This page includes a listing of policies and guidelines for English Wikipedia. Policy and guideline pages describe Wikipedia's principles and best-agreed practices. Policies are standards that all users should normally follow, while guidelines are meant to be best practices for following those standards in specific contexts. |
The following is a comprehensive list of policies and guidelines. For a quick overview, see Wikipedia:Simplified ruleset; for descriptive directories see Wikipedia:List of policies, Wikipedia:List of guidelines and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Contents.
Wikipedia's rules and best practices are specified in two types of documents:
A policy documents a rule or standard with wide acceptance among Wikipedia editors that all users should normally follow.
A guideline is a set of best practices that are supported by the consensus of Wikipedia editors. Editors should attempt to follow guidelines, though they are best treated with common sense. Occasional exceptions may apply. Naming conventions are considered guidelines.
The Five Pillars are the five fundamental principles of Wikipedia:
Large-print links are broad, fundamental policies and guidelines that apply throughout Wikipedia.
Normal-print links are policies and guidelines that are general in scope but may apply to more specific situations.
Small-print links are policies and guidelines that are specific to a subject area or process on Wikipedia.
Deletion policies |
Attack Page – Oversight – Proposed Deletion of Biographies of Living People – Revision Deletion |
Deletion guidelines |
Project content guidelines |
|
Template guidelines |
|
Reference Desk guidelines |