Battlestar Wiki:Guide to improving articles - Revision history

Joe Beaudoin Jr.: /* Uncreated article */ fixing link

2009-06-20T17:41:11Z

Uncreated article: fixing link

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:41, 20 June 2009
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	Good ways to find articles to create:		Good ways to find articles to create:
	*[[Special:~~Wanted articles~~\|Wanted articles]]		*[[Special:Wantedpages\|Wanted articles]]
	*[[Special:Lonelypages\|Orphaned Pages]] (or pages that really need to be linked to another entry)		*[[Special:Lonelypages\|Orphaned Pages]] (or pages that really need to be linked to another entry)

Joe Beaudoin Jr.: categorizing

2007-11-03T10:18:37Z

categorizing

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:18, 3 November 2007
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	Without a doubt, though, our featured articles are excellent, so why not show them off? There are a number of ways you can showcase our best work to people who might not know about Battlestar Wiki. This is an excellent way to [[Wikipedia:Building Wikipedia membership\|recruit new Wikipedians]] and gain [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support\|donations]], both of which help Battlestar Wiki immensely.		Without a doubt, though, our featured articles are excellent, so why not show them off? There are a number of ways you can showcase our best work to people who might not know about Battlestar Wiki. This is an excellent way to [[Wikipedia:Building Wikipedia membership\|recruit new Wikipedians]] and gain [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support\|donations]], both of which help Battlestar Wiki immensely.

			[[Category:Battlestar Wiki\|Guide to improving articles]]

Serenity: /* Disputed article */

2007-08-29T21:49:44Z

Disputed article

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:49, 29 August 2007
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	If you choose to help these articles out as a mediator, please keep [[Battlestar Wiki:Etiquette\|etiquette]] and [[Battlestar Wiki:Civility\|civility]] in mind at all times. ''[[Wikipedia:Staying cool when the editing gets hot\|Stay cool when the editing gets hot]]''.		If you choose to help these articles out as a mediator, please keep [[Battlestar Wiki:Etiquette\|etiquette]] and [[Battlestar Wiki:Civility\|civility]] in mind at all times. ''[[Wikipedia:Staying cool when the editing gets hot\|Stay cool when the editing gets hot]]''.

	If you find yourself involved as one of the editors, '''don't panic'''. Re-read the three pages linked in the previous paragraph, and follow their advice. If a bitter revert war is in progress, submit a request for [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection\|page protection]] to any members of the Battlestar Wiki [[Special:Listadmins\|administration]]. Ask some neutral [[:Category:~~Wikipedians~~\|~~Wikipedians~~]] to come mediate the dispute.		If you find yourself involved as one of the editors, '''don't panic'''. Re-read the three pages linked in the previous paragraph, and follow their advice. If a bitter revert war is in progress, submit a request for [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection\|page protection]] to any members of the Battlestar Wiki [[Special:Listadmins\|administration]]. Ask some neutral [[:Category:Galactipedian\|Galactipedians]] to come mediate the dispute.

	Good ways to find and heal disputed articles:		Good ways to find and heal disputed articles:

Joe Beaudoin Jr.: tweak

2007-03-20T23:12:43Z

tweak

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:12, 20 March 2007
Line 3:		Line 3:
	This page details the different stages in an article's life, and lists the various ways '''you can help articles grow''' into the next stage. Note that skipping stages is allowed — in fact, it's a very good thing if you can accomplish this! Also, there is no hard line in-between stages. These are rough categories to help you get an idea of how articles typically grow on Battlestar Wiki.		This page details the different stages in an article's life, and lists the various ways '''you can help articles grow''' into the next stage. Note that skipping stages is allowed — in fact, it's a very good thing if you can accomplish this! Also, there is no hard line in-between stages. These are rough categories to help you get an idea of how articles typically grow on Battlestar Wiki.

	Please note that this life cycle does not concern itself with [[Battlestar Wiki:Candidates for deletion\|~~votes~~ for deletion]], [[:Category:Articles suggested to be merged\|merging]], [[:Category:Articles suggested to be split\|splitting]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Template List\|templates]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Image use policy\|images]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Categories\|categories]], or any of the other issues and organizational techniques that will crop up from time to time.		Please note that this life cycle does not concern itself with [[Battlestar Wiki:Candidates for deletion\|candidates for deletion]], [[:Category:Articles suggested to be merged\|merging]], [[:Category:Articles suggested to be split\|splitting]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Template List\|templates]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Image use policy\|images]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Categories\|categories]], or any of the other issues and organizational techniques that will crop up from time to time.

	==[[Battlestar Wiki:Tutorial (Editing)\|Uncreated article]]==		==[[Battlestar Wiki:Tutorial (Editing)\|Uncreated article]]==

Joe Beaudoin Jr.: cleanup done

2007-03-20T23:01:10Z

cleanup done

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:01, 20 March 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~{{cleanup}}~~		Battlestar Wiki's articles are like living things: they are born into [[Battlestar Wiki:Perfect stub article\|stubhood]] and (ideally) grow up into [[Battlestar Wiki:Featured articles\|well-written, comprehensive]] articles. Unlike other living things, articles have an infinite life expectancy (excepting [[Battlestar Wiki:What Battlestar Wiki is not\|inappropriate]] articles that get [[Battlestar Wiki:Candidates for deletion\|deleted]]).

	~~Wikipedia~~'s articles ~~are like living things: they are born into [[Battlestar Wiki:Perfect stub article\|stubhood]] and (ideally)~~ grow up into ~~[[Battlestar Wiki:The perfect article\|well~~-~~written, comprehensive]] articles~~. ~~Unlike other living things,~~ articles ~~have an infinite life expectancy (excepting [[~~Battlestar Wiki~~:What Batlestar Wiki is not\|inappropriate]] articles that get [[Battlstar Wiki:Deletion policy\|deleted]])~~.		This page details the different stages in an article's life, and lists the various ways '''you can help articles grow''' into the next stage. Note that skipping stages is allowed — in fact, it's a very good thing if you can accomplish this! Also, there is no hard line in-between stages. These are rough categories to help you get an idea of how articles typically grow on Battlestar Wiki.

	~~This page details the different stages in an article's~~ life, ~~and lists the various ways '''you can help articles grow''' into the next stage. Note that skipping stages is allowed — in fact~~, ~~it's a very good thing if you can accomplish this! Also~~, ~~there is no hard line in-between stages. These are rough~~ categories to ~~help you get an idea of how articles typically grow on Wikipedia~~.		Please note that this life cycle does not concern itself with [[Battlestar Wiki:Candidates for deletion\|votes for deletion]], [[:Category:Articles suggested to be merged\|merging]], [[:Category:Articles suggested to be split\|splitting]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Template List\|templates]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Image use policy\|images]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Categories\|categories]], or any of the other issues and organizational techniques that will crop up from time to time.

	Please note that this life cycle does not concern itself with [[Battlestar Wiki:Votes for deletion\|votes for deletion]], [[Wikipedia:Duplicate articles\|merging]], [[:Category:Articles to be split\|splitting]], [[Wikipedia:Template messages\|templates]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Images\|images]], [[Battlestar Wiki:~~Category\|categories]], or any of the other issues and organizational techniques that will crop up from time to time. See: [[Battlestar Wiki:Utilities]].~~		==[[Battlestar Wiki:Tutorial (Editing)\|Uncreated article]]==
			Every article starts with an idea in the mind of a contributor. You should create articles about whatever you are interested in, so long as they [[Battlestar Wiki:What Battlestar Wiki is not\|belong in Battlestar Wiki]]. If you see a [[w:Red link\|red link]] that strikes your fancy, create an article! For more suggestions on how to think of subjects to contribute on, see [[Battlestar Wiki:Welcome\|how]].

	~~==[[Wikipedia:Help:Starting a new page~~\|Uncreated article]]==
	Every article starts with an idea in the mind of a contributor. You should create articles about whatever you are interested in, so long as they [[Battlestar Wiki:What Battlestar Wiki is not\|belong in ~~Wikipedia~~]]. If you see a [[~~MediaWiki~~:Red link\|red link]] that strikes your fancy, create an article! For more suggestions on how to think of subjects to contribute on, see [[Battlestar Wiki:~~Contributing to Battlestar Wiki~~]].

	Before you begin, it's helpful to read the [[Wikipedia:Your first article\|guidelines]] and [[Battlestar Wiki:Tutorial\|tutorials]] on creating new articles to get an idea of what you should consider (article scope, lead, organization, internal and external links, references, NPOV, etc.)		Before you begin, it's helpful to read the [[Wikipedia:Your first article\|guidelines]] and [[Battlestar Wiki:Tutorial\|tutorials]] on creating new articles to get an idea of what you should consider (article scope, lead, organization, internal and external links, references, NPOV, etc.)
Line 17:		Line 14:
	*[[Special:Lonelypages\|Orphaned Pages]] (or pages that really need to be linked to another entry)		*[[Special:Lonelypages\|Orphaned Pages]] (or pages that really need to be linked to another entry)

	==[[~~Wikipedia~~:~~Perfect~~ stub ~~article~~\|Stub]]==		==[[Battlestar Wiki:Find or fix a stub\|Stub]]==
	If you do not have the time to write a full article, consider writing a "stub" after reading how to create the [[~~Wikipedia~~:perfect stub article\|perfect stub article]].		If you do not have the time to write a full article, consider writing a "stub" after reading how to create the [[Battlestar Wiki:perfect stub article\|perfect stub article]].
	Stubs are very short articles, generally of one paragraph or less. These are the "[[Wikipedia:The Ugly Duckling\|ugly ducklings]]" of ~~Wikipedia~~. With effort, they can grow into swans, of course.		Stubs are very short articles, generally of one paragraph or less. These are the "[[Wikipedia:The Ugly Duckling\|ugly ducklings]]" of Battlestar Wiki. With effort, they can grow into swans, of course.

	Good ways to find and grow stubs:		Good ways to find and grow stubs:
Line 34:		Line 31:

	===Disputed article===		===Disputed article===
	Occasionally a developing article (or even a good or great article) will get sick: two or more editors disagree with each other and have trouble reaching a compromise. These articles need extra "tender loving care" from ~~[[Wikipedia:Mediation\|~~mediators]] who are willing to help all parties come to a consensus.		Occasionally a developing article (or even a good or great article) will get sick: two or more editors disagree with each other and have trouble reaching a compromise. These articles need extra "tender loving care" from mediators who are willing to help all parties come to a consensus.

	If you choose to help these articles out as a mediator, please keep [[~~Wikipedia~~:~~Wikiquette~~\|~~Wikiquette~~]] and [[~~Wikipedia~~:Civility\|civility]] in mind at all times. ''[[Wikipedia:Staying cool when the editing gets hot\|Stay cool when the editing gets hot]]''.		If you choose to help these articles out as a mediator, please keep [[Battlestar Wiki:Etiquette\|etiquette]] and [[Battlestar Wiki:Civility\|civility]] in mind at all times. ''[[Wikipedia:Staying cool when the editing gets hot\|Stay cool when the editing gets hot]]''.

	If you find yourself involved as one of the editors, '''don't panic'''. Re-read the three pages linked in the previous paragraph, and follow their advice. If a bitter revert war is in progress, submit a request for [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection\|page protection]] to any members of the Battlestar Wiki [[Special:Listadmins\|administration]]. Ask some neutral [[:Category:Wikipedians\|Wikipedians]] to come mediate the dispute.		If you find yourself involved as one of the editors, '''don't panic'''. Re-read the three pages linked in the previous paragraph, and follow their advice. If a bitter revert war is in progress, submit a request for [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection\|page protection]] to any members of the Battlestar Wiki [[Special:Listadmins\|administration]]. Ask some neutral [[:Category:Wikipedians\|Wikipedians]] to come mediate the dispute.
Line 47:		Line 44:
	*[[Wikipedia:Accuracy dispute]]		*[[Wikipedia:Accuracy dispute]]
	*[[Wikipedia:Disputed statement]]		*[[Wikipedia:Disputed statement]]
	*[[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection]]

	==Good article==		==[[Battlestar Wiki:Quality Articles\|Good article]]==
	A good article has one or more contributors dedicated to improving the article's quality. The article at least tries to be comprehensive. Many [[:Category:Wikipedians\|Wikipedians]] "sponsor" or "adopt" a small number of articles, which they add to their [[Wikipedia:Watchlist help\|watchlists]] and update whenever they can. Please note that once an article has been "adopted" by one Wikipedian, there's no reason that you shouldn't "adopt" it too, if it strikes your fancy. With two editors collaborating on the same article, it will often improve three times as fast.		A good article has one or more contributors dedicated to improving the article's quality. The article at least tries to be comprehensive. Many [[:Category:Wikipedians\|Wikipedians]] "sponsor" or "adopt" a small number of articles, which they add to their [[Wikipedia:Watchlist help\|watchlists]] and update whenever they can. Please note that once an article has been "adopted" by one Wikipedian, there's no reason that you shouldn't "adopt" it too, if it strikes your fancy. With two editors collaborating on the same article, it will often improve three times as fast.

	==[[Wikipedia:How to write a great article\|Great article]]==		==[[Wikipedia:How to write a great article\|Great article]]==
	After thorough peer review, with lots of people working together to smooth out the rough edges, a good article can become [[Wikipedia:How to write a great article\|great]]. You'll know a great article when you see it. It's steadily approaching [[~~Wikipedia~~:~~The perfect article~~\|perfection]]. Polish it up as best you can, maybe give it another round in [[~~Wikipedia~~:~~Peer review~~\|peer review]].		After thorough peer review, with lots of people working together to smooth out the rough edges, a good article can become [[Wikipedia:How to write a great article\|great]]. You'll know a great article when you see it. It's steadily approaching [[Battlestar Wiki:Featured articles\|perfection]]. Polish it up as best you can, maybe give it another round in [[Battlestar Wiki:Quality Articles\|peer review]].

	How to get great articles up to featured-quality:		How to get great articles up to featured-quality:
	*[[~~Wikipedia~~:~~Peer review~~]]		*[[Battlestar Wiki:Quality Articles]]

	==Beyond...==		==Beyond...==
	Featured articles are well-polished, but there are almost always small improvements that can be made. Don't ever be afraid to correct mistakes when you see them; no article is [[~~Wikipedia~~:~~The perfect article~~\|perfect]], though perfection will always remain our goal.		Featured articles are well-polished, but there are almost always small improvements that can be made. Don't ever be afraid to correct mistakes when you see them; no article is [[Battlestar Wiki:Featured articles\|perfect]], though perfection will always remain our goal.

	Without a doubt, though, our featured articles are excellent, so why not show them off? There are a number of ways you can showcase our best work to people who might not know about Battlestar Wiki. This is an excellent way to [[Wikipedia:Building Wikipedia membership\|recruit new Wikipedians]] and gain [[donations]], both of which help Battlestar ~~Wikiimmensely~~.		Without a doubt, though, our featured articles are excellent, so why not show them off? There are a number of ways you can showcase our best work to people who might not know about Battlestar Wiki. This is an excellent way to [[Wikipedia:Building Wikipedia membership\|recruit new Wikipedians]] and gain [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support\|donations]], both of which help Battlestar Wiki immensely.

Mercifull: wow this needs a reall good cleanup and rewrite

2007-01-29T23:57:45Z

wow this needs a reall good cleanup and rewrite

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:57, 29 January 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
			{{cleanup}}

	Wikipedia's articles are like living things: they are born into [[Battlestar Wiki:Perfect stub article\|stubhood]] and (ideally) grow up into [[Battlestar Wiki:The perfect article\|well-written, comprehensive]] articles. Unlike other living things, articles have an infinite life expectancy (excepting [[Battlestar Wiki:What Batlestar Wiki is not\|inappropriate]] articles that get [[Battlstar Wiki:Deletion policy\|deleted]]).		Wikipedia's articles are like living things: they are born into [[Battlestar Wiki:Perfect stub article\|stubhood]] and (ideally) grow up into [[Battlestar Wiki:The perfect article\|well-written, comprehensive]] articles. Unlike other living things, articles have an infinite life expectancy (excepting [[Battlestar Wiki:What Batlestar Wiki is not\|inappropriate]] articles that get [[Battlstar Wiki:Deletion policy\|deleted]]).

Joe Beaudoin Jr. at 05:36, 11 February 2005

2005-02-11T05:36:43Z

New page

Wikipedia's articles are like living things: they are born into [[Battlestar Wiki:Perfect stub article|stubhood]] and (ideally) grow up into [[Battlestar Wiki:The perfect article|well-written, comprehensive]] articles. Unlike other living things, articles have an infinite life expectancy (excepting [[Battlestar Wiki:What Batlestar Wiki is not|inappropriate]] articles that get [[Battlstar Wiki:Deletion policy|deleted]]).

This page details the different stages in an article's life, and lists the various ways '''you can help articles grow''' into the next stage. Note that skipping stages is allowed — in fact, it's a very good thing if you can accomplish this! Also, there is no hard line in-between stages. These are rough categories to help you get an idea of how articles typically grow on Wikipedia.

Please note that this life cycle does not concern itself with [[Battlestar Wiki:Votes for deletion|votes for deletion]], [[Wikipedia:Duplicate articles|merging]], [[:Category:Articles to be split|splitting]], [[Wikipedia:Template messages|templates]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Images|images]], [[Battlestar Wiki:Category|categories]], or any of the other issues and organizational techniques that will crop up from time to time. See: [[Battlestar Wiki:Utilities]].

==[[Wikipedia:Help:Starting a new page|Uncreated article]]==
Every article starts with an idea in the mind of a contributor. You should create articles about whatever you are interested in, so long as they [[Battlestar Wiki:What Battlestar Wiki is not|belong in Wikipedia]]. If you see a [[MediaWiki:Red link|red link]] that strikes your fancy, create an article! For more suggestions on how to think of subjects to contribute on, see [[Battlestar Wiki:Contributing to Battlestar Wiki]].

Before you begin, it's helpful to read the [[Wikipedia:Your first article|guidelines]] and [[Battlestar Wiki:Tutorial|tutorials]] on creating new articles to get an idea of what you should consider (article scope, lead, organization, internal and external links, references, NPOV, etc.)

Good ways to find articles to create:
*[[Special:Wanted articles|Wanted articles]]
*[[Special:Lonelypages|Orphaned Pages]] (or pages that really need to be linked to another entry)

==[[Wikipedia:Perfect stub article|Stub]]==
If you do not have the time to write a full article, consider writing a "stub" after reading how to create the [[Wikipedia:perfect stub article|perfect stub article]].
Stubs are very short articles, generally of one paragraph or less. These are the "[[Wikipedia:The Ugly Duckling|ugly ducklings]]" of Wikipedia. With effort, they can grow into swans, of course.

Good ways to find and grow stubs:
*[[Special:Newpages]]
*[[Special:Randompage]]
*[[Special:Shortpages]]

==Developing article==
Once a stub has some real content, it's a real article. The vast majority of articles fall into this category. They may have mistakes, but you are encouraged to [[Wikipedia:How to copyedit|copyedit]] and correct them.

Good ways to find and improve developing articles:
*[[Special:Ancientpages]]
*[[Special:Randompage]]

===Disputed article===
Occasionally a developing article (or even a good or great article) will get sick: two or more editors disagree with each other and have trouble reaching a compromise. These articles need extra "tender loving care" from [[Wikipedia:Mediation|mediators]] who are willing to help all parties come to a consensus.

If you choose to help these articles out as a mediator, please keep [[Wikipedia:Wikiquette|Wikiquette]] and [[Wikipedia:Civility|civility]] in mind at all times. ''[[Wikipedia:Staying cool when the editing gets hot|Stay cool when the editing gets hot]]''.

If you find yourself involved as one of the editors, '''don't panic'''. Re-read the three pages linked in the previous paragraph, and follow their advice. If a bitter revert war is in progress, submit a request for [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|page protection]] to any members of the Battlestar Wiki [[Special:Listadmins|administration]]. Ask some neutral [[:Category:Wikipedians|Wikipedians]] to come mediate the dispute.

Good ways to find and heal disputed articles:
*[[Wikipedia:Mediation]]
*[[Wikipedia:Harmonious editing club]]
*[[Wikipedia:Requests for comment]]
*[[Wikipedia:NPOV dispute]]
*[[Wikipedia:Accuracy dispute]]
*[[Wikipedia:Disputed statement]]
*[[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection]]

==Good article==
A good article has one or more contributors dedicated to improving the article's quality. The article at least tries to be comprehensive. Many [[:Category:Wikipedians|Wikipedians]] "sponsor" or "adopt" a small number of articles, which they add to their [[Wikipedia:Watchlist help|watchlists]] and update whenever they can. Please note that once an article has been "adopted" by one Wikipedian, there's no reason that you shouldn't "adopt" it too, if it strikes your fancy. With two editors collaborating on the same article, it will often improve three times as fast.

==[[Wikipedia:How to write a great article|Great article]]==
After thorough peer review, with lots of people working together to smooth out the rough edges, a good article can become [[Wikipedia:How to write a great article|great]]. You'll know a great article when you see it. It's steadily approaching [[Wikipedia:The perfect article|perfection]]. Polish it up as best you can, maybe give it another round in [[Wikipedia:Peer review|peer review]].

How to get great articles up to featured-quality:
*[[Wikipedia:Peer review]]

==Beyond...==
Featured articles are well-polished, but there are almost always small improvements that can be made. Don't ever be afraid to correct mistakes when you see them; no article is [[Wikipedia:The perfect article|perfect]], though perfection will always remain our goal.

Without a doubt, though, our featured articles are excellent, so why not show them off? There are a number of ways you can showcase our best work to people who might not know about Battlestar Wiki. This is an excellent way to [[Wikipedia:Building Wikipedia membership|recruit new Wikipedians]] and gain [[donations]], both of which help Battlestar Wikiimmensely.