This is an essay, a page containing the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. Essays may represent widespread norms or minority viewpoints, and they may be heeded or not based upon your judgement and discretion.

Wikipedia policy
Global principles
What Wikipedia is not Ignore all rules
Content standards
Neutral point of view Verifiability No original research Biographies of living persons
Working with others
Civility No personal attacks Harassment No legal threats Consensus Dispute resolution
More
Full list of policies List of guidelines

Wikipedia has developed a body of policies and guidelines which have helped us over the years to work toward our goal of creating a (successful) free encyclopedia.

While we strive to build consensus, Wikipedia is not a democracy, and its governance can be inconsistent. Hence there is disagreement between those who believe rules should be explicitly stated and those who feel that written rules are inherently inadequate to cover every possible variation of problematic or disruptive behavior. In either case, a user who acts against the spirit of our written policies may be reprimanded, even if technically no rule has been violated.

However those who edit in good faith, show civility, seek consensus, and work towards the goal of creating a great encyclopedia should find a welcoming environment. Wikipedia greatly appreciates additions that help all people.

Key policies

You don't need to read any Wikipedia policies before you contribute. However, the following policies are particularly important to the project, and the sooner you understand and use them, the better:

1. Wikipedia works by building consensus. Consensus is an inherent part of the wiki process. (See Wikipedia:Consensus)
2. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. Its goals go no further, and material that does not fit this goal may be moved to another Wikimedia project or removed altogether. (See What Wikipedia is not.)
3. Respect other contributors. Wikipedia contributors come from many different countries and cultures, and have widely different views. Treating others with respect is key to collaborating effectively in building an encyclopedia. (See Wikipedia:Civility, Wikipedia:Etiquette, Wikipedia:Dispute resolution.)
4. Respect copyrights. Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. Submitting work which infringes copyrights threatens our objective to build a truly free encyclopedia that anyone can redistribute, and could lead to legal problems. (See Wikipedia:Copyright.)
5. Avoid bias. Articles should be written from a neutral point of view, representing views fairly, proportionately and without bias.
6. Include only verifiable information. If the information in an article is controversial or likely to be challenged, a reliable source must be cited so that the reader can verify the information. (See Wikipedia:Verifiability.) Avoid original research.

Other concise summaries of key policies

One of these concise versions of the Wikipedia guidelines should get you familiar with the important policies.

Here's the recommended reading order:

1. The five pillars of Wikipedia: a quick rundown of the 5 key rules you should read to start editing. Don't worry, it's easy.
2. Simplified ruleset: 15 rules of thumb to help you avoid problems.
3. List of policies: A comprehensive list of the 40 official policies with very quick summaries.

Every policy and guideline is listed in one of the following categories:

• Category:Wikipedia official policy: policies that are widely accepted and that everyone is expected to follow.
• Category:Wikipedia guidelines: less rigid rules of thumb that are generally accepted by consensus to apply in many cases.

Other essays and discussions about Wikipedia

• The Meta-Wiki site contains many articles about Wikipedia and related topics in a more editorial style.
• Creating how-to articles in Wikipedia.
• Wikipedia:Centralized discussion is a centralized list of ongoing policy discussions, as is Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Policies

See also

• Wikipedia:Village pump (policy), discussion of existing and proposed policies
• Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals), discussion of new ideas and proposals not policy related
• Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Policies, listing of proposed policies and proposed changes to policies through Wikipedia:Requests for comment
• Wikipedia:Perennial proposals, that come up very often on the proposals
• Wikipedia:Ignore all rules
• Category:Wikipedia policies and guidelines lists approved, rejected, and proposed policies.
• Wikipedia:How to create policy - instructions on how policies and guidelines are to be created and modified