The best road to progress is freedom's road. - JFK
Texas
List of resources for new contributors
As a new contributor, you may feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer size and scope of this project named Wikipedia. Don't worry if you don't understand everything at first, as it is acceptable to use common sense as you go about editing. We encourage you to be bold in a fair and accurate manner, with a straightforward, just-the-facts style.
The contributing to Wikipedia page is an article that provides information, links, videos and other resources on the basics needed to edit Wikipedia. The five pillars is a popular summary of the most pertinent Wikipedia principles. The community portal is a central location to find collaborations, tasks, and news about Wikipedia. If you somehow do get stuck, there are volunteers available to answer your questions; see asking for help for more information.
Your first article: an article that discusses some of the DOs and DON'Ts, then shows you how to create an article. Note: The ability to create articles directly in mainspace is restricted to autoconfirmed users, though non-confirmed users and non-registered users can submit a proposed article through the Articles for Creation process, where it will be reviewed and considered for publication.
Topic specific introductions
Introduction to navigating Wikipedia: a five-part guide to navigating Wikipedia. Introduction. Namespaces. Searching and redirects. Useful pages. Summary.
Introduction to editing: a five-part guide to editing. Editing pages. Formatting. Links and Wikilinks. Saving your changes. Summary.
Introduction to referencing: a five-part introduction to referencing. Verifiability. Inline citations. RefToolbar. Reliable sources. Summary
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 tables: a four-part guide to putting tables in pages. Introduction to tables. Creating tables manually. Sortable tables. HTML and tables.
Introduction to editing with VisualEditor: a five-part introduction to editing with VisualEditor. Opening the editor. Toolbar basics. Links and Wikilinks. Saving your changes. Summary.
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, editing basics for those new to editing, and an overview of best practices for Wikipedia assignments.
Plain and simple non-free content guide: discusses how Wikipedia's copyright guidelines are probably the most complicated part of the whole site, and breaks down what the rules are and what they mean.
For a listing of current collaborations, tasks, and news, see the Community portal. For a listing of ongoing discussions and current requests, see the Dashboard.
