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Assignment design

Course pages

For instructions on setting up a course page, see w:Wikipedia:Course pages.

Helping students get started

Printable guides

These printable PDF documents have instructions related to the basics of Wikipedia.

  • Wiki markup quick reference – a one-page quick reference (included in the Welcome to Wikipedia brochure) to help you remember the most frequently used wiki markup codes.
  • References – explains why references are important, what the expectations for sourcing on Wikipedia are, where to place references, and the basics of adding "ref" tags.
  • Reference formatting – explains in more detail how to create footnotes for citing sources, and how to cite the same source multiple times.
  • Using talk pages – explains how to use talk pages to communicate with other editors.
  • Choosing an article – explains the Dos and Don'ts of choosing an article to work on.
  • How to get help – explains the recommended way to get help and feedback. It also includes a glossary of additional help resources you can avail yourself of.
  • Avoiding plagiarism – explains what plagiarism is on Wikipedia—including "close paraphrasing"—in addition to why and how to avoid it.

On-wiki tutorials

Tutorial videos

Editing basics: Sandboxes Editing basics: bold and links
How to start an a sandbox page to play around with wiki markup or start an article draft (1m 16s) How to use the most basic features of wiki markup to create bold text and links to other pages (3m 37s)
How to use a watchlist How to use talk pages
How to use a watchlist to keep track of pages you are interested in or have edited (2m 16s) How to interact with other editors using talk pages, including article talk pages and user talk pages (2m 43s)
Editing basics: citing sources Citing sources with RefToobar
How to add citations using "ref" tags (2m 3s) How to use the "Cite" tool for inserting automatically formatted references (2m 25s)
Adding images
Uploading files such as images to Wikimedia Commons, using the upload wizard, and adding them to articles (2 min 41 sec)


Writing articles

Printable guides

Article-writing tutorial videos

Article creation Article improvement
A demonstration, recorded live, of how to create a Wikipedia article (7 min 50 sec) A look at how to assess the shortcomings of an article and improve it (4m 22s)
Article assessments Article evolution
An exploration of the standard article assessment system, with examples of each quality level (11m 30s) A trip through the history of an article, from humble beginnings to Good Article status (6m 25s)


Places for general Wikipedia help

For most kinds of help on Wikipedia—technical questions; policies and guidelines; etiquette; conflicts with editors; feedback and reviews of your work—the first place your students should turn is the "Discussion" tab of your course page. On the course talk page, you can also see what questions and requests for feedback your class has posted, and you may be able to learn from the answers they got or answer their questions yourself. You and your students have a number of other options as well.


Places to get help

Discussions in the right places

  • Article talk pages – The talk pages of articles are typically where discussions about the content of articles take place. Other editors may leave messages about your work here. If someone reverts changes you make to an article, the talk page is where you should start a discussion. Put it on your watchlist!
  • Wikipedia Campus or Online Ambassadors – If your class is working with one or more Wikipedia Ambassadors, the Ambassador(s) to meet with you or talk with you by email to discuss problems and questions about Wikipedia.
  • Course talk page – This is the main place for discussing your assignments, posting problems or questions that come up, and giving and receiving feedback about your articles. Put it on your watchlist!
  • WikiProject talk pages – These are message boards for users interested in editing articles about particular topics.

Static help

Interactive help

  • The Teahouse - A place for new editors to introduce themselves, asks questions, and find support from other editors
  • The Help desk - Where you can ask questions about how to use and edit Wikipedia
  • If you place {{Help me}} (including the curly brackets) "then your question" on your talk page, a volunteer will visit you there!

Immediate help

Looking for immediate help? Click the big purple button on the right.

Enter your Wikipedia username, fill out the CAPTCHA, and click "Connect" to enter chat. Then explain what you need help with. There are usually experienced Wikipedians around who can try to help you.

Other problems

  • If you have conflicts with another editor that you don't want to post about publicly, try talking with any experienced Wikipedians your class is working with.

The main place to go for help with course-specific problems that is the Education noticeboard.

Analyzing student contributions