Wikipedia:Simple conflict of interest edit request
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This is an information page. It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of consensus and vetting. |
This simple conflict of interest edit request guide is a supplement to the more general guide on manual edit requests with a focus on assisting editors that have a conflict of interest (COI) and wish to abide by the Wikipedia Terms of Use. If you have not done so yet, please read the plain and simple conflict of interest guide before making a request.
Before you create a request
[edit]- Create an account if you don't have one already. Do not create an account that implies shared use or reflects the name of a company
- If you receive, or expect to receive, compensation for your contributions to Wikipedia, you must disclose who is paying you to edit (your "employer"), who the client is, and any other relevant role or relationship (see WP:PAID for instructions on how to do this)
- When requesting the addition of material, please make sure you have the sources that support the changes you're suggesting. A source can be a book, website, magazine, journal or anything that is considered by Wikipedia to be reliable. If using a printed source please ensure you include all the information necessary to create a citation (title, author, publisher, year, page numbers, etc.)
- When requesting the removal of sourced material, please make sure to include conflicting sources that you feel are relevant, if any, as well as being clear as to why you think the information should be removed
How to create a request
[edit]- In the article that will be the subject of your request, click on the Talk tab at the top
- Click on the New section tab at the top. In some cases this will be a plus sign (+) instead
- In the Subject/headline area enter the title of your request. This can be simply "Edit request"
- Paste or enter this exact text in the first line of the comment area:
{{edit COI}}
. New editors may want to use{{edit COI|N}}
, and for major rewrites, use{{edit COI|R}}
. - Press Enter to start a new line, and begin typing your request. Add ~~~~ at the end to sign your username
- When you're done, use the Show preview button to make sure everything is OK. The screen should look like this:
- Click the Publish page or Publish changes button to save your changes. Optionally, activate the Watch this page checkbox to add it to your watchlist and monitor subsequent changes to it. You can also configure your preferences to receive an email when something in your watchlist changes
- If you are asked to provide more information, you will need to reactivate the request by adding
{{edit COI}}
again when providing your extra information.
The best edit requests...
[edit]- are concise and to the point
- are worded neutrally
- include supporting sources, and a clear explanation of why the change must be made
- are not controversial or confrontational
Things to keep in mind
[edit]- Any unsourced controversial information can be challenged and removed by request. If it is a case of unambiguous vandalism then you may remove it yourself, however people in some cases tend to call information they don't like "vandalism", which is not appropriate
- Do not engage in an edit war with other editors. Your account could be blocked. Instead, stop and discuss
- Do not make legal threats, or your account will be blocked immediately
- Removal of properly sourced and neutrally-worded controversial information is very rarely done, unless the source(s) are inappropriate or unreliable, or there is a breach of our biographies of living people policy
- Simply because you are the subject of an article or you are related to or employed by the subject does not mean you own the article, or have special privileges over it. It also doesn't mean you are "right". Wikipedia articles must expose information provided by available sources, most of which are secondary and unrelated to the subject, not primary. Edits based on personal knowledge without backing sources are not acceptable
- If you have questions about any of this, please ask for help. The Teahouse is a noticeboard monitored by helpful editors that will attempt to assist you with any problems you may encounter