilwW: There are instructions at Help:Interlanguage links#Adding a new link. TSventon (talk) 06:13, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

mk:Есперанс,_Западна_Австралија has now been deleted. TSventon (talk) 22:33, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Draft:Ministry of Agriculture (North Korea)

Draft:Ministry of Agriculture (North Korea)

Done. I add information and reliable sources. Check, please. СтасС (talk) 06:48, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Nice work, but there's still references remaining before it passes WP:GNG. Ahri Boy (talk) 07:39, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

I don't understand. What else do you want from me?--СтасС (talk) 12:32, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

None. Just keep it up, StasS. Ahri Boy (talk) 12:48, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Redirect from main namespace to a category?

Stephen J. Copland is a redirect to Category:Taxa named by Stephen J. Copland. Are such cases appropriate? --KnightMove (talk) 08:47, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Yes, until such time as there is an article about him. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:30, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

hi, can ask for a review

Hi! I’m a new editor and I’ve written a draft article in my sandbox. I would really appreciate it if someone could help review the draft before I move it to the article space. Here is the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Linvn100/sandbox Linvn100 (talk) 09:24, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

I've placed the draft in draft space at Draft:Vietcombank Fund Management Company Limited and put the information needed to submit it, but you shouldn't do that until the draft is in your own words, not written by AI. See WP:LLM as to why using AI is problematic.

If you are associated with this company, that must be disclosed, see WP:COI and WP:PAID. 331dot (talk) 09:30, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Hi, I took a while to edit and rewrite the draft, and I’ve republished it. Could you please have a look and let me know your thoughts? Thanks for your feeback. Linvn100 (talk) 07:05, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Overkill?

Often in Wikipedia articles, I see words that I think are likely unfamiliar to many readers without an explanation of the meaning but there is a citation of the words linking to another Wiki article. If a writer or editor thinks readers would benefit from understanding the meaning right away, rather than leaving it up to them whether to follow the link — which of course they might not do — then it seems to me that the meaning should also be provided in the article where the words appear, along with the citation. That's what I'd like to find out.

Example: "... he swings a thurible." My guess is that around 95% of Wikipedia readers have no idea what a thurible is.

Is this okay to do, or is it considered overkill in Wikipedia: "... he swings a thurible, a small metal pot suspended by chains in which incense is burned during liturgical celebrations." Augnablik (talk) 12:08, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

I'd say you are correct, with regard to the above example. a Wikipedia article should not be relying on a wikilink to provide an explanation for an unfamiliar term a typical reader cannot be expected to know. I'd probably go for a briefer definition ("an incense burner on a chain"), and include the Wikilink too. To an extent this is a question of editorial judgement, but articles should generally be understandable by the expected readership without relying on them clicking through to other articles. AndyTheGrump (talk) 12:21, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

More commonly known as the smoking handbag when I was growing up.

I think a short description for these words would help a reader, as Andy says, without having to switch between articles. Knitsey (talk) 12:29, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

This is the sort of thing explanatory footnotes are for. He swings a thurible. DuncanHill (talk) 12:30, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

So, then, @AndyTheGrump confirms what I was thinking (a short description plus perhaps a citation of another article); @Knitsey seems to go for just a short description without a citation of another article as well; and @DuncanHill recommends a citation placed in an explanatory footnote.

The plot thickens. 😗 Augnablik (talk) 13:04, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

No, a short description. I wouldn't remove the word link. Knitsey (talk) 13:06, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

I'd be kinder to readers and make it "he swings an incense burner". Make it a "small, metal" one if you wish; "on a chain" if it helps. Bazza 7 (talk) 13:11, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

My view is that "he swings a thurible" is fine. Anyone who doesn't know what a thurible can easily find out from the wikilink. Maproom (talk) 16:01, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

I agree. The wikilink provides an unobtrusive route for anyone who doesn't know and wants to, without compelling those who do know to read through unnecessary (to them) material. Superscript citations and footnotes are fine when appropriate, but unnecessary ones clutter the page and slow reading. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.193.253.201 (talk) 18:17, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Thank you, everyone who weighed in on this. The takeaways from this discussion for me are that Wikipedia has no specific guidance about my original question —- whether it’s overkill to provide both a citation and a short explanation —- and so it’s largely up to individual editors, keeping readership in mind. Wouldn’t it be nice if it were possible to easily create articles that would allow readers to choose either a leaner or a fuller version: citations and explanatory footnotes only OR citations and explanatory footnotes along with short explanations? Maybe some day! Augnablik (talk) 03:54, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Another option may work better for you if you use the Desktop interface; it's a kind of mashup of different options mentioned above. If you go to Preferences, Appearance, and scroll down to bolded section 'Reading preferences', and check the box for 'Enable page previews', and then hit Save, then when you mouse over a linked word, then a pop-up box will appear with the first 30 to 50 words of the article at the link, along with an image, if there is one. Try it now: go to Preferences > Appearance, tick the box and Save, and then refresh this page, and mouse over ⟶ thurible. Did it work? For me, they are faster and easier than following an explanatory note, which jumps me to the bottom of the page, from where I have to jump back after I am done.

Whether you use that option or not, my general take is that this is a general purpose online encyclopedia. If you are going to read about church topics, then you are going to run across terms like chasuble, psalter, cope, chalice, transept, and thurible, and there is no point to dumbing down the text. If you are not going to see the proper words used in context at the online encyclopedia, conveniently hyperlinked so you can look them up at your leisure (or not, as you please), then where and how are you ever going to learn them? Of course they should appear in an encyclopedic article about a topic where these are the terms generally used in reliable sources to talk about the topic. For those who want a simpler version, there is always Simple Wikipedia. I generally would not add long explanations inline; that's what hyperlinks are for (and the pop-up box helps).Mathglot (talk) 07:01, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Well, @Mathglot, I was thinking about other readers, not me, when I raised my question. But just to try out your recommendation, I tried to do what you suggested ... and couldn't. I got an error message saying, "You have to disable the Navigation popups gadget in your Gadgets preferences to enable page previews."

I don't recall, if I ever knew, what that gadget is. Is the benefit of what you suggested greater than the slight annoyance of having to follow the error message advice? Augnablik (talk) 08:37, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

For more experienced editors, WP:Navigation popups are probably more useful than WP:Page Previews since they give additional information about users when one hovers over an editor's name in a talk thread, for example. Both do similar things when one hovers over an article link. Readers who don't have an account get page previews automatically and these have slightly larger previews of any image on the linked article than navigation popups do. Hence I agree with Mathglot that we don't need to dumb down the use of the correct technical term, assuming it is wikilinked, and neither do we need explanatory footnotes in these cases. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:13, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Very helpful, Mike. I understand now that both features are avaiable and what each does. And from the error message that came when I tried to install Page Previews, as Mathglot suggested, apparently I already have the Navigation Pop-ups feature installed. I've often looked at the information the feature provides, but I don't think I've used it well.

I guess it's also helpful for me to be aware that some readers have Navigation Pop-ups, or to a lesser extent Page Previews, because that will perhaps lessen concern I always have for readers to have as much clarity as possible about what they're reading. That concern, of course, means in turn that I always have to watch out that I'm not guilty of overkill. (But, of course, not all readers will have Navigation Pop-ups or even Page Previews, though. And I'm sure that not all of those who do will understand how to use their feature well so they don't avoid checking linked citations, as I suspect is true of some.) Augnablik (talk) 17:10, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Chef Jason Dady

 Courtesy link: User talk:Pythoncoder § Draft: Chef Jason Dady

Hi there! My draft Draft:Chef Jason Dady has gotten denied four times after claims of using an LLM, even though it's completely false. I even messaged a recent reviewer on their talk page telling them that it was not written by LLM, and they refused to listen. I have continuously updated my draft to include more references and clearer, neutral language. Could someone help me understand why this draft is still getting denied? Thank you so much in advance. Srwinch (talk) 21:00, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

@Pythoncoder: Care to chip in? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 21:23, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Looking again, I still think at least some of the initial revision was AI-generated (and two other users flagged it as such at the time). If I had to guess, I’d say the lead and the Culinary Philosophy section were LLM-generated; the Media and Philanthropy sections look human, but the author seems to have picked up some common LLM stylistic mistakes. All of the very-likely-AI-generated sections are no longer in the revision I declined, so I’ve self-reverted and reopened the draft for review. —pythoncoder (talk | contribs) 21:50, 28 July 2025 (UTC)

Citations

I wish to add a contribution to a Wikipedia page. The subject of the Wikipedia page is a building I had something to do with and without my contribution the current page is both misleading and deficient. My contribution does not originate from any previous academic or media source, because what I know is in my head.

I have been advised - "“curprev 10:42, 28 July 2025 Panamitsu talk contribs 12,228 bytes −1,432 Undid revision 1302944403 by EllisGN (talk) Nice work but this information is missing from the sources. On Wikipedia, all information must be referenced. I enocurage you to continue but you've got to cite your sources. undothank Tag: Undo"

I am not a geek so what is said here is gobbledygook. How can I get through this?

If it is easier, email me on [redacted]

Thanks

Geoff Ellis EllisGN (talk) 04:02, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Hi EllisGN, depending on how closely you are related to or "had something to do with" the building, you may have a conflict of interest which means you should probably avoid editing the page in the first place. -- œ^™ 04:17, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for your reply. If what you say is correct, my estimation of Wikipedia has gone down a few notches. Are you saying information on Wiki is what everyone else says rather than what the people involved have to say? 1.141.85.180 (talk) 04:49, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Basically, yes. The reason for that is because the people involved tend to be biased, which violates our policy of keeping a neutral point of view. Children Will Listen (🐄 talk, 🫘 contribs) 04:51, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

OK thanks. I guess we will simply have to accept if Wikipedia precludes information from people who are the only people who know the truth then it is not a reliable source of information. Cheers 1.141.85.180 (talk) 04:54, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

No it's what reliable published sources have to say. -- œ^™ 04:51, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Catch 22! You know something is true but if that information is not known by anyone else and it cannot be verified then it remains a secret and the people at large are denied the truth. 1.141.85.180 (talk) 04:58, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

That is indeed correct. Aside from exceptions such as plot summaries, all statements have to be backed up by reliable sources that are published somewhere. Children Will Listen (🐄 talk, 🫘 contribs) 05:01, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Everyone keeps on about 'reliable sources'. It seems to me hearsay is deemed a 'reliable source'. 1.141.85.180 (talk) 05:05, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Hello, IP user.

The problem is that, because Wikipedia can be edited by anybody, even if what you put in is correct, somebody might change it later - by mistake, or because they think you're wrong, or because they're vandals.

So what happens when somebody reads the article next week in Baltimore, or next month in Brisbane, or next year in Bangalore? They have no way of checking whether the information in there is true. Even if they look at the article's history, and find that somebody changed it, they have no way of knowing whether the original version is correct, or the changed version, or neither.

So a Wikipedia article is only as useful as its cited sources: without sources it is simply not reliable, and so it is of little value.

You may say, well, I'll put it on my website, and cite that. But anybody can put anything on a website, whether it's true or not, so that doesn't help. So we rely on sources that are published by somebody (usually an organisation) with a reputation for fact-checking and editorial care: that's what we mean by "reliable sources".

Sometimes even reliable sources get things wrong, and that is a problem for Wikipedia. But our consensus is that that is the best we can do. ColinFine (talk) 08:15, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Thank you ColinFine. I have never attempted to edit Wikipedia before. I just happened upon a Wikipedia page about a building I had personal involvement in. I was disappointed to see obvious inaccuracies and omissions which materially altered the facts. I noted the citations pointed predominantly to a local newspaper and recent council press releases. To compound the problem the newspaper relied on those council releases. The fact is that the authors of all these citations never checked their information, never consulted me about a project I initiated and given the passing of time were never in a position to have firsthand knowledge.

The information I wished to insert was intended to correct the page and offer readers the truth. However this relates to events nearly forty years ago. Key witnesses are now dead and hard evidence long buried or shredded.

It is seriously disappointing for me to see Wikipedia information that is not credible remain. This is a disservice to genuine historic endeavour.

Thanks again but it seems there is little that can be done. EllisGN (talk) 22:23, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

It doesn't need to remain unverified. If you can get your information published in a reliable sourced it can be used. You should really read No original research for some clarification. -- œ^™ 05:05, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

I will find a 'friendly' journo, have my input published in a local rag, then use that as a citation. 1.141.85.180 (talk) 05:07, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

There you go ;) -- œ^™ 05:08, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Or write a piece / book using a pseudonym. 1.141.85.180 (talk) 05:10, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

We have a very diligent community and a Reliable sources/Noticeboard, just so you're aware. -- œ^™ 05:12, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

I am sure, but knowing what I have learnt today I now fully understand why the Wiki page I am interested in is so misleading and deficient. 1.141.85.180 (talk) 05:14, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

We have Talk pages where editors can discuss their edits. Have you tried engaging the other editor on the talk page? Civility and discussion is yet another important tenet of ours. -- œ^™ 05:18, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Thanks but no, not as yet. How is that done? 1.141.85.180 (talk) 05:20, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

At the top of every page there is a Talk link that will take you there. Then you do it just like you are doing it here. -- œ^™ 05:23, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Also, we have a policy of No original research, Wikipedia does not publish original thought, so no it can't only be knowledge from your own head, it needs to be verifiable. -- œ^™ 04:55, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

A few things, @EllisGN:

-As the comment above says, you should refrain from editing articles that you have a connection to, and you would have to declare that conflict of interest.

-You cannot add information from 'your own head'. All contributions require verification through reliable and independent sources. If a reliable source cannot be found, then we can't include that information no matter how true it may be. This second point is essentially what User:Panamitsu said.

-Less of a problem, but in general it's not advisable nor necessary to include your email address. All communication will occur here. TheDowningStreetCat (talk) 04:24, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

I inserted my email address because it is easier for me. Cheers 1.141.85.180 (talk) 04:51, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

If you are User:EllisGN, please remember to sign in when continuing discussions started from that account. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 11:11, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

I cannot find a search box

I cannot find a search box on the home page. William Shoff (talk) 05:08, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Have you got the magnifying glass at the top left? Click that. ColinFine (talk) 08:17, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Creating a disambiguation page

Hi all, although I consider myself quite an experienced editor, I have never created a disambiguation page before, and I don't want to mess it up. I believe that one is now needed for the name Grace Wang. The four articles should be: Grace Wang, Chinese-American academic administrator; Grace Wang (sustainability scholar), American sustainability scholar; Guiling Wang, computer scientist; and Wang Laichun, Chinese businesswoman. Is the first Grace Wang the PRIMARYTOPIC? I don't know how to use the tools or analyze the pageviews to determine this. Either way, a disambiguation page is needed, and I don't know how to set one up with the right categorization, order, and templates. Please advise; thank you! BhamBoi (talk) 06:19, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

BhamBoi, flip a coin. Heads, Grace Wang is first, Grace Wang (sustainability scholar) second. Tails, vice versa. The other pair can be third and fourth, or fourth and third. I cannot imagine that any balanced person would loudly object to any of the four possibilities. Somebody might, however, notice that this or that MoS or other page prescribes a different order from the one you landed on. They'd then be free to change the order. The sky wouldn't fall. -- Hoary (talk) 07:46, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

@BhamBoi and Hoary: WP:PRIMARYTOPIC is about whether one of the articles should get the base name "Grace Wang" without a disambiguation. Click "Page information" under "Tools" to see page views in the past 30 days: Grace Wang 470, Grace Wang (sustainability scholar) 44, Guiling Wang 37, Wang Laichun 1037. Click the number, or "Pageviews" at top of the page history, to see more details. It's relevant how often Wang Laichun is searched as "Grace Wang" but Wikipedia has no tool for that. A way to speculate is Google hits on related searches. Click "Tools" on a Google search results page to see an estimated count, but it's often poor and Google hid it under Tools for a reason. Wang Laichun is known for Luxshare. I get 4830 on "Wang Laichun" Luxshare and 2960 on "Grace Wang" Luxshare. So we might guess around 40% of Wikipedia searches for her will be on "Grace Wang". 40% of 1037 is 415. Then it appears there is no primary topic which dominates the total of all the others, and the disambiguation page should be at Grace Wang. See Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Disambiguation pages for how to make the page. The order of four people is not important. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:22, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Since there is no primary topic, I moved the article on the materials scientist, then created a disambiguation page, then hatnoted all four articles to say "for other people named or called Grace Wang", since the question is not whether any of them is actually named "Grace" but rather whether in English they are called by that name. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:06, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Somebody help me figure out why I'm missing a space in the templated hatnote at the dab page? --Orange Mike | Talk 17:13, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

I have added a space to the dab page, but I don't know the reason for its being missed in the first place. TSventon (talk) 17:27, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

deletion of a page from my account

I created a page on my account that I cannot delete now. Any help? Charalambos Papaioannou (talk) 17:04, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Do you want an administrator to delete the page you created in your userspace? Acroterion (talk) 17:06, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

yes I would like somebody to delete this

User:Charalambos Papaioannou/Gerasimos Siasos

which appears on my user page by my mistake Charalambos Papaioannou (talk) 17:22, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

I deleted it. 331dot (talk) 17:25, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Thank you very much! Charalambos Papaioannou (talk) 17:27, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Fraud due to unaccountable provided certificates

https://alliancessp.com/#/pages/schema/schema This page no longer is accessible and I was scammed out of money. Certificates are supposed to protect people from scammers. Are these individuals who at "alliancessp.com" kosher? Are they still operating the site? 2603:6080:CF00:770C:3013:861F:C63F:2F6E (talk) 17:36, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Hello, this is the help desk for questions about editing the English Wikipedia. We can't help with anything else. I suggest you contact your local authorities. qcne (talk) 17:46, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Default template

Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Football/Archive 170#Default headers for association football tournament pages

We discussed it and I think a default setting for Cups can be added. Can this default template please be added to the Wikipedia guide so there's a consensus? Best regards, PeruvianCocaine (talk) 17:48, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Yes it can.

Perhaps that wasn't really your question? Can you be more clear? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 18:01, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Ok, can someone please do it? PeruvianCocaine (talk) 15:12, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Non-English music festival names

Hello. Could someone help me clarify whether non-English music festival names should be italicised? The title of the article, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, is not italicised, but in the lead, "Rock am Ring" and "Rock im Park" are italicised, which left me confused. If I follow MOS:BADITALICS, the German music festival Heute die! Morgen Du! is the name of an organisation and is therefore not italicised. Is it correct to consider this an organisation? Thank you in advance. Oroborvs (talk) 17:52, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Oroborvs, I suggest that you ask this at Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style/Text formatting. -- Hoary (talk) 21:39, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

@Hoary, Okay, I'll do that, thanks. Oroborvs (talk) 16:34, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

on referring to people

let's make up some individual. his name is uriel nathaniel owen. he has an article all about him, wowie

let's say, then, that the article refers to him by his last name as usual, but due to recent controversies (idk, his mom having it and being a neo nazi or something), he wants to separate himself from that name

if he then asks (as in "literally requests, in a non-legally-binding way, in or out of wikipedia, but directed to wikipedia") that it be changed to a first or middle name basis before or without having it changed, and said name or referral isn't itself at least kind of notable, could the request be treated as uncontroversial enough to abide by?

and on that note, regardless of what the answer to the first question is, if there end up being secondary sources about the request, could it generally be done? consarn _{(grave) (obituary)} 18:56, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

I've redacted the quite mean-spirited editorialising. As for your question, this would be unlikely to be honoured, in part because he could always change his surname and we would simply use that instead, using the same rationale we would for transgender individuals. —Jéské Couriano v^_^v ^{threads critiques} 19:09, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

admittedly, i disagree with most of this redaction, as it also redacted the context of the question. the "editorializing" towards this thankfully fictional person is fair, but the rest is definitely overkill

as for the answer... yeah, fair, thanks consarn _{(grave) (obituary)} 19:26, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Though I will note the easiest name-change would be to go from "given middle last" to "given middle", using their middle name as their surname, laws permitting (some locations do have naming laws). This would probably be the least messy way to do it. —Jéské Couriano v^_^v ^{threads critiques} 19:29, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

CITEVAR and converting bare urls to Cite templates

We got WP:CITEVAR, which makes sense to me. You don't want people changing APA style to ASA style to MLA style en masse et cetera.

But does that also mean you shouldn't convert bare URLs into cite templates en masse?

Isn't there a bot that converts bare URLs to cite templates already? The bare URLs are very ugly. Polygnotus (talk) 03:09, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Please fix bare urls WP:CITEVARYES..... the above was a good edit. Moxy🍁 03:34, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

@Moxy Yeah in that example I am making the style consistent. But lets say we have an article with all bare URLs. Am I allowed to change em all to cite templates? And some? And am I allowed to do that tens of thousands of times with a bot? I think we should have a bot that changes bare URLs to cite templates. Polygnotus (talk) 03:38, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Yes there are people that devote their time to changing these..... must be aware that some articles are so large and have a template limit WP:Template limit thus some articles have been converted from templates to have no templates. We do have a bot running around fixing all these that you can use to do whole categories of articles or just one....see Citation bot we also have Refill for one article at a time. Moxy🍁 03:47, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

But WP:CITECONSENSUS says The use of citation templates is neither encouraged nor discouraged: an article should not be switched between templated and non-templated citations without good reason and consensus – see "Variation in citation methods", above. so it looks like currently you are only allowed to do this to make 'em consistent. Polygnotus (talk) 04:43, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Bare urls fall under fail to provide needed bibliographic data by virtue of not having any other information about the source. Non-templated citations with bibliographic information in any style (whether CS1 or something else) is acceptable, but if it is missing any field (like, for example, publisher or access date or whatever) it would also be acceptable to add that information because that's not really a change in style, any more than adding additional information to a CS1 template would be.

"Example". is also kind of a bare url citation, just using {{cite web}} instead of writing the code manually, I don't think anyone would complain about adding the other fields of a cite web in as a violation of CITEVAR, so they shouldn't complain about adding additional information in a non-templated citation either, as long as you try and keep the style used the same if there is one (e.g., keep APA as APA, MLA as MLA, Chicago as Chicago and whatever. If you don't recognise which style just try and keep stuff in the same order I guess.) and if there isn't, of course you'd be free to pick whatever. Alpha3031 (t • c) 10:00, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

More at WP:BAREURLS. They're not considered a "style." Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 04:44, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Old account that has personal information I don't want listed

Hello, I want to admit that I have 2 old accounts that have my personal information on, and I want my privacy protected and such accounts to be renamed. My old accounts are this and this. I made these two accounts when I was under the age of 13, and I was blocked a few times for copyright vio's and disrespectful actions, but my blocks were IP cleared on Christmas Eve of 2024. I am very sensitive about my personal information revealed by a simple google search, especially as one contains my home city and full name, and even more embarrassing as my previous actions online when I was a child and didn't really know the full extent of what I was doing. If an admin could just either change the users or remove the accounts all together? Also, you can verify my story is real by checking my IP. Thank you! Rexophile (talk) 04:31, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

@Rexophile See WP:OS. Polygnotus (talk) 04:35, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

@Rexophile I have blanked the user talkpages, perhaps that is a good start. Polygnotus (talk) 04:40, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Report of Error in Wikipedia Article - "Prasat Ta Muen Thom"

Dear Wikipedia Team,

I would like to report an error in the article titled "Prasat Ta Muen Thom." The article currently states that Prasat Ta Muen Thom is located in Cambodia, but this is incorrect. The temple is actually located in Thailand, specifically in Ban Nong Khanna, Samakkhi District, Village No. 8, Tamiang Subdistrict, Phanom Dong Rak District, Surin Province. The current description violates Thailand's sovereignty, as it inaccurately claims the location of the temple in Cambodia, while it is clearly within Thai territory. I recommend correcting the article to reflect the accurate location and ensuring that it adheres to factual information. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely, Sayamon Kruasai 49.237.168.223 (talk) 12:20, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Hello IP from Thailand. Our article Prasat Ta Muen Thom does not say it is Cambodia, it says it is located on the "Cambodia–Thailand border", that "tourists at the temple are not allowed to venture more than a few meters southward from the main entrance and armed Thai border police stand guard to mark the border" and that "Since 2010, the entrance of Ta Muen Thom temple on Cambodia side has become easier". It appear, therefore, to be divided between the two countries. Wikipedia does not take sides in border disputes. - Arjayay (talk) 12:32, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

County Employees editing

I can see where it's allowable for Federal Employees are allowed to edit, however, I see nothing about State and Local employees making changes. We are currently in the process of updating our Communication Procedures and this one item keeps popping up because we can't get a clear answer by reading through all of the documentation. Thank you for your assistance. BlueSmurfette (talk) 14:57, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Employees have a paid conflict of interest. The WMF's terms of use require that they declare their COI which, on the English Wikipedia can be done according to the WP:PAID process. Once that is done, they should not directly edit the articles with which they have a COI - they should use the edit request wizard to ask uninvolved editors to make the changes on their behalf.

Their username should represent the user, not the employer. Cabayi (talk) 15:04, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Wikimania

How does the Virtual Wikimania 2025 work? Is there a website to see it? ~Rafael! (He, him) • talk • guestbook • projects 15:54, 30 July 2025 (UTC)

Yes: https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2025:Wikimania -- Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:21, 30 July 2025 (UTC)