ORBIKI
How to write an ORBIKI article
A step-by-step guide for first-time contributors. General articles accept account and IP contributors. Sources and revision history remain visible; protected and sensitive content requires review.
1. Find the article and choose its language
Search the title and alternative names first to avoid duplicates. Select Edit for an existing article or Create article for a new one. The content-language field selects the language of the saved article. The language menu below changes this guide.
2. Enter a title and summary
Use a precise subject name, up to 120 characters. Write a neutral summary explaining the subject, up to 500 characters. Avoid keyword repetition and unsupported promotional claims.
3. Start with the writing assistant
In an empty article, choose General, Organisation or Species and Insert structure. This inserts section headings, not facts. Write the content yourself. Existing text is never overwritten by the structure helper.
4. Write the article and sections
Explain the subject, then relevant history, activities or characteristics. Use ## for headings and ### for subsections. Distinguish evidence from opinions and guesses. A taxonomy table, names or dates alone are not a complete article.
5. Place evidence beside the statement
Enter an HTTPS URL and source title in Insert source. It adds a footnote and the source-list entry together; place it beside the supported statement. Read the original and check the claim. Source links are one per line, up to 30. Listing a URL does not verify a fact.
6. Use links, tables and notes
Use the Bold, Link, Footnote and Table buttons. [[Article|Label]] is an internal link; ||Field||Value|| is a table row; * Item creates a list. [* Source note] creates a note. Do not insert HTML or scripts; check formatting in Preview.
7. Add aliases and categories
Enter common alternative names or spellings separated by commas. Categories also use commas and may use parent/child paths. Avoid unrelated keywords and categories. Category lists display reviewed articles only.
8. Add photographs and logos
Pasting an image URL does not upload a file. Registered files use [[File:file ID|width=360|Caption]]. Official profile images use a separate verification and rights-submission process. Check each creator, source and licence; never describe an information diagram as a photograph.
9. Preview and recover temporary text
Preview sections, tables, notes and links. A link-check failure is not content verification. A recovery notice appears when this browser tab has temporary article text. Recovery stores text only; check titles, sources and other fields separately.
10. Describe the edit and save
Enter what changed and why in Edit summary, then save. The change creates a revision and history entry. General contributors may save twice per minute. If another edit conflicts, compare the current article and history before editing again.
11. Handle protection and errors
Use sourced suggestions for restricted articles. Sensitive personal claims, politics, medical, legal, financial or private information require review. Do not bypass permission errors. Wait after rate limits; preserve your text safely before retrying server errors.
12. Understand review, search and translation
General saved edits are unreviewed, not automatically enabled for search engines. Collected drafts publish automatically only after content, source, image-rights and risk checks. Submission acknowledgement is not indexing. Other languages are separate authored articles, not automatic translations.