Universal Code of Conduct/Training/Module A: Orientation (UCoC - General)

Audience

This self-learning course is for anyone who is part of or interested in the Wikimedia community. Whether you are an experienced contributor, new to Wikimedia, or simply curious, the course will introduce the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC) and explain how it helps create a respectful and inclusive environment within the Wikimedia movement. No prior knowledge of the UCoC is needed; the course is suitable for all learners.

Join us in building and maintaining a positive and welcoming culture in the Wikimedia community!

Introduction

As a movement, we share the vision of a world in which "every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge". To support and encourage as many people as possible to participate in Wikimedia projects and spaces, our community must provide a positive, safe, and respectful environment for everyone. To support this goal, the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC) defines expectations for behavior across all Wikimedia projects, both online and offline. It outlines the conduct that is expected of all participants and identifies behavior that is unacceptable. It reinforces our commitment to respect, civility, and the assumption of good faith, and guides us in creating an environment in which everyone can contribute and engage with confidence, safety, and inclusiveness.

By the end of this course, you will:

Understand what the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC) is and its main principles
Learn why the UCoC is important for the Wikimedia movement
Get an overview of how to report violations and how they are handled

Overview of the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC)

What is the UCoC?

The Universal Code of Conduct is rooted in Wikimedia’s values of respect, civility, and the assumption of good faith. It defines expected behavior on the Wikimedia projects, defines what is not acceptable behavior and outlines what constitutes harassment both on and off the projects. This applies to all participants of our movement. The UCoC provides a consistent framework to address potential abuses, with shared responsibility between the Wikimedia Foundation and the Wikimedia communities.

The UCoC’s most important standards include:

Clearly defining expected behavior
Delineating harassment on and off the projects for all Wikipedia participants
Providing consistent enforcement process and shared responsibility between the Foundation and volunteer communities

Where is the UCoC applicable?

In short, the UCoC applies to all individuals involved with Wikimedia projects and spaces, both online and offline. This includes new and experienced community members, volunteers with any level of advanced rights, event organizers, and employees or board members of affiliates and the Wikimedia Foundation when acting in a Wikimedia context.

The UCoC applies across all Wikimedia projects, technical platforms, and both in-person and virtual events in Wikimedia context. Its scope covers a wide variety of situations, including:

UCoC Text	What does this mean? Some examples
Private, public and semi-public interactions	These are interactions among users which happen within Wikimedia projects, such as on discussion or user talk pages as well as private messages sent via wikimail. This definition also includes interactions that occur during offline events like edit-a-thons, meetings or conferences.
Discussions of disagreement and expression of solidarity across community members	Discussions can sometimes become heated because Wikimedians are so passionate about what they do (and we really appreciate that!). This definition perfectly describes these situations, whether you are directly involved in a discussion or trying to mediate. Another aspect included in this definition is when more experienced users try to guide new users by giving them advice or suggesting different ways of doing things.
Issues of technical development	Wikimedians discuss a lot about content, but keeping the projects operational also requires a great deal of interaction about maintenance work and technical developments, such as editing code, managing bots and maintaining software tools. Some of these interactions take place within the projects themselves, while other discussions occur in other spaces or on other platforms.
Aspects of content contribution	Some types of content are governed by global policies, such as the global policy on biographies of living persons. The Neutral Point of view requires that we try to present a fair and neutral description of the facts. Content that is intended to offend or harass others is not permitted.
Cases of representing affiliates/communities with external partners	This point concerns activities carried out at the community level or by affiliates with external organizations such as museums, libraries, universities, etc. These may include conferences, workshops, training programs or other joint projects. Let's make sure our code of conduct spreads to other contexts as well!

Why do we need a UCoC?

Adopting a code of conduct is standard practice in communities, and it is especially important in online, volunteer-driven spaces like the Wikimedia community. Very small communities may rely on a simple set of shared rules, often informal or unwritten expectations that are neither scalable nor visible to outsiders, which can unintentionally create an unwelcoming environment. As a community grows—both in the number of participants and in its diversity, including differing cultural and geographical backgrounds—it becomes increasingly necessary to establish shared principles and clear guidelines for behavior to support respectful and effective collaboration.

Codes of conduct clearly define expected behavior and outline consequences for conduct that does not meet those standards. Their primary goal is to create a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment in which participants feel protected from unwelcome behavior. A code of conduct provides also a consistent framework for addressing issues when they arise.

For diversity to thrive and prosper, it needs to be built on a foundation of respect. When members of a community are respectful and considerate of one another, it encourages an environment in which people feel comfortable bringing their own kind of diversity to the game.
— Jono Bacon, The Art of Community: Building the New Age of Participation p. 41

Many Wikimedia projects already had their own sets of rules, but these were often limited to a single project or language community, and in some cases were undocumented. This lack of consistency led to confusion and, at times, conflict. Establishing a shared, universal code helps address these issues by providing clear, consistent expectations across the community.

What are the UCoC enforcement guidelines?

Just as laws are ineffective on their own, policies have little meaning without clear ways to enforce them. The Enforcement Guidelines (EG) describe how the Wikimedia community and Wikimedia Foundation work together to implement the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC).

Part of the EG focuses on preventive measures to promote awareness of the UCoC. These include encouraging its wide diffusion, supporting translations, identifying user groups that need to formally confirm their commitment to the UCoC, and recommending training materials.

By the way, the content of this module is based on the Enforcement Guidelines!

Another key part of the EG focuses on responsive activities. It explains how to act when issues arise, including what happens when a violation occurs, how violations can be reported, and how they are addressed.

Because the UCoC applies to all Wikimedia spaces—both online and offline—its enforcement is a shared responsibility. The EG aim to ensure that the UCoC is applied consistently and fairly across the entire Wikimedia ecosystem.

Let’s move on for an overview of how the enforcement is expected to look like in practice!

How can you report a UCoC violation?

Before reporting a violation, it helps to understand what usually does and does not count as a violation. Some disagreements can happen on Wikimedia projects and are often resolved through discussion, helping editors learn from each other. While they may sometimes feel unpleasant, they are usually not UCoC violations. The examples below are meant to give general guidance for new users. They are not a complete list.

What is usually not a UCoC violation

The following situations are common on Wikimedia projects and normally do not count as UCoC violations: (Need images as example because there are common)

receiving talk page templates or messages explaining that an edit was incorrect
someone reverting your edit and giving a clear reason (for example, policy link or a concern regarding your edit)
being warned that continued disruptive editing may lead to a block
firm or direct discussion about content, edits, or policy, as long as it focuses on the issue and not the person

Disagreements about content are a normal part of collaborative editing.

What may be a UCoC violation

Some examples of possible violations related to behavior are:

personal attacks, such as insulting, mocking, or calling other users names
publishing personal information of other people that they haven't published on a wiki
harassment, including repeatedly targeting the same person, following them across pages, or continuing bothering them after being asked to stop
discrimination or hateful behavior, such as putting someone down because of their race, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or similar characteristics
sexual harassment, including unwanted sexual jokes, comments about someone’s body, or inappropriate messages
threats or intimidation which can be both direct or indirect (such as jokes)
privacy violations, such as sharing or threatening to share someone’s real name, location, or other personal information without permission
misuse of advanced tools or influence to intimidate, silence, or get revenge on other users

In many cases, patterns of behavior matter more than a single incident.

Offline events

Some examples of possible violations during offline events are:

an audience participant continuously makes disgruntled comments at a presentation
a participant enters others’ physical spaces, making them uncomfortable
a participant makes comments that are intended to offend or attack fellow attendees
a participant continues to take photographs of people without consent after being asked to stop
a participant repeatedly touches another participant inappropriately
a virtual participant posts sexual images of another participant in open event chat

What next:

If you believe something may be a UCoC violation, how you report it depends on where it happens.

Online

Start with your wiki’s normal dispute resolution processes, such as the administrators’ noticeboard (d:Q3907246). If personal or private information is involved, do not post it publicly. Instead, contact an oversighter so the information can be handled safely (see Oversight on Meta to find out how to contact depending on the wiki).

If you are blocked and cannot edit the wiki and believe the block resulted from misuse of advanced rights, try requesting unblock. It is usually reviewed by another admin so there is a good chance they can help you. If you can not make a request on your talk page, there is sometimes an email where you can request unblock or request assistance. Please read your blocked notice message carefully. If this measure does not resolve your concern, you may raise the issue with your local Arbitration Committee (if one exists), or with the U4C.

Offline

Along with the UCoC, Wikimedia events usually have a Friendly Space Policy (FSP). A Friendly Space Policy is a policy put in place at events and enforced by the event organizers. It specifies a set of guidelines that attendees must follow to promote harassment-free experiences at the event.

If a violation occurs at an in-person event, report it to the event’s organizing team or designated safety contacts.

For Wikimedia chapters and affiliates, consult their published conduct and reporting procedures. If there is none, please report it to the Affiliations Committee.

Where and who to report UCoC concerns

As noted earlier, both the communities and the Foundation will work together to enforce the UCoC. As a result, the responsibility for addressing violations depends on the type of violation. Generally, most of these cases are handled through community enforcement mechanisms or by the U4C. In some situations, involvement of the Wikimedia Foundation may be appropriate or necessary to address an issue properly. The Foundation’s involvement is generally for cases where the community is unable to resolve the issue adequately.

Following list shows where you can make a report and who usually addresses based on the type of violation.

Table

Situation (example)	Is this a UCoC violation?	Who to contact	How to contact
I received a message saying my edits were unhelpful.	No	—	Consider replying on the talk page or improving the edit.
Someone reverted my edit and explained why.	No	—	If you disagree with the revert, start a discussion on the article or user talk page.
I was warned that continued disruptive editing could lead to a block.	No	—	Review the warning and relevant policies. Ask questions politely if unsure.
Another user was rude or blunt during a discussion.	Usually no	—	Try to keep the discussion focused on content. Only escalate if the behaviour continues or worsens.
A user repeatedly targets me across pages after being asked to stop.	Yes	Local administrators	Collect links (diffs) and report the behaviour to local administrators’ noticeboard.
Someone insults or personally attacks me.	Yes	Local administrators	Report at the administrators’ noticeboard with links showing what happened.
A user makes discriminatory or hateful comments.	Yes	Local administrators or stewards	Report locally on administrators’ noticeboard or at Stewards’ noticeboard on Meta if it happens across multiple wikis.
I receive unwanted sexual comments or messages.	Yes	Local administrators or stewards	Report privately where possible, including diffs or screenshots.
Someone shares or threatens to share my private personal information.	Yes	Oversighters or stewards	Do not repost the information publicly. Contact an oversighter or a steward. Report using information given on Meta Oversight.
An administrator uses their tools to harass or retaliate against me.	Yes	Arbitration Committee or U4C	Contact your local Arbitration Committee, or the U4C if your wiki does not have one.
A serious or repeated UCoC issue across multiple wikis.	Yes	Stewards or U4C	Report at Stewards’ noticeboard or to the U4C.
Violations related to affiliate governance or leadership conduct.	Yes	Affiliations Committee	Email affcomwikimedia.org or follow the reporting instructions on the AffCom page.
Violations in technical spaces (for example Gerrit, Phabricator, Toolforge).	Yes	Technical Code of Conduct Committee	Report following the Technical Code of Conduct process or email techconductwikimedia.org.
Threats of physical violence or credible real-world harm.	Yes	Wikimedia Foundation Trust and Safety	In case of an urgent situations, notify the relevant authorities first (if possible) and email the Wikimedia Foundation via emergencywikimedia.org

What can you expect next?

Some violations are handled at the local level, meaning the community of the Wikimedia project or space where the incident occurred is responsible for enforcement. More serious violations are escalated to higher-level bodies—such as arbitration committees, users with global rights, dedicated committees, or the Wikimedia Foundation—depending on their severity.

To ensure consistent enforcement of the UCoC across the movement, the EG recommends applying the following core principles:

Fairness – Treating individuals impartially and without bias, ensuring decisions are just and equitable.
Transparency – Being open and clear in decision-making, with information accessible and understandable to those affected.
Appeals – Allowing individuals to challenge or question decisions that affect them, providing an important safeguard against errors or bias.