Wikipedia:ArticleChecklist

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[edit] Checklist for New Article Creation

This checklist has been prepared primarily to help new editors write articles. Not all the points in the checklist below apply to all articles. The "Check" column is for those who want to print the list and tick off as they work on their article.

Check Task How-to Link/s Comments
Apply {{in use}} or {{under construction}} templates, if appropriate These make it clear that an article is being worked on and help prevent misunderstandings with other editors. Remove the template when edits are complete.
Meet Naming Conventions WP:NC These help keep Wikipedia article titles consistent
Meet Style Guidelines WP:MOS; WP:MOSNUM Comprehensive style guide; Numbers style guide
Meet Neutral Point of View requirement WP:NPOV Articles must have a neutral POV, representing fairly the main views published by reliable sources
Check specific Wikipedia Project style guidelines, if applicable WP:PROJ Example: MOS:FILM These are guidelines prepared by project groups for specific types of articles, such as the Film Project style guideline
Ensure Redirects are in place, as appropriate WP:R
Ensure Disambiguations are in place, as appropriate WP:D Also MOS:DP for further information
Add appropriate Infobox WP:INFO Infoboxes provide a summary of the subject of the article. They are commonly used for people, films, books, albums, countries, cities...
Add Notes/References/Further reading, as needed WP:CITE; WP:CIT CITE is general guide; CIT contains templates
Add External Links, as appropriate WP:EL
Add link to Main article, as appropriate
Main article: Schindler's Ark
 For example, in the article on Thomas Keneally, a link is made from the section on Schindler's Ark to the article on the novel
Add See alsos, if appropriate See also Article containing links to managing "See alsos" in Wiki
Create WikiLinks, as appropriate, and check them Help:Contents/Links; WP:LINK Article containing links to managing "Links" in Wiki; Check wikilinks by previewing before saving (but don't forget then to save!)
Make sure it is not an orphan WP:Orphan An orphan is an article which has no articles linking to it. Links to articles make them more accessible/findable. Click "What links here" in the left hand column to check.
Add Persondata, if biography WP:PDATA
Add DEFAULTSORT instruction WP:CAT This ensures that articles are filed/sorted/listed accurately eg that people are listed under their last name, that articles such as "the", "a" and "an" are ignored in filing/sorting
Add appropriate Categories WP:CAT and WP:Categorization All articles in Wikipedia must have categories. They work like subject headings in a library catalogue and help users find articles on like subjects
Add Stub Tag/Categories, if appropriate WP:Stub This helps ensure that Stubs can be located for expansion by editors
Add Image, if available WP:IMAGE
Rate article on Discussion Page, in Project Banner if appropriate WP:ASSESS Normal editors can rate their own articles as Stub, Start or B
Add Project Banners to Discussion Page, if appropriate
Add {{talkpage}} to Discussion Page WP:TP
Check for typos - and again!

[edit] Other useful sources for creating and editing articles

Source How-to Link/s Comments
Help Contents Page WP:HELP
Glossary WP:G