Wikipedia Editing Project: Getting Started

So you want to add an article to Wikipedia?  Great!  Let's get started.

First, we recommend creating an account.  This gives you access to a sandbox where you can draft your articles before submitting them for approval.  We suggest using the Visual Editor to begin with unless you're already familiar with the markup language Wikipedia uses.

We suggest looking at popular articles of a similar type to see how to structure and format your article.  For example, if you're doing a biography look up a person and see how their entry is formatted.  Same for organizations, movements, concepts, etc.

First time writing an article?  No problem.  Use the resources below and the Wikipedia Article Wizard to get going.

Sometimes particular IP addresses or ranges will be blocked due to suspicious activity.  Schools often have this issue, which makes it more difficult for users to register accounts.  If when signing up for an account you see a message like this:

there are still things you can to to get an account.

1. Review the account rules posted here and click the Request an Account link at the bottom of the page.  This will bring you to a short form to fill out.  Be sure to use an email you check when filling out the form - this will be how you are contacted with any further steps and, eventually, your account password.  This process can take 2-3 days.
2. If the above process does not work, you should still be able to make an account by going off-campus and accessing a network where the IP address used does not fall within the blocked range.  Several restaurants and cafes near campus provide internet access.  If your IP address does not fall within the blocked range you should be able to instantly create an account by following these instructions.