Making edits to a Wikipedia page can be time-consuming. It is really frustrating when you have gone through the effort only to find that an edit you have made has been removed, and you don’t even know why. Especially as a beginner, the Wikipedia editing process can be confusing and complicated. Read on to find out some of the reasons your content on a Wikipedia page could be getting removed.
Who Updates Wikipedia?
Content on Wikipedia is constantly being updated by users from all over the world, though there is a relatively small number of registered users who regularly update the site.
Steven Pruit has made over five million edits to the English language version of Wikipedia, more than anyone else has ever made. This means that he has made content updates to one-third of all Wikipedia articles, as well as created over 30,000 Wikipedia articles himself.
With so many dedicated users, the information on the site is continuously monitored and updated, or removed. If you make any changes to an article, someone is likely to see it soon. Even unregistered users who come across the page may decide to make edits if they have knowledge about the subject.
Can Wikipedia Ban You From Editing?
If the Wikipedia community, which consists of other editors and administrators, deems your edits to be disruptive, they can decide to restrict your account. There are several different types of bans that could be placed on your account, including a specific article ban or even a full site ban.
This is why it is important to be mindful about making edits when contributing to Wikipedia pages.
Reasons Your Wikipedia Edits Could Be Getting Removed
- You need to create an account. Anyone can edit articles without an account, however, other editors prefer to interact with registered Wikipedia users. It’s a good idea to create an account and Wikipedia username to which your content can be attributed.
- Improper citations. Citing reliable sources is a key aspect of Wikipedia editing because that is how the site establishes credibility. Citations must be from published sources and not original research.
- Biased perspective. You must write articles from a neutral perspective. If your content sounds too promotional or includes extreme views, someone else will remove it.
- Conflict of interest. If you are deemed to be too close to the subject, other editors can remove your edits because you are more likely to be biased.
- Not meeting notability requirements. If there aren’t enough published sources on the topic, your subject may not be notable enough to have a Wikipedia article at all. In this case, the entire page might get deleted.
- Wikipedia vandalism. If you change any content in a malicious manner, other editors will remove it.
- You did not provide an edit summary. This is a brief explanation of any changes you made to the content of an article so that other editors can read it. If you don’t provide one, your content is more likely to be removed.
How Can I Restore A Wikipedia Edit?
No, you should not try to restore Wikipedia edits that were removed or reverted back. Of course, this answer is probably not what you want to hear. If you try to restore edits you have previously made, Wikipedia will see this as a content war and could potentially ban your account. In this case, you should use the talk page to discuss the content with other editors, and why your addition was removed.
Closing:
Creating and editing Wikipedia pages is a process that can be frustrating at times. If you have questions about Wikipedia, browse through our other articles to get answers.
Leave a Reply