Wikipedia:What to include

This is an essay on notability.

It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

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Anyone can edit Wikipedia. This essay addresses some aspects of the criteria for what topics and items are valid for inclusion on Wikipedia.

Overview

Basic concepts

Anyone who finds a topic that is worthy of inclusion and is not already reflected on Wikipedia can add it to Wikipedia;
Adding a new article is governed by the rules and guidelines of Wikipedia regarding WP:NOTABILITY
If no article exists that can reflect or encompass that topic, then anyone can create a new entry on Wikipedia to encompass that topic.
What are some examples of this?
- Parole camp. You may find this entry helpful as an example of a basic historical topic which is of some significance, but which did not have any entry here until relatively recently.

General scope of facts and information to include

Some questions to help you understand.
- Should Wikipedia include everything? well, obviously not.
- Should it include all information? well, no, since that includes people's phone numbers, dry-cleaning, etc etc. so again, obviously not.
- Should it include all facts? well, no, but now we are getting closer. it should include those facts that are of historical, societal, scientific, intellectual or academic significance.

How to include new facts and information

So how do we define the full scope and range of facts that ought to be here? and how do we then add those facts?
- See also: WP:NOTABILITY and WP:SCOPE
- The scope of what facts should be included is subject to ongoing debate and discussion, and evolves and develops on a constant basis. Some guidelines have been defined through public debate, others simply through habit and general usage.
- For example, not every fact that pertains to general U.S. governmental processes may be included here. However, facts about which specific individuals served in the U.S. Senate have been deemed worthy of inclusion; in other words, any U.S. Senator from any time period is worthy to be given their own entry at Wikipedia.
If you do find a fact of genuine significance, and it is not reflected anywhere in Wikipedia, there are a few things you can do.
- Find the individual entry that pertains to the general topical area for that fact; if it is a fact about a person, place or thing, find the corresponding entry, and add it.
- be sure to cite reliable, accurate references to support that fact.
- If there is no entry that can cover the fact, then you may just have discovered a new entry that needs to be created here. Feel free to start one.
- You can start with very little text if you want; if so, please add the {{stub}} tag, to mark it as a stub.

Wikipedia:What to include

Overview

Basic concepts

General scope of facts and information to include

How to include new facts and information

See also

General information

Specific related topics

Other user essays