Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions/Archive 548

This is an archive of past discussions on Wikipedia:Teahouse. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current main page.

can you do a reference of something that is not on a website. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 22mikpau (talk • contribs)

Hi 22mikpau. As long as it's a reliable source, you can reference anything regardless of whether it's online or not. Take a look at referencing for beginners for a tutorial on how to properly reference books, offline newspaper articles, etc. Joe Roe (talk) 20:59, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

For Circumflex#Length, the part on use in Kurmanji that I added, did I do the citation correctly? I wasn't sure whether to use "cite book" or "cite web" template, so I chose the latter as the source was a PDF. Should I have used the book citation? Auvon (talk) 20:50, 26 November 2016 (UTC)

Hi Auvon the reference is correctly formatted. I would only use "cite book" for actual books or ebooks, not shorter documents. The fact that a document (whether it is an academic paper, letter, news article, book, poster, or anything else) exists as a PDF digital file does not change what it is, thus it does not determine the cite template that might be used. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 21:28, 26 November 2016 (UTC)

In any case, page numbers would be nice. – Finnusertop (talk ⋅ contribs) 21:33, 26 November 2016 (UTC)

I also had this question. I have a list, an extensive bibliography, for a notable person. I wanted to provide the list of articles, but it is 3 pages long and a PDF would be easier. The list is currently in Google Drive. Can I use this list and what is the best way to do it?ScribeSyndicate (talk) 16:08, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

Are these article about the person, or by them, ScribeSyndicate (i.e are they sources for material in the article, or is it a list of their publications?). Cordless Larry (talk) 16:11, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

It is a list of published works in Health, education, and administration in his fields of expertise including textbooks he has contributed to, health publications, his material is largely resources used by large hospital administration.ScribeSyndicate (talk) 16:37, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

We don't tend to include extensive lists of publications in articles about academics, ScribeSyndicate. See WP:NOTCV on this. It might be appropriate to include a link to his CV in the external links section of the article. Cordless Larry (talk) 16:49, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

Wonderful! I have the CV and the lists are a section of it. I had wanted to include it but wasn't sure it was an accepted resource. Can you tell me which edits that were requested have been satisfied and which remain a problem? I have left correspondence in both talk pages at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Meadors and https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:ScribeSyndicate&action=edit&section=2, edits are still pending for review mainly at the Allen Meadors page. The draft was originally rejected at https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:ScribeSyndicate&action=edit&section=2, determined notable, then edited by wiki help, then boxes inserted for corrections. I would like to resolve every issue and remove the warning boxes as soon as possible. Some issues regarding references to material that has been removed already and dead links that I corrected or deleted are pending. This is my first wikipage project. So far I seem to be asking the right questions and am learning quite a bit. I believe anything sounding promotional in any way has been removed. One inline citation added. Paid reference added on page and talk page. Your help and advice is much appreciatedScribeSyndicate (talk) 17:11, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

Creating a new draft article and asking for it to be reviewed isn't the right way to get the article updated. The place to request updates is at Talk:Allen Meadors. The main problem with the article as it currently stands is the lack of citations to support the material it contains. I have removed some of the more promotional unsourced material. Cordless Larry (talk) 17:24, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

I have rewritten the Allen Meadors article based on published sources and to meet our policies against promotionalism, ScribeSyndicate. I'm sorry if anything important has been lost - please let me know if there is anything I can add, for which you have a reliable source. Note that I've left a few minor unsourced details in, but have tagged these as requiring references. The copyright violation notice will be removed once the offending material has been removed from the article history. Cordless Larry (talk) 20:09, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you Larry, as the suggested copyright infringement material is a list of titles and positions held in order, it makes sense to use it - there is little wiggle room for rewording the facts. I will get the signed consent for public domain use of this profile and his profile image. I will reference the material inline with a source already contained in the reference list shortly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by ScribeSyndicate (talk • contribs) 21:39, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

I don't think there's any need, ScribeSyndicate, because I have already included his roles and positions in the career section of the article. Cordless Larry (talk) 21:49, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

Maybe I'm being a bit dense here. So the edits have already been made. I just took a look. All the factual information is there and I see you added the controversy in his leaving Pembroke. I still need consent to use his profile image from one of his social media sites (according to someone else, maybe even from the photographer)and I was going to get him to sign one for linking his resume material. There is one inline citation I need to add https://coach4aday.wordpress.com/2015/05/22/a-friend-of-a-friend-john-masters-and-allen-meadors-may-22/ that is in the references. If the offensive copy has already been removed, can I request the warning box be removed now through the talk page? ScribeSyndicate (talk) 22:23, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

No, we have to wait for the offending material to be removed from the article history, ScribeSyndicate. Cordless Larry (talk) 22:40, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

Also, that blog probably doesn't pass Wikipedia's reliable source requirements. Cordless Larry (talk) 22:50, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

Will his resume CV suffice as the source then? It has the same data on it.ScribeSyndicate (talk) 22:53, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

If it's online somewhere, yes. Cordless Larry (talk) 22:55, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

Can you request deletion of User:ScribeSyndicate/sandbox by placing the code {{Db-userreq}} at the top of the page, ScribeSyndicate? Cordless Larry (talk) 23:00, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

I do not believe the CV is published online other than in Google Drive as a shared document on the web for anyone to view without signing in. Do those specific circumstances meet requirements? I also have a few other article sources that need to be added. Last edit I tried there was a conflict because someone else was already working on it.ScribeSyndicate (talk) 01:07, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

In that case, I don't think we can use it as a source, ScribeSyndicate. Is the material that these other sources support already in the article, or would they support the addition of new material? Currently, everything in the article is adequately sourced, apart from his current place of residence. Cordless Larry (talk) 08:46, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

I wanted to allow access to his bibliography, honors and awards, article and book reviews. There is more about his military career and details on accomplishments in each role throughout his life like specific projects and grants (names and dates-no fluff of course-its a resume but is 33 pages long). I have a few more sources to add for work documented on the UNC Pembroke site as well. I am leaving on vacation tomorrow and be back on 12/7. Hoping everything will be okay with the site until then.ScribeSyndicate (talk) 12:02, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

Per Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources, sources should be published, ScribeSyndicate. A CV on a university website would be fine, but it needs to be hosted on a reliable site so that we know it's genuine. Cordless Larry (talk) 12:36, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

does this website look reputable enough? http://loop.frontiersin.org/people/182749/bio, frontiers is a health field resource. Allen's bio needs updating, but he put his CV on it rather than fill in the fields.ScribeSyndicate (talk) 01:56, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

This is not a typical newbie question, cause I'm not a newbie. As a matter of fact, I've been a host here at Teahouse on and off since it started. This is the place I got my very first questions answered almost 5 years ago, so this is where I come with questions even today.

I want to write an essay but have never done so. Do I create it in my userspace or Draft space? I assume I would reference it in traditional style, citing both policies and external sources as needed. How do I get people to look at it? Is there a formal process for vetting it? A process for moving it to Wiki space?

Any broad help would be appreciated. If anyone is interested in the specifics, feel free to drop a note on my talk. Thanks all. Keep up the good work! John from Idegon (talk) 02:52, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

@John from Idegon: You could create it in your userspace and place {{essay}} at the top of the page. —MRD2014 (talk • contribs) 02:54, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Can someone please remove the flag from this page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilana_Mercer I made all the corrections.

Thanks

Kc2290 (talk) 02:06, 23 November 2016 (UTC)Kc2290Kc2290 (talk) 02:06, 23 November 2016 (UTC)

Discuss on the article talk page, Talk:Ilana Mercer, and get consensus to remove the flag. Robert McClenon (talk) 03:24, 23 November 2016 (UTC)

This article reads as very promotional to me, and the subject doesn't seem to meet notability requirements (many sources, but all unfamiliar). Is it possible to find more reliable references to the subject, Kc2290? Good luck! Aphra (talk) 17:45, 23 November 2016 (UTC)

Am I missing something? I don't see there having been a flag on that page recently. --Metropolitan90 (talk) 00:43, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

The article was 'flagged' with advert and primary this month. I haven't check every reference but all that I did were to articles written by the subject. Much of the article consists of what the subject has said about various topics rather than what others have said about the subject. Gab4gab (talk) 17:10, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

Thanks, I had thought the reference was to the flag of a country. --Metropolitan90 (talk) 02:56, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

I’m working on creating my own Wikipedia page and that for a local, Tampa artist who’s estate asked me to create a page for him. I’ve reached a road block and need your help on how to create the “contents” box and the profile box so that I may include a photo, description, “born”, “death”, “nationality”, “education”, etc. Will you please help me? Not sure if I simply provide all of the information within my sandbox template and then “submit” and you take it from there? Or, is there something specific I need to generate in order to take hold during the draft process. Thank you! Lonnietampa (talk) 16:09, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse. Your starting point is to read WP:Your first article, and to understand Wikipedia's definition of notability, and particularly notability. --David Biddulph (talk) 16:16, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

Just a curiosity: is one allowed to create their own Wikipedia Page?LungImaging (talk) 00:24, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

If you mean a Wikipedia article about yourself, look at WP:Autobiography. If you mean a user page to describe your Wikipedia activities, see WP:User pages. --David Biddulph (talk) 03:15, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

The recent changes page has a link for new editors contributions. What is the age and edit limit for defining someone as newbie? Less than two months of editing and less than 50 edits or less than one month old account? Marvellous Spider-Man 02:27, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

I'm not entirely sure, but my best guess would be that it shows users who have not yet been autoconfirmed. — Gestrid (talk) 05:11, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Wikipedia has three 'newbie' levels:

1. Unconfirmed - new accounts that have fewer than 10 edits or are less than 4 days old.

2. Autoconfirmed - new accounts that have 10 or more edits and are at least 4 days old.

3. Extended confirmed - this one is kinda new - accounts that are still active after 30 days and have at least 500 edits.

Looking at that 'newbie contributions' page and sampling the contribution histories of some of the contributors, it seems the page is recording edits from unconfirmed and autoconfirmed users but not extended confirmed. Once you have 500 non-automated edits, you're probably reasonably experienced and no longer a newbie. ~Anachronist (talk) 05:26, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

I've been instructed to write a post about a former boss of mine, but I'm running into a lot of trouble. What is considered to be deem able as a notable person? Is there another way that I should write it? inboxreturnInboxreturn (talk) 01:00, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Hi Inboxreturn. You can take a look at Wikipedia:Notability to read about our notability guidelines. —MRD2014 (talk • contribs) 02:09, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

@Inboxreturn: Welcome to the Teahouse. When you say that you have been "instructed" to write an article, that is strong evidence that you have a conflict of interest and need to proceed with great caution. It seems likely that writing this article is part of your job duties, and if so, you must comply with our mandatory paid editing disclosure. Anyone in your position should use the Articles for Creation process. Please also read an excellent essay called Your first article and follow its recommendations carefully. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 02:29, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Hi Inboxreturn. If you want to modify an existing article like Debra Ruh, a good way to proceed would be to request specific changes on the article talk page and let experienced editors decide whether and how to make the changes. This is especially appropriate because you are a new editor and because you may have a conflict of interest. —teb728 t c 07:52, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, In boxreturn. Cullen has already made the point about conflict of interest. But one thing I like to point out to new editors is that Wikipedia has essentially no interest at all in what anybody says about themselves, or wants said about themselves, or what their friends, relatives, associates, agents, employers or employees say about them. None. Wikipedia is only interested in what people who have no connection to the subject have published about them, in reliable places such as major newspapers and books from reputable publishers. And if it turns out that no unconnected people have published anything much about them, then there is literally nothing that can go into an article, and we don't allow one to be written: that's what the "notability" criteria, mentioned by MRD2014, really mean. --ColinFine (talk) 12:05, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Do we have access to website analytics data, either Google Analytics or similar, for individual articles (pages)? I am specifically interested in knowing what websites link to an article, and how many visitors to an article come from each such website.

Many thanks,

Mark D Worthen PsyD 21:30, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

@Markworthen: Page views are available. On a Wikipedia page, click on 'Page Information' (in the right menu), then scroll to the bottom and click on 'Page view statistics'. I am not sure if Wikipedia has a tool that shows websites linking into it, but there may be external tools. Hope this help. Amin (Talk) 21:35, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you very much Amin. I should have mentioned that I am familiar with Page View Statistics. I will see what I can find on 'the Google' (as my 80-year-old mother likes to say, with a sly smile). Mark D Worthen PsyD 01:38, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

@Markworthen: Another tip you might find handy, I noted you copied my signature in order to mention me. It is better to use either Re or Ping. Just click Edit to see how I tagged you. Amin (Talk) 05:48, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you! Mark D Worthen PsyD 14:27, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

I have drafted an article, and would like help determining if it is appropriate. Aside from sales of the book through Amazon, I do not offer services to readers or others. Dwstookey (talk) 16:21, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse Dwstookey. If the book is notable and warrants an article, then it needs citations to reliable, secondary and independent sources that treat the topic in depth. As the author you have a conflict of interest. Theroadislong (talk) 16:30, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Assuming you are referring to Climate-Proof Your Personal Finances: How (and where) to safeguard your family's budget and lifestyle, I doubt it currently meet our inclusion criteria.
The book by David W Stookey was published by the "Savvy Families Institute" of which "Stookey is president", so this is an "inhouse" publication, rather than by an reputable, independent, publisher.
I can find no significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject, which is the general notability guide for all articles nor does it seem to meet the specific requirements for books. The reviews I can find are very brief and remarkably similar such as "The book forms a gateway to free scorecards, available online, detailing how well each town in the United States is likely to climate-proof its residents." and "The book forms a gateway to free detailed measures, available online, of how well each town in the United States is likely to climate-proof its residents." I assume these were prepared from some sort of press release? - Arjayay (talk) 16:49, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Hi my name is shivani . i want to create my company page on Wikipedia. and i mention few content over there but i am getting notification that it will be deleted and its neither showing on google whenever i searched many other things are yet to upload on the page but . want to how to make it and visible on the googleSHIVANI55raghuvanshi (talk) 12:37, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

okSHIVANI55raghuvanshi (talk) 12:38, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

I have deleted User:SHIVANI55raghuvanshi as it was a copyright violation of the company's website. - GB fan 12:48, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, SHIVANI55raguvanshi. I'm afraid that, like many people, you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what Wikipedia is. It is an encyclopaedia, which summarises what independent sources have published about subjects. Promotion and advertising of any kind are not permitted. If Wikipedia has an article about your company, you will have no control over its content and be strongly discouraged from editing it directly. The content should not be based at all on anything you or the company say, whether on your website, in interviews or press releases, or here on Wikipedia: it should be entirely based on what people who have no connection with you have published about the company in reliable places such as major newspapers, or books from reputable publishers. If there are enough such independent reliable sources about the company, then we may have an article on it, but you are discouraged from writing it; if there are not, then Wikipedia will not accept such an article however it is written. Please read WP:ORG, WP:COI and WP:YFA. .--ColinFine (talk) 18:02, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

I recently created this page: Murray S. Hoffman and very quickly it showed up on the Google search engine. However, now when I type in Murray Hoffman or Murray S. Hoffman and even "Murray S. Hoffman, Wikipedia" The page is not found by google. similarly, when I type in Hoffman within Wikipedia the page does not show up amongst a list of other Hoffman related pages. Does anyone know why this is? Is it being blocked for some reason?

Thanks for the help.LungImaging (talk) 14:38, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

Hi LungImaging. Murray S. Hoffman is the first Google result for me on Murray S. Hoffman and the first Wikipedia search result on Murray Hoffman. Hoffman is not an automatically generated page but a manually edited page where each link is added by editors. You can add a link to Murray S. Hoffman. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:27, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

I'm not sure whether this explains it, but pages are removed from indexing until they have been patrolled. Once they are patrolled, it can still take a day or so (depending on loads) to show up on sources like Google. Is there some way to tell when this page was patrolled, to see if this is the case here?--Gronk Oz (talk) 17:00, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

There are no reviews in the log. I don't know all the rules but maybe it was automatically reviewed when a user with the new page reviewer right moved it 22 November.[1] PrimeHunter (talk) 20:06, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

I found a review 22 November in the logs for the old title.[2] PrimeHunter (talk) 20:08, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you. For some reason Murray S. Hoffman is back as a searchable item.

I am now confused regarding why there are two notices saying that the article is poorly referenced and could be libelous. There is no libelous material here and I know Murray Hoffman well and know that all is absolutely true. There are 23 citations to his work and each cited article lists the author's position at the time of publication, serving the verify much of what has been written. The Mayo Alumni citation provides a time line and photo showing Murray Hoffman as the first President of the society. The reference on jogging injury provides a letter to the editor referencing Murray Hoffman's efforts regarding the early organization of jogging for heart health. Who decides that the article is poorly referenced?LungImaging (talk) 23:54, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

I know that Wikipedia's policies and procedures can, at first glance, come across as harsh or critical, particularly when you are writing about a person whom you know quite well.

Before you (understandably) jump to the conclusion that you are being attacked, I encourage you to study Wikipedia's policy document regarding the type of article you have written, which would include reading additional Wikipedia guides and policies cited in that document. The document is: Wikipedia: Biographies of living persons

Approach this knowledge domain (authoring an article for an encyclopedia) similar to your regular professional and scholarly endeavors, i.e., to thoroughly understand a new theory, an emerging area of empirical research, or a revised FDA policy, you start by conducting a literature review, right?

The task here is similar: First read the relevant reference materials regarding the type of article you have written, then ask any questions you might have after you have "done your homework" as academics like us are fond of saying to our students. :o)

There are many physicians, scientists, historians, and other professionals and scholars amongst our ranks, so please know that these (and other) Wikipedia editors will understand more technical matters, and they will be able to help you with any questions remaining after you educate yourself regarding this unique area of writing and scholarship. Mark D Worthen PsyD 02:17, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I have taken the time to read both the "Biographies of Living Persons" page as well as the "Notability" page. I continue to believe that the references (including the 23 cited publications of Murray Hoffman) provide sufficient evidence of the voracity of what is presented. I have done an extensive web search and believe that I have provided the references that are available. I am sure that I could find much more by going directly to the Mayo, University of Colorado, American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News micro film and paper archives. I note the following portion in the "Biographies of Living Persons" pages: "Self-published and questionable sources may be used as sources of information about themselves, usually in articles about themselves or their activities, without the self-published source requirement that they be published experts in the field, so long as: the material is neither unduly self-serving nor an exceptional claim; it does not involve claims about third parties; it does not involve claims about events not directly related to the source; there is no reasonable doubt as to its authenticity; the article is not based primarily on such sources."Italic text

I read this to include self verification of the facts presented. I have had Murray Hoffman read the full text of what now sits on Wikipedia, and with his help have assured that all that is said is correct according to his memory and his personal files. His wife has also read the Wikipedia entry, and she also verifies its correctness. Is there a way to use that self verification in the references?

Thank you for your time. 02:59, 29 November 2016 (UTC) (Yes, I am an academician)) — Preceding unsigned comment added by LungImaging (talk • contribs)

Let's move this discussion over to Talk:Murray S. Hoffman. I will post a response to you there. Thanks! Mark D Worthen PsyD 18:19, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

I have noticed for some time that my bio (Richard Frenkiel) has a header "This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)" I'm not sure what information is in question, or what citations are expected, or if something has been challenged. It all seems pretty straightforward to me. Things like awards are obviously on the record. When I click on history I see a long list of weird entries that seem to have nothing to do with me. Frankly, the header on this bio (which is at the top of Google results for my name) seems to permanently suggest that that my bio is somehow in question, and I have no idea why, or how to fix it. 69.124.70.88 (talk) 14:49, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

I assume you are talking about the Richard H. Frenkiel article ? There is a lot of unsourced information on that page - your date of birth and place of birth on the first line alone. Your phrase "Things like awards are obviously on the record", shows that you are misunderstanding our requirements. Almost nothing is "obvious" and we do not expect readers to have to hunt around in order to verify information, the reliable source where the information can be verified, needs to be included in the article. Verification is one of our cornerstones and three references on an article that length is insufficient.

As you have a conflict of interest please do not try to fix it yourself, but presumably you know where reliable sources that are independent of you (Not press releases, interviews, blogs or other sources relating to you, your friends, employers and colleagues) can be found. Please post these on the talk page of the article - Arjayay (talk) 15:04, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Richard H. Frenkiel. I have added four references to the article and another editor has added a fifth, and I have removed the template from the top of the article. @Arjayay: Please remember that our primary goal is to improve the encyclopedia. Frienkel is indisputably notable and excellent sources about his career were easy to find in less than ten seconds. He does not seem to want to be an editor but instead wanted his biography fixed, which is a reasonable request. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 20:59, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Unlike the web interface, Wikipedia's mobile interface is extraordinarily well done, hats off to the people involved. I am a web developer, and human interface designer, and I would love to help improve Wikipedia in this section.. My Question: Who do I need to contact, and where can I submit snippets of code, that can improve Wikipedia's web interface? Amin (Talk) 21:31, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

Hi Amin. Wikipedia and its sister projects run on MediaWiki, which is open source software, so your expertise would be welcome. You can find out how to contribute on the MediaWiki website. Joe Roe (talk) 21:36, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

Hi Joe Roe Thanks. I found this page and it's a good start. Amin (Talk) 23:23, 28 November 2016 (UTC)

@Amin: You'll probably also want to become acquainted with Phabricator, Wikimedia's bug-reporting/bug-tracking software. You can login to that by going to the upper-right corner, clicking on the arrow, and clicking "Login or Register" (the button with the MediaWiki logo on it). It isn't just used to track bugs, though. It's used to track, for example, requested technical changes to Wikimedia wikis, maintenance tasks, and other types of things. When voting is done on the 2016 Community Wishlist Survey, the top ten wishes will be tracked in Phabricator as well. — Gestrid (talk) 05:46, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

@Gestrid: Much appreciated. I am looking into it.

Just a thought I'd like to share: I really miss a more digestible way of getting familiar with all the meta-information on Wikipedia. It will take me at least a week, just to get familiar with 'how things are done' and differentiate what is important, and what is not. Someone should do a Wikipedia for Beginners Youtube series with 3 minute explanations. But the best solution, is to introduce good design principles to Wikipedia. That would make such tutorial videos redundant. Amin (Talk) 22:38, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

There is a request for comment about Sciences Po where SashiRolls says that Wikipedia can contain approximations (here, calling French Grandes Écoles "universities"). Is that true? Is there a rule for approximations inside Wikipedia? (Note that to me, it’s not even an approximation but a false statement). Thanks. --Launebee (talk) 16:45, 26 November 2016 (UTC)

For Wikipedia, the what the (reliable) sources say is the gold standard, Launebee. If the reliable sources call the grandes Ecoles "universities", then so may Wikipedia. If they don't, then Wikipedia shouldn't. This is complicated a bit if most of the sources aren't in English, because words in different languages don't necessarily correspond to English words in their range. --ColinFine (talk) 17:06, 26 November 2016 (UTC)

@ColinFine: Here, sources say in English that it is not a university, but they are saying Wikipedia should permit this approximation. --Launebee (talk) 19:15, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, Launebee. I gave you the relevant policy: this is not a forum for resolving disputes. For any further action, please follow dispute resolution. --ColinFine (talk) 22:50, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Ok, thanks!--Launebee (talk) 23:22, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

I have reason to believe what I suspect is a webhost IP address is being used abusively by a banned editor. You report suspected open proxies here, but what about webhosts? Sro23 (talk) 03:20, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

@Sro23: Template:Webhostblock says that webhosts act like proxies, so I think they can be reported at Wikipedia:WikiProject on open proxies/Requests. —MRD2014 (talk • contribs) 03:55, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

I'm asking this on behalf of new editor Danieltannenbaum. A few days ago, he (inadvertently) replaced the content of Daniel Green (which is a dab page) with an entirely new article on a specific Daniel Green. He thought he was "uploading a new article". I reverted the page and posted a note on his talk page. He's asked me for help in getting it published properly. Just skimming the article, I think it meets WP:GNG.

My question is how best to do this and preserve the edit history for his edits (as well as a couple of minor edits by others). I was going to just copy the version from the history of Daniel Green into his sandbox, but decided I'd better ask about it first. Thanks. — Gorthian (talk) 17:30, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

An admin can perform a history split, although this is complicated because there are deleted revisions overlapping with the page history. Pinging our resident histmerge expert, Anthony Appleyard. BethNaught (talk) 18:50, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

• @Gorthian, BethNaught, and Danieltannenbaum: I have moved the article edits from Daniel Green to Daniel Green (English businessman). The deleted parallel history is now at Daniel Green (version 2). Anthony Appleyard (talk) 22:02, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Anthony Appleyard, that was impressive! Thank you, and thanks to BethNaught. — Gorthian (talk) 22:06, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

• @Gorthian, BethNaught, and Danieltannenbaum: I have moved the meaningful edits from Daniel Green (version 2) to Daniel Green (healthcare enterpreneur). Anthony Appleyard (talk) 22:11, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you very much, Anthony Appleyard. BethNaught (talk) 22:15, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Thanks!!!Danieltannenbaum (talk) 09:10, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

I am working on a draft entitled 'Stefan Bardas.' It has been declined for lack of acceptable references. In continuing my editing, I ran across a page showing correct ways of giving citations, but I lost the page and have not been able to find it again. Thanks to all of you who help us novices navigate through the labyrinth ! MaxieDog (talk) 09:13, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

MaxieDog: the draft is at Draft:Stefan Bardas. Maproom (talk) 09:16, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Hi MaxieDog please see WP:REFB which is a quick link to Help:Referencing for beginners. Alternatively, Help:Introduction to referencing with Wiki Markup/1 is also a good "step-by-step" guide. Any questions - please come back here - Arjayay (talk) 09:19, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

If you lose track of a page which you have been editing, the "Contributions" link at the top right hand corner of any page will take you to Special:Contributions/MaxieDog. You will also find links to your draft in messages on your user talk page, which you can access through the "Talk" link near your user name on the top line of any page. --David Biddulph (talk) 09:27, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

@MaxieDog: Your problem is not the formatting of your reference but the almost total lack of references. And although your one reference is formatted well enough, it seems to say nothing about your subject. —teb728 t c 09:51, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you, teb728.

I needed the information for future formatting of newspaper articles in the ongoing process. Apparently, the online references from the web are not being recognized. MaxieDog (talk) 10:14, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Arjayay,you are very helpful. Thank you.

MaxieDog (talk) 10:15, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Hi, MaxieDog. You have tried to put the actual citations in the References section. That looks sensible, but it's not how it works. You actually put them where they are cited, between <ref> and </ref>, and the software will sort out the numbering and display them in the references section. The page Arjayay linked to will help with that. --ColinFine (talk) 12:44, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

I'm certain this has been asked but I'm not getting the right hits on the search. In fact, in the past, I knew how you did this... at the moment I can't recall though: when creating an article, how do you make sure the first letter of the second word in a title begins with a capital (upper case) letter?1975tampabayray (talk) 07:07, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse 1975tampabayray. You hold down the shift key of your keyboard as needed when you first enter the title of the article, and you be sure that the capitalization is correct before you do the first save. Were you looking for something other than that? —teb728 t c 07:36, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

And if you want to change the title of a page that has already been created, you'll need to use the Move function available from the top menu. This function is not available for the first days, until you get autoconfirmed permissions. Diego (talk) 10:17, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Which article are you thinking of; I can't see anything you have worked on which needs this change.--Gronk Oz (talk) 11:05, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

To express my reply differently, 1975tampabayray: There are at least two different ways to give the title when you create a new article, for example an article titled "Capitalize Second":

• Search: Enter Capitalize Second with that capitalization in the search box. If that title doesn't exist, search will say, "You may create the page "Capitalize Second..." If you click on the red link, it will give you an edit page to create the article.
• Link: Create a link Capitalize Second with that capitalization on a page (perhaps in your sandbox). If you click on the red link, it will give you an edit page to create the article.

—teb728 t c 11:59, 29 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you, teb728 - with your feedback I realize it had to do with how I typed my search to begin with (to see if a page already existed) - I did it all in small letters. Problem solved. Thank you all for your feedback, Diego Moya, and Gronk Oz - hope I didn't miss someone here. I was going to start a page about a comedian who is getting good press and national visibility but I couldn't find enough of the details for the infobox for me to feel coverage has been ample enough for a good article yet. So I skipped the effort - but this feedback will be very useful moving forward!--1975tampabayray (talk) 00:35, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

@1975tampabayray: That was the perfect answer. I wish more editors would take that approach of collecting their sources and using those to determine whether the subject is notable enough. There is no point writing an article if the sources aren't there to support it. This discipline will serve you well at Wikipedia.--Gronk Oz (talk) 15:50, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

I would like to write an article about a software company, I am doing it and it is being reviewed and deleted. If creating an article about a company is against the Wikipedia policy, how companies like TCS, Wipro and Infosys are having good articles in Wikipedia. Please let us know in simple terms what are the things missing in my article that is causing it to be deleted.122.175.39.164 (talk) 04:05, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, IP user, and welcome to the Teahouse. Could you tell us the exact name of the article you tried to create? That would help us help you by telling us why the article was deleted. — Gestrid (talk) 04:35, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Hi Gestrid, My created article page name was "Osmosys software solutions". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.175.39.164 (talk) 05:28, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, IP user. I can't see the deleted articles, the earlier version of Osmosys software solutions was deleted as "unambiguous advertising or promotion." Wikipedia articles must be written from a neutral point of view. The second was deleted for "no credible indication of importance." The subjects of Wikipedia articles must be notable by our standards. —teb728 t c 06:36, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

To clarify, none of us, except administrators, can see deleted articles. — Gestrid (talk) 06:40, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

@Gestrid:If you are confident that the subject is in fact notable and you are willing to work on the article to fix the problems above, then Administrators can undelete the deleted page and move it into your userspace. If you want to request this, go to WP:UNDELETE. --Gronk Oz (talk) 06:56, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

@Gronk Oz: That's true. I'm not sure if the subject is notable, though, and I don't plan on starting any articles anytime soon. — Gestrid (talk) 07:03, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

@Gestrid: OOPS, sorry I pinged the wrong editor. I meant to notify the one who originally raised the question, but I missed. @122.175.39.164: please see my comment above about how to get the article restored back to your user space if you wish.--Gronk Oz (talk) 07:16, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

• @122.175.39.164:, if you say you created the article, then you are possibly also the user Lorem Logo or even the blocked and banned user Srinivas.medida.osm - I can ask for a technical check. That said, the twice created article was blatant spam, and on investigation I found that it is highly unlikely that it will meet our notability criteria any time soon. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 07:48, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

• Pings don't work on IP users. That's why I left the talkback template on their talk page instead. — Gestrid (talk) 17:27, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, I am a novice editor and have been struggling to get my article approved, Draft:Steve Bassett. It is a Singer, Songwriter, and Studio Musician page and I am aware how strict the notability requirements are for this field. The artist has had a lengthy career, collaborated with many artists who have wiki pages, and wrote the official state song of Virginia which I have cited with the official legislation from 2015 for the bill that was passed on the subject. Any advice on how to get my page published would be much appreciated. I have already had another more seasoned user make edits to the article before resubmission and it was still denied. Tips and advice are always welcome!! Please and thanks!- WKHSolutions — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wkhsolutions (talk • contribs) 20:54, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, WKHSolutions, and welcome to the Teahouse. First, please remember to sign your comments by typing ~~~~. That way, SineBot, an automatic program that signs comments users forget to sign, won't have to add that "Previous unsigned comment added by..." stuff. Second, I'm going to bring Robert McClenon and SwisterTwister since they were the two people who reviewed your draft. Perhaps they will have some feedback for you. In the meantime, you should read our notability guidelines about musicians (which are different from our general notability guidelines) if you haven't read them already. — Gestrid (talk) 21:47, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, to explain my statements, it still needs better amounts of in-depth third-party news, and not simply press releases, trivial passing mentions or interviews. There are also concerns that he's apparently only known as a "roadie and soundman" for the band which is not at all suggestive of actual notability here. The 1 Hall of Fame listed is also not a convincing part to suggest actual notability here. As it is, the only actual best source currently there is the NYT but it's only a trivial mention. There's no inherited notability from anything or anyone else. SwisterTwister talk 21:52, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

My employer has asked me to create a wikipedia page about him - will this agree with the neutrality policy of wikipedia? 130.113.53.7 (talk) 17:25, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, IP user, and welcome to the Teahouse. Anyone is free to create a page about something as long as the person meets our notability guidelines, the page complies with our Biographies of Living Persons policy. The page must also not read like an advertisement. I would also suggest your read our neutrality policy if you have not done so already.

Also, I'm assuming you're being paid for creating the article. In that case, it is required that you make a paid editing disclosure, and I would highly recommend (I cannot stress this enough.) that you use our Articles for Creation process to create your article. This will allow you to create a draft for others to review and give you feedback on. When they think it's ready, they will move it out of draft status for you. I would also recommend that you create an account so you can more-easily keep track of your draft and so, whenever a draft reviewer sends you a notification about your draft, you actually get it. (IP addresses can change quite frequently, so it can get hard to contact editors who only use IP addresses to edit.)

— Gestrid (talk) 17:53, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

I'll also note it's important to say Wikipedia is not a business listing or otherwise job listing website, and Facebook would be a better option if that's what you're considering. For articles, and I'll specify, we need actual in-depth third-party news, but they must not be interviews, press releases, trivial passing mentions or simple announcements for other people or things, as there's no inherited notability from anything or anyone else. SwisterTwister talk 21:55, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

To amplify what the others have said, Wikipedia has essentially no interest in what anybody says about themselves (whether directly or in interviews or press releases), and no interest in what their friends, relatives, employees, agents, or associates say about them. It is only interested in what people who have no connection with them have published about them in reliable places such as major newspapers or books from reputable publishers. If you can find some substantial independent sources about him, then there can be an article (but take note of all the things Gestrid and SwisterTwister said). If you can't, then there is literally nothing that can go in the article, and no article will be accepted, however it is written. --ColinFine (talk) 21:59, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Dear All, I have submitted a page with the name "Smit Singh", He is a international multiple medal winning sportsperson from India and now a student at University of Oxford. I wanted request you if the page can be reviewed as it has already been more than five weeks since submission? Thank you so much. Vijaysingh1 (talk) 07:45, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Vijaysingh1: Draft:Smit Singh is one of about a thousand draft currently waiting for review. Unfortunately the process is badly backlogged. Meanwhile, you could improve it by adding his birth date (if known). I have fixed two referencing errors. Maproom (talk) 08:38, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank You "Maproom" , I would definitely add that, Could you tell me how I may add other data as a place of birth and academic affiliations as I am aware of independent sources on web that have all these three for the page? I want to ask if this information should just be added in the body of the text or there has to be separate area to add these. I also wanted to ask if I am able to add a picture for the page from those available on google? Thank you so much. Vijaysingh1 (talk) 08:51, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

I would suggest adding them to the body of the text, Vijaysingh1. It is convention to put someone's date of birth, if known, in brackets after their name at the start of the article. See Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biographies for some further guidance. It is likely that an image you find on Google is subject to copyright, and therefore not compatible with Wikipedia's licence. Please see WP:COPYOTHERS on this. Cordless Larry (talk) 08:57, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you so much "Cordless Larry", I would just add the date of birth and could I than rather use of picture from the athletes Facebook page? Vijaysingh1 (talk) 10:08, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

No, we probably can't use a picture from their Facebook page either. Images we use generally have to be specifically licensed so that anyone can modify and/or use the image for any reason, even for commercial purposes. This license can only be applied by the copyright holder, who is usually the photographer, not the subject. -- AntiCompositeNumber (Leave a message) 13:58, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

@Vijaysingh1: I must ask: Are you related to Smit Singh? You have "singh" in your username. If so, I suggest you read our conflict-of-interest guideline and, if applicable, also comply with our required paid editing disclosure. The paid editing disclosure basically applies if you're receiving compensation in some way for creating the article. This should not effect whether the draft is accepted or not (In other words, it will be accepted or declined just the same as any other draft would be.), but the paid editing disclosure is required.

Also, note that "declined" does not mean you cannot resubmit your draft after you've fixed whatever problems a reviewer notices. After you attempt to fix the problems the reviewer notes, you are free to resubmit at any time.

— Gestrid (talk) 17:40, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Thank you for the guidance. No, I am not related to him but I do know him for more than 3 years now. The 'Singh' is shared as it is most common surname you find in India followed by kumar (may be somebody should write about history of these surnames). Happening to Know Smit and the kind of person he was i thought he deserved to be written about even more importantly as most of his juniors in the national team have long wikipedia pages. I have limited the text on wikipedia to what I could find on newspaper or other website information I could find largely limiting his medals and social volunteering work. I do not have any financial incentive or obligation from this work. Vijaysingh1 (talk) 23:02, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

I recently joined Wikipedia and my user profile does not show on the internet when i search for my name.What could be the problem?Harrison-Montsho (talk) 21:09, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, Harrison-Montsho. You must add the phrase "User:" (or "User talk:" before your name in order for it to show up in Wikipedia results, for example "User:Harrison-Montsho". You also need to actually create your user page/talk page in order for it to appear in Wikipedia search results. JudgeRM (talk to me) 21:13, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Harrison-Montsho.

User-space pages are tagged with a "noindex" flag, instructing web indexing robots to not include the page in their index. This means that you should generally not see user pages in web searches. It's not absolute, some search engines may ignore the instruction, but it's the way this is intended to work.  —jmcgnh^{(talk) (contribs)} 21:40, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

@Harrison-Montsho: Hello. I suggest that you read Wikipedia:Guidance for younger editors. In my opinion, you are disclosing too much personal information on your user page. Please reconsider. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 22:03, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

If you want any of that information permanently hidden, you can contact an administrator. (Personally, I would suggest contacting Oshwah.) — Gestrid (talk) 22:05, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Yes, I absolutely echo what was said above. I highly recommend that you take your personal information off of your user page and have it removed. If you choose to do this (which you really should), simply delete the content off your user page and I'll have it removed and then deferred to the proper person to be oversighted. Just ping me if you need me to help with this, and I'll gladly do so. Cheers -- ~Oshwah~^{(talk) (contribs)} 22:26, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia Harrison-Montsho. I personally do not think you are sharing too much personal information. I wish more Wikipedians would be transparent about their personal beliefs, background, government name etc. But it never hurts to be considerate, as everything on Wikipedia is public. Even if you update your profile, the history of how it was is logged and visible (unless you request an administrator to remove it). Amin (Talk) 22:31, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

I searched to find an answer to your question as I wanted it as well. If you want your Wikipedia userpage to appear on Google and other search engines, I think the solution is as follows: Add {{INDEX}} to the top of your user page, and then give it a couple of days for Google to crawl it. I think that should work, though I am not entirely sure. More information on that here Template:INDEX. And please really do consider carefully what you want public. Whenever I'm in doubt on this, I choose to keep things private. Amin (Talk) 23:03, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

any admin can talk with me here i want to discuss something Sher Azeez Khan (talk) 03:21, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

You might find someone to help you by posting at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard or by using Template:Admin help. Please try and remember though that Wikipedia:Wikipedia is in the real world, so you might not want to post something too personal about yourself or which might possibly violate another person's privacy. If what you need to discuss is something sensitive about you or another person that you don't want others to know about, then consider asking for assistance via email instead. A list of currently active administrators can be found at Wikipedia:List of administrators/Active and you may ask one of those administrators on their user talk page if they would be willing to help you via email. -- Marchjuly (talk) 05:24, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

Hello teahouse, can I find someone to review the article "Joelle Khoury", so the template "New unreviewed article" could eventually be removed by the editer/reviewer? Thank you very much in advance, hoping a reviewer will have the time for it. Lebmusic Lebmusic (talk) 09:21, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

hi i'm chandru. i'm new for making pages in wikipedia. i posted some content about Justice David Annoussamy. but later the post got deleted. i dont know how to make the page. can anyone help me please?Dannoussamy (talk) 10:02, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Dannoussamy. You appear to have created the article at User:Dannoussamy, but that was deleted as that space is intended to be your user page (containing information about you as a Wikipedia editor) rather than an article. I see that you have also created a draft article at User:Dannoussamy/sandbox, which is the correct approach. Cordless Larry (talk) 10:51, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

One brief suggestion: you might want to create an internal link to Puducherry. Bus stop (talk) 11:00, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Hello, Dannoussamy. Have you read Your first article? It has lots of useful information for people trying this very difficult task. --ColinFine (talk) 12:46, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

One more point, Dannoussamy: if you are not Annoussamy, then you should not be using his name as your user name - it sounds as if you thought that was how you had to do it. I suggest you change your user name to something that represents you: it can be your real name (as I do) or an alias. See WP:CHU. --ColinFine (talk) 12:48, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

thanks for your suggestion ColinFine — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dannoussamy (talk • contribs) 07:21, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

You will have noticed that the article you used as a template has lots of WP:Inline citations for the facts given. You need to find these for your article before resubmitting it. Dbfirs 09:42, 1 December 2016 (UTC)