Help:Getting started
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Welcome to Wikipedia!
As a new contributor, you may feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer size and scope of this project. Don't worry too much if you don't understand everything at first. Listed below are some brief introductions containing all the basics you need to use, comment on, and contribute to Wikipedia. For a more comprehensive article on how and where you can help see contributing to Wikipedia. Don't be afraid to edit, as you are encouraged to be bold! The community portal is a central location to find (and list) collaborations, tasks, and news about Wikipedia. If you do get stuck, there are volunteers available to answer your questions, see asking for help for more information. Have fun!
Tutorials
- Wikipedia:Tutorial: an eight part tutorial to becoming a Wikipedian.
- Editing: introducing editing.
- Formatting: how to format pages.
- Links: how to insert links.
- Citing sources: how to create footnotes and external links.
- Talk pages: how to use talk pages.
- Keep in mind: introducing policies and guidelines.
- Registration: why you should register an account.
- Wrap-up and more info: some useful links.
- Tutorials from The Signpost. Click the 'Next Tutorial' link at the bottom for the next one.
Longer tutorials
- Pictures tutorial: how to insert pictures in pages. A long tutorial, but the basics are simple.
- IRC tutorial: how to use Internet Relay Chat on Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia:Graphics tutorials: lots of links to graphics software tutorials.
Introductions
- Main introduction: the main introduction to Wikipedia, with many useful links.
Introductions to specific topics
- Introduction to navigating Wikipedia: a five part guide to navigating Wikipedia. Introduction. Namespaces. Searching and redirects. Useful pages. Summary.
- Introduction to referencing: a five part introduction to referencing. Verifiability. Inline citations. RefToolbar. Reliable sources. Summary.
- Introduction to VisualEditor: a five part introduction to editing with Wikipedia:VisualEditor. Opening the editor. Toolbar basics. Links and Wikilinks. Saving your changes. Summary
- Introduction to talk pages: a five part guide to using talk pages. Talk pages. User talk pages. Layout. Examples. Summary.
- Introduction to policies and guidelines: a four part guide to the rules. Policies and guidelines. Content. Conduct. Summary.
- Introduction to tables: a four part guide to putting tables in pages. Introduction to tables. Creating tables manually. Sortable tables. HTML and tables.
- Introduction to uploading images: a six part guide on uploading images. Introduction. Free content. Non-free content. Wikimedia Commons. Using an image. Summary.
- Introduction to the Manual of Style: a five part introduction to the Manual of Style. Links. Layout. Images. Citing. Consistency. Stability. Nuggets.
Training
These self-guided trainings help new users learn the basics of Wikipedia.
- Training for newcomers: newcomers start here! A short five-page general training, on the basics of Wikipedia's rules and how to edit
Training for student assignments
- Training for students: students start here! A four-part, 57-page, training intended for students doing assignments on Wikipedia, with more detailed introductions to core Wikipedia policies, editing basics, and more specific editing advice for students. Welcome (4 pages). The Core (14 pages). Editing (24 pages). Advanced and background (15 pages).
- Training for educators: educators start here! A five-part, 97-page, training for professors and other educators who want to run Wikipedia assignments for class, with introductions to core Wikipedia policies, editing basics, and an overview of best practices for designing and implementing Wikipedia assignments.
- Training for Wikipedia Ambassadors: Ambassadors start here! A four-part, 86-page, training for Wikipedia Campus and Online Ambassadors, with introductions to core policies and editing basics for those new to editing and an overview of best practices for Wikipedia assignments.
Other resources
Quick guides
- Edit toolbar: how to use the edit toolbar while editing.
- VisualEditor user guide: how to use the VisualEditor.
- Media help: how to get media to work on your computer.
- Citations quick reference: a quick guide to using citations.
- Wikitext cheatsheet: a quick guide to wikitext.
- The Wikipedia Adventure: a guided tour with fun, interactive learning and practice
Overviews
- Wikipedia in brief: Wikipedia in a nutshell.
- The answer to life, the universe, and everything!
- Learning the ropes: how to learn about Wikipedia.
Longer overviews
- Primer for newcomers: an overview intended for new contributors.
- Plain and simple: the basic mechanics of Wikipedia. There are similar guides for:
- Plain and simple conflict of interest guide: for editors with a conflict of interests.
- Plain and simple guide for medical editors: for editing medical subjects.
Other guides
- The Missing Manual: a comprehensive how-to guide that explains everything about contributing for novice to expert editors.
- Wikipedia:Instructional material: for a number of screencasts and videos; and a list of books.
- The Wikimedia Bookshelf: download books and guides.
- Wikipedia:Instructional material for screencasts, videos and books.
Help resources and assistance
- There is the Help Menu and Help Directory for a listing of help related pages.
- Wikipedia:Help hub: a page that has links to useful directories.
- Wikipedia:Questions: how to ask questions on Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia:Requests: for a comprehensive directory of requesting services and assistance on Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia:FAQ index: for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Find this page confusing? ; a volunteer will visit you there shortly!
Ask for help on your talk page
