Ask yourselves: why didn't you look up Wikipedia's articles about economy, Dmitri Mendeleev, man, or land even though you know little about them? Simple, because they suck. Millions of people feel the same way too. This is not acceptable on our side and this must be changed by making these articles good.
Subpages
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Vital Articles/Tools - technical how-to on how to use tools and scripts
Past work
- 30 kB drive
- 47 articles expanded to 30 kilobytes; 26 July 2022 – 31 August 2022
- Vital GA Drive
- Land to good article status, unsuccessful; 1 September – 15 November 2022
Function
This WikiProject is designed to be a public space that has neat stuff to do or learn about, and to serve as a place where you sit down, relax, and make edits or discuss with others. Its purpose is to improve the Vitals articles and lists. We always welcome anonymous and new people here (and if you are one of them, have a chat at the talk page!)
There is no such thing as "joining" or "registering" for this WikiProject, as it is an overarching project that aims to gather other WikiProjects together for collaboration. If you're actively improving vital articles, you're already a member of this WikiProject. If you want to find people that are working on Vital articles, use this link to find recent edits and talk to them directly.
Tasks
- Wikipedia:Database reports/Vital articles update report
- Backlog!Unassessed vital articles – 2 articles in total
- No backlogVital articles with unknown topic – 0 articles in total
A list of articles needing cleanup associated with this project is available. See also the tool's wiki page and the index of WikiProjects.
Improving a Vital article
While we might not know the exact formula for mass-producing Vital GAs, we do know ways to tackle and improve these kind of articles. Here are some techniques that you can use:
- Don't be afraid to try and don't be a perfectionist. Yes, that paragraph that you just wrote might not be there once the article is at GAN, but it will be an important stepping stone for recognizing further improvement. As long as your own content is significantly better and more reliable than the rest of the article, you've done a good job.
- Be concise and keep the summary style in mind. An article should not be too long or else the readers will become dizzy (~60 kB of readable prose is the ideal size). Pro tip: one of the best way to quickly raise article quality is to trim bad content, such as cruft, unsourced sections, original research, etc.
- Be mindful of systematic bias. For vital articles specifically, the most commonly encountered bias is American-European bias. For example, there's a tendency of using European allegories or paintings to illustrate abstract ideas. Don't just swap these images for the sake of diversity however. Remember, the best images are the one that is relevant, high-resolution, sharp, shows the subject clearly in the small thumbnail and is applicable to all cultures.
- Patrol sources and ensure their quality. If you find a low-quality source, either replace it with higher-quality ones or jank the content if it doesn't warrant inclusion in the first place. The WP:RSP list, User:SuperHamster/CiteUnseen and User:Headbomb/unreliable are some of the best tools available to detect bad sources, though remember to use your own judgement as well.
- Copyedit the text and make sure that the text looks more Wikipedia-like. If in doubt, take a look at Wikipedia:Basic copyediting, Wikipedia:Writing better articles, WP:Manual of Style and more.
If you had completed all of these basic techniques, here are some of the more specialized yet powerful ways that you can improve Vital articles. Enjoy these dishes with extra Wikipedia:Ignore all rules and common sense:
- Use the bold, revert, discuss cycle to garner attention and quickly adding improvements the (old) Wikipedia way. This method is especially useful for editing popular country articles provided that you're prepared. Just make an edit that you think it would improve the article, the edit then gets reverted, and both people discuss to reach a better solution.
- Use AutoWikiBrowser and other automated tools to quickly correct errors in many Vital articles. For example, you can use AWB to monitor typos and fix them accordingly. Detailed instructions for some tools such as WP:PetScan and user scripts can be obtained at Wikipedia:WikiProject Vital Articles/Tools.
- Import good content from subtopic articles. For example, in a section about the properties of numbers, it may be helpful to get the content from smaller scope articles such as natural numbers. However, you will need to attribute the source per Wikipedia:Copying within Wikipedia and can be pretty tedious when messing with the template. An IAR and simpler way might be to make a talk page section and list all of your articles that you've copied, including their oldid.
- And perhaps, the most spicy of 'em all is using large language models such as ChatGPT, GPT-3, etc. for brainstorming ideas on Wikipedia. These neural networks as of 2023 are one of the most powerful tool to face the writer's block and give clues at expanding broad-topic articles, and they have the potential to do far more in the future. It should NOT, however, be used to generate original content because of original research and verifiability policy. For tips on using large language models, see Wikipedia:Using neural network language models on Wikipedia and Wikipedia:Large language models.
Awards
We have a good roster of awards given to those that help us advance the goal to make all Vital Articles GAs and FAs. These awards may be awarded by anyone to anyone worthy.
Barnstars
{{subst:Vital Barnstar|1=message ~~~~}}
– good old barnstar, given to those that have done a good job.
Vital Barnstar | ||
{{{1}}} |
{{subst:The Vital Articles Barnstar|1=message ~~~~}}
The Vital Articles Barnstar | ||
{{{1}}} |
Userboxes
- {{User Vital}} – for members of the project.
This user is interested in improving vital articles. |
- {{Vital userbox}} – good old userbox, given to those that have done a good job.
This user has received a Vital barnstar. |
- {{Good Vital infobox}} – Userbox for those that have successfully nominated a Vital good article.
This user has helped promote vital good articles on Wikipedia. |
- {{Featured Vital infobox}} – Userbox for those that have successfully nominated a Vital featured article.
This user has helped promote vital featured articles on Wikipedia. |
Assessment
For mobile readers, you can click here to switch to desktop mode to read the table more easily. This Vital article assessment scheme is meant to be subjective and complementary to Wikipedia:Content assessment.
Dashboard
Article alerts
For article alerts about a specific level, see:
For article alerts on all vital articles (levels 1–5):
Today's featured articles
- 11 Jun 2024 – Ronald Reagan (talk · · hist) will be Today's Featured Article; see blurb
- 06 Jun 2024 – Saving Private Ryan (talk · · hist) will be Today's Featured Article; see blurb
Today's featured article requests
- 05 Jul 2024 – July 2009 Ürümqi riots (talk · · hist) has been proposed for Today's Featured Article by Z1720 (t · c); see discussion
- 02 Jul 2024 – Thomas Cranmer (talk · · hist) has been proposed for Today's Featured Article by Z1720 (t · c); see discussion
Did you know
- 30 May 2024 – Chinese characters (talk · · hist) was nominated for DYK by Remsense (t · c); see discussion
- 28 May 2024 – Jude Law (talk · · hist) was nominated for DYK by B3251 (t · c); see discussion
- 23 May 2024 – Metaphysics (talk · · hist) was nominated for DYK by Phlsph7 (t · c); see discussion
- 22 May 2024 – ZX Spectrum (talk · · hist) was nominated for DYK by DigitalIceAge (t · c); see discussion
- 12 May 2024 – Franz Liszt (talk · · hist) was nominated for DYK by Ligaturama (t · c); see discussion
- 01 May 2024 – Lineage (anthropology) (talk · · hist) was nominated for DYK by Me Da Wikipedian (t · c); see discussion
Articles for deletion
- 14 May 2024 – Anti-Bengali sentiment (talk · · hist) was AfDed by Ratnahastin (t · c); see discussion (0 participants)
Redirects for discussion
- 30 May 2024 – CS2 (talk · · hist) →Carbon disulfide was RfDed by Bugghost (t · c); see discussion
- 30 May 2024 – Oh, do not cry. Be good children and we will all meet in Heaven. (talk · · hist) →Andrew Jackson was RfDed by Bungle (t · c); see discussion
- 30 May 2024 – Kim Un (talk · · hist) →Kim Jong Un was RfDed by Champion (t · c); see discussion
- 30 May 2024 – Science Update (talk · · hist) →American Association for the Advancement of Science was RfDed by Steel1943 (t · c); see discussion
- 29 May 2024 – NYSE: F (talk · · hist) →Ford Motor Company was RfDed by Mwwv (t · c); see discussion
- 28 May 2024 – Running water (talk · · hist) →Tap water was RfDed by BarrelProof (t · c); see discussion
- 27 May 2024 – Alcohol drinking (talk · · hist) →Alcohol intoxication was RfDed by Mondtaler (t · c); see discussion
- 26 May 2024 – Katrina Kaushal (talk · · hist) →Katrina Kaif was RfDed by Krimuk2.0 (t · c); see discussion
- 26 May 2024 – Rani Mukerji Chopra (talk · · hist) →Rani Mukerji was RfDed by Krimuk2.0 (t · c); see discussion
- 26 May 2024 – Alia Bhatt Kapoor (talk · · hist) →Alia Bhatt was RfDed by Krimuk2.0 (t · c); see discussion
- (20 more...)
Files for discussion
- 28 May 2024 – File:PBS logo.svg (talk · · hist) (on 1, 2) was FfDed by JohnCWiesenthal (t · c); see discussion
- 25 May 2024 – File:H 4 ill 639759 cambodia-phnom penh-1979-61.jpg (talk · · hist) (on Cambodian–Vietnamese War) was FfDed by Kys5g (t · c); see discussion
Featured article candidates
- 27 May 2024 – Nonmetal (talk · · hist) was FA nominated by Sandbh (t · c); see discussion
- 24 May 2024 – Alia Bhatt (talk · · hist) was FA nominated by Krimuk2.0 (t · c); see discussion
- 20 May 2024 – Tiger (talk · · hist) was FA nominated by LittleJerry (t · c); see discussion
- 17 May 2024 – Virgo interferometer (talk · · hist) was FA nominated by Thuiop (t · c); see discussion
- 07 May 2024 – AC/DC (talk · · hist) was FA nominated by Vaughan J. (t · c); see discussion
- 25 Apr 2024 – Existence (talk · · hist) was FA nominated by Phlsph7 (t · c); see discussion
- 31 Mar 2024 – Galileo project (talk · · hist) was FA nominated by Hawkeye7 (t · c); see discussion
- 17 Mar 2024 – Iron Man (talk · · hist) was FA nominated by Thebiguglyalien (t · c); see discussion
A-Class review
Good article nominees
- 27 May 2024 – Ernest J. King (talk · · hist) was GA nominated by Hawkeye7 (t · c); start
- 27 May 2024 – Arrow's impossibility theorem (talk · · hist) was GA nominated by Closed Limelike Curves (t · c); start
- 25 May 2024 – Parmotrema perlatum (talk · · hist) was GA nominated by Esculenta (t · c); start
- 13 May 2024 – Mind (talk · · hist) was GA nominated by Phlsph7 (t · c); start
- 12 May 2024 – Pikachu (talk · · hist) was GA nominated by Pokelego999 (t · c); see discussion
- 11 May 2024 – Cassava (talk · · hist) was GA nominated by Chiswick Chap (t · c); start
- 09 May 2024 – Zinc chloride (talk · · hist) was GA nominated by Keresluna (t · c); start
- 07 May 2024 – Sorghum (talk · · hist) was GA nominated by Chiswick Chap (t · c); start
- 07 May 2024 – Software maintenance (talk · · hist) was GA nominated by Buidhe paid (t · c); see discussion
- 05 May 2024 – Potato (talk · · hist) was GA nominated by Chiswick Chap (t · c); see discussion
- (31 more...)
Featured article reviews
- 24 May 2024 – Sun (talk · · hist) was put up for FA review by 750h+ (t · c); see discussion
- 24 Feb 2024 – Polio (talk · · hist) was put up for FA review by Z1720 (t · c); see discussion
- 20 Feb 2024 – Edward I of England (talk · · hist) was put up for FA review by JimKillock (t · c); see discussion
- 17 Feb 2024 – Mariah Carey (talk · · hist) was put up for FA review by ScarletViolet (t · c); see discussion
- 15 Jan 2024 – Emmy Noether (talk · · hist) was put up for FA review by Z1720 (t · c); see discussion
- 30 Oct 2023 – Byzantine Empire (talk · · hist) was put up for FA review by SandyGeorgia (t · c); see discussion
- 16 Aug 2023 – Minneapolis (talk · · hist) was put up for FA review by SandyGeorgia (t · c); see discussion
- 24 Jul 2023 – Geography of Ireland (talk · · hist) was put up for FA review by Z1720 (t · c); see discussion
- 14 May 2023 – Edward III of England (talk · · hist) was put up for FA review by SandyGeorgia (t · c); see discussion
- 08 May 2023 – William Wilberforce (talk · · hist) was put up for FA review by Buidhe (t · c); see discussion
Good article reassessments
- 24 May 2024 – Winter Olympic Games (talk · · hist) was nominated for GA reassessment by AirshipJungleman29 (t · c); see discussion
Requests for comments
- 30 May 2024 – Donald Trump (talk · · hist) has an RfC by Politicdude (t · c); see discussion
- 29 May 2024 – Frederick the Great (talk · · hist) has an RfC by Emiya1980 (t · c); see discussion
- 28 May 2024 – Emir Abdelkader (talk · · hist) has an RfC by 808 AD (t · c); see discussion
- 27 May 2024 – Benito Mussolini (talk · · hist) has an RfC by Emiya1980 (t · c); see discussion
- 26 May 2024 – Dmitri Shostakovich (talk · · hist) has an RfC by CurryTime7-24 (t · c); see discussion
- 24 May 2024 – Black War (talk · · hist) has an RfC by Jack4576 (t · c); see discussion
- 23 May 2024 – Mughal Empire (talk · · hist) has an RfC by Flemmish Nietzsche (t · c); see discussion
- 22 May 2024 – Russian Civil War (talk · · hist) has an RfC by WhatamIdoing (t · c); see discussion
- 21 May 2024 – Atheism (talk · · hist) has an RfC by Alexanderkowal (t · c); see discussion
- 21 May 2024 – Joe Biden (talk · · hist) has an RfC by KlayCax (t · c); see discussion
- (3 more...)
Peer reviews
- 31 May 2024 – Arrow's impossibility theorem (talk · · hist) has been put up for PR by Closed Limelike Curves (t · c); see discussion
- 30 May 2024 – Chinese characters (talk · · hist) has been put up for PR by Remsense (t · c); see discussion
- 29 May 2024 – Botswana (talk · · hist) has been put up for PR by 48JCL (t · c); see discussion
- 26 May 2024 – Igor Stravinsky (talk · · hist) has been put up for PR by MyCatIsAChonk (t · c); see discussion
- 21 May 2024 – DJ Kool Herc (talk · · hist) has been put up for PR by LunaEclipse (t · c); see discussion
- 17 May 2024 – Robert Schumann (talk · · hist) has been put up for PR by Tim riley (t · c); see discussion
- 04 May 2024 – Regency of Algiers (talk · · hist) has been put up for PR by Scope creep (t · c); see discussion
- 03 May 2024 – Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (talk · · hist) has been put up for PR by Keivan.f (t · c); see discussion
- 25 Apr 2024 – Ethics (talk · · hist) has been put up for PR by Phlsph7 (t · c); see discussion
- 05 Apr 2024 – Narwhal (talk · · hist) has been put up for PR by Wolverine XI (t · c); see discussion
- (6 more...)
Requested moves
- 30 May 2024 – History of the People's Republic of China (talk · · hist) is requested to be moved to History of China (1949–present) by Interstellarity (t · c); see discussion
- 30 May 2024 – Abdulmejid I (talk · · hist) is requested to be moved to Abdülmecid I by SilverLocust (t · c); see discussion
- 29 May 2024 – Tibet Autonomous Region (talk · · hist) is requested to be moved to Tibet by Toto11zi (t · c); see discussion
- 29 May 2024 – Tibet (talk · · hist) is requested to be moved to Greater Tibet by Toto11zi (t · c); see discussion
- 29 May 2024 – Israel–Hamas war (talk · · hist) is requested to be moved to 2023 Gaza War by NasssaNser (t · c); see discussion
- 24 May 2024 – Doctor of Philosophy (talk · · hist) is requested to be moved to PhD by Vpab15 (t · c); see discussion
- 21 May 2024 – Trisha (actress) (talk · · hist) is requested to be moved to Trisha Krishnan by Anoopspeaks (t · c); see discussion
- 21 May 2024 – March 1st Movement (talk · · hist) move request to March First Movement by 104.232.119.107 (t · c) was moved to March First Movement (talk · · hist) by BilledMammal (t · c) on 28 May 2024; see discussion
- 17 May 2024 – Autism spectrum (talk · · hist) move request to Autism by A mentally disabled mathematician (t · c) was closed; see discussion
- 17 May 2024 – Twitter (talk · · hist) move request to X (social network) by ElijahPepe (t · c) was not moved; see discussion
Articles to be merged
- 26 May 2024 – Carbon sequestration (talk · · hist) is proposed for merging to Carbon dioxide removal by Chidgk1 (t · c); see discussion
- 22 May 2024 – Stationary-action principle (talk · · hist) is proposed for merging to Action principles by Johnjbarton (t · c); see discussion
- 17 May 2024 – Open-source software (talk · · hist) is proposed for merging to Free and open-source software by Buidhe (t · c); see discussion
- 13 May 2024 – Rohingya genocide (talk · · hist) is proposed for merging to Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar by Vanisherman (t · c); see discussion
- 11 May 2024 – Agronomy (talk · · hist) is proposed for merging to Agricultural science by DuxLoKi (t · c); see discussion
- 11 May 2024 – Agricultural science (talk · · hist) is proposed for merging to Agronomy by DuxLoKi (t · c); see discussion
- 07 May 2024 – Asperger syndrome (talk · · hist) is proposed for merging to Autism spectrum by COArSe D1RTxxx (t · c); see discussion
- 07 May 2024 – Online chat (talk · · hist) is proposed for merging to Synchronous conferencing by Helpful Raccoon (t · c); see discussion
- 03 May 2024 – The gospel (talk · · hist) is proposed for merging to Gospel by LlywelynII (t · c); see discussion
- 30 Apr 2024 – Legal case (talk · · hist) is proposed for merging to Legal proceeding by Visviva (t · c); see discussion
- (22 more...)
Articles to be split
- 31 May 2024 – Cristiano Ronaldo (talk · · hist) is proposed for splitting by Patcha007 (t · c); see discussion
- 27 May 2024 – Robert Menzies (talk · · hist) is proposed for splitting by ITBF (t · c); see discussion
- 25 May 2024 – Chechen language (talk · · hist) is proposed for splitting by Kepler-1229b (t · c); see discussion
- 24 May 2024 – Separation of powers (talk · · hist) is proposed for splitting by LegesFundamentales (t · c); see discussion
- 21 May 2024 – National University of Singapore (talk · · hist) is proposed for splitting by 119.237.212.104 (t · c); see discussion
- 19 May 2024 – Coal (talk · · hist) is proposed for splitting by Smokefoot (t · c); see discussion
- 09 May 2024 – Michael Crawford (talk · · hist) is proposed for splitting by 2601:1C1:8200:260:1D7B:1660:F08F:1EAE (t · c); see discussion
- 03 May 2024 – Social choice theory (talk · · hist) is proposed for splitting by Closed Limelike Curves (t · c); see discussion
- 02 May 2024 – Slaughterhouse (talk · · hist) is proposed for splitting by GobsPint (t · c); see discussion
- 25 Apr 2024 – Jeffrey Epstein (talk · · hist) is proposed for splitting by DBrown SPS (t · c); see discussion
- (74 more...)
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Statistics
See also
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Vital Articles/Article alerts – specialized noticeboard for Vital articles
- File:Wikipedia’s poor treatment of its most important articles.pdf (2011)
- File:Fun or Functional? The Misalignment Between Content Quality and Popularity in Wikipedia (WMF Research Showcase 2015-09-16).pdf
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Vital Articles/Readability (2016)