View source for Help:Userspace draft

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|<big><div style="text-align: center;">'''Create a userspace draft'''</div></big>
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A '''userspace draft''' is a draft of an article (or part of an article) associated with a specific user account and stored in the user [[Wikipedia:Namespace|namespace]].  Userspace drafts are distinct from drafts located in the [[Wikipedia:Draft namespace|Draft namespace]]. You must [[Wikipedia:Why create an account?|create a user account]] to have your own userspace, and you must be [[Special:UserLogin|logged in]] to use it.

== Explanation ==
* Every registered user on Wikipedia has their own "userspace" (or "userpage") – for instance, a user named "Example" has a userspace called [[User:Example]] – and [[User:Example/Lipsum]] is a page (actually a subpage) called "Lipsum" in [[User:Example|Example's userspace]].
* Userspace is part of Wikipedia and its use is governed by [[Wikipedia:User pages#Ownership and editing of pages in the user space|community rules]], but it is not part of the encyclopedia. (The encyclopedia part of Wikipedia is called the "[[Wikipedia:What is an article?#Namespace|mainspace]]" – e.g., [[Lorem ipsum]] is a page in mainspace.)
* Userspace Drafts are typically made on a "[[Wikipedia:User pages#SUB|user subpage]]" that starts with "'''User:'''". Use this format <nowiki>[[User:UserHandle/Lipsum]]</nowiki> (which creates [[User:UserHandle/Lipsum]]). Adapt that format to your personal needs.
* For a list of all your drafts (and any other subpages you have), click on "Contributions" (at the very top right of any Wikipedia page, if you're logged in), then scroll to the bottom and click the "Subpages" link.
* Note: every edit you make to a userspace draft is potentially visible online to anyone, even though it's in your own space. Also, your edits are "saved" by hitting the same big, blue "'''Publish changes'''<nowiki/>" button you see when editing existing Wikipedia articles. Don't be confused by the term "publish" in this context; it's not the same as actually moving a draft into the main encyclopedia for everyone to find and read. Many people consider only that element as publishing, whereas the reality is that everything we do here is published online, whether made in a userspace, a sandbox, a draft article, or a main article.
* As a courtesy, when you have a page in your userspace you no longer need, add {{Tlx|db-userreq}} to the top of the page. It will be deleted shortly.
* In [[Wikipedia talk:Notability/Archive 58#RfC: Does WP:N apply to drafts in userspace or draftspace.3F|an RfC]] regarding the applicability of [[Wikipedia:Notability]] to drafts within the userspace and draftspace, community consensus determined that "notability guidelines do not apply to userspace and draftspace drafts."
* Articles in the [[Wikipedia:Draft]] namespace can be edited and moved into the main encyclopedia by anyone. So you can create the draft in your personal userspace, move it to the draft namespace to be edited by anyone, and later move it to the main encyclopedia.

== Creation ==
[[Image:Moving a draft article.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Moving a userspace draft into place]]
If you haven't created a draft in your userspace (something like [[User:Example/pagename]]), you might want to look at the [[Wikipedia:Tutorial|Tutorial]] or [[Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia|Contributing to Wikipedia]] for general guidance on how to edit pages, or [[Wikipedia:Writing better articles|Writing better articles]] for guidance on how to write and structure your article. The [[Help:Cheatsheet|cheatsheet]] can help with basic [[Help:Wiki markup|wiki markup]]. If you need help, you can ask at the [[Wikipedia:Teahouse|Teahouse]], [[Wikipedia:Help desk|Help desk]] or [[Wikipedia:IRC help disclaimer|Wikipedia's live help chat]]. It is often very instructive to find existing articles on topics similar to that of your draft (e.g. if you're writing a biography of an economist, find existing biographies of other economists). Look at how these established articles are written and structured, and examine how the wiki markup works to produce the final product.

Once you feel the draft is completed, you may wish to ask for feedback by submitting it to [[Wikipedia:Articles for Creation|Articles for Creation]] or directly [[Help:How to move a page|move]] it to mainspace. However, note that your account must be four days old and you must have made a minimum of 10 edits in order to do so (a restriction called [[Wikipedia:AUTOCONFIRM|autoconfirmation]]). Further, note that newer editors, even autoconfirmed ones, are strongly encouraged to follow the Articles for Creation process rather than move a draft directly into mainspace.

Above all, don't rush: Rome wasn't built in a day, and [[Wikipedia:DEADLINE|there's no reason your article should be]]. However, if you don't cover at least the core issues below before going "live" with your draft, you may soon be looking at [[Wikipedia:Why was the page I created deleted?|Why was my page deleted?]] Don't wait to get it perfect, but do write enough content and cite enough sources so that others can develop the article if you move on.

== Core issues ==
If you created your draft via the [[Wikipedia:Article wizard 2.0|Article Wizard]], you should be familiar with these core issues: but they are ''very'' important so they're recapped here.

Once you think your draft is ready to go live, submit your article to [[Wikipedia:Articles for creation|Articles for Creation]] by placing <code>{{tlf|subst:AFC submission/submit}}</code> at the top of your article and an experienced user will move your article into [[WP:draftspace|draftspace]] for further review.<ref>If your account is already [[Wikipedia:User access levels#Autoconfirmed users|autoconfirmed]], you have the ability to [[Help:Move|move]] the page on your own. At "To new title", enter your intended name for the final article without any prefixes. However, you may wish to ask for feedback on your creation first, at [[Wikipedia:Peer review]].

If an appropriate name for the article is not immediately obvious, please visit [[Wikipedia:Article titles]]. Please note that Wikipedia articles are normally titled using the name which is most commonly used to refer to the subject of the article in English-language [[Wikipedia:RS|reliable sources]]—common usage is preferred to technically correct but rarer forms, whether the official name, the scientific name, the birth name, the original name or the trademarked name.</ref> If you decide to abandon your draft, just put <code>{{tl|db-userreq}}</code> at the start of it. It will be deleted shortly. Alternatively, you could donate your draft to [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Abandoned Drafts|WikiProject Abandoned Drafts]] for another user to finish and introduce into the [[Wikipedia:Mainspace|mainspace]].

=== Notability ===
{{Article wizard/GNGbox}}'''Above all else, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia.'''  This means that by its very nature, items in Wikipedia have to be [[Wikipedia:N|notable]] enough to be considered encyclopedic.

A topic is notable if it has been the subject of multiple, non-trivial published works from sources that are [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources|reliable]] and [[Wikipedia:Independent sources|independent of the subject itself]] and of each other. All topics must meet a minimum threshold of notability in order for an article on that topic to be included in Wikipedia.  This requirement ensures that there exists enough source material to write a [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|verifiable]], [[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|encyclopedic]] article about the topic.

'''[[Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|What Wikipedia is not]]:''' In addition to the notability criteria described above, the entry must also be encyclopedic in nature.  Items such as FAQs, video game guides, memorials, instruction manuals, directories, list of links, advertising, self-promotion, and dictionary definitions are not encyclopedic.

=== Sources ===
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| quote = 1. have a reputation for reliability: they are [[WP:RS|reliable sources]]<br>
2. are independent of the subject<br>
3. are [[WP:V|verifiable]] by other editors
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The key thing you'll need is (more) [[Wikipedia:RS|reliable sources]], which are also independent of the subject. Other editors will need these to both [[Wikipedia:V|verify]] the information in your article, and confirm [[Wikipedia:N|notability]].

* Look for more sources! There's no substitute for research.
* Remember that not every subject in the world meets the [[Wikipedia:N|notability]] criteria - but some that currently don't might do so in the future.
* If you're unable to find the sources to support an article, you could post a request at [[Wikipedia:Requested articles]].

If you'd like to try to find the [[Wikipedia:RS|reliable sources]] needed for your proposed article, these links may help:
{{block indent|{{findsources|new article}}. <br>Remember, though, that many valuable sources are not available online.}}

=== Content ===
{{Quote box
| title = Copyright
| quote = As a general rule, do not copy-paste text from other websites or other forms of media. There are a few limited exceptions.<ref name=A/><ref name=B/> For example, a few words as part of a properly [[WP:CITE|cited]] and clearly attributed quotation is acceptable.
| source = - [[Wikipedia:Copy-paste]]
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The article you create should not include text copy-and-pasted from other websites, books, magazines or other sources, unless it is part of a properly attributed and sourced [[Wikipedia:Quotations|quotation]]. Articles violating copyright will be deleted.<ref name="A">There are a very few websites (and other sources) from which text can be copy-pasted without violating copyright - cases where the text is in the [[public domain]] or uses a Wikipedia-compatible license (for the latter, attribution is usually required). However, even when taking text from public domain sources, the copying should be attributed to the source. Avoiding copyright infringement does not excuse [[Wikipedia:Plagiarism|plagiarism]]. If you think a source may qualify, please ask for confirmation at [[Wikipedia talk:Copyright problems]], and await a response before using the text unchanged.</ref> ''Write the article yourself in your own words''.<ref name="B">If you own the previously published material or have permission to reproduce it, permission must be verified. See [[Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials]].</ref> It is okay if your text is not perfect — that can always be fixed later.

=== Name clash ===
If the name you'd like to give your page already exists, you can't just replace that page.

# If the existing page is an article on the subject you want to cover anyway, just edit it and integrate the content from your draft if it will improve the article.
# If the existing page is an article on a different subject, you'll need to choose a slightly different name, to "disambiguate" between the two topics.
#* See [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation]] for details on how to do that correctly (you need to choose a good page name, and also correctly link the pages)
#* Or just go to the [[Wikipedia:Request directory|Request directory]] and select the noticeboard or request page most closely connected to the query you have. A volunteer will visit you there.
# If the existing page is a [[Wikipedia:Redirect|redirect]] (a page which takes you to an article under another name&nbsp;– the "target" page), you can either integrate your content into the target article or change the redirect into its own article. In the latter case, you should generally post on the talk page of the target article first, to see if anyone objects or has a better idea.

== Style and layout ==
To develop good style and layout, you can look at [[Wikipedia:Writing better articles]], or look at the way existing articles are written (especially similar ones).

It is good to identify relevant [[Wikipedia:Categories|categories]] to which your draft article could belong. To add a category to a user space draft, edit the article and add the category using the syntax '''<nowiki>[[:Category:Category name]]</nowiki>''' at the bottom of the article, e.g. <nowiki>[[:Category:Mind-body interventions]]</nowiki>. The colon syntax will not add your draft to the listing of articles in the category, but will list the categories as links at the bottom of the article. When your draft is ready to be transferred to article space, remove the colons from the category links.

Similarly, you should try to add appropriate [[Wikipedia:Linking|wikilinks]] in the article. Add wikilinks to other articles that aid navigation and understanding, but [[Wikipedia:OVERLINK|avoid cluttering]] the page with links to terms whose meaning can be understood by most readers, such as plain English words. Use your perusal of established articles on similar topics as a guide on what kind of things to link.

==See also==

* [[Wikipedia:Drafts|Drafts]]
* [[Wikipedia:Subpages|Subpages]]
* [[Wikipedia:Userfication|Userfication]]

== Notes ==
<references responsive="1"></references>

== See also ==
{{Wikipedia glossary}}
* [[Wikipedia:User pages]]
* [[Template:Userspace draft]]
* [[Template:My sandbox]]
[[Category:Wikipedia basic information]]
[[Category:Wikipedia user space]]
[[Category:Wikipedia drafts]]