MyWiki:Help desk/Archive 76

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Truth exposing corruption in the grading companies

That screed had absolutely nothing to do with editing Wikipedia and none of the editor's contributions improve the encyclopedia in any way. I have blocked them accordingly. Cullen328 (talk) 08:39, 9 December 2025 (UTC)

@Cullen328 Even though it is collapsed by default, I actually tried to read that. I didn't get very far.
I do feel sorry for him, though. David10244 (talk) 05:40, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Editing A Page

File:Symbol redirect vote2.svg Courtesy link: Talk:Ryah Nixon § Outdated Page

Hi! I submitted a conflict of interest request for a friend about a month ago. She's wondering when her page will be fixed as many people are now looking her up and the information currently on her wiki is incredibly out of date. It's Ryah Nixon. OneMoreFanBway (talk) 17:41, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

@OneMoreFanBway We don't consider WP:IMDb as a reliable source because it is user generated, like Wikipedia. However, playbill.com should be fine for non-controversial facts. If you could add sources from newspapers or magazines, that would be even better. Mike Turnbull (talk) 18:26, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
Okay! What if the information comes directly from the person who is the subject of the article? There's no real source for that. Thank you! @Michael D. Turnbull OneMoreFanBway (talk) 05:29, 8 December 2025 (UTC)
We allow certain information to come directly from article subjects provided it is published, for example via social media. See WP:ABOUTSELF. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:22, 8 December 2025 (UTC)
okay great thanks! I added sources. what is the next step for me to do to get it approved and changed? OneMoreFanBway (talk) 15:05, 9 December 2025 (UTC)
Asking to remove and replace the entire page is quite drastic and much more likely to be rejected. People have the ability to propose changes, not rewrites. If it was me looking at that request, I would be strongly inclined to just put "No" and refuse to change a thing. TooManyFingers (talk) 07:13, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

How best to source old legislative documents - cite the act/journal, or the book?

This is "The Public Records of the State of Connecticut", labeled in book as "From October, 1776, to February, 1778, inclusive," and described by the website simply as "volume 1, 1776-1778". It's been edited by Charles J. Hoadly, state librarian.

So: If I were to want to cite something to the page four of this, should I cite the legal document, or the physical book? That said, should the reference look like:

  • 1776 Conn. Pub. Acts 4
  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

I took the format for the first bullet point from the APA Blue Book, so I'm assuming it's accurate for what I'm going for, I just don't know if it's proper to cite that or the specific book. Or both? Any advice would be great. Thanks. --Golbez (talk) 05:03, 7 December 2025 (UTC)

@Golbez: Technically, Hoadly is not the editor but the publisher. I included the name of the act. Has it ever been repealed? The name of the firm of printers made me chuckle so I put that in as well, but it's probably out of place. You don't need to include the |access-date= parameter for a printed book or journal, it's mostly for {{cite web}}. As far as the specific style goes, I would say it depends on the type of article you are intending to use the cite in. If it's specifically legal, I would go for the APA one, but personally I think it's just a barrier to impress lawyers and keep the general public away. There's always {{Cite act}} but that seems a whole different minefield. I use the vertical layout for my cites, it makes it so much easier to spot mistakes, and there are many opportunities for making them. My attempt:
  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
HTH, MinorProphet (talk) 01:34, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
Thank you! I'm working on a new/final version of Territorial evolution of the United States, and I was using that act as a reference for the name of the state changing. Thanks for the tip on access-date, that makes sense, especially when dealing with a trusted site like archive.org. As for whether it's been repealed, no idea.
If it were clean to combine the APA with a link to the book, ... that ... that could work, right? Would it be insane to set up a cite-book with the author being "Conn. Pub. Acts", the year being 1776, so I could use {{sfn|Conn. Pub. Acts.|1776|p=4}}... Then it should display as "Conn. Pub. Acts 1776, p. 4", and cleanly then link to the book? wanders off, pondering --Golbez (talk) 02:36, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
@Golbez: I've learned the hard way that you should only use cite params for their original and narrowly-defined purpose. The way round this is to use |ref= to create a custom CITEREF: |ref={{harvid|Conn. Pub. Acts|1776|}} and then treat it like an ordinary sfn: {{sfn|Conn. Pub. Acts|1776|p=4}}.
Result: "This is a ref to the famous act."[1]  :> MinorProphet (talk) 07:08, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
I also silently added |ref=none to your original cite, otherwise it complains with an orange warning that there's no associated CITEREF because it's a duplicate. MinorProphet (talk) 07:43, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

References

Missing Photos Gillett, CO

I uploaded photos that I took about Gillett, CO but never saw them published after my submission a couple of months ago. I checked multiple times and did not see them published. I was wondering why they disappeared into a black hole and were never used. Thank you, Neno1815 (talk) 03:31, 9 December 2025 (UTC)

Is this one of yours?
Gillett Coal Bridge TooManyFingers (talk) 03:37, 9 December 2025 (UTC)
Neno1815, You've uploaded several photos to Commons, but that doesn't in of itself amount to a submission to add them to the article. I suggest you raise this on the article talk page, or even consider adding one yourself (see Help:Pictures). The article is a bit short to justify a lot of images, but maybe adding one more might be justifiable - I'd go with the historical 'Coal bridge' one, rather than your own photos, which don't really illustrate the town. AndyTheGrump (talk) 03:44, 9 December 2025 (UTC)
If there are multiple images on Commons, Neno1815 can add {{Commons category}} at the foot of the Wikipedia article which will link to the category page on Commons (to which I have just added their images). Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 09:03, 9 December 2025 (UTC)
When a Commons category exists for an enwiki article, the cat is usually automatically linked in in the "Tools" menu. No need to add any tag manually. DMacks (talk) 08:28, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
The tools menu is not part of article content; {{Commons category}} is.
That's why {{Commons category}} "is used on approximately 890,000 pages, or roughly 1% of all pages"; including many featured articles. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:55, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
I'm guessing that this list shows when you contributed your photos. TooManyFingers (talk) 03:45, 9 December 2025 (UTC)
c:Special:ListFiles/Neno1815 may be more convenient. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 09:08, 9 December 2025 (UTC)
Thanks - I'd never seen that TooManyFingers (talk) 21:36, 9 December 2025 (UTC)

question

can i make wikipedia article about islamic/christian/any other religion scientific foreknowledge

arabic wikipedia has islamic scientifc foreknowledge

Stackper (talk) 06:30, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi there, the first article already has an English equivalent, I'jaz. I think Islamic attitudes towards science should be the only page to cover such a topic (in relation to Islam) as I don't see a major difference between the contents of this page and the contents of the Arabic page (second one) to warrant a different article. You can add to this article if you wish, just be sure that it is all sourced to a reliable source, and doesn't offer undue weight to certain beliefs. jolielover♥talk 06:42, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
The former pair are already linked as equivalent, via Wikidata, in their respective interlanguage-links menus (headed "Languages" on the English page). Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 13:03, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

what about bibical scintfic foreknowledge — Preceding unsigned comment added by Stackper (talk • contribs) 06:46, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Criticism_of_the_Bible#The_Bible_and_science. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 10:33, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
hmmm. That has potential for becoming an article. jolielover♥talk 11:09, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
Christianity and science is it allowed to add scintific miracles in bible here Stackper (talk) 14:23, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
@Stackper Not without a reliable source. The Bible is not a reliable source. Shantavira|feed me 15:20, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
@Stackper I do not mean to be insulting: based on your replies here, I am not sure you have the English-language competence to edit the English Wikipedia. A complex and sensitive topic such as this would require a native or fluent level of written English ability, which you are not demonstrating.
There are lots of other language Wikipedias, ones which you may be more comfortable contributing to. qcne (talk) 15:23, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Article Inquiry - Notability Checking

Hi,

I would like to create an article, however upon checking there is something called "notability". Is there a tool or process I can use to check whether a business or individual is considered “notable enough” before I start creating a draft article? I want to make sure I’m following the rules correctly and not creating pages that won’t meet the standards. What’s the best way to evaluate notability ahead of time?

Thanks for your guidance. ~2025-39760-98 (talk) 14:18, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Unfortunately, evaluating notability is one of those things you just have to learn with time, and that's precisely why we don't advise that new editors try to make a new article until they have some experience on Wikipedia.
You can read the general notability guideline for an indication of what we're looking for, and the golden rule for what a good source of notability looks like. Athanelar (talk) 15:26, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
Also, for people there's WP:NPERSON and for businesses WP:NCORP Athanelar (talk) 15:26, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
Hi @~2025-39760-98. A good rule of thumb is to find three strong sources that each meet the criteria set out in WP:GOLDENRULE. If you can find three sources that each meet that criteria then the topic is potentially notable. If you cannot find three sources, then probably not.
There are no tool, it is all judgement based. However, writing a new article is the hardest thing a new editor can do as you will not have experience assessing sources and understanding notability yet. I would recommend spending a few weeks improving existing articles first, in order to gain experience with our policies and guidelines. qcne (talk) 15:26, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

How to get rid of "new contribution" on my contributions page

I just started getting this "new contribution" section being inserted at the top of my user contributions page.

There's NO WAY this is going to encourage me to use the translation tool to create a new page. Can we please revert this change? Fabrickator (talk) 16:37, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

@Fabrickator: Disable "Content Translation" at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-betafeatures. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:43, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

QRC

I would like to use QRC's in philatelic exhibits to link additional information about the subject matter of stamps being used in the display. Is there any copyright or other considerations that I need to be aware of? I'm just starting to play with the idea, so also wondering about the best way to do this. Thanks. Fred Danes (talk) 23:26, 9 December 2025 (UTC)

@Fred Danes: This is a help desk for the encyclopedia Wikipedia. Your question appears unrelated to us. Wikipedia does not give legal opinions but see QR code#License. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:59, 9 December 2025 (UTC)
If you want to use QR Codes to link to Wikipedia articles; please feel free—there is nothing we require of you if you do. You may wish to do so by making use of QRpedia. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 17:39, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Most edited Wikipedia pages in the last 30 days

Hi, I was wondering if there is a page that lists the most edited pages in the last 30 days that is not exclusively articles. This can mean Talk pages, Wikipedia namespace pages and that kind of nature. I know there is a page for total amount of revisions for pages from all namespaces, but I’m looking for one that just does last the last 30 days. Interstellarity (talk) 01:50, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Here's the top 1000. Surprise, WP:AIV and WP:ANI still top the list. —Cryptic 02:21, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
I hadn't heard of number 3, User:AmandaNP/UAA/Time, before. TSventon (talk) 03:30, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
Seems that a bot is updating that page every 10 minutes. I can't see the point of that and maybe the admin User:AmandaNP can tell us why they need it. Mike Turnbull (talk) 18:25, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
I got the impression that the time stamps are used by the software that determines when blocked users become unblocked again. But I have no idea how any of that really works. TooManyFingers (talk) 18:51, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

KOXO in Portland TV -low power station:

I noticed KOXO is in "Silent", please edit change from silent to "Weigel Broadcast Group" licensed last November 26, 2025 by FCC for Portland OR - Low Power TV station. Browncat88 (talk) 20:27, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Please see WP:Edit requests. If you're trying to request an edit to an article, you need to go there and say exactly which article you're requesting the change on, and what change you're requesting (in a simple "Change X to Y" format) Athanelar (talk) 20:41, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
...and tell us where you found that information, so we can include a citation. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 22:15, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
Here's a remix, Browncat88. If you're requesting an edit to an article, first go to that article. This will have a link labeled "Talk". Click on "Talk". At the foot of that Talk page, start a new discussion thread (just as you have done here), and say exactly what change you're requesting (in a simple "Change X to Y" format), and specify your reliable, published source for that information. -- Hoary (talk) 00:25, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Register my account

i have an account.

I need to register it so I can access semi-protection articles to improve them. Gabe1213 (talk) 18:04, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

@Gabe1213 Your account will become autoconfirmed after you have made >10 edits and been registered for >4 days. There is no need to do anything else to expedite access but if you like you can suggest edits on the talk pages of articles in the meantime. Mike Turnbull (talk) 18:18, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
ohhhh, I thought it was one or the other. Gabe1213 (talk) 18:22, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
@Gabe1213 Please make sure that all improvements you make, to any article, are accompanied by in-line references to WP:Reliable sources. Semi-protected articles might also be marked as WP:Contentious topics, and for those articles, you need to be especially careful. David10244 (talk) 01:53, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

iNeeed Help

I need help ,and i need someonethats going to belieave shit that i cant even explian...Look Listen to me...Im a crimanal...im needing help ~2025-39841-71 (talk) 22:14, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

@~2025-39841-71 This is a help desk for editing Wikipedia, nothing else. Please contact local law enforcement if you are a criminal: we cannot help. qcne (talk) 22:15, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
But contact a defense attorney first. —Antonissimo (talk) 02:23, 11 December 2025 (UTC)
If you are in the United States, call 988 or txt 988. This is the mental health emergency number, and they can help you or tell you how to get help. Do this now. Do not wait. If you are not in the US, try to search "emergency mental health help" in your browser. -Arch dude (talk) 22:33, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

how do I know if my article is being reviewed for publication

I posted an article "Rousers" and can't tell if it was accepted or in review? Is it stuck in my "sandbox"? Any help would be greatly appreciated?

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Jeridoconn/sandbox&oldid=1323769504 Jeridoconn (talk) 11:05, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Jeridoconn, and welcome to Wikipedia.
I've added a template to the top of your draft, there should now be an option to submit it for review by clicking the blue button. Happy editing! Nil🥝 11:12, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

how to use wkipedia

could you please tell me how to use wikepedia Lockie148 (talk) 13:42, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi, @Lockie148. That is a very broad question. Wikipedia is an online encyclopaedia of topics that meet our criteria for inclusion: our articles are mostly free for anyone to edit, as long as the edits comply with our policies and guidelines. Check out Wikipedia:Everything you need to know, an easy way to understand our most important policies.
Did you have any specific questions? qcne (talk) 14:20, 11 December 2025 (UTC)
@Lockie148: If you mean as a reader then there is a search box or search icon File:Paomedia small-n-flat search.svg at top of pages. See more at Help:Searching. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:00, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Page taken down

Many years ago I created a page for Solatube International. I noticed it is no longer there. Can anyone tell me why? It had plenty of citations. Thanks! Bethmcrae (talk) 14:54, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Hello, if you are referring to the page previously deleted at Solatube it was procedurally deleted for the reason "the article is promotional, all non-promotional content is duplicated in the light tube article". You can request the article to be restored at WP:Requests for undeletion - I would advise requesting a copy be undeleted as a draft, and working on it through the Articles for Creation project as it is likely it would not survive in its current state. CoconutOctopus talk 14:59, 11 December 2025 (UTC)
@Bethmcrae: See Wikipedia:Paid-contribution disclosure. You were notified at User talk:Bethmcrae#Proposed deletion of Solatube before it was deleted in 2017. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:10, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Requested move difficulties

Currently, Romance peoples is a redirect to Romance languages. I want to begin a move discussion about redirecting it instead to Latins#Latin peoples and regions.

Since all discussion about Romance peoples redirect page has to go on the Romance languages talk page, I attempted to put in the move request using the following (from WP:RSPM#Single page move on a different talk page): 

{{subst:requested move|reason=(the reason for the page move goes here).|current1=(present title of page to be renamed)|new1=(proposed title of page)}}

But I keep getting this message in red letters: "Request to move a single page must be placed on that page's talk or the page its talk redirects to"

I don't understand what's going on... Evaporation123 (talk) 06:26, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

It sounds like you're talking about changing where Romance peoples redirects to. That isn't a page move, but rather something you can bring up at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion. Sorry if I've misunderstood your concern! DonIago (talk) 07:29, 11 December 2025 (UTC)
That was it. Thank you for your help! Evaporation123 (talk) 07:58, 11 December 2025 (UTC)
You're welcome! Happy editing! DonIago (talk) 15:18, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Quote with image

Hi! For a few days, I am trying to test how an image looks like with the quote, but I am unable to format it properly. Please see Urain Ge and 141 Schools for Peace and suggest if someone has a better idea or template.

A few external examples of how I want it to look like: [1] [2] Thank you! M. Billoo 09:15, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Before solving the technical problem of how, I think it's important to figure out whether it should be done at all. While those do grab reader's attention, I think they are not in keeping with Wikipedia's style-guides, such as MOS:PULLQUOTE and MOS:CAPTION. DMacks (talk) 12:54, 11 December 2025 (UTC)
{{Quote box}} is usually what editors use, but do make yourself aware of the guidelines linked above. – Jonesey95 (talk) 16:03, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

On Wikipedia's fundraising email methodology

I'm sure this doesn't apply to all donors, but personally I am like a beautiful woman: the more I am hounded and urged to do something, the less likely I am to comply. I believe I donated once or twice when I had a bank account with money. I can tell you right now that I'm receiving too many emails asking for donations; and yes I understand that the holidays are likely when you guys do most of your fundraising. Thank you for all your hard work and services, but please reconsider email subject headers like "My 4th attempt to reach you, ___" opening to a face shot of Jimmy staring into my soul. Please by all means forward this to Jimmy if you can/want. There is a bridge and a disconnect between the physical and virtual world; if I were to see a person, some sort of volunteer, outside of a grocery store ringing a bell with a Wikipedia collection bucket, you bet I would put in a few dollars. However when it comes to virtual donations, debit, credit, etc.... I intentionally make it so that I am not tempted to purchase media, subscriptions, engage in micro-transactions, or the consumption of any other sorts of "non-tangible" goods. Thank you for hearing me out. -J ~2025-40057-63 (talk) 16:07, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Us volunteer editors have no control over the Wikimedia Foundation's donation drives. But I can say that a lot of us editors do agree with you. I would recommend feeding back your thoughts to the Foundation directly: donate@wikimedia.org qcne (talk) 16:26, 11 December 2025 (UTC)
@~2025-40057-63 You can alternatively make your point at User talk:Jimbo and might even get a reply there. Mike Turnbull (talk) 18:28, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

4 Star Records

4 Star Records

I have posted on the talk page for this article, but suspect from my lengthy experience of such matters, that my query will sit there for months/years without a response. I am not sure if a change to the title of a category needs an admin to effect it. Would some kind soul care to take a look. Many thanks. - Derek R Bullamore (talk) 15:20, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

I have just posted a request for this on Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy, based on the simple mismatch between the category name and the main article name. They have nearly 300 such items to get through, but it should happen eventually. Thanks for pointing this out! TooManyFingers (talk) 19:13, 11 December 2025 (UTC)
Many thanks for your prompt actions. Much appreciated. - Derek R Bullamore (talk) 19:22, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Edit in foreign language

Hi - How can I help editing and reviewing articles in Arabic language to make edit suggestions? Since it is my native language.

Thanks in advance. Hesham001 (talk) 01:25, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Hello, Hesham001. You will have to ask on the Arabic Wikipedia, which is its own project, with its own administrators and its own policies and guidelines. English Wikipedia Teahouse hosts have no special knowledge of that project. Good luck, though. Cullen328 (talk) 05:08, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
Thanks. Hesham001 (talk) 23:37, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

Buonconte da Montefeltro

I'm a contributor to the Italian Wikipedia and would like to point out that the title of the entry for Bonconte I da Montefeltro is incorrect, as his name is Buonconte da Montefeltro (it:Buonconte da Montefeltro (conte)). Thank you to anyone who can help correct this and move the page. ~2025-40131-23 (talk) 23:19, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

I have responded on the article talk page. TSventon (talk) 00:23, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

Just a small Question

Hi My little sister wants to make an account on Wikipedia but cant since the Wifi at her Starbucks is blocked due to maybe being vandalized by other people. She is in no way wanting to cause any issues, she wants to just have an account made and do whats right for Wikipedia. If there is anything or anyway you can please help this would be very helpful. I do have her email and name and info present if needed, Thanks for your time. P.S. I am new at trying to find the right area to post questions, please be patient. MacLego45 (talk) 04:43, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

does she have internet where she lives?
Piñanana (talk) 04:48, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
Hi Pinanna,
Yes she lives in an apartment that produces internet just like her job. Both spots are blocked due to people not behaving im guessing. She is new to Wikipedia as well and just wants to join like I am as in account. MacLego45 (talk) 04:50, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
Let her start an account on Wikipedia with your internet and device
Piñanana (talk) 04:57, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
WP:SOCKPUPPET
Piñanana (talk) 04:59, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
WP:SLEEPER
Piñanana (talk) 05:01, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
we live in the same Apartment complex. I tried with my iPhone, but it says no account can be made due to being blocked by something called disrupted editing. I wouldn't even know where to start on editing. I just like reading and all. She likes to write and do history stuff. She lives next door to me. The Apartment is Hud Apartments so it free internet to all who live here or better way to say its added in the rent. Im just trying to get her an account made like I have done years ago. Sorry to be such a bother, it's just been really strange on how and where to fix an issue. thanks. MacLego45 (talk) 05:02, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
This above my expertise, wait for a more experienced user
Piñanana (talk) 05:07, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
thank you for helping. sorry for any confusion or issues. also what does sockpuppet and sleeper mean. I saw WP: Sleeper and etc. thanks MacLego45 (talk) 05:08, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
if you read them, they might help
Piñanana (talk) 05:11, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
thanks just figured out you can click in them like links. thanks for helping. MacLego45 (talk) 05:15, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
Try Wikipedia:Request an account or making an account from other projects (i.e. commons:), since they can be used to login here too. —Opecuted (talk) 05:19, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
The latter not if the local block is set to disable account creation. Last time I checked local blocks with "account creation disabled" not only prevent manually creating new accounts via Special:CreateAccount but also the automatic account creations when you log into a new project for the first time. Victor Schmidt (talk) 12:13, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

Category:User pl-N

want to find Category:User pl-N users that have made contributions in the last month

"needle in a haystack"

Piñanana (talk) 05:33, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

I can immediately grab the attention of some of the Polish speakers. If I play some music by Chopin, they'll quickly agree I'm doing it wrong, but disagree among themselves on how best to improve it. (While they discuss that, I'll sneak out the side door.) :)
Unfortunately, this trick might now only work on a small minority. TooManyFingers (talk) 09:29, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
@Piñanana: This searches the category by the most recent edit to the user page so it finds some of them but probably also has false positives where somebody else edited the page. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:15, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
Sounds like an easy task for someone to do by a Wikipedia:Request a query. DMacks (talk) 13:17, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

I want to do a en.wikipedia.org and pl.wikipedia.org collaboration

en:Aly Khan and pl:Maciej Mielżyński (powstaniec śląski) have related content

there is no pl:Aly Khan

I need to find a en.wikipedian who speaks Polish, to find a pl.wikipedian who understands Polish nobility honorifics and culture and history to clarify pl:Maciej Mielżyński (powstaniec śląski), Sybilla Szczeniowska Sorondo (Sybilla Emilia hr. Mielżyńska h. Nowina), Marek Szczeniowski, and Aly Khan

see: pl:Dyskusja:Maciej Mielżyński (powstaniec śląski)#Sybilla Emilia hr. Mielżyńska h. Nowina

Piñanana (talk) 04:45, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

@Piñanana If you want to improve Poland-related content on the English Wikipedia, you can ask at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Poland; you will need to be more clear about what you're asking. Any discussions about editing the Polish-language Wikipedia should be held at pl.wikipedia.org, although you should avoid editing or discussing on that project if you don't speak Polish. Helpful Raccoon (talk) 05:45, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
pl:Wikipedia:Ambasada is available on Polish Wikipedia, for non-Polish-speaking Wikipedians to use (just as we have WP:Embassy for non-English-speakers). Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 13:43, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

bot for archiving url

I know there is a bot for archiving URLs of an article, would you give me its address? Vastmajority20025 (talk) 07:18, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

To view its archive, click on the View History tab at the top of any article. No bot is involved. Shantavira|feed me 10:42, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
Thats not strictly true, you can set it a bunch of pages and it'll run as a bot. See User:IABot. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 12:17, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
@Vastmajority20025 Which kind of archiving do you mean? Are you looking for an automated way to add archive.org links onto the external links in an article? TooManyFingers (talk) 11:13, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
@TooManyFingers, I mean a tool that you request that I want to archive URLs of standard wikipedia citation templates of an article (by "standard wikipedia citation templates" I mean like the URL you put in Template:Cite web. My friend said it exists, but didn't know its address—maybe it existed but now it's gone.
No @Shantavira, I don't mean I wanna see an article's history tab.
@Lee Vilenski, I didn't find what I wanted in the bot you gave, but thanks though. Vastmajority20025 (talk) 14:39, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
[3] is the page we are talking about, which is the one you want. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 14:42, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

Help requested on Draft:Soil drainage

I did a move to draft by mistake, somebody help me to revert my edit? Sorry for the inconvenience AlphaCore talk 15:03, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

I concur with the move to draft, @AlphaCore. I don't think this needs to be reverted? qcne (talk) 15:06, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
@User:Qcne The article was created years ago, so, per policy, it can't be draftified after 90 days, right? Awaiting response AlphaCore talk 15:10, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
its not really the same article that was created years ago. Could have just changed it back into a redirect, like it is now. Lee Vilenski (talk • contribs) 15:15, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
Thank you:) I think the draft got a redirect but not the main space one. AlphaCore talk 15:20, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

Edit Requests

Hello! I was wondering if I did this | Edit Request correctly. If not, what could I have done differently? It is the most recent request on that Talk page.

Thanks, Elijah Wilder (talk) 15:42, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

Elijah Wilder, the edit request seems clear to me. It points out that in Necrodes, the taxobox states that genus is in family Staphylinidae, whereas the source cited states that it's in Silphidae. Correcting this (maybe after evaluating the source) would require a change in the taxobox template, something I'm not able to confidently do myself. Maproom (talk) 16:18, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
Alright. I will undo what I have done so someone else can review it. Based on what I read and saw, I didn't see the part where they asked for X to be changed to Y. Thank you for replying. Elijah Wilder (talk) 16:23, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

Putting Topic Categories in Set Categories

I've recently been editing a lot of categories. And am slightly confused by the guidelines around including topic categories as elements of set categories.

WP:SUBCAT seems to indicate that elements of subcategories should obey an is-a relationship with the parent category. To me this implies that a set category like Category:Presidents of the United States should include the article George Bush but not the topic category Category:George Bush.

Nonetheless, it seems this guidance is not widely followed. I topic categories being included in set categories all the time. For example check out Category:Counties of Guangxi. It includes several topic categories about the individual counties as subcategories.

Is it okay to remove these topic categories that are erroneously included as part of set categories? Should I bring it up on category talk pages or should I just remove them? For example, was this edit appropriate?: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Qiannan_Buyei_and_Miao_Autonomous_Prefecture&diff=prev&oldid=1326608796 Benboy250 (talk) 17:24, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Basically, I'm asking if WP:SUBCAT's advice here is out of step with practice or if I'm misinterpreting it or if actually its just being incorrectly ignored by editors. Benboy250 (talk) 17:25, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
I'm not seeing the specific guidance in WP:SUBCAT that you are discussing. Your example sounds like a case of WP:EPONYMOUS, which explicitly makes it up to each topic-area or other local-consensus how to handle it among several common options. DMacks (talk) 00:37, 11 December 2025 (UTC)
Ok thank you for the info, that's really helpful! Benboy250 (talk) 16:31, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

Peer review

Hello all. I don't mean to sound too bothersome but the peer review for Dorfromantik (board game) has been dormant for over a month. Without any feedback it's very hard to improve the article so some input would be very much appreciated. Thanks, Chorchapu (talk | edits) 22:23, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

@Chorchapu I'm not familiar with the mechanics of peer review but the request has now been moved to the archive (see Category:October 2025 peer reviews). I don't know whether you can put it back into the active stream or maybe contact the editors who made suggestions by pinging them to the article's talk page and taking it from there. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:47, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
I didn't realise that. Well, the advice given was not sufficient for my goal of FA-status so should I open a new peer review? Thanks, Chorchapu (talk | edits) 17:50, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

How do I request to delete a page I created

I crested a page and now want to delete it how do I do so. Motherwell6 (talk) 00:00, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Motherwell6. Simply add the code snippet {{Db-g7}} to the top, and an admin will come along to delete it in due course. qcne (talk) 00:04, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Seloam Lake

I recently made the article Seloam Lake, and want to list in on List of Lakes of Nova Scotia. The lake crosses both Halifax County and Guysborough County, so where do i put it? TIA, Versions111 (talk • contribs) 16:06, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

Both? Athanelar (talk) 18:25, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
Yes, both Halifax County and Guysborough County[1] Versions111 (talk • contribs) 00:27, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
No, as in, you should put it in both. Athanelar (talk) 01:31, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

template problem

*{{cite book |last1=Wecter |first1=Dixon |title=The Hero in America: A Chronicle of Hero-Worship |date=1941 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |location=New York |oclc=516153 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/heroinamericach00wect }} {{isbn|9780684129938 }}

|isbn=9780684129938

|isbn=0684129930

causes an error

{{cite book |last1=Wecter |first1=Dixon |author1-link=Dixon Wecter |title=Sam Clemens of Hannibal |date=1952 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin]] |location=[[Boston]] |via=[[archive.org]] |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.235563/ |language=en}} {{open access}}

|url-access=free

|url-access=open

causes an error

Piñanana (talk) 01:06, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

@Piñanana: I'm not sure what you are trying to do or say. If you mean that those isbn parameters cause the error message "ISBN / Date incompatibility" if they are inserted in the template call then it's because the book with that isbn was apparently published in 1963 and not 1941. Dixon Wecter died in 1950 so maybe he wrote it in 1941 but the isbn number should match the publication year. The only valid values for |url-access= are subscription, registration, limited. Maybe you saw free at WP:URLACCESS but that is under access indicator for named identifiers. Click the link to see the meaning of named identifiers. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:40, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
The copy of The Hero in America that you link to, Piñanana, wasn't even published as early as 1963 (let alone 1941), as its copyright page tells us "Copyright © 1972 Robert Penn Warren". Providing an ISBN for a source whose description has the edition predate the introduction of ISBNs is a sure way of prompting an error message. Note that in addition to "date=" there's also "orig-date=" (ditto for "year=" and "orig-year="). -- Hoary (talk) 02:16, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

notable Publications

notable Publications are archived at thefreelibrary.com but are not included in their article

see:

where would this large task go?

Piñanana (talk) 03:39, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

"Notable" in what sense? In whose article are they "not included"? (And "included" in what sense?) Which "large task"? -- Hoary (talk) 04:33, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

on spas

this is mostly for the sake of having the numbers, so don't worry too much. there's also probably a better place to ask this, but shh

do y'all see the term "spa" being used more often to refer to sockpuppet or single-purpose accounts? consarn (talck) (contirbuton s) 16:18, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

SPA stands for single-purpose account. TooManyFingers (talk) 18:19, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
i know that, hence the question not being "what does 'spa' stand for"? consarn (talck) (contirbuton s) 19:20, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
WP:SPA goes to single-purpose account Athanelar (talk) 18:25, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
I have never seen "spa" being used for sockpuppet accounts. Helpful Raccoon (talk) 20:03, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
SPA refers to a single purpose account, but it is both possible and commonplace for a disruptive account to be both a sockpuppet account and a single purpose account. Cullen328 (talk) 20:32, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
If sockpuppets have a short form, it's "sock".
"Sockpuppet account" is a rare phrase anyway, because Wikipedia's definition of sockpuppet already includes the fact that it's an account. In that way, "sockpuppet account" is like "hammer tool" or "aphid bug" - the second word is pointless because it's part of the first word's definition. TooManyFingers (talk) 04:55, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Uploading images to Wikipedia

How can I determine whether an image, such as a company logo, is copyrighted or otherwise restricted? I previously uploaded the AbsoluteDigital Pictures logo to Wikipedia, but it was removed due to a missing license. I believed it might be acceptable to upload because I searched the USPTO Trademark Search (TMSearch.USPTO.gov) and did not find any associated trademarks, or any indication of whether a trademark related to the logo was active or expired. I now understand that trademark status is separate from copyright, and I am unsure how to properly verify this before uploading images. WVWG9652 (talk) 00:02, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi @WVWG9652. By default you should assume every image you come across is copyrighted, unless it is very specifically released under a compatible licence.
Logos can be uploaded to Wikipedia directly under fair use, but must meet specific requirements and can not be added to draft articles. qcne (talk) 00:06, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
Hello, WVWG9652. Many company logos consist of letters in commonplace fonts and perhaps a few common shapes. These lack sufficient creativity to be copyrighted and are therefore in the public domain. We currently have 5,602 such images in Category:Public domain images ineligible for copyright (logo). Cullen328 (talk) 00:33, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
Shouldn't these files be exported to Commons? Children Will Listen (🐄 talk, 🫘 contribs) 14:20, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
File:Aftonbladet TV7.svg has a tag saying not to. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:32, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
But some don't, e.g. File:141 Schools for Peace.png. I guess this depends on the threshold of originality laws for the origin country. Children Will Listen (🐄 talk, 🫘 contribs) 14:37, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
Then I see no reason not exporting those. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:46, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
@WVWG9652 If there is an org with a WP-article, you can generally add a logo as WP:LEADIMAGE.
If it's a very simple logo, like File:Enhanced Games Logo.png, you can upload it on Commons, more at COM:TOO.
If it's a more complex logo, like File:Superleggera 2024 logo.jpg you have to upload it on English Wikipedia: Go to WP:FUW, pick Upload a non-free file > This is a copyrighted, non-free work, but I believe it is Fair Use. > This is a logo of an organization, company, brand, etc.
In neither case call yourself the author or mark it as your "own work." Unless, you know, you actually designed the logo. Hope this helps some. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 10:30, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
This was the image I added: https://mediaproxy.tvtropes.org/width/1200/https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/absolutedigital_pictures.png WVWG9652 (talk) 13:57, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
Guessing by User_talk:WVWG9652#Copyright_status:_File:AbsoluteDigital_Pictures_(Horizon)_(Print_Black).svg you didn't have any/wrong copyright tags, like you can see under the Licensing heading at File:Enhanced_Games_Logo.png. If you check here, you'll see how they are written. But that's a guess, I can't see deleted file pages. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:22, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
Ok WVWG9652 (talk) 14:23, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
@WVWG9652 There is a pretty detailed guide to all this at WP:Logos. Mike Turnbull (talk) 12:13, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
I know, I didn't even design the logo! It's just that I don't know if its simple or complex logo. WVWG9652 (talk) 14:22, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
I'd go with simple, seems equivalent to File:Adobe Systems logo and wordmark.svg IMO. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:26, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
Also, what should I choose in Release rights to get the image uploaded? WVWG9652 (talk) 14:30, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
  • This work was created by someone else and is free to share
  • This work is not protected by copyright law
Then, in the add a specific public domain tag, if applicable field, add the tags I linked above, {{pd-textlogo}}{{trademarked}}.
It gets easier after you've done it a few times. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:44, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
Btw, if it's a complex logo, you have to wait with the upload until you have an actual WP-article to put it in, non-free isn't allowed in drafts. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 14:28, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Heavily uncited Wikipedia page

This article (Chinese independent high school) is kind of heavily uncited. I don't know what to do with it since it has been marked since 2021, if anyone knows what to do with it please help. Thank you! N niyaz (talk) 09:17, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Google the term "chinese independent high school" (and the chinese language name) and see if you can find any sources with useful information evidencing notability, then add and cite the info from those sources. If you can't find anything, then it might be time to consider WP:Deletion. Athanelar (talk) 12:21, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
"chinese independent high school" is too generic a term (a search returns results about high schools in China that are independent). A search for "chinese independent high school" Malaysia (with quotes as shown) may be more successful. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 17:36, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
WP:STUBIFY it down. Stubs are better than deletion. // hekatlys [talk] 12:26, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Xerxes I

Historical sources generally indicate that Xerxes I was born around 519 BCE rather than 518 BCE. Since 519 BCE is more commonly accepted among historians, his birth year should be revised accordingly. ~2025-40531-69 (talk) 17:55, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

You've also raised this at Talk:Xerxes I#Birth year, which is the appropriate place, and I've responded there. NebY (talk) 18:25, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Bōde page

Hi there,

Published a page the other day and just wanted to know what's the process to having it removed from draft? Draft:Bōde. NikMJ (talk) 17:39, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi NikMJ, I have re-added the AFC template, which you deleted on 9 December. This includes the big "Submit the draft for review" button, which you need to press when you think your draft is ready for review. Good luck. - Arjayay (talk) 17:46, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
One question - Do you work for, or have any business links whatsoever to Bōde? If so, you must declare that Conflict of Interest (Please see WP:COIEDIT), and, if you work for them, or receive any remuneration for creating the article, Wikipedia considers you a paid editor. Please see WP:PAID for the additional declaration you must make in such circumstances. - Arjayay (talk) 18:03, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
Hello, @NikMJ.
User:ColinFine/PractiseFirst ColinFine (talk) 22:17, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Wikipedia is great... How do I link my bank card and account to my Wikipedia profile MichaelUP (talk) 22:14, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

You don't unless you are actually trying to creates some sort of entirely pointless security risk. There is no reason whatsoever why anyone on Wikipedia could possibly have a legitimate reason to access such information. If you want to donate, note that it is the Wikimedia Foundation, rather than Wikipedia that collects funds: see [here]. AndyTheGrump (talk) 22:20, 13 December 2025 (UTC)
Hello, @MichaelUP
Why on earth would you want to do that?
If you are talking about making donations, they go to the Wikimedia Foundation, and there is (quite deliberately) no connection whatever between a donation or a donor, and a Wikipedia account. If you wish to say on your user page that you are a donor, that's fine, because it's your choice.
If what you are trying to do is get Wikipedia to stop showing you the donation banner, then you can turn that off for your account - but there is still nothing anywhere in Wikipedia that knows that you have or haven't donated. See Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-centralnotice-banners. ColinFine (talk) 22:21, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

Is there a way to improve readability on images with white text and transparent background?

Specifically this image File:Sea Power game logo.png (fair-use image, can't display) Opecuted (talk) 03:50, 12 December 2025 (UTC)

perhaps this not copyrightable because it is simple text
Piñanana (talk) 04:42, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
There's some texturing going on in the text, so I'm playing safe. —Opecuted (talk) 05:13, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
The texturing going on in the text is not in the image,
it has to do with displaying an image with "transparency" Alpha compositing
other images on commons that have "transparency" exhibit the same phenomenon
Piñanana (talk) 05:40, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
They mean the pattern on the white text itself, not the alpha checkerboard pattern. It's much more visible against a dark background. —Cryptic 15:46, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
Template:Infobox has a way of doing this (see, for example, Template talk:Infobox/Archive 19#Forcing a bg color on images with transparent bg), but {{infobox video game}} doesn't seem to pass the parameter through. —Cryptic 15:46, 12 December 2025 (UTC)
I've opted to replace the logo with the cover art instead (File:Sea Power game cover art.jpg), thanks for trying to help. @Piñanana @Cryptic —Opecuted (talk) 03:48, 14 December 2025 (UTC)

Public Domain books with ISBN-13 = SPAM ?

Percival Wilde plays are Public Domain with ISBN-13

an example: The Beautiful Story Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). $43 !!!!

I have seen this for many authors whose works are Public Domain

should they all be removed if free on archive.org or google books ?

Piñanana (talk) 00:19, 15 December 2025 (UTC)

I don't know the actual places you're talking about removing something. But wouldn't it make more sense to not remove anything, in case someone wants it, but to also proclaim loud and clear that they are public domain works? TooManyFingers (talk) 02:21, 15 December 2025 (UTC)
I'm unaware of any practice of declaring that works are in the public domain. It is considerate of editors to point out if a book that's on a website requires registration for the website or "subscription" (payment) to it. Template:Cite book provides for this. -- Hoary (talk) 06:05, 15 December 2025 (UTC)
Also: Do you really mean these are inserted somewhere by spammers? Or do you mean this is widespread copyfraud ... or what? TooManyFingers (talk) 02:27, 15 December 2025 (UTC)
Hello, @Piñanana.
As far as I know, an ISBN-13 is interchangeable with its ISBN-10 version, and there is no significance to using the longer form.
In citing a book, the ISBN, where there is one, is an important part of the citation, as it uniquely identifies the (edition of) the book. A link to Google books or Archive.org is not an essential part of the citation, but merely a convenience for the reader. So, no, do not remove an ISBN from any citation unless it is actually wrong. ColinFine (talk) 12:22, 15 December 2025 (UTC)
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