Wikipedia:Training/Newcomers/Pillar 4
Wikipedia Training
Principles
Wikipedia's Five Pillars: Number 4
Editors should interact with each other in a respectful and civil manner.
- Respect and be polite to your fellow Wikipedians, even when you disagree.
- Apply Wikipedia etiquette, and avoid personal attacks. Talk to people you disagree with, try to find consensus, avoid edit wars, and remember that there are over four million other articles on the English Wikipedia you could work on instead.
- Act in good faith, and never disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point.
- Be open and welcoming, and assume good faith on the part of others.
- When conflict arises, discuss details on the talk page, and if needed, follow the dispute resolution process.
This doesn't apply exclusively to conflicts. Respect also means responding to messages left by editors, thanking other editors for their help, and checking back after an edit to see if anyone has responded. If you were building a house and someone offered to help you paint, you wouldn't just walk away! With Wikipedia assignments, you're building an encyclopedia with a community's help. Always be mindful of the community around you.