does not aim to contain all knowledge.

What to exclude is determined by an online

community committed to building a high-quality encyclopedia. These exclusions are summarized
as things that Wikipedia is not.

Style and format

Wikipedia is not a paper encyclopedia
Shortcut

 WP:NOTPAPER

Print Wikipedia

Wikipedia 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 Wikipedia
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 under § Encyclopedic content 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 Wikipedia's accessibility, especially for readers
with low-bandwidth connections and on mobile platforms, since it directly affects page download
time (see Wikipedia:Article size). Splitting long articles and leaving adequate summaries is a natural
part of
Information should not be included in this encyclopedia solely because it is true or useful. A.

Wikipedia is not a dictionary

Shortcuts

 WP:NOTDICTIONARY
 WP:DICTIONARY
Main page: Wikipedia:Wikipedia is not a dictionary
Wikipedia is not a dictionary, or a usage or jargon guide. For a wiki that is a dictionary, visit our sister
project Wiktionary. Missing dictionary definitions should be transwikied there. Wikipedia 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, Wikipedia is
not the place for them. In some cases, however, the definition of a word may be an
encyclopedic subject, such as the definition of planet.
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, 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 §
Wikipedia 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 Editors
will try to answer relevant questions on talk and Wikipedia pages, but they are not here to fix
your broken toaster.
Shortcut

 WP:FORUM

1. Shortcut
o WP:NOTESSAY

Personal essays that state your particular feelings about a topic (rather than the
opinions of experts). Although Wikipedia 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
Wikipedia-related topics are welcome in your user namespace or on the Meta-wiki.)

2. Shortcut
o WP:NOTFORUM

Discussion forums. Please try to stay on the task of creating an encyclopedia. You

can chat with people about Wikipedia-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 article talk pages exist
solely to discuss how to improve articles; they 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,
Wikipedia has a Reference desk; questions should be asked there rather than on
talk pages. However, these should be used for questions of reasonable academic
interest; WP does not serve as a technical help line or customer support for products
or companies that have articles.
Wikipedia is not a soapbox or means of promotion
Shortcuts

 WP:SOAPBOX
 WP:PROMOTION
 WP:SOAP
 WP:PROMO
"WP:PROMOTION" redirects here. For other pages about advertising and promotion,
see Wikipedia:Advertising.
"WP:SOAP" redirects here. For the Soap Operas WikiProject, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Soap
Operas.
Wikipedia is not a soapbox, a battleground, or a vehicle for propaganda, advertising and
showcasing. This applies to usernames, articles, drafts, categories, files, talk page discussions,
templates, and user pages. Therefore, content hosted on Wikipedia is not for:

1. Shortcut
o WP:NOTADVOCACY
 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]

2. Shortcut
o WP:NOTOPINION

Opinion pieces. Although some topics, particularly those concerning current affairs

and politics, may stir passions and tempt people to "climb soapboxes", Wikipedia 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, Wikipedia authors should strive to write articles that will not
quickly become obsolete. However, Wikipedia's sister project Wikinews allows
commentaries on its articles.

3. Shortcut
o WP:NOTSCANDAL

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, such as your résumé or curriculum vitae, is
unacceptable.
See Wikipedia:Autobiography, Wikipedia:Notability and Wikipedia:Conflict of
interest.
5. Shortcut
o WP:NOTADVERT

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 bands or local companies are typically unacceptable.
Wikipedia articles about a person, company or organization are not an extension of
their website, press releases, or other social media marketing efforts. External
links to commercial organizations are acceptable if they
identify notable organizations which are the topic of the article. Wikipedia neither
endorses organizations nor runs affiliate programs. See also Wikipedia: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 Wikipedia to do so. Contributors
must disclose any payments they receive for editing Wikipedia. See
also Wikipedia:Conflict of interest § Paid editing.
Non-disruptive statements of opinion on internal Wikipedia policies and guidelines may be made on
user pages and within the Wikipedia: 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 (see Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines).

Wikipedia is not a mirror or a repository of links, images, or media

files
Shortcuts

 WP:LINKFARM
 WP:NOTMIRROR
 WP:NOTREPOSITORY
 WP:NOTGALLERY
Wikipedia is neither a mirror nor a repository of links, images, or media files.[3] Wikipedia 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 Wikipedia. On
articles about topics with many fansites, for example, including a link to one major
fansite may be appropriate. See Wikipedia: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 relevant guidance at Wikipedia:Manual of
Style/Lists, Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists.
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 useful only when presented with their original, unmodified wording.
Complete copies of primary sources may go into Wikisource, but not on
Wikipedia. Public domain resources such as the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica may
be used to add content to an article (see Plagiarism guideline: Public-domain
sources for guidelines on doing so). See also Wikipedia:Do not include the full text of
lengthy primary sources and Wikisource's inclusion policy.
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 Wikipedia:Images with missing
articles or Wikipedia:Public domain image resources.
Wikipedia is not a blog, web hosting service, social networking
service, or memorial site
Shortcuts

 WP:NOTWEBHOST
 WP:NOTSOCIALNETWORK
 WP:NOTFB
"WP:MEMORIAL" and "WP:HOST" redirect here. For a list of deceased Wikipedians,
see Wikipedia:Deceased Wikipedians. For ownership of content, see Wikipedia:Ownership of
content.
Further information: Wikipedia:User pages and Wikipedia:Alternative outlets
Wikipedia is not a social networking service like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, nor a social-
network game. It is not a place to host your own website, blog, wiki, résumé, or cloud. Wikipedia
pages, including those in user space, are not:

1. Shortcut
o WP:NOTCV

Personal web pages. Wikipedians have individual user pages, but they should be

used primarily to present information relevant to work on the encyclopedia. Limited
autobiographical information is allowed, but user pages do not serve as personal
webpages, blogs, or repositories for large amounts of material irrelevant to
collaborating on Wikipedia. If you want to post your résumé or make a personal
webpage, please use one of the many free providers on the Internet or any hosting
included with your Internet service provider. 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 Wikipedia in some way may be
created in an appropriate namespace. Personal web pages are often speedily
deleted under criterion U5. Wikipedia articles use formal English and are not written
in Internet posting style.

2. Shortcut
o WP:NOTFILESTORAGE

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 Wikimedia Commons, where they
can be linked from Wikipedia.

3. Dating services. Wikipedia is not an appropriate place to pursue relationships or

sexual encounters. User pages that move beyond broad expressions of sexual
orientation are unacceptable.
4. Shortcut
o WP:NOTMEMORIAL

Memorials. Subjects of encyclopedia articles must satisfy Wikipedia's notability

requirements. Wikipedia is not the place to memorialize deceased friends, relatives,
acquaintances, or others who do not meet such requirements. (WP:RIP is
excluded from this rule.)

5. Content for projects unrelated to Wikipedia. Do not store material unrelated to

Wikipedia, including in userspace. Please see WP: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
just a single page, many free and commercial sites provide wiki hosting. You can also install wiki
software on your own server. See the installation guide at MediaWiki.org for information on doing
this.
You do not own your userpage. It is a part of Wikipedia, and exists to make collaboration among
Wikipedians easier, not for self-promotion.