Wikipedia:Help desk

Welcome—ask questions about how to use or edit Wikipedia! (Am I in the right place?)

• For other types of questions, use the search box, see the reference desk or Help:Contents. If you have comments about a specific article, use that article's talk page.
• Do not provide your email address or any other contact information. Answers will be provided on this page only.
• Check back on this page to see if your question has been answered.
• For real-time help, use our IRC help channel, #wikipedia-en-help.
• New editors may prefer the Teahouse, a help area for beginners.

Ask a question

April 7

Emmanuel College, Warrnambool (2)

The correct name of publication is wrong I think for ref. number 13 - please repair if able - thanks 175.38.42.62 (talk) 02:35, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

What's currently number 13 is described as "The Standard". Click on the link, and you arrive at a web page of "The Standard". What seems to be the problem? -- Hoary (talk) 03:32, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

 Fixed GoingBatty (talk) 18:49, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Where's the "Automatic" tab?

I'm trying to follow these instructions which I found on the Internet, but when I click on the "'Cite button" I'm not seeing the "'Automatic' tab" that's mentioned in step 4. Suggestions?

1. Go to the article you are editing in Wikipedia: 2. Click in the article where you want to add your citation. 3. Select the "Cite" button. 4. Click on the "Automatic" tab. 5. Paste the URL into the box. 6. Click "Generate" 7. Double check that everything looks correct. 8. Click "Insert" That's it. You've added a citation. Was Kisevalter Nash? (talk) 05:22, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Was Kisevalter Nash?: You may need to have the new wikitext mode enabled at Preferences → Beta features → New wikitext mode if you haven't already. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 05:59, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Was Kisevalter Nash?: Those instructions could apply to both "New wikitext mode" and VisualEditor. You are probably using the normal source editor now. There you can click "Cite", "Templates", choose a template like "cite web", paste in the "URL" field and click the magnifying glass. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:48, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

I switched over to it just now, and in my draft article I've placed a blinking cursor right where I want it in the text, but now there's no "Cite" button for me to click on as the instructions I posted above suggest doing. I'm trying to insert my main Reference source's (paginated) URL where I've placed the blinking cursor. Do I click on the "Inset" drop box, instead? This is the (paginated) URL I want to use for my first citation link. (I don't know if I'm using the correct terminology.) It's to a book that was published by Yale University Press, the "hard copy" of which I already have listed in my draft article's Bibliography. Thanks for your help. https://archive.org/details/SpyWarsMolesMysteriesAndDeadlyGames/page/n41/mode/2up?view=theater Was Kisevalter Nash? (talk) 15:44, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Was Kisevalter Nash?: "Cite" is two icons to the left of "Insert" for me in New wikitext mode. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:40, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

It's a button that reads " Cite", in between and . It's one of the wider ones. —Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 22:15, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

article

Wanted to see how i can get an article published on wikepedia about my company Provacation (talk) 06:57, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Provacation. If you intend to write about your company, then you are considered a paid editor and must immediately make the Paid contributions disclosure. This is mandatory and non-negotiable. Then read about Conflict of interest editing, and Notability (organizations and companies) and Your first article. Cullen328 (talk) 07:19, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Emmanuel College, Warrnambool (3)

Ref numbers 9 and 12 are the same source (a history book) - can an editor please do that skill where you put etc 2 refs together - I cannot. Thanks 175.38.42.62 (talk) 07:09, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

In either one of the two references (by convention, the first one, though this doesn't matter), replace <ref> with <ref name="quill">. (Notice that this doesn't contain a slash.) Replace all other references (in their entirety) with <ref name="quill" /> (Notice that this does contain a slash.) There you go. -- Hoary (talk) 07:19, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

I tried - and thank you for your advice. - but I have failed. I will leave it as. it is...175.38.42.62 (talk) 08:45, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Done. (Or if you'd prefer the "mobile view", then done.) If anything is hard to understand, please ask. However, this change was for little more than appearance's sake. By contrast: (1) How does it help readers if the title is linked to a record of the book -- and not a PDF or other representation of the book itself -- in a library to which most won't have access? (Suggestion: Remove the link. If people want to see where it is in this or that national library, they can do so via the link for the ISBN.) (2) It's a book, one that WorldCat describes as going on for 104 pages. Why expect readers to search among these for the specific information? (Suggestion: Supplement the reference with use of Template:Rp.) -- Hoary (talk) 09:31, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

I have retitled this message thread. Four message threads shared the same title, and the fourth merely duplicated this, the third. In future, please don't recycle the same title within any page: it easily leads to confusion. In an attempt to reduce the risk of confusion, I've added a number to the title of all but the first. -- Hoary (talk) 09:36, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

how urgently should misquotes be removed?

An editor has added two misquotes of academic authors to Highland clearances. This sits alongside misrepresentation of other sources. There is dialogue on this at Talk:Highland Clearances#Edits not supported by cited sources.

I suspect that the two historians who are misquoted would object to having these words put into their mouths. There seems to be no guidance in Wikipedia (that I can find) on how urgently the misquotes and/or misrepresentations should be removed. I note that WP:BLP guidance of rapid correction to content to which a living person might object, and there seems to be some comparison to this situation.

What is an appropriate timescale for removing the misquotes? ThoughtIdRetired (talk) 07:24, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

I looked at the discussion, and see no reason why they shouldn't be removed immediately. Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:27, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@ThoughtIdRetired The policy here is at WP:BURDEN, which suggests that disputed material should be removed immediately and that editors who wish to restore it need to justify doing so: the cited source must clearly support the material as presented in the article. Mike Turnbull (talk) 13:25, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

As it happens, the other editor has deleted the problem paragraph that they had added. Hopefully I have given some useful pointers on (a) how Wikipedia works and (b) use of appropriate sources for the subject of the article - of which the other editor seems aware but apparently has not read. As ever, hard to know if such advice is helpful... ThoughtIdRetired (talk) 15:48, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

I am attempting to transfer (copy) mucic albums from Ubuntu Mate laptop computer to ipohone 6 +

I have attempted copying using various music programs including VLC but I have not been able to do the transfer as the only visible iphone folder in VLC is DCIM. I would like to tansfer the files either by connecting the devices with the iphone cable or wifi on the same wifi network. Lockieolou (talk) 07:45, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Lockieolou The top of this page says "The Wikipedia help desk is a place where you can ask questions about how to use or edit Wikipedia."

You could try asking at the Computing reference desk. Bazza (talk) 08:00, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Copy/transfer music files from Ubuntu Lite or Mate to iPhone 6+

I am attempting to transfer (copy) mucic albums from Ubuntu Mate laptop computer to ipohone 6 + ==

I have attempted copying using various music programs including VLC but I have not been able to do the transfer as the only visible iphone folder in VLC is DCIM.

I would like to tansfer the files either by connecting the devices with the iphone cable or wifi on the same wifi network. Lockieolou (talk) 08:13, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Lockieolou: This help desk can only assist you with questions related to using or editing Wikipedia. For general computing questions, try Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing. Victor Schmidt (talk) 09:15, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Other language wikipedia

Hi i was trying to look at a wikipedia article in multiple languages to see differences, and now im getting emails from these wikis. How do i leave these wikis as I dont understand. The wikis are arabic wikipedia and italian wikipedia Translinuxcat (talk) 12:40, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Translinuxcat: Your account is automatically created at a wiki if you visit it while logged in. You will probably only get one mail from each wiki to notify you that you got a welcome message on your user talk page. Just ignore it. Accounts cannot be removed at a wiki. I suggested at meta:Welcoming policy to disallow welcome posts to users with no edits but it hasn't received much attention. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:51, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Translinuxcat if these are notifications, you could go to the it/ar equivalent of Preferences and then Notifications and then Email options and select Do not send me any email notifications. TSventon (talk) 12:56, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

The interface will be in the local language by default. At Special:GlobalPreferences you can select English as interface language at all wikis. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:04, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

How do I delete an article

How do I submit an article for deletion, i want to delete the Adopt Me and Gamefam Studios pages 107.119.65.124 (talk) 13:48, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

I would first suggest that you review WP:DELETE, as well as WP:BEFORE, before pursuing deletion. Please see WP:AFDHOWTO for instructions, though users lacking an account will need help to complete the process(which the instructions describe). 331dot (talk) 13:51, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Is there a place where I can find source code that generated animations on Wikipedia pages?

I've been learning a lot of physics lately from Wikipedia, and many pages contain very helpful animations. Many appear as to have been computer generated, for example: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Torque_animation.gif and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cat_fall_150x300_6fps.gif I think it would be very useful for my learning experience to read the computer code for such animations, however I have been unable to find it.

Is there a way to find the code that generated these files and others like them? Would I need to contact their creators to ask? What would be the proper and polite way to go about it? Many thanks! :) Gabi Teodoru (talk) 14:24, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Gabiteodoru: the general answer is "no", unless the uploader added comments on the file's page. You may be able to contact the uploader of the file. One fairly rare type of animation, animated SVG, carries the code embedded in the file. I suggest you take a look at Blender (software) and get help from its very active community. -Arch dude (talk) 14:42, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Arch dude Thanks! Gabi Teodoru (talk) 16:24, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Gabiteodoru, if I now wanted to get into creating animated graphics, I would get a copy of SVG Essentials by J. David Eisenberg, published by O'Reilly. You can find copies on Ebay for less than £4, including delivery. Maproom (talk) 06:25, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Hey! Thanks for the offer, but I wasn't looking to learn about the graphics; rather about the way the physical simulations were implemented, as for more complicated situations the simulators themselves can get pretty sophisticated Gabi Teodoru (talk) 09:14, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Editing

how do you edit a wiki page Elainegardner (talk) 15:38, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Elainegardner By editing this page, you successfully edited a page. Articles(what we call the content of the encyclopedia) are edited in a similar way. I am going to post some introductory information on your user talk page(User talk:Elainegardner). 331dot (talk) 15:41, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Regarding ISBN numbers

I want to add the ISBN number to a book that's listed in my draft article's Bibliography section. Can I do that manually, or do I have to use a template? The ISBN number I'm talking about has no dashes and it's 13 digits long. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Was Kisevalter Nash? (talk • contribs) 18:33, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Was Kisevalter Nash?: Hi there! In your Draft:Tennent H. "Pete" Bagley, you use the {{citation}} template for each book in the "Bibliography" section. You can add the |isbn= parameter to the template to add the ISBN number. Happy editing! GoingBatty (talk) 18:43, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Was Kisevalter Nash? Note that it doesn't matter to the Wiki software whether the ISBN has any spaces or dashes within it, provided it has 10 or 13 digits. Since you are drafting the article you might as well stick to one style, either with or without the conventional dashes. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:29, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Paywalled reference?

Can I use a paywalled New York Times obituary as a reference? I have a subscription to the NYT, so I can read it by logging into my account, but I'm guessing many people surfing Wikipedia won't be able to do that because they don't have a subscription. Is there any way around that? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Was Kisevalter Nash? (talk • contribs) 19:18, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

A paywall is not a barrier to using a source, see WP:PAYWALL. Sources do not need to be free or easy to access. 331dot (talk) 19:21, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Pop-up texts

FYI

 – Created section header. GoingBatty (talk) 21:36, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Hello: Thanks for the excellent Wikipedia project. As a cyberjournalism professor I would like to learn how to create pop-up texts as they occur in your contents through a linked word or phrase. Is that a propietary technology by Wikepedia or is it open source? Thank you. My email is [redacted] if you need to reply direct to my query. Rafael Matos Cccrafael (talk) 20:58, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Cccrafael: Hi there! Are you referring to the {{Tooltip}} template? If not, could you please give us an example of a Wikipedia article where you see a "pop-up text"? Thanks! GoingBatty (talk) 21:40, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Are you referring to the page previews? If so take a look at these links:

• https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Page_Previews
• https://diff.wikimedia.org/?s=page+previews

Random person no 362478479 (talk) 22:34, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

@Cccrafael: Wikipedia use the MediaWiki wiki software, which is open source. -Arch dude (talk) 21:56, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

A third feature is Wikipedia:Tools/Navigation popups. Always be specific when you ask questions, e.g. saying which text you see on which link. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:04, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

Names of monuments

The names of monuments that are neither English nor American, in my opinion, should be written in the original language; for example, "Church of Santa Croce", corresponds, in the Italian language, to "Chiesa di Santa Croce"; being a monument, in this case, Italian, would it not be better to write it in Italian? JackkBrown (talk) 23:21, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

JackkBrown, this is English language Wikipedia and usually follows what reliable English language sources do, see WP:UE and more detail at WP:ENG. For example, "Church of Santa Croce" is a redirect to Santa Croce, Florence. TSventon (talk) 23:38, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

JackkBrown, please don't delete or change your talk page comments after someone has replied to them, see the guidance at WP:REDACT. I think the policy of following the usage English language sources makes sense, as Wikipedia aims to summarise what reliable sources say about a subject. The guidance also deals with situations where there are multiple possible foreign language titles. Italian Wikipedia will have articles about Italian monuments with Italian titles. TSventon (talk) 15:19, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

@JackkBrown In addition to the other good advice, please note that the English language has names (in English) for things in other countries. We talk about the Eiffel Tower, the Sistine Chapel, the Great Wall of China, etc. In an article about the Great Wall of China, if its name were written in (some dialect of) Chinese each time it was mentioned, the article would be confusing to those of us who couldn't read what was being talked about. David10244 (talk) 17:10, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

However, correct me if I'm wrong, but if there're few if any uses of an English name for an entity, we go with the native name, eg for the obscure village "Glückliche Stadt", we keep that name rather than translating it to "Happytown" on our own dime, if there's no common English name because English texts have no reason to talk about this obscure and, frankly, dismal collection of decrepit hovels. We should put the English translation in the lede IMO, and sometimes we do. For good or ill, that's the common practice. Herostratus (talk) 21:59, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

@Herostratus I'm sure you are right, but I would rather visit "Happytown" than "Glückliche Stadt"! If it's a dismal collection of decrepit hovels, then it needs a new name... Any good suggestions in German?  :-) David10244 (talk) 07:45, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

It's actually in Austria, so maybe Verdammtes Österreich? Herostratus (talk) 19:21, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

April 8

Talk page citing

In a recent discussion on the Talk:Donald Trump page, an editor said this: editors are not required to cite sources in talk page discussions. Do you actually need to cite sources in talk page discussions? I was under the impression that you should (or at least, a good argument should) cite sources in talk page discussions when you argue for something that isn't WP:SKYISBLUE or explicitly stated in the article text. For example, if I state that the reason that X belongs in the text because X is part of a broader Y or because X is directly tied to Y, yet Y does not exist anywhere in the article, surely an outside RS needs to be brought in to qualify that statement? And even if X is directly tied to Y, and an outside source is brought in, an argument that argues that X is tied to Y must find a way to work Y into the article, since Y is the reason why X is notable/non-fringe/non-trivial? Thanks in advance, Cessaune [talk] 00:16, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

You are not required to cite sources in a talk page discussion. But if you can cite a source in support of your view, and your opponents can't or don't, you are likely to win the argument. Maproom (talk) 06:45, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

The exception being talk pages of articles about living persons, if the material is possibly negative or controversial, you must have a good source. You can't just say "Should we mention that Smith is a convicted embezzler?" or even "Should we mention that Smith is a convicted embezzler, as the Akron Daily News says?", it has to be like "Should we mention that Smith is a convicted embezzler, as the Akron Daily News says, here: [link]". And the source has to be reliable/notable enough to use in the article. And even then you should be as circumspect as possible. "Should we use this source [here] and include the allegation made there?" would be much preferable. WP:BLP applies to all pages in the Wikipedia. Herostratus (talk) 22:13, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Fix the Women's Volleyball Tokyo 2020

Please fix and restore the new Gold Medalists and the Next Olympic Champions is:the United States of America in Women's Volleyball Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Brazil wins the Silver. And Bronze goes for Serbia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volleyball_at_the_2020_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Women%27s_tournament Please report it about the user 2804:2FA4:90C6:7600:4DFA:7F88:F4A7:533D for the user has done. I undo the damages. 100.2.149.243 (talk) 05:06, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Thanks, IP editor for restoring the page correctly. It can be difficult to spot that type of vandalism but the person who did it was from Brazil and was presumably annoyed by the real result. That set of edits yesterday seems to be their only contribution so far. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:21, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

New to Wikipedia; want to edit, don't know what to edit

I'm sorry if this question doesn't quite fit the criteria of this page but I am new to this site and really like writing and editing but can't really find anything interesting to write about, how do people even find good articles to edit? I've been thinking of translating pages from English to Bulgarian but I don't know how that works. Could anyone tell me how to find fresh, interesting articles to write and edit on? (I don't want you to send me articles, I want a way of finding articles) Thanks. RadoGaming7 (talk) 08:48, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

RadoGaming7 The Community Portal is a good place to find things to do. If you are interested in translation, please read more about it at this page. You may find using the new user tutorial helpful. 331dot (talk) 08:51, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Thanks! Will check them out. :) RadoGaming7 (talk) 08:58, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Judging by your Username, RadoGaming7, you might be interested in some of these Projects: the live ones are marked in green. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:12, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

@RadoGaming7, you also might try finding an article in your area of interest and scroll down to look at what categories it's in. Click on a category that sounds interesting and see which articles are in it. You can visit those articles to see if they need improvement. Valereee (talk) 12:23, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Haven't thought of that. Thanks RadoGaming7 (talk) 12:57, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Hello, RadoGaming7. For information about how to translate English language Wikipedia articles into another language, please read WP:TRANSLATEUS. The attribution part is important. Cullen328 (talk) 16:10, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Captions

For months I have been working mainly on MOS:CAPTIONS; since every page I open presents problems with this rule, and since, faced with almost 7 million pages, it's impossible to correct all the captions by myself, would there be any other person very knowledgeable about this rule who would like to contribute to this work? JackkBrown (talk) 14:41, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

It's great to hear that you've been working on improving the captions on Wikipedia pages and following the MOS:CAPTIONS guideline. This is an important task that can greatly enhance the quality and accessibility of Wikipedia articles.

As for finding other people knowledgeable about this rule to help with your work, you might consider reaching out to WikiProjects or task forces related to the subject matter of the articles you're working on. These groups often have members with specialized knowledge and experience in particular areas, and they may be able to provide guidance or assistance with captioning.

You could also try posting a request for help on relevant WikiProject talk pages or the MOS talk page, where other editors and volunteers can see your request and potentially offer their assistance.

Overall, collaboration and community engagement are essential to improving Wikipedia and ensuring that articles are accurate, informative, and accessible. Thank you for your efforts in working to improve captions on Wikipedia, and best of luck with your continued work! Someone who's wrong on the internet (talk) 03:22, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Adding conflict of interest box?

Hello! The discography & videography in the Peter Alsop article appears to have been edited by Alsop himself in 2021. The information is very likely accurate, but is it still worth adding a conflict of interest box to the article? And if so, how would I do that? I haven't done it yet 😭 Wizard Derk (talk) 15:37, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

@Wizard Derk: Hi there! The information added by User:Peter Alsop doesn't seem significant enough to add a {{COI}} template. Instead, I suggest adding {{more citations needed section}} to the "Career" section, as the discography and videography are completely unsourced. Or, you could find sources for these. Happy editing! GoingBatty (talk) 18:09, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Thank you for your reply! I will do; I appreciate your help! Wizard Derk (talk) 18:27, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

What license do the lua/css/template code fall under?

Would like to use the import/export feature to add a wikipedia template to another site, but I'm not clear under what license this type of wikipedia "software" is being offered. Can someone enlighten me? 2601:1C0:6800:31C0:80E5:842C:F91C:D9A (talk) 18:25, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Want to delete fake page?

Hey I hierd someone to create a page for me on the site and we didn't go along till the end so he left the work unfinished now I need to delete thae page that he did to create a correct one from the beginning and have the ability to edit it whenever I need so how can we do this ? 156.222.217.147 (talk) 18:44, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Hello. It would help if you would tell us the name of the article: I can only give you a general answer.

If you hired somebody to "create a page for you", you have probably been scammed: maybe not, but probably.

They should have declared their status as a paid editor, researched to find reliable independent sources about you, and written an article based on what those sources say, not on what you say or want to say. If they have done all that, then it is likely that you cannot get it the article deleted, because if they have done that, it probably meets Wikipedia's criteria.

If they failed to declare their status, they should be blocked for breaking Wikipedia's terms of use, but the article will not necessarily be deleted. However, if they did not find and cite adequate sources to establish that you meet Wikipedia's criteria for notability, then the article probably will be deleted. If such sources do not exist, then no article about you will be accepted, whoever writes it. ColinFine (talk) 19:45, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

(ec) I gather that you hired someone to write an article (the preferred term, not page) because you wanted to write about yourself or your business; it is inadvisable for you to contribute about yourself or your conflict of interest. We can delete the article or draft if you tell us what it is. 331dot (talk) 19:47, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

April 9

Dashes

Is it correct to insert the dashes detached from the words, or attached? I have sometimes seen them attached, even on very important American pages, and have always left them attached when I found them that way, believing it to be correct. Examples (they are made up): "United States of America–in 2009–"; and "United States of America – whose Constitution was completed in September 1787 –". JackkBrown (talk) 00:38, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

MOS:DASH

—Trappist the monk (talk) 00:44, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

It depends on the width of the dash. An em dash is unspaced, an en dash has a space on each side. See WP:DASH for the details. StarryGrandma (talk) 00:44, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

@StarryGrandma: I'm referring to the wide dashes (this: –, not this: -). Example: "with the aid of Bishop Zeferino González y Díaz Tuñón founded the Institute of Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament and Daughters of Mary Immaculate – this would be the origin of the order that she and her sister would establish not long after. JackkBrown (talk) 01:21, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Those are em dashes. Random person no 362478479 (talk) 01:32, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

I recommend Trappist's succinct recommendation. It's not clear what Random's "those" refers back to. Anyway, "-" is not a dash at all (it's a hyphen); "–" is an en dash, and "—" is an em dash. (And there are also other graphemes that are realized as simple horizontal lines.) -- Hoary (talk) 01:47, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

I was referring to wide dashes. But looking at what @JackkBrown called "wide dashes", I think that they are actually en dashes as opposed to hyphens and not em dashes as opposed to en dashes. Random person no 362478479 (talk) 01:55, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Hyphens, en dashes, em dashes, minus signs... there are too many. I think that I know the correct use of (some of) them, but only one is easy to insert from a computer, tablet, or cell phone US keyboard. Sigh. First world problems. David10244 (talk) 07:52, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Lupton family

ITALICS help please: In the Roger Lupton section of this page - ref number 16 - please put the "Dictionary of National..." in italics - I failed when trying. It's true that all books should be in italics isn't it? Thanks in advance 175.38.42.62 (talk) 00:54, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

It is in italics. Since you used a template Wikipedia took care of the formatting. Or am I missing something? Random person no 362478479 (talk) 01:26, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Template : Kotobank

Template:Kotobank is broken.....0mtwb9gd5wx (talk) 03:16, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

How is it broken? Someone who's wrong on the internet (talk) 03:20, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Can't edit Draft Talk from mobile

I often edit from my Android Samsung mobile phone, as well as from my PC. I find that on my phone I cannot edit various talk pages other than article talk or user talk. This has been the case for some months; I raised it as a problem, I think in a zoom chat, and was asked for screenshots. Today I have at last discovered how to get a screenshot on this phone. So ...

I want to edit Draft talk:Honest History (magazine). If I use the "reply" link, I get a red box above my input saying "invalid response from server". If I click "read as wiki page" and do an ordinary edit (not VE), I get a red box saying "Error, something unexpected happened upon loading the preview. Please close and try again."

What is happening here? Can I fix it? Or are mobile editors considered to be an underclass who don't need access to backstage areas like Draft Talk? PamD 05:53, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Given that it sounds like a technical issue, I don't know if anyone here will be able to help you. You can try the MediaWiki Support Desk or make a bug report at MediaWiki. The chances of getting help may be higher there. Random person no 362478479 (talk) 08:08, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

@PamD Editors who edit using a mobile device are still first-class editors. If you are using a browser, and not the mobile app, try clicking on the small link labeled "Desktop" at the bottom of all (most?) pages. The desktop view works pretty well on modern cell phones, according to many editors. David10244 (talk) 07:58, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@David10244 It works for most pages, but not for Draft Talk! PamD 08:01, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@PamD Oops. Sorry... Maybe you are in an underclass... David10244 (talk) 08:35, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@David10244 That's my suspicion: someone somewhere thinks that the plebs who edit on mobile don't need to be meddling with arcana such as Draft Talk pages! PamD 08:49, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Don't be ridiculous! No-one cares enough about mobile editors to discriminate against them.^[Humor] I wouldn't be surprised if this was something the right person could fix in five minutes. On the other hand neither would I be completely shocked if it turned out to be a case of "we built this thing by committee, draft talk works completely different than the rest of Wikipedia, resolving this would require to cut into the heart of Wikipedia." Random person no 362478479 (talk) 09:10, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@PamD Hi, I'm a software developer working on discussion tools, I found this thread from a reference at m:Talk:Wikimedia Foundation Annual Plan/2023-2024/Draft/Product & Technology#c-Shushugah-20230410184300-DLynch_(WMF)-20230403152500.

Unfortunately I can't reproduce the problems with replying on that page (I edited it: [1] I hope no one minds). It seems that at least some other people are able to edit them on mobile as well: [2]. I have no idea what could be causing the problems for you.

I recognize the error message "invalid response from server", and it should be only generated when the server indeed fails so badly that it doesn't even produce a valid error response [3]. However, it can also happen when something between you and the WMF servers is mucking with the response. This could be a browser extension reformatting or blocking the responses, some kind of "safe browsing" / internet filtering feature in your router or ISP, a corporate authentication proxy, or something else along these lines. Is there any chance you're using anything like this? Matma Rex talk 19:44, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@Matma Rex Thanks for taking this up. If it was a problem with my router, ISP, device, or anything, it would be surprising that I can edit ordinary talk pages (article or user) but not Draft Talk, surely? PamD 19:57, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Hmm, the plot thickens. I see that a couple of days ago I managed a Draft Talk page edit from my mobile: this one. But I have certainly had this kind of a "can't edit" situation before. Will try and take screenshots again next time it happens and see if I can work out a pattern. Mobile editing tends to be a hit-and-miss business, unpredictable which version of a page will appear each time and how easy it will be to edit. PamD 20:01, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

It would be surprising, but it wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've ever seen. It could even be a misconfigured Adblock rule or something. (I've once had an issue where I couldn't see some images on Wikipedia, and it turned out to be because their internal file names are hexadecimal hashes, and some of them contain the sequence /ad/.)

Feel free to ping me if you discover anything new. Matma Rex talk 20:46, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Track record

Hi I'm back and I wanted to ask, how long do I have to be on Wikipedia to build a track record? Is two months okay? I'm asking because I want to use the AutoWikiBrowser and I was rejected because I was in Wikipedia for too short a time to build a track record. Thanks in advance. Dancing Dollar ^{(let's talk)} 06:58, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

"As a general rule, only users with more than 250 non-automated mainspace edits or 500 total mainspace edits will be registered." (Wikipedia:AutoWikiBrowser#Using this software) Random person no 362478479 (talk) 07:48, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

You could ask on the talk page of the project for more information or directly approach the user who rejected your request. Random person no 362478479 (talk) 07:57, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

@Dancing Dollar, there's no absolute rule, but because the tool can be used for vandalism purposes, other editors like to see someone who has not only made numerous productive edits but has been here for long enough for us to trust that they won't misuse the tool either intentionally or out of unfamiliarity with policy. The editor who declined said "Not done. you have a fair few mainspace edits, but you've only been here for a month; it's too short a period for you to have built a track record; please continue editing and come back in a bit." Valereee (talk) 13:01, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

@Dancing Dollar So, according to the editor who declined your request, the answer to your "how long" question is "a bit".  :-) Sorry, I couldn't resist. David10244 (talk) 08:02, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Don't you just hate it when people use non-SI units?^[Humor] I couldn't resist either. Random person no 362478479 (talk) 08:28, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

altering images already in Wikimedia

Can one alter or improve an image already uploaded (by another user) to wikimedia? To, for example, improve the contrast, remove scratches, remove a colour cast, crop the image down? If so, how? Do I need the copyright-holder's permission? Do I need to re-upload the image or can my 'improved' version be incorporated into the image's original file page? ErrolCalendar (talk) 07:31, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Hello, ErrolCalendar. Yes, absolutely. This is considered a derivative work, and you should leave the original file alone. Download that file, modify it as you see fit, and upload it, identifying and attributing the original file as your source. If the original image is properly licensed or in the public domain, you do not need anybody's permission. If you happen to stumble across an improperly licensed file, then all bets are off and everying may end up deleted. Cullen328 (talk) 07:40, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Thank you for your fast and clear reply ErrolCalendar (talk) 07:57, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

ErrolCalendar, Cullen328, it is routine to download an image from Commons, edit it (to remove a scratch, correct an error, adjust the colour balance, etc.), and re-upload it. This is like editing an article. If others disagree, your edit can be reverted. For examples, see the edit histories of https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Justinian555AD.png and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kernel_Machine.svg.

But in my experience, if I make a new version of an image at Commons (maybe to show the new boundaries of a country after a boundary change) and upload it as a derived work, it's very likely to be deleted as a copyright violation. There are some examples at my talk page on Commons. Maproom (talk) 09:22, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

@ErrolCalendar It is worth mentioning that there is a good tool to crop images on Commons, which means you don't have to download the file and re-upload it. The convention is not to overwrite the original but to save the cropped version with an obviously related filename. See Commons:File:Vanessa Branson MB 2016 (cropped).png for an example where I did that. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:22, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Taraxacum albidum

Another alternative to cropping is just to display a "detail" or cropped region of a Commons image, as seen to the right. Maproom (talk) 15:07, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Out of place image?

Not sure if this problem is vandalism or a bug, thought I would try here first. On the iOS mobile app version of Wikipedia I see an image of a house fly as the lead image at Sequential manual transmission, tapping on the image links to the correct animation of a gearbox file. I took a screenshot and uploaded it to Commons at File:Fly gearbox article.png. The text 'Consumption of feces' also appears, this may be what the fly is doing!

I see it on iPad and iPhone but not on the PC (using Firefox), I have checked the wiki text and history of the article and can't see any obvious vandalism. I've cleared the cache of the article, images and the mobile app, I've also performed a null edit on the article, no change. Looked at some of the redirects that link to this article but couldn't see any problem there. Have not seen a problem like this before though I don't use the mobile app version often. Nimbus (Cumulus nimbus floats by) 10:23, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Think I am some way to solving it, this edit to Template:Automotive transmissions was vandalism, user was blocked. Coprophagia was the clue. Nimbus (Cumulus nimbus floats by) 10:31, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

A live edit by myself to the template plus purging appears to have fixed the problem, the fly image appeared in all the articles where the template was transcluded. The template does not appear in the mobile version of the article though it must be reading the coding. Nimbus (Cumulus nimbus floats by) 10:48, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Around 20 templates were vandalised, all have been reverted but the vandalism remains in articles using these templates which have not been edited since 31 March. Perhaps an administrator can purge them with a tool? Nimbus (Cumulus nimbus floats by) 11:15, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Page Draft Disappeared

Hello, I tried to publish a new page I created but got an error message and now the article seems to be deleted. All the work I did on it is gone. Help please? Thanks. MizEmmaGoldman (talk) 12:25, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

MizEmmaGoldman Other than your post here, your account has no contributions, deleted or otherwise. What is the name of the draft article you were working on? Did you create it before creating this account? 331dot (talk) 12:37, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

How to link articles in different Wikipedias?

How can I add a link to cs:Machův vlnostroj to the list of other languages in Pendulum wave, and vice versa? Thanks, cmɢʟee⎆τaʟκ 12:35, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

I think I got it: just enter "en" and "pendulum wave" under Wikipedia on http://wikidata.org/wiki/Q18746151#sitelinks-wikipedia . Anything else I need to do? cmɢʟee⎆τaʟκ 12:46, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

cmglee, I would suggest merging the Wikidata items linked to the two articles, see d:Help:Merge. It is important to check the two articles are about the same subject before doing this. TSventon (talk) 13:07, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

This was done with an edit here to WikiData. Lee Vilenski ^{(talk • contribs)} 13:31, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Just for my own understanding, is this something whatever bot would normally come through and do eventually, or is this an unusual case? Valereee (talk) 13:35, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Valereee, I believe that a bot will create a new Wikidata item for a new article like Pendulum wave, but it won't know if there is an existing item linked to another Wikipedia. If there are articles on en and another Wikipedias with duplicate Wikidata items it is fauirly easy to merge the items, otherwise you can ask here. TSventon (talk) 13:51, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Thanks, TS. The reason I asked is that, for instance yesterday, Marie Burde was connected to the German article of the same name within hours, and I was thinking maybe in this case, since the article names are different, that was the problem. Valereee (talk) 13:58, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

That link was added by an IP editor. Articles with the same name are probably more likely to be linked quickly than articles with different names. TSventon (talk) 14:15, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Thanks! Valereee (talk) 14:18, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Thanks a lot, @Lee Vilenski, @TSventon and @Valereee. cmɢʟee⎆τaʟκ 18:38, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Citations page

It's always heartwarming to see the advancements people create in our perennial search for the elusive concept perfection. Recently however, our forward-looking providers of knowledge have outdone themselves and turned my day into a perennial game of hide-and-seek when I visit Wikipedia. Can anyone explain to me where the citations page is located and how we can access it? Steve G.  2601:647:4700:CD70:2D36:259F:D828:6F00 (talk) 14:24, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Hey, Steve, sorry for your frustration...not sure what you mean by 'citations page'? Valereee (talk) 14:40, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

"citations page" could mean many things but you apparently refer to something which changed location recently so I guess it's "Cite this page". It's now in a dropdown menu on "Tools" near the top right of pages. If you create a free account and log in then you can select the old interface "Vector legacy" at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering. PrimeHunter (talk) 18:23, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

I thought they might mean that thing where references aren't defined on the pages they are used on, but somewhere else where nobody can find them to fix errors in them. Can't remember what it's called, but it's a comparatively recent "improvement" that I've noticed in a few articles. It's horrible. DuncanHill (talk) 18:28, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Should redirect pages be categorized?

In cleaning up a particular category I found that it included a redirect page. The page it redirects to is also in the category. Is it correct that redirect pages should not be categorized? Ike9898 (talk) 17:09, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Categorizing redirects. DuncanHill (talk) 17:11, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

How to add a 27-page PDF to my draft article?

I've successfully added as a citation the paywalled "Taylor & Francis Online" source for the 27-page article. How do I add the non-paywalled PDF for the same article as it appears in the "International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence"? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Was Kisevalter Nash? (talk • contribs) 18:33, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

I've suggested before that questions specific to this article should in the first instance be raised on Draft talk:Tennent H. "Pete" Bagley. Do you have a link for the "International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence" version of the PDF, or failing that for the journal? Martin of Sheffield (talk) 19:24, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

@Was Kisevalter Nash? You don't need to post the PDF; I believe you need to cite the "International Journal" page. Posting it would be a copyright violation. I think there us a "cite pdf" template, but "cite web" should work too. I could be wrong, but I don't think it matters that the target of the link is formatted as a PDF. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me. David10244 (talk) 08:08, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@David10244: – I think that Was Kisevalter Nash? realises that, he has correctly added as a citation the paywalled "Taylor & Francis Online" source but would prefer to cite a non-paywalled version so that readers can read the original. FYI: You're quite correct that posting the actual PDF would be a copvio, and you're also correct that PDFs are totally acceptable as the targets of a citation. As regards which template to use, Was Kisevalter Nash? has already used the {{citation}} template which covers all uses. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 10:11, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Copenhagen

The order of the monuments is not well understood and it is not clear which ones correspond to which in the photos (for information: I left the order unchanged; I only corrected the punctuation and explained the order better, but it is the same order: Copenhagen. JackkBrown (talk) 19:40, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

JackkBrown, which sections are you asking about? I have changed your external links to wikilinks. TSventon (talk) 20:00, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

@TSventon: initial part. JackkBrown (talk) 20:03, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

@JackkBrown:, if you mean the infobox, I have removed Amalienborg as there was no image. If you click on the images you can see what each one is. TSventon (talk) 20:51, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

I live near Copenhagen. The current version is correct but as mentioned, you can just click the images. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:17, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

How to change an image?

Hi, my husband has a page in wikipedia and it has his photo that we would like to change. He never created that page and did not upload the existing image. how do we change it? Erush77 (talk) 20:40, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Erush77. It is normal that your husband had no part in creating the Wikipedia article about him: we strongly discourage writing about yourself, as it is likely to be difficult both to write neutrally, and to restrict yourself to material that is in a published source.

You may suggest changes to the article, but because of your conflict of interest, you should not edit the article directly, but should make edit requests on the article's talk page.

If you wish to propose a new photo, as long as you own the copyright for the photo (most easily, if you took it yourself), then you may upload it to Wikipedia Commons: see Help:upload. If you did not take the picture yourself, then it is likely that the copyright belongs to the photographer, and only they can license it suitably (see donating copyright materials.

Once the picture has been uploaded, then you can make an edit request that the new picture be used to replace the existing one. An uninvolved editor will at some point look at your request, and if they agree that the new photo is an improvement, they will put it into the article. ColinFine (talk) 21:01, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Thank you so much for your reply! I tried to upload but it says that I do not have the permission to do so. I wish it wasn't this complicated. I'm not really sure what to do. Erush77 (talk) 21:51, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Sorry, Erush77, I forgot that your account needed to be autoconfirmed to do this - once you've been here for four days and made ten edits, you will be able to do this.

You used to be able to upload to Commons even if you weren't autoconfirmed, but I'm not sure if that option is still available - you could give it a try at c:Special:UploadWizard.

Failing that, you can leave a request at WP:Files for upload. ColinFine (talk) 22:17, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

Thank you CollinFine. I was actually able to upload an image but I can't figure out how to change the original image with mine. Erush77 (talk) 22:39, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

@Erush77: As ColinFine said above, "because of your conflict of interest, you should not edit the article directly, but should make edit requests on the article's talk page." This includes changing the image. An alternative is to use the Wikipedia:Edit Request Wizard, which you might find more user friendly. Thanks! GoingBatty (talk) 03:55, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@Erush77 I know why you said "my husband has a page in wikipedia"; that's the usual language. But, as a gentle reminder, around here we say "Wikipedia has an article about my husband" instead. That gives the right frame of reference. I see you are getting help on the image questions. Good luck. David10244 (talk) 08:28, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Where is the insert section for editing pages? I need to insert an Infobox, but the option simply does not exist

Where is the insert section for editing pages? I need to insert an Infobox, but the option simply does not exist PBnJGuitarist23 (talk) 20:49, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

@PBnJGuitarist23: I see you have now inserted Template:Infobox book using the source editor.[4] Infoboxes are a type of template so in VisualEditor you could choose "Insert", "Template", and enter "infobox book" in the search field. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:03, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

There is no such thing as "the insert section". You simply edit the article . If you use source editing, you insert the appropriate "infobox" template in the source with the required articles: it is easiest to do this by copying the source from another article on a similar subject, and then changing the parameters.

If you use Visual Editor, see Help:VisualEditor#Editing templates. ColinFine (talk) 21:04, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

What's the right forum to discuss whether or not fear of retaliation is justifies a WP:SOCKLEGIT for privacy reasons?

What's the right place to discuss whether the use of a Wikipedia:ALTACC for privacy reasons is justified in a particular case due to fear of reprisal from the article's subject?

To make this more concrete: I consider my use of this sock account to be legitimate. However, this legitimacy is being challenged in a sock puppet investigation in which I am listed as a suspected sock: Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Tobeortobebetter

This is the argument brought forward by the user reporting:

"Both Tobeortobebetter and AncientWalrus claim to need to use "legit" sockpuppet accounts to edit the article out of fear of retaliation from GISAID, which is not reasonable given the limited organizational scope of GISAID, unless they are presently employees or data clients of GISAID, which would raise a WP:COI."

On a talk page before filing the SPI, they argued:

"...with the excuse that they fear retaliation from the article subject (which is far, far down the list of prospectively retaliatory article subjects about whom criticism has been leveled in Wikipedia."

I'm wondering where the best place is to now discuss whether the use of a privacy sock is legit in this case or not.

I could raise it on the SPI, but on SPI's one is supposed to be concise and the question of the legitimacy is only tangentially related to the SPI.

Is there an appropriate venue where one can get advice whether or not a particular situation justifies use of a sock for privacy/reprisal reasons? I couldn't find any guidance on what is a "reasonable" fear of retaliation. The policy only states:

• Privacy: A person editing an article that is highly controversial within their family, social or professional circle, and whose Wikipedia identity is known within that circle, or traceable to their real-world identity, may wish to use an alternative account to avoid real-world consequences from their editing or other Wikipedia actions in that area. Although a privacy-based alternative account is not publicly connected to your main account, it should not be used in ways outlined in the inappropriate uses section of this page, and if it is, the account may be publicly linked to your main account for sanctions. If you are considering using an alternative account under this provision, please read the notification section below.

Adding a few tags so this is easier to find for future editors with the same question (I did quite a thorough archive search and such tags were most helpful): WP:GOODSOCK WP:VALIDALT WP:SOCKLEGIT WP:SOCK WP:SOCK#LEGIT

Thank you! AncientWalrus (talk) 21:42, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

I'd really to love to hear some thoughts from more experienced users. Even a simple statement "I'm not aware of an explicitly proscribed venue for this matter, I would raise it on XYZ" would be hugely appreciated. I hope it's ok to ping three of you who've been recently active on this page, given this is related to an active SPI and hence somewhat time sensitive: @Gråbergs Gråa Sång @Maproom @Random person no 362478479 AncientWalrus (talk) 14:21, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@AncientWalrus I think the best way forward is to go through the arbitration committee. See also:

"Editors who have multiple accounts for privacy reasons should consider notifying the arbitration committee if they believe editing will attract scrutiny." WP:ALTACCN Random person no 362478479 (talk) 14:30, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Thank you for the prompt response, very appreciated!

I have already contacted Arbcom by email from my master.

It seems that this particular legitimate reason is used rather rarely, or at least discussed rarely on help pages. Arbcom seems right now, but since arbcom is private there's no trace and hence no way to check _as a prospective user thinking about this justification_ whether the justification is considered legitimate in their circumstances.

I thought there was plenty of evidence in reliable secondary sources of reprisal from the organisation in question - hence I'm a bit surprised that the legitimacy is questioned by an admin. Would be good to get clarification, some examples for precedent - because the policy is very concise and seems to allow varied interpretations.

What would be the right place to start a discussion for this policy to become more concrete and easier to apply? The talk page of the relevant policy? The village pump? I don't have much "meta" wiki experience, hence my questions. AncientWalrus (talk) 14:38, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

I think privacy is exactly the reason why this should be done via Arbcom. It's the only way to address the question of which accounts are linked without making it public, thereby defeating its purpose. Random person no 362478479 (talk) 14:46, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Agreed! However, the problem isn't so much that I can't show/prove which accounts are linked in this case. It's more about the SPI reporter's questioning of the legitimacy in this particular case. At least that's the part I'm not clear about yet. AncientWalrus (talk) 14:48, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

The expectation for socks which you maintain for privacy is that the two accounts do not overlap with regards to editing, and that you are not using either account nefarious purposes, such as vandalizing with one and keeping the other clean. What that means is that your two accounts should not be editing the same articles, or commenting on the same discussions, or anything like that. If you use one account in a discussion, log into the other account, then comment on the same discussion, that's against the rules. --Jayron32 14:53, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

The Wikipedia_talk:Sockpuppetry page would probably be the best place to look/ask for more information on when an alt-account is legitimate. If I understand the situation correctly the perceived threat is being locked out of an important database. I think it is hard to evaluate how real that threat is. You have pointed to the fact that others have similar fears when it comes to publicly criticising the organisation and that one person has expressed their believe that they have been locked out because they criticised the org. I think that makes a prima facie strong argument for the need for anonymity. Random person no 362478479 (talk) 15:00, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Indeed I'd expect to see such a discussion start at WT:SOCK. It's not the busiest of pages, so a 'more meta' followup might appear at WP:VPP. I'm not sure there's much to discuss tbh. We've had users hide behind this policy before for illegitimate reasons, so expect some cynicism and little change to the policy wording, and do please be transparent about any conflicts of interest, if there are any, to the extent possible. But for the record, you don't see me reaching for the block button, and unless there's some solid connection between the accounts within the SPI, I'd be tempted to throw it out. What I think the SPI is reaching for is a statement about whether the named accounts are connected, rather than anything to do with the original accounts. If you don't know who the other accounts are, just say so. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 15:17, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@Jayron32 I do understand that very well and that's exactly what I'm doing - no overlap. And I don't think this account can be considered to be vandalizing either (at least I've not been told) - trying my best. The issue at hand is not about what you're allowed to do if you have legitimate reasons. The question is to delineate under which circumstances privacy/fear or reprisal is a legitimate reason, and under which circumstances it is not. The reporting admin doesn't seem to argue that the two socks that are claiming to be legitimate are behaving in illegitimate ways. No, the reporting admin is claiming that the basis of the justification is invalid. AncientWalrus (talk) 15:39, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

If there is no overlap, then on what basis did someone accuse you of misusing a secondary account? --Jayron32 15:40, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Problem with admin

I am having an issue with a harassing admin and I need help. I created a page called Draft:Inertial Labs and published the page. I have a paid editor disclosure on my page.. After it was published for about 4 days and several experienced editors worked on the page, removing thousands of characters of advertorial language, Justlettersandnumbers move the page back to draft and in the notes he put that it was because it was undisclosed paid editing and that the article was advertorial. I replied to his message asking why he labeled it undisclosed paid when I had a disclosure on my page and I asked what about the article was still advertorial that he felt the need to draft the article after several editors had already worked on it. Ive complied with everything he has asked and he won't tell me how to fix the article or what he found advertorial... Somehow this has de-escalated to the point where he is blocking me for undisclosed paid editing when that isn't the case ... I don't know how admins can use the wrong reasons they admit didnt happen as an excuse to block editors..? Any help or contact or a resolution would be appreciated.UCLAPhdCandidate (talk) 23:11, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

I replied on your talk page. The admin isn't harassing you. There's a reason paid editing is strongly discouraged. It's not easy money. Read lots of help pages. You don't seem to have read civility for example, otherwise you wouldn't accuse the admin of harassment. AncientWalrus (talk) 23:59, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

How can you block me with a tag that says undisclosed paid editing when by his own admission the tags are there? I can't imagine if I wouldn't be able to link to a page where that is strictly forbidden. All I have been asking him is what he found advertorial? BoyTheKingCanDance remove thousands of characters of advertorial language and unreferenced material, then left the article published. He approves the 3rd most pages of any admin/editor on this platform. If justlettersandnumbers is moving the page under the guise that it is advertorial, after another editor has done a ton of editing, I would think I would be able to ask 1) what he still finds advertorial and 2) how to bring it into compliance from his opinion since he was the one who moved it and put advertorial in the notes. I am tired of this requirement of being subservient to editors who are editing fast just to pad stats and can't explain their actions.. Then chose to retaliate rather than explain or admit they didnt really do the required due diligence. It is a blatant abuse which senior editors do to newer editors and it is wrong. He never once after I asked 3x explained that, instead he decided to try and blow the whole unpaid editing thing out of proportion, focus on it and block me rather than just answer what on the page he still finds advertorial. UCLAPhdCandidate (talk) 00:45, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

I won't try to read other people's mind, so I can't tell you what in the article other editors consider advertorial -- we may never know. I posted a few pointers on the article's talk page about what someone could see as advertorial.

In what way your declaration of paid editing is not a declaration of paid editing eludes me, too.

Random person no 362478479 (talk) 08:42, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Thx. I saw that and will work on the changes. I appreciate the constructive criticism though I feel as if this editor may continue to try to coax some sort of subservient behavior by enforcing his will over my account. Even blocking me for UPE when there are clear disclosures on my page which is essentially breaking the TOS about intentionally posting false info. Thx! UCLAPhdCandidate (talk) 09:08, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

The OP has been blocked (and rightly so IMHO, in view of the attitude they have demonstrated above). Maproom (talk) 08:37, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

OP? UCLAPhdCandidate (talk) 09:09, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

"Original Poster" -- the user who started a discussion thread. In this case, you. Random person no 362478479 (talk) 09:14, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

In different contexts it can also mean "Original Post" -- the first post in a discussion thread. Random person no 362478479 (talk) 09:16, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Mascherato

Quick question: is this notable or promotional? Mascherato: The Musical I stumbled across it while cleaning up the list of musicals. Seems like the person who wrote it created the article and all the sources are primary and only mention. Thanks. Maineartists (talk) 23:17, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

I agree that notability is doubtful and that there seems to be COI of the initial creator and this wasn't discussed until now. I've added two templates. AncientWalrus (talk) 00:14, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

April 10

Per Brahe Statue

Would someone please explain to me why on the page "Per Brahe Statue" in the title is written "Statue", and in the text "statue"? Also, why is the title written entirely in italics, and in the text the italics are not present? JackkBrown (talk) 00:56, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

First answer, the editor who wrote the first version of the article used both forms and no one has changed it since then.

Second answer: Template:Infobox Sculpture puts the title into Italics unless |italic title=no is added to the list of parameters. TSventon (talk) 01:25, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

I've done as recommended above, and its title now appears as "Per Brahe statue". I'm trying to find how to get it to appear as "Per Brahe statue". Maproom (talk) 15:29, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

I've tried to follow the advice at Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Titles_of_works#Italicizing_Wikipedia_article_titles, buy I then get the red warning message "Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox artwork with unknown parameter "1 =

How do I source the content below?

Here is content I tried to add tonight but it was removed and blocked. What can I do - specifically - to add this to my existing page?

Proposed edit

Although not "out" to his daily TV news audience until 1994, Glaser was quietly active in numerous LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations for more than three decades, beginning in 1969. Actually, Glaser has stated that two years before the 1969 Stonewall Riots, in 1967, at the age of 14, he spent one day after school as a volunteer for The Mattachine Society of New York, stuffing envelopes for a mass mailing that the gay advocacy group was initiating. Many regard the 1969 Stonewall Riots as a watershed event that transformed the modern-day gay liberation movement into a powerful crusade. Glaser has stated that he wasn't present for the first night of the riots on June 27, 1969, but that he was present on the second night, June 28, 1969. Later that year, Glaser attended numerous meetings of Gay Liberation Front in New York City, but said he found the group's stated goals to be "too broad" and "too radical" and so, in January 1970, Glaser became a member of the newly created Gay Activists Alliance and began attending its meetings. On June 28, 1970, Glaser marched up New York's Avenue of the Americas as part of New York's first gay pride parade, known at the time as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March. After the parade, he attended the nation's first so-called "GAY-IN" in Central Park, with his romantic partner at the time, Robert Bryan, who, many years later,became the Men's Fashion Editor of The New York Times. In 1973, Glaser gained newsgathering experience as a student reporter for the Hunter College Envoy newspaper, covering the LGBTQ+ beat until he graduated in June, 1975. Glaser reports no LGBTQ+ volunteer work in all of 1978, after moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for his first job as a professional TV news reporter at the market's ABC affiliate, WPTA-TV Channel 21. In 1981, while a newswriter for ABC's WXYZ-TV Action News, Glaser served as a volunteer for Detroit's Association of Suburban People, whose membership was a highly closeted LGBTQ population. The following year, in 1982, Glaser moved to the Norfolk, Virginia TV market to become a reporter for the ABC TV affiliate there, WVEC-TV Channel 13, and became a volunteer for The Mandamus Society to help serve its membership of mostly closeted gay male professionals living in Southeastern Virginia. In 1983, while the Broward Bureau reporter for the ABC affiliate in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Florida, WPLG-TV Channel 10, Glaser volunteered to assist an LGBTQ+ advocacy group for (mostly) closeted business owners, known as the Business & Professionals Group(BPG). Five years later, Glaser became a member of the Out Professionals Group in New York, and a featured speaker at one of its meetings in 1988, discussing the television news production process at WABC-TV Channel 7 Eyewitness News, where he was employed as an anchor at the time. Also in 1988, Glaser joined the national board of directors for the International Gay/Lesbian Human Rights Commission. He remained on the board until the end of 1989. In 1990, shortly after moving to Hollywood, California to join the staff of Entertainment Tonight as a correspondent, Glaser quietly joined the Gay/Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD/LA) and served as a member of its board of directors for four years. Glaser also joined the West Coast Advisory Council of what was then known as Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund in 1990, based in Los Angeles. In June of that year, 1990, Glaser helped to create the Electronic Media Task Force of the National Lesbian/Gay Journalists' Association, which was formed during the group's first national convention. He joined the organization's board of directors and served for four years. In 1992 and 1993, Entertainment Tonight permitted Glaser to volunteer his services to host three episodes of the PBS LGBTQ+ newsmagazine "In The Life" from Washington, DC. 1992 was also the year in which Glaser became the first television journalist to come "out of the closet"to the entire radio and television news industry. It happened during a speech before hundreds of TV and radio news executives at the annual conventionof the Radio and Television News Directors' Association, being held in San Antonio, Texas. Glaser began his remarks by asking the that the lights of the auditorium be turned on because, “We’ve been in the shadows too long.” A year later, in 1993, Glaser was a featured speaker at a meeting of the USC Lambda Alumni Association (LGBTQ) in Los Angeles. He was also a featured speaker in that year for the Homeless Youth Outreach Group at the LA Gay and Lesbian Center in Hollywood. In 1994, while on live television, Glaser disclosed his sexual orientation during his daily TV news report on KNBC-TV’s “Channel 4 News” in Los Angeles.When he said the words, “As a gay man who has lost many friends to AIDS…” the newsroom switchboard lit up with calls from viewers - a number of whom threatened bodily harm. KNBC-TV management responded by issuing a statement supporting Glaser’s decision to come out. In 1995, Glaser's work on behalf of LGBTQ+ people in Southern California was recognized with a Gatsby Award for Community Achievement by The One Center in Long Beach, a LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. Also in that year, Glaser was recognized for his accomplishments by Orange County Cultural Pride in Newport Beach, California, when he received the group's Media Achievement Award. In 1996, Glaser joined a team of volunteer diversity trainers for the not-for-profit, Hollywood Supports, and visited local LAPD police precincts citywide to help sensitize police officers and detectives when interacting with LGBTQ+ individuals. Glaser was awarded a Special Commendation for his work by the City of Los Angeles. Glaser joined the board of directors of the International Gay/Lesbian Human Rights Commission, based in New York, and served for two years, in 1998 and 1999. In 2005, Glaser served as a member of the President's Committee of the NBC Cable Diversity Network Initiative. In 2013, Glaser was invited to keynote the "Future of the Gay Movement" conference at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. In his speech, Glaser predicted that trans rights would shortly become the hot-button issue facing the LGBTQ+ movement.

Garrettglaser7 (talk) 04:25, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Hi Garrettglaser7. What do you mean by my existing page? Are you saying that you are Garrett Glaser? If that's the case, please take a look at Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons#Dealing with articles about yourself and Wikipedia:Conflict of interest. Subjects of Wikipedia articles do not "own" said articles per se as explained here; moreover, they are highly discouraged from directly editing existing articles or creating new articles about themselves. If you feel there are changes that should be made to the "Garrett Glaser", you should propose them at Talk:Garrett Glaser by making edit requests. Other users unconnected to the subject matter will then assess whether the proposed edits are in accordance with relevant Wikipedia policies and guidelines. If they are, the edits will be made; if not, they won't. However, please be advised that any proposed edits are going to be expected to be supported by a citation to a reliable source per Wikipedia:Verifiability. Anything unsourced like you posted above is almost certainly not going to be considered acceptable. Please not that Wikipedia defines reliable sources a certain way and bascially is looking for what others unconnected to you have written about you and not what you have to say about yourself. -- Marchjuly (talk) 05:36, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Family of Catherine, Princess of Wales

In this section at the bottom of the page - City of Leeds dignitaries - the big photo of Captain Middleton should be slightly smaller in size we feel. Also, should there be the white stripes on the sides of the photo? Please alter and make smaller if you can. I cannot. Thank you. 175.38.42.62 (talk) 05:27, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Who are "we"? Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 07:59, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

All I learn about this fellow from that part of the article is that he was among the committee members of the Leeds Triennial Musical Festival [...] a member of the Trustees of the Patronage of Leeds Vicarage [...] and a solicitor at Messrs Middleton & Sons. I've nothing against him, but I'm left wondering why he merits even a small photo there. -- Hoary (talk) 08:26, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

The photo was uploaded to Commons with the white stripes on the side - see c:File:Captain_A.D._Middleton.pdf. I uploaded a cropped version called c:File:Captain A.D. Middleton (cropped).jpg. I also made the photo display smaller by adding "150px". You can adjust this as you like to get the photo the size you desire. Happy editing! GoingBatty (talk) 13:51, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Recurring Gift

How do I stop the monthly recurring gift I give 2600:4040:5714:D00:4C35:DCF7:E531:B944 (talk) 10:10, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Please see donate:Cancel or change recurring giving. ColinFine (talk) 10:24, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

(to the OP) Note that questions about donating should be addressed directly to the Foundation; we editors have nothing to do with the donation process. 331dot (talk) 10:43, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Renaming a title

Could someone explain to me how and where it is possible to request the renaming of a title? JackkBrown (talk) 12:01, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

I guess it's an article you want renamed. If you tell us here what article is is, what you want it renamed to, and maybe why, someone might do it for you. Maproom (talk) 12:28, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@JackkBrown: See also Wikipedia:Moving a page. GoingBatty (talk) 13:39, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@Maproom: I would like to change the title of the page "Per Brahe Statue" because it is one of the few titles, if not the only one, written in italics, and I would like 'Statues' to be written with a lowercase initial (or to be left unchanged, I don't know whether it is correct in lower or uppercase). JackkBrown (talk) 14:07, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@JackkBrown: You'll have to move the article to make "statue" lowercase (which seems to be the correct styling, since the word is not part of a title). The infobox automatically italicizes the article's title, so to un-italicize it, simply edit the infobox to add the parameter |italic_title=no. Deor (talk) 15:04, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

(edit conflict) @JackkBrown: Italics are not controlled by page names but by DISPLAYTITLE, usually via a template. In this case {{Infobox sculpture}} automatically makes italics unless the parameter |italic title=no is added. The page name depends on whether it's treated as the title of the statue or just a way to identify it. If the statue title is "Per Brahe Statue" then nothing should change and the italics kept. If the title is "Per Brahe" then it should be moved to "Per Brahe (statue)" and displayed as "Per Brahe (statue)". The infobox would automatically display it like that. If the statue is untitled or the title is not in the page name and not the common name then the page name is a description and the name should be "Per Brahe statue" or "Statue of Per Brahe", both without italics. It's a Finnish statue with limited English sources so I'm not sure which scenario applies best but I would suggest moving to "Per Brahe statue" and adding |italic title=no. You can move pages on your own. This is a low-profile uncontroversial subject so I suggest to just make the move without a requested move discussion. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:21, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

@PrimeHunter: is it possible to move the page from a mobile phone? And if so, how? Also, as I do not deal with moving pages, could you kindly tell me in which line of the infobox to insert "|italic title=no"? JackkBrown (talk) 15:55, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

JackkBrown, yes, it is possible to move articles from a mobile phone. I edit from my phone using the fully functional desktop site. If you scroll to the bottom of any page on the mobile site, there is an option to select the desktop site. Cullen328 (talk) 16:19, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

The work was carried out, at 15:22, by Maproom: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/1149167715; the discussion can therefore be considered closed. JackkBrown (talk) 15:58, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Shahoo nosrati

Hello, please help my page to be approved Shahoonosratii (talk) 12:42, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Shahoonosratii Your user page(now deleted) is not article space, but a place to tell about yourself as a Wikipedia editor or user. You have a draft- but please understand that Wikipedia is not a place for people to tell the world about themselves, please read the autobiography policy. Your draft needs to be submitted for a review. It needs some independent reliable sources with significant coverage of you. 331dot (talk) 12:58, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

hello

how do i add an image to wikipedia? i need help, please. User192828 (talk) 14:29, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

See Help:Introduction to images with Wiki Markup. It gives you a step-by-step guide to uploading images and including them in articles. Please note that Wikipedia does not normally accept images which are under standard copyright. They must either be legally public domain, or they must be released under a copyleft license compatible with Wikipedia's own reuse license, see here for the text of Wikipedia's license --Jayron32 14:37, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Single source articles

I have recently been filling in some gaps on en.wikipedia by translating from other language wikis. Quite often these pages have no refs and merely quote a single citation (and have not been flagged as a problem). Recently I translated an article and discovered that it had been taken verbatim from a French source published 200 years ago. The article about a 17th century historian remains fully accurate. So how do I treat such an article? I cited the source (in French) under the heading 'Sources', but the entire body of the article was removed. I had spent a long time ensuring that the transaction was accurate and all the internal links were correct. A couple of hours later it was all deleted. (Was this reasonable?) Frecks (talk) 17:49, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

If there are not concerns about accuracy, it would probably be better to tag the section with Template:One source section than to remove it. It's possible there will be notability concerns if there are not other sources about the person. Firefangledfeathers (talk / contribs) 18:09, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Frecks. Whether you are writing a new article from scratch or translating an article from another language, it is your responsibility to ensure that your new article complies with English Wikipedia's policies and guidelines, which may differ from the standards of other language versions. I guess this is about Felice Osio. Vast swathes of your translation were unreferenced, which is contrary to the core content policy Verifiability. You included non-neutral language, such as "some acclaim" and "considered brilliant occasions and were much applauded". The Neutral point of view is a core content policy. You also included an unreferenced direct quotation, which is also against policy, and what appears to be a close paraphrase of another direct quotation. Later, you state, "In addition to the works cited, one can consult the Historia gymnasii Patavini, I, 358, on Osio." We never give instructions to readers like this in the body of an article. Either cite Historia gymnasii Patavini, list it in a "Further reading" section, or leave it out. The content is still present in the edit history. You are welcome to restore it once you address the policy issues I mentioned above. Cullen328 (talk) 18:18, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Regarding how to deal with text taken verbatim from public domain sources see here: WP:PDR. Random person no 362478479 (talk) 18:50, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Formatting (page: Stephen the Great)

Someone has formatted the image incorrectly. I don't have the necessary knowledge to solve this formatting problem: "

Statue of Stephan the Great in Piatra Neamț

Statue of Stephen the Great in Piatra Neamț" JackkBrown (talk) 19:53, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Page: Stephen the Great

 Done for some reason it was put inside nowiki tags so the formatting would not work - Arjayay (talk) 20:56, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Amman

The order of the monuments is not well understood and, so as not to risk making a mistake, I don't intend to change the order of the monuments (for information: I left the order unchanged; I only corrected the wikilinks and explained the order better, but it is the same order: Amman. JackkBrown (talk) 22:20, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Published edits being erased

Hi,

I was updating Manuel e. Machado's page, but the edits keep being reversed, why is that? The information and links are factual and non-controversial, so I don't the issue.

Cabreu812 (talk) 22:27, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Cabreu812. You cited Medium (website), which is a blogging and self-publishing platform, and is therefore not a reliable source. You also cited the so-called "Los Angeles Tribune", which uses the lofty sounding name of a defunct newspaper to try to create an impression of reliability. Their editorial policy says: Note: Articles published as “Editorial Team” may be community submissions from the public not vetted, press releases or/and sponsored posts from third parties. It is not a reliable source. Cullen328 (talk) 22:41, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Generic Wikipedia search page

There is a generic search page in Wikipedia (I used to use it) that somewhat resembles the Google search page: blank, with a search box and a logo at top center. I find the Main page distracting. What is the URL for the generic page? I landed on it by chance about a month ago, and vastly prefer it.-- Quisqualis (talk) 22:32, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Is this what you're looking for?

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=

Random person no 362478479 (talk) 23:01, 10 April 2023 (UTC)