How to Properly Write a Wiki Page

Writing a Wiki Page That Gets Approved

article writingOver the years, Wikipedia has forged its way into the bookmark section of millions of internet users. As perhaps the best and most reliable online encyclopedia, it has pages on everything from goldfish to the 1992 World Series. Of course, one of the best features is that it’s open to everybody. The problem is often that most people don’t know how to write a proper Wiki-Page and end up getting their content removed. This is common, so if it’s happened to you, no worries, just follow this guide and try to publish another page. If these steps are outside your scope of knowledge, you can always perform a Google search for Wiki writers, or hire a professional Wiki writer, Beutler Writers are notorious for getting Wiki pages approved and published. 

If you find a spot that seems to be lacking on Wikipedia, whether it’s your company, new technology, or just something that has escaped the thoughts of Wikipedia creators, you can create the page yourself. Here’s some advice to get started! 

  1. Research

According to Wikipedia itself, there are nearly six million English articles. Before spending time and effort gathering resources and writing a page, check that a similar topic doesn’t exist already. Even if it’s currently under a different name, you can still help Wikipedia by adding a ‘redirect’ (i.e. people who search for your term will be redirected to a page that has all the same information but is under a different heading)

If your page (or a similar one) doesn’t exist, you can get started. 

  1. Consider Your Topic 

Does a page not exist because there isn’t enough interest for it on Wikipedia? When you submit a page, it needs to go through an approval process and Wikipedia uses a system based on whether or not a subject is ‘notable’. If you want to be approved, the subject needs to be sufficiently notable. Additionally, it needs to be verifiable through the citations you use

If the topic isn’t worthwhile, notable, or there aren’t any references to it elsewhere on the internet, it’s probably something you can enjoy to yourself. 

  1. Create an Account 

The page doesn’t already exist, and you think it is notable, this is great. What now? Well, it’s time to create your account. In order to start a unique page, you need an active account that has been present on the website for more than four days while offering at least ten edits. By making edits to existing pages, you show your value and it won’t be long before you’re writing your own page. 

  1. Write the Article 

Now, we reach the most difficult stage of the process…actually writing the page. When you’re staring at a blank document, this can seem like a mountain of work. The best advice we can provide is to read the policy pages and guidelines, gain inspiration from other pages in the same niche, and get others to read and offer feedback. 

To avoid getting rejected almost immediately, avoid the following; 

  • Advertising (this isn’t a time to promote your business!) 
  • Writing about yourself or loved ones
  • Writing about your own research 
  • Giving personal views of a business or person 
  • Offering only basic information 
  • Copying from another source 
  • Not researching and forgetting to cite all sources 
  • Controversial topics 

wikipedia help resourceLet’s not forget, Wikipedia is a public encyclopedia designed to offer the world knowledge on particular topics. When writing, you need to remain impartial and comment only on the topic at hand (not your opinions and views)

If you don’t have much experience with Wikipedia, to get started simply click on your user page. From here, click ‘Create’ and start writing. After writing in what’s called a ‘sandbox’, you’ll then need to move it across to an article namespace and this is where the publishing occurs. 

  1. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Finally, if you need help, there’s nothing wrong with asking administrators and active editors for assistance. When all is finished, you can even use a Content Translation tool so that the page is accessible on the nearly 300 different language Wikipedia websites!

Comments are Disabled