How to Create a Wikipedia Page
To learn how to create a Wikipedia page, you first have to understand the Wikipedia platform well. It is a user-generated encyclopaedia where users can add articles, pages and biographies. The topics for these articles and pages are diverse and include almost everything.
You need to create a Wikipedia account to be able to create a page or suggest edits to the existing pages. If you are wondering how to build a Wikipedia page, you should keep in mind that it is an arduous task. There are policies and guidelines for the regulation of content.
But don’t worry! We have written this article to guide you on how to create a Wikipedia page for someone or yourself.
There are five pillars that help content makers understand how Wikipedia works:
- It is an encyclopedia
- All of the writings here should be from a neutral perspective.
- There are no firm rules, only policies and guidelines.
- The interactions among Wikipedia editors must be of respect and civility.
- It is free, usable, editable and distributable by all.
For those looking for a guide on how to get a Wikipedia page, the following steps will serve as an initial guide:
1. Make Contributions to Existing Accounts
Although Wikipedia is a user-generated platform, you should first build your credibility to increase the approval chances of your page. To do this, contribute to different existing pages and articles. You can edit different entries for factuality, clarity and reliability.
First, your account must be at least 4 days old. Secondly, you must make at least 10 edits to Wikipedia pages. When you engage more with the pages, the probability of getting your article published will increase. Therefore, if you are speculating how to create a Wikipedia page, you must build your credibility by editing and improving the content.
However, you can edit the content by creating a user page first.
2. Create an Account Before Creating a Wikipedia Page
Technically, this is the first step to getting on Wikipedia. Starting an account not only enables a creation page Wikipedia but also provides other benefits. Some of them are:
- Allowing you access to a permanent user page. You can share a short bio and some photos on this page.
- Providing a talk page to interact with other users.
- Building your reputation as a Wikipedia content creator.
- Customising the appearance of your pages.
Creating an account on Wikipedia is a bit of a complex process. But, Wikipedia has officially written a step-by-step guide to creating an account for users who are new to the platform.
3. Plan Your Article
Planning your article is an essential step. It includes choosing a topic to write about and then checking its chances of publication. There may be a chance that someone has already published an article about the topic you are planning to write.
To reduce the chance of duplication, you should first research if any information has been published on the same subject. This is important no matter how unique your article may look. You can use the research bar to check the pages related to your topic.
Moreover, you should review Wikipedia’s article titling policy before writing your article. You should also check the article’s deletion log. This way, you can avoid creating an article on Wikipedia that has already been deleted.
4. Check Your Topic’s Notability
This part is exclusive to Wikipedia and decides the eligibility of the subject to have a page. Notability is a test to check a topic’s relevancy to have a separate article about it. For this, your page must have reliable and independent sources. This means reliable and independent sources must have written about the subject you’re creating a page for.
Further, your topic should meet either of the two notability standards to qualify for a stand-alone page: general notability and subject-specific notability. For a detailed explanation, read Wikipedia’s article on notability, this will help you assess whether your topic can have a creation page Wikipedia or not.
5. Research Your Article and Find References
You already know how to build a Wikipedia page. But to draft a good article, it is necessary to research your topic thoroughly. Whether you are writing for your business, an artist or an academic article, you should add external and internal references.
The sources used must exercise editorial control and be well-reputed for accuracy and fact-checking. Print sources such as books, magazines, newspapers, peer-reviewed scholarly journals, etc., are trustworthy.
Furthermore, some web-only sources are also reliable. However, sources with no editorial control, like self-published blogs, UseNet discussions, and personal social media and fan sites are unreliable.
If there is extensive information about a topic from reliable sources, the subject is notable. You can find sources from libraries and the internet. However, internet-based sources must be cited after the books and newspaper citations. In addition, you can add references by getting assistance from Wikipedia help pages.
6. Write a Draft for Your Wikipedia Page
After thoroughly researching your topic and gathering references, it is time to write a draft for your creation page Wikipedia. Make your content thoughtful, thorough and helpful for the searchers.
Firstly, create an outline for your article. Divide your information into sections and prepare a table of contents for your article. Meanwhile, keep finding new information on your topic and checking the credibility of your content.
Tip
It’s crucial to keep a neutral tone in the article. Avoid opinions and write objectively about your company. Remember, Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia, so don’t use promotional materials.
7. Create a List of References
Whether creating a page for yourself or looking for answers to how to create a Wikipedia page for someone, you must provide a list of references to prove the validity of your topic. Provide citations to third-party sources to show the credibility of your business.
Citations
To provide a citation, click where you want to add it, then on the top banner, press ‘Cite’, and then insert the link where you found the source of information.
To cite a source that is not online, like a book or article you can add it manually.
Reference List
To make a reference list, create a new subheading titled ‘References’, click ‘Insert on the right of the top banner, and choose ‘Reference list’.
This will automatically create a list of citations you have used in your text.
Internal Links
If there is a related article on Wikipedia, you can link to it. To do so, select the word you want to link, click on the ‘link symbol’ on the top banner, and Wikipedia will suggest relevant articles. Choose the one related to your content.
External links
To link an external article about your company, select the word, and press the ‘link symbol’ on the top banner. Then choose ‘External site’, and insert your URL.
8. Image Citation
If you wish to use images, it’s important to provide the right citation. Start by finding your image on Wikimedia Commons.
If the image isn’t there, you can upload it to the platform using your Wikipedia login. This will enable you to copy the file name and insert it into your article. To do so, type: [ [File: Name of the photo] ]. Afterwards, add the caption.
Remember to create an image reference list. Provide a description, the source, and the licence. Images used on Wikipedia must be licensed under a free-use licence, such as CC BY-SA or GFDL.
9. Submit Your Page to Wikipedia
When you have completed writing and proofing your content, you are now ready to submit your article for review. The reviewing process can take a few days to a few weeks.
As it is a challenging task to learn how to build a Wikipedia page, you may face rejection of your page a few times before finally getting approved.
10. Keep Improving Your Article
Once your page gets approved and published on Wikipedia, you’ll still have to keep updating it with the latest information. No article is complete at the moment of its creation. It would be best to keep learning more about the topic and adding updated facts and figures.
If the subject has new coverage in reliable sources, then you must add them to your reference list. This will strengthen the article and minimise the chance of deletion. You must also address if a Wikipedia contributor has tagged your article for any misinformation, promotional content, missing references, etc.
If you are still confused about how to create a Wikipedia page and master the editing skills, then follow the next step to learn about the Sandbox!
11. Difference between Wizard and Sandbox
Wikipedia Page offers two options when writing your page. You can either choose the Wikipedia Article Wizard and write your article straight away or choose the Sandbox, where you can draft your article first.
- The Article Wizard has step-by-step guidance to help beginners create their pages.
- The Sandbox allows you to practise editing and get comfortable with editing tools before publishing your page.
How to Create a Wikipedia Page – Do’s and Don’ts
While creating a Wikipedia page, you need to follow some do’s and don’ts to make your page a success.
- Steer clear from having orphaned articles. These articles have no or significantly few other articles linking to them. That is why these articles will be unknown to readers.
- You must not write articles advocating specific religious, political or other issues.
- Articles about breaking news events are not appropriate for the Wikipedia page. However, you can write such articles on Wikinews.
- You should research properly before writing your articles and cite them properly.
- Avoid articles with advertisements, attacks on persons or organisations and copied materials.
- When creating a business page accurately describe the company without any promotional materials
- Focus on writing authentic text instead of copying information from other sites.
- Stay away from using AI tools to write the text.
Conclusion
As observed, learning how to create a Wikipedia page is a challenging task but this article has provided you with enough guidance to get started.
In a nutshell, your page will be approved by the WIkipedia community if it has valid information backed by reliable sources and the structure follows the policies and guidelines. You can always use the Wikipedia page generator to help structure your article but it can’t exceed the skills of an expert editor.
Therefore, if you need expert assistance in creating a page or editing an existing one, you can get our professional Wikipedia page creation services at a very reasonable price.