GETTING STARTED
Wikipedia is made by people. You can be one of them.
You don’t need to be an expert, a programmer, or a professional researcher to contribute to Wikipedia. People around the world build and improve free knowledge every day by editing articles, adding reliable sources, sharing photographs, translating information, organizing data, and more.
If you’re curious but aren’t sure where to begin, you’re in the right place.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is the free online encyclopedia you probably already know. Its articles are written and maintained collaboratively by volunteer editors around the world.
Wikimedia
Wikimedia is the larger movement behind Wikipedia and other free-knowledge projects. The nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation provides the infrastructure that supports Wikipedia along with projects including Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, Wiktionary, Wikisource, and others.
Wikimedia NYC
Wikimedia New York City is your local connection to that global movement. We bring people together across New York City and around the country through events, workshops, edit-a-thons, community programs, partnerships, and opportunities to contribute to free knowledge.
Think global knowledge, with a New York address.
STEP 01
Create your Wikipedia account
You can read Wikipedia without an account, but creating one gives you an identity within the Wikimedia community and makes it easier to participate, track your contributions, communicate with other editors, and build your editing history.
1. Visit Wikipedia. Go to Wikipedia and select Create account in the upper-right area of the site.
2. Choose a username. Your username is how other Wikipedia editors will recognize you. It does not need to be your legal name. Choose something you’ll be comfortable using publicly.
3. Create a password. Use a secure password you don’t use elsewhere.
4. Add your email address. Providing an email address helps with account recovery and account-related communication. Your email address is not displayed publicly simply because you add it to your account.
5. Complete the security check and create your account. That’s it. You’re officially a Wikipedian.
STEP 02
Make your first edit
Your first contribution doesn’t need to be an entire Wikipedia article. In fact, starting small is a good thing.
You might correct a typo, clarify a sentence, add a reliable source, update outdated information, or improve the formatting of an existing article.
1. Find an article you're interested in. Start with a subject you already know something about or genuinely want to learn more about.
2. Look for “Edit.” Wikipedia allows contributors to edit through its editing tools. Some pages have editing restrictions, so if you can't edit a particular article yet, simply try another.
3. Make one useful change. Start small. Correct something, clarify information, or add information supported by a reliable source.
4. Cite your source. Wikipedia isn't about what any one person knows or believes. Information should be supported by reliable, published sources readers can verify.
5. Preview and publish your changes. Review what you changed, briefly explain your edit when prompted, and publish it.
Congratulations. You just helped build Wikipedia!
THERE'S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO CONTRIBUTE
Write & Edit
Improve existing Wikipedia articles by correcting information, expanding topics, adding sources, or making articles clearer and more useful.
Research & Cite
Love going down research rabbit holes? Help strengthen Wikipedia by finding trustworthy sources and connecting them to information that needs better documentation.
Photograph & Document
Your photographs can become part of the world's free knowledge collection through Wikimedia Commons. Images uploaded to Commons can be used across Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Commons requires uploaded material to meet its licensing requirements, so don't simply upload images you've found online.
Translate
Help make knowledge accessible across languages by translating and improving content for readers around the world.
Work With Data
Contribute structured information through Wikidata, Wikimedia's free knowledge base.
Show Up
You don't have to figure everything out alone. Attend a Wikimedia NYC event, workshop, edit-a-thon, or community gathering and learn alongside other New Yorkers.
NEW TO THIS? COME HANG OUT WITH US
The easiest way to start might be together.
Wikimedia NYC hosts events throughout the city where newcomers and experienced Wikimedians can meet, learn, edit, share ideas, and contribute to projects together.
No editing experience? That's completely fine.
Helpful resources
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A beginner's guide to the basics of contributing and editing.
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Learn how photographs, illustrations, audio, video, and other freely licensed media become part of Wikimedia's collection. Commons currently contains more than 170 million media files.
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The Upload Wizard walks contributors through selecting media, establishing its licensing status, adding descriptive information, and publishing it.
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Wikipedia is only one part of a much larger ecosystem that also includes Commons, Wikidata, Wikisource, Wiktionary, Wikivoyage, and more.