WikiDevi.Wi-Cat.RU:What WikiDevi is not

WikiDevi is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, an online community of individuals interested in building and using a high-quality encyclopedia in a spirit of mutual respect. Therefore, there are certain things that WikiDevi is not.

WikiDevi is not a paper encyclopedia
WikiDevi is not a paper encyclopedia, but a digital encyclopedia project. Other than verifiability and the other points presented on this page, there is no practical limit to the number of topics WikiDevi can cover or the total amount of content. However, there is an important distinction between what can be done, and what should be done, which is covered in the Encyclopedic content section below. Consequently, this policy is not a free pass for inclusion: articles must abide by the appropriate content policies, particularly those covered in the five pillars.

Keeping articles to a reasonable size is important for WikiDevi's accessibility, especially for dial-up and mobile browser readers, since it directly affects page download time. Splitting long articles and leaving adequate summaries is a natural part of growth for a topic. Some topics are covered by print encyclopedias only in short, static articles, but WikiDevi can include more information, provide more external links, and update more quickly.

Encyclopedic content
Information should not be included in this encyclopedia solely because it is true or useful. A WikiDevi article should not be a complete exposition of all possible details, but a summary of accepted knowledge regarding its subject. Verifiable and sourced statements should be treated with appropriate weight. Although there are debates about the encyclopedic merits of several classes of entries, consensus is that the following are good examples of what WikiDevi is not. The examples under each section are not intended to be exhaustive.

WikiDevi is not a dictionary
WikiDevi is not a dictionary, or a usage or jargon guide. WikiDevi articles are not:


 * 1) Definitions. Articles should begin with a good definition or description, but articles that contain nothing more than a definition should be expanded with additional encyclopedic content. If they cannot be expanded beyond a definition, WikiDevi is not the place for them. In some cases, the definition of a word may be an encyclopedic subject, such as the definition of planet. For a wiki that is a dictionary, visit our sister project Wiktionary. Dictionary definitions should be transwikied there.
 * 2) Dictionary entries. Encyclopedia articles are about a person, or a group, a concept, a place, a thing, an event, etc. In some cases, a word or phrase itself may be an encyclopedic subject, such as Macedonia (terminology) or truthiness. However, articles rarely, if ever, contain more than one distinct definition or usage of the article's title. Articles about the cultural or mathematical significance of individual numbers are also acceptable.
 * 3) Usage, slang, and/or idiom guides. Descriptive articles about languages, dialects, or types of slang (such as Klingon language, Cockney, or Leet) are desirable. Prescriptive guides for prospective speakers of such languages are not. See "WikiDevi is not a manual, guidebook, textbook, or scientific journal" below for more information. For a wiki that is a collection of textbooks, visit our sister project Wikibooks. Prescriptive guides for prospective speakers of a language should be transwikied there.

WikiDevi is not a publisher of original thought

 * WikiDevi is not a place to publish your own thoughts and analyses or to publish new information.
 * Per our policy on original research, please do not use WikiDevi for any of the following:


 * 1) Primary (original) research, such as proposing theories and solutions, original ideas, defining terms, coining new words, etc. If you have completed primary research on a topic, your results should be published in other venues, such as peer-reviewed journals, other printed forms, open research, or respected online publications. WikiDevi can report your work after it is published and becomes part of accepted knowledge; however, citations of reliable sources are needed to demonstrate that material is verifiable, and not merely the editor's opinion.
 * 2) Personal inventions. If you or a friend invented the word frindle, a drinking game, or a new type of dance move, it is not notable enough to be an article until multiple, independent, and reliable secondary sources report on it. WikiDevi is not for things made up one day.
 * 3) Personal essays that state your particular feelings about a topic (rather than the opinions of experts). Although WikiDevi is supposed to compile human knowledge, it is not a vehicle to make personal opinions become part of such knowledge. In the unusual situation where the opinions of an individual are important enough to discuss, it is preferable to let other people write about them. (Personal essays on topics relating to WikiDevi are welcome in your user namespace or on the Meta-wiki.)
 * 4) Discussion forums. Please try to stay on the task of creating an encyclopedia. You can chat with people about WikiDevi-related topics on their user talk pages, and should resolve problems with articles on the relevant talk pages, but please do not take discussion into articles. In addition, bear in mind that talk pages exist for the purpose of discussing how to improve articles. Talk pages are not for general discussion about the subject of the article, nor are they a help desk for obtaining instructions or technical assistance. Material unsuitable for talk pages may be subject to removal per the talk page guidelines. If you wish to ask a specific question on a topic, WikiDevi has a Reference desk, and questions should be asked there rather than on talk pages.

WikiDevi is not a soapbox or means of promotion
WikiDevi is not a soapbox, a battleground, or a vehicle for propaganda, advertising and showcasing. This applies to usernames, articles, categories, files, talk page discussions, templates, and user pages. Therefore, content hosted in WikiDevi is not for:


 * 1) Advocacy, propaganda, or recruitment of any kind: commercial, political, scientific, religious, national, sports-related, or otherwise. An article can report objectively about such things, as long as an attempt is made to describe the topic from a neutral point of view. You might wish to start a blog or visit a forum if you want to convince people of the merits of your opinions.
 * 2) Opinion pieces. Although some topics, particularly those concerning current affairs and politics, may stir passions and tempt people to "climb soapboxes" (for example, passionately advocate their pet point of view), WikiDevi is not the medium for this. Articles must be balanced to put entries, especially for current events, in a reasonable perspective, and represent a neutral point of view. Furthermore, WikiDevi authors should strive to write articles that will not quickly become obsolete. However, WikiDevi's sister project Wikinews allows commentaries on its articles.
 * 3) Scandal mongering, promoting things "heard through the grapevine" or gossiping. Articles and content about living people are required to meet an especially high standard, as they may otherwise be libellous or infringe the subjects' right to privacy. Articles must not be written purely to attack the reputation of another person.
 * 4) Self-promotion. It can be tempting to write about yourself or projects in which you have a strong personal involvement. However, remember that the standards for encyclopedic articles apply to such pages just like any other. This includes the requirement to maintain a neutral point of view, which can be difficult when writing about yourself or about projects close to you. Creating overly abundant links and references to autobiographical sources is unacceptable.
 * 5) Advertising, marketing or public relations. Information about companies and products must be written in an objective and unbiased style, free of puffery. All article topics must be verifiable with independent, third-party sources, so articles about very small "garage" or local companies are typically unacceptable. External links to commercial organizations are acceptable if they identify notable organizations which are the topic of the article. WikiDevi neither endorses organizations nor runs affiliate programs. See also Notability (organizations and companies) for guidelines on corporate notability. Those promoting causes or events, or issuing public service announcements, even if noncommercial, should use a forum other than WikiDevi to do so.

Non-disruptive statements of opinion on internal WikiDevi policies and guidelines may be made on user pages and within the WikiDevi: namespace, as they are relevant to the current and future operation of the project. However, "article talk pages should not be used by editors as platforms for their personal views on a subject".

WikiDevi is not a mirror or a repository of links, images, or media files
WikiDevi is neither a mirror nor a repository of links, images, or media files. WikiDevi articles are not merely collections of:


 * 1) External links or Internet directories. There is nothing wrong with adding one or more useful content-relevant links to the external links section of an article; however, excessive lists can dwarf articles and detract from the purpose of WikiDevi. On articles about topics with many fansites, for example, including a link to one major fansite may be appropriate. See External links for some guidelines.
 * 2) Internal links, except for disambiguation pages when an article title is ambiguous, and for lists for browsing or to assist with article organization and navigation; for these, please follow the guidelines outlined at  criteria.
 * 3) Public domain or other source material such as entire books or source code, original historical documents, letters, laws, proclamations, and other source material that are only useful when presented with their original, unmodified wording. Complete copies of primary sources may go into Wikisource, but not on WikiDevi. Public domain resources such as the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica may be used to add content to an article.
 * 4) Photographs or media files with no accompanying text. If you are interested in presenting a picture, please provide an encyclopedic context, or consider adding it to Wikimedia Commons. If a picture comes from a public domain source on a website, then consider adding it to Images with missing articles or Public domain image resources.

WikiDevi is not a blog, web hosting service, social networking service, or memorial site
WikiDevi is not a social networking service like Facebook or Twitter. You may not host your own website, blog, wiki, or cloud at WikiDevi. WikiDevi pages are not:


 * 1) Personal web pages. WikiDevins have their own user pages, but they should be used primarily to present information relevant to work on the encyclopedia. Limited biographical information is allowed, but user pages should not function as personal webpages or be repositories for large amounts of material that is irrelevant to collaborating on WikiDevi. If you are looking to make a personal webpage or blog or to post your résumé, please make use of one of the many free providers on the Internet or any hosting included with your Internet account. The focus of user pages should not be social networking, or amusement, but rather providing a foundation for effective collaboration. Humorous pages that refer to WikiDevi in some way may be created in an appropriate namespace, however.
 * 2) File storage areas. Please upload only files that are used (or will be used) in encyclopedia articles or project pages; anything else will be deleted. If you have extra relevant images, consider uploading them to the Wikimedia Commons, where they can be linked from WikiDevi.
 * 3) Dating services. WikiDevi is not an appropriate place to pursue relationships or sexual encounters. User pages that move beyond broad expressions of sexual orientation are unacceptable. However, you very well may form new friendships as you go about improving the encyclopedia.
 * 4) Memorials. Subjects of encyclopedia articles must satisfy WikiDevi's notability requirements. WikiDevi is not the place to memorialize deceased friends, relatives, acquaintances, or others who do not meet such requirements (for the WikiDevi page for deceased WikiDevi editors, however, see RIP).
 * 5) Content for encyclopedia-unrelated projects. Don't store material unrelated to WikiDevi, including in userspace. Please see UPNOT for examples of what may not be included.

If you are interested in using the wiki technology for a collaborative effort on something else, even if it is just a single page, there are many free and commercial sites that provide wiki hosting. You can also install wiki software on your server. See the installation guide at MediaWiki.org for information on doing this. See also Alternative outlets.

Many of the content restrictions listed above apply to your user page and user talk page as well. Your user page is not a personal homepage, nor is it a blog. More importantly, your user page is not yours. It is a part of WikiDevi, and exists to make collaboration among WikiDevins easier, not for self-promotion. See User page help for current consensus guidelines on user pages.

WikiDevi is not a directory
WikiDevi encompasses many lists of links to articles within WikiDevi that are used for internal organization or to describe a notable subject. In that sense, WikiDevi functions as an index or directory of its own content. However, WikiDevi is not a directory of everything in the universe that exists or has existed. Please see Alternative outlets for alternatives. WikiDevi articles are not:
 * 1) Lists or repositories of loosely associated topics such as (but not limited to) quotations, aphorisms, or persons (real or fictional). If you want to enter lists of quotations, put them into our sister project Wikiquote. Of course, there is nothing wrong with having lists if their entries are relevant because they are associated with or significantly contribute to the list topic. WikiDevi also includes reference tables and tabular information for quick reference. Merged groups of small articles based on a core topic are permitted. (See Appropriate topics for lists for clarification.)
 * 2) Genealogical entries. Biography articles should only be for people with some sort of fame, achievement, or perhaps notoriety. One measure of these is whether someone has been featured in several external sources (on- or offline). Less well known people may be mentioned within other articles.
 * 3) The White or Yellow Pages. Contact information such as phone numbers, fax numbers and e-mail addresses is not encyclopedic. Likewise, disambiguation pages (such as John Smit) are not intended to be complete listings of every person in the world named John Smith; just the notable ones.
 * 4) Directories, directory entries, electronic program guide, or a resource for conducting business. For example, an article on a broadcaster should not list upcoming events, current promotions, current schedules, format clocks, etc., although mention of major events, promotions or historically significant program lists and schedules may be acceptable. Likewise an article on a business should not contain a list of all the company's patent filings. Furthermore, the Talk pages associated with an article are for talking about the article, not for conducting the business of the topic of the article.
 * 5) Sales catalogues. An article should not include product pricing or availability information unless there is an independent  source and a justified reason for the mention. Encyclopedic significance may be indicated if mainstream media sources (not just product reviews) provide commentary on these details instead of just passing mention. Prices and product availability can vary widely from place to place and over time. WikiDevi is not a price comparison service to compare the prices of competing products, or the prices and availability of a single product from different vendors or retailers.
 * 6) Non-encyclopedic cross-categorizations, such as "people from ethnic / cultural / religious group X employed by organization Y" or "restaurants specializing in food type X in city Y". Cross-categories like these are not considered sufficient basis to create an article, unless the intersection of those categories is in some way a culturally significant phenomenon. See also Overcategorization for this issue in categories.
 * 7) Simple listings without context information. Examples include, but are not limited to: listings of business alliances, clients, competitors, employees (except CEOs, supervisory directors and similar top functionaries), equipment, estates, offices, products and services, sponsors, subdivisions and tourist attractions. Information about relevant single entries with encyclopedic information should be added as sourced prose. Lists of creative works in a wider context are permitted.

WikiDevi is not a manual, guidebook, textbook, or scientific journal
WikiDevi is an encyclopedic reference, not an instruction manual, guidebook, or textbook. WikiDevi articles should not read like:


 * 1) Instruction manuals. While WikiDevi has descriptions of people, places and things, an article should not read like a "how-to" style owner's manual, cookbook, advice column legal, medical or otherwise) or suggestion box. This includes tutorials, instruction manuals, game guides, and recipes. Describing to the reader how people or things use or do something is encyclopedic; instructing the reader in the imperative mood about how to use or do something is not. Such guides may be welcome at Wikibooks instead.
 * 2) Travel guides. An article on Paris should mention landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, but not the telephone number or street address of the "best" restaurants, nor the current price of a café au lait on the Champs-Élysées. WikiDevi is not the place to recreate content more suited to entries in hotel or culinary guides, travelogues, and the like. Notable locations may meet the inclusion criteria, but the resulting articles need not include every tourist attraction, restaurant, hotel or venue, etc. While travel guides for a city will often mention distant attractions, a WikiDevi article for a city should only list those that are actually in the city. If you do wish to help write a travel guide, your contributions would be welcome at our sister project, Wikivoyage.
 * 3) Video game guides. An article about a video game should summarize the main actions the player does in the game. But avoid lists of gameplay weapons, items, or concepts, unless these are notable as discussed in secondary sources in their own right in gaming context (such as the BFG9000 from the Doom series). Walk-throughs or detailed coverage of specific point values, achievements, time-limits, levels, types of enemies, character moves, character weight classes, and so on are also considered inappropriate. A concise summary is appropriate if it is essential to understanding the game or its significance in the industry.
 * 4) Internet guides. WikiDevi articles should not exist only to describe the nature, appearance or services a website offers, but should also describe the site in an encyclopedic manner, offering detail on a website's achievements, impact or historical significance, which can be kept significantly more up-to-date than most reference sources, since editors can incorporate new developments and facts as they are made known. See the Current events portal for examples.
 * 5) FAQs. WikiDevi articles should not list frequently asked questions (FAQs). Instead, format the information provided as neutral prose within the appropriate article(s).
 * 6) Textbooks and annotated texts. WikiDevi is an encyclopedic reference, not a textbook. The purpose of WikiDevi is to present facts, not to teach subject matter. It is not appropriate to create or edit articles that read as textbooks, with leading questions and systematic problem solutions as examples. These belong on our sister projects, such as Wikibooks, Wikisource, and Wikiversity. Some kinds of examples, specifically those intended to inform rather than to instruct, may be appropriate for inclusion in a WikiDevi article.
 * 7) Scientific journals and research papers. A WikiDevi article should not be presented on the assumption that the reader is well-versed in the topic's field. Introductory language in the lead (and also maybe the initial sections) of the article should be written in plain terms and concepts that can be understood by any literate reader of WikiDevi without any knowledge in the given field before advancing to more detailed explanations of the topic. While wikilinks should be provided for advanced terms and concepts in that field, articles should be written on the assumption that the reader will not or cannot follow these links, instead attempting to infer their meaning from the text.
 * 8) Academic language. Texts should be written for everyday readers, not just for academics. Article titles should reflect common usage, not academic terminology, whenever possible.
 * 9) Case studies. Many topics are based on the relationship of factor X to factor Y, resulting in one or more full articles. For example, this could refer to situation X in location Y, or version X of item Y. This is perfectly acceptable when the two variables put together represent some culturally significant phenomenon or some otherwise notable interest. Often, separate articles are needed for a subject within a range of different countries, due to substantial differences across international borders; articles such as "Slate industry in Wales" and "Island fox" are fitting examples. Writing about "oak trees in North Carolina" or "blue trucks", however, would likely constitute a POV fork or original research, and would certainly not result in an encyclopedic article.

WikiDevi is not a crystal ball
WikiDevi is not a collection of unverifiable speculation. WikiDevi does not predict the future. All articles about anticipated events must be verifiable, and the subject matter must be of sufficiently wide interest that it would merit an article if the event had already occurred. It is appropriate to report discussion and arguments about the prospects for success of future proposals and projects or whether some development will occur, if discussion is properly referenced. It is not appropriate for editors to insert their own opinions or analyses. Predictions, speculation, forecasts and theories stated by reliable, expert sources or recognized entities in a field may be included, though editors should be aware of creating undue bias to any specific point-of-view. In forward-looking articles about unreleased products, such as films and games, take special care to avoid advertising and unverified claims (for films, see also). In particular:




 * 1) Individual scheduled or expected future events should be included only if the event is notable and almost certain to take place. Dates are not definite until the event actually takes place. If preparation for the event is not already in progress, speculation about it must be well documented. Examples of appropriate topics include the  U.S. presidential election and  Summer Olympics. By comparison, the  U.S. presidential election and  Summer Olympics or events surrounding the 250th anniversary of the United States of America in 2026 are not appropriate article topics if nothing can be said about them that is verifiable and not original research. Avoid predicted sports team line-ups, which are inherently unverifiable and speculative. A schedule of future events may be appropriate if it can be verified. As an exception, even highly speculative articles about events that may or may not occur far in the future might be appropriate, where coverage in reliable sources is sufficient. For example, Ultimate fate of the universe is an acceptable topic.
 * 2) Individual items from a predetermined list or a systematic pattern of names, pre-assigned to future events or discoveries, are not suitable article topics, if only generic information is known about the item. Lists of tropical cyclone names is encyclopedic; "Tropical Storm Alberto (2018)" is not, even though it is virtually certain that such a storm will occur. Similarly, articles about words formed on a predictable numeric system (such as "septenquinquagintillion") are not encyclopedic unless they are defined on good authority, or genuinely in use. Certain scientific extrapolations are considered to be encyclopedic, such as chemical elements documented by International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry before isolation in the laboratory, provided that scientists have made significant non-trivial predictions of their properties.
 * 3) Articles that present original research in the form of extrapolation, speculation, and "future history" are inappropriate. Although scientific and cultural norms continually evolve, we must wait for this evolution to happen, rather than try to predict it. Of course, we do and should have articles about notable artistic works, essays, or credible research that embody predictions. An article on Weapons of Star Trek is appropriate; an article on "Weapons to be used in World War III" is not.
 * 4) Although currently accepted scientific paradigms may later be rejected, and hypotheses previously held to be controversial or incorrect sometimes become accepted by the scientific community, it is not the place of WikiDevi to venture such projections.
 * 5) WikiDevi is not a collection of product announcements and rumors. Although WikiDevi includes up-to-date knowledge about newly revealed products, short articles that consist only of product announcement information are not appropriate. Until such time that more encyclopedic knowledge about the product can be verified, product announcements should be merged to a larger topic (such as an article about the creator(s), a series of products, or a previous product) if applicable. Speculation and rumor, even from reliable sources, are not appropriate encyclopedic content.

WikiDevi is not a newspaper
As WikiDevi is not a paper source, editors are encouraged to include current and up-to-date information within its coverage, and to develop stand-alone articles on significant current events. However, not all verifiable events are suitable for inclusion in WikiDevi. Ensure that WikiDevi articles are not:


 * 1) Original reporting. WikiDevi should not offer first-hand news reports on breaking stories. WikiDevi does not constitute a primary source. However, our sister projects Wikisource and Wikinews do exactly that, and are intended to be primary sources. WikiDevi does have many encyclopedia articles on topics of historical significance that are currently in the news, and can be updated with recently verified information.
 * 2) News reports. WikiDevi considers the enduring notability of persons and events. While news coverage can be useful source material for encyclopedic topics, most newsworthy events do not qualify for inclusion. For example, routine news reporting on things like announcements, sports, or celebrities is not a sufficient basis for inclusion in the encyclopedia. While including information on recent developments is sometimes appropriate, breaking news should not be emphasized or otherwise treated differently from other information. Timely news subjects not suitable for WikiDevi may be suitable for our sister project Wikinews.  WikiDevi is also not written in news style.
 * 3) Who's who.  Even when an event is notable, individuals involved in it may not be. Unless news coverage of an individual goes beyond the context of a single event, our coverage of that individual should be limited to the article about that event, in proportion to their importance to the overall topic. (See Biographies of living persons for more details.)
 * 4) A diary.  Even when an individual is notable, not all events they are involved in are. For example, news reporting about celebrities and sports figures can be very frequent and cover a lot of trivia, but using all these sources would lead to over-detailed articles that look like a diary. Not every match played or goal scored is significant enough to be included in the biography of a person.

WikiDevi is not an indiscriminate collection of information
To provide encyclopedic value, data should be put in context with explanations referenced to independent sources. As explained in Encyclopedic content above, merely being true, or even verifiable, does not automatically make something suitable for inclusion in the encyclopedia. WikiDevi articles should not be:


 * 1) Summary-only descriptions of works. WikiDevi treats works of fiction and art in an encyclopedic manner, discussing the reception and significance of notable works in addition to a concise summary. Similarly, articles on works of non-fiction, including documentaries, research books and papers, religious texts, and the like, should contain more than a recap or summary of the works' contents. Such articles should be expanded to have broader coverage.
 * 2) Lyrics databases. An article about a song should provide information about authorship, date of publication, social impact, and so on. Quotations from a song should be kept to a reasonable length relative to the rest of the article, and used to facilitate discussion, or to illustrate the style; the full text can be put on Wikisource and linked to from the article. Most song lyrics published after 1922 are protected by copyright; any quotation of them must be kept to a minimum, and used for direct commentary or to illustrate some aspect of style. Never link to the lyrics of copyrighted songs unless the linked-to site clearly has the right to distribute the work.
 * 3) Excessive listings of statistics.  Any statistics should be accompanied by explanatory text providing context. Long recitations of statistics reduce readability and may be confusing. Where large quantities of statistics are appropriate (e.g. Nationwide opinion polling for the United States presidential election, 2012) consider placing them in tables to enhance readability; where large quantities are not appropriate (e.g. the main article United States presidential election, 2012) omit excess statistics and summarize.
 * 4) Exhaustive logs of software updates. Use reliable third-party (not self-published or official) sources in articles dealing with software updates to describe the versions listed or discussed in the article. Common sense must be applied with regard to the level of detail to be included.

WikiDevi is not censored

 * The University is not engaged in making ideas safe for students. It is engaged in making students safe for ideas.
 * Thus it permits the freest expression of views before students, trusting to their good sense in passing judgment on these views.
 * University of California President Clark Kerr (1961)

WikiDevi may contain content that some readers consider objectionable or offensive even exceedingly so. Attempting to ensure that articles and images will be acceptable to all readers, or will adhere to general social or religion norms, is incompatible with the purposes of an encyclopedia.

Content will be removed if it is judged to violate WikiDevi policies (especially those on biographies of living persons and neutral point of view) or the laws of the United States (where WikiDevi is hosted). However, since most edits are displayed immediately, inappropriate material may be visible to readers, for a time, before being detected and removed.

Some articles may include images, text, or links which are relevant to the topic but that some people find objectionable. Discussion of potentially objectionable content should usually focus not on its potential offensiveness but on whether it is an appropriate image, text, or link. Beyond that, "being objectionable" is generally not sufficient grounds for the removal or inclusion of content. The Offensive material guideline can help assess appropriate actions to take in the case of content that may be considered offensive.

Some organizations' rules or traditions forbid display of certain information about them online. Such restrictions do not apply to WikiDevi, because WikiDevi is not a member of those organizations; thus WikiDevi will not remove such information from articles if it is otherwise encyclopedic.

WikiDevi is not an anarchy or forum for free speech
WikiDevi is free and open, but restricts both freedom and openness where they interfere with creating an encyclopedia. Accordingly, WikiDevi is not a forum for unregulated free speech. The fact that WikiDevi is an open, self-governing project does not mean that any part of its purpose is to explore the viability of anarchist communities. Our purpose is to build an encyclopedia, not to test the limits of anarchism.