Help desk
< August 20	<< Jul \| August \| Sep >>	August 22 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

August 21

Trying to correct incorrect information in Molly Yeh's bio. Her mother is NOT a clarinetist. She is a social worker. Why won't it save properly?

Molly Yeh's mother is NOT a clarinetist. She is a social worker. She is upset that it hasn't been fixed. I've tried 3 times to fix it but my edit is not being saved. Here is the source. https://celebsuburb.com/facts-you-need-to-know-about-molly-yehs-mom-jody-yeh/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2603:7000:483F:FC8B:C1A7:A840:4A2A:3641 (talk) 04:39, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The first two times you made the change to Molly Yeh, your edits were reverted because you did not provide a reliable source. Your third attempt contained a reference, and is still part of the article. Your relationship with her signifies a conflict of interest, so you should not be editing the article directly. Instead, you can post suggestions on the article talk page Talk:Molly Yeh with the {{request edit}} template. Also, the Wikipedia:BOLD, revert, discuss cycle encourages posting on the article talk page instead of making the same edit multiple times. Hope this helps! GoingBatty (talk) 05:32, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

See the page history—your edits saved, but were reverted. I don't think the person has a COI, as in this edit summary they suggest this is based on a blog by Yeh. The source given (celebsuburb) isn't reliable, so we will not be stating Jody Yeh's profession on the basis of it, but we can certainly avoid the claim that she's a clarinetist. — Bilorv (talk) 10:07, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Text formatting of templates

I made a simple template of this form: {{#switch: {{{1}}} | p = text | #default = different text }} <noinclude> [[Category:A template category]] </noinclude> This is a template meant to be used for both infoboxes and the body of articles. It works fine in infoboxes as far as I know, but when I try to use it in the body, the template for some reason, all text following the text written by the template is placed in a box of text in the <code></code> format, or at least something of the sort. How to I switch off this feature of the switch function? TheGEICOgecko (talk) 05:29, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@TheGEICOgecko: This isn't an issue with the switch function, this is an issue with whitespace and linebreaks in template code having technical meaning on wikipedia, you can't just insert spaces and new lines arbitrarily to make the code easier to read because they are passed to the page that you put the template on. The box that you're seeing is a result of an often unexpected bit of wiki-markup, if you start a line with a space then the text that follows it is wrapped in <pre></pre> tags, which typeset it in monospaced font in a box, like so:

example text following a space

The problem here is that you have an line break between the end of your template code and the <noinclude> tag, so your template is inserting a new paragraph after the last link, before the space preceding the next word. to fix it try this change:

{{#switch: {{{1}}} 
| p = text 
| #default = different text}}<noinclude>
[[Category:A template category]]
</noinclude>

Note that you can have as much whitespace and new lines as you like inside the Parser Functions because they automatically strip trailing and leading whitespace from their parameters. Hope this helps, 192.76.8.74 (talk) 16:49, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

How to create a new page without UserName:...

I have read all your instruction articles and even tried to use the wizard. How do I create a d publish a page without my username appearing in the title of the page. If I want to write an article about 'John Smith' how do I do this without UserName:jbbeaurepaire apprearing? I just want the article to be called John Smith, as an example. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jbbeaurepaire (talk • contribs) 07:59, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Help:Your first article#Create your draft tells you how to submit your draft. --David Biddulph (talk) 08:05, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, Jbbeaurepaire. Beyond what David Biddulph told you, my advice to new editors who want to create an article is always "Put it aside for a few months while you learn how Wikipedia works". Your question is like "I want to build a house. How do I start building a house?". --ColinFine (talk) 10:09, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

artsandculture.google.com

Re: edit Is artsandculture.google.com WP:RS ? There are 840 uses on en.wikipedia.org. .... 0mtwb9gd5wx (talk) 08:03, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Aboutpage:[1]. My initial reaction is that one can probably find WP:RS on it. @Vexations, any wisdom on this? Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 08:57, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Also, this question fits better at WP:RSN. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 08:59, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

page is not searchable

I have written a page in hindi wikipedia hi:बृज किशोर शर्मा please I want to say that why this page is not searchable in google This page has been created so why it is not searchable in google search please reply — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.224.177.35 (talk • contribs) 10:33, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I assume that the information at Wikipedia:Controlling search engine indexing#Indexing of articles ("mainspace") also applies at hiwiki. That says that an article has to exist for 90 days before it is indexed for searching. Johnuniq (talk) 10:42, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I've just answered this question at the English Wikipedia Tea house. Please do not ask the same question in multiple places as it wastes everybody's time. --ColinFine (talk) 11:12, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Pakistani map wrong

Gujarat is not part of Pakistan — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.254.15.4 (talk) 12:31, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Which map? Wikilink please. --David Biddulph (talk) 12:58, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I have a mentor - is there a problem?

Hi, I did not know I had a mentor, until I clicked on the blue button with the white question mark that floats on the bottom right; It gives me the option of contacting my mentor.

The essay below mentions that a mentor is assigned when a "new user is having with other users or with Wikipedia policies and guidelines" or as part of issues associated with "dispute resolution" as remedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Mentorship

I have done 900ish edits since 2009, and have had 9 triggers on the abuse log. No action was taken. 4 are for 2 new articles.The films did exist and were minor and Australian. I think I have had one argument, but I could be wrong :-). I did probably annoy a person on RfD after analyzing that the article referenced fake employees, and had taken over a Facebook page. All in all I am boring. But I am prepared to learn.

Abuse filter - actions none · 12/2020 filter 550, nowiki tags inserted into an article · 02/2018 filter 833, Newer user possibly adding unreferenced or improperly referenced material · 12/2017 filter 833, Newer user possibly adding unreferenced or improperly referenced material · 12/2017 filter 650, Creation of a new article without any categories · 03/2018 filter 650, Creation of a new article without any categories · 12/2017 filter 98, Creating very short new article · 02/2010 filter 129, Possible tireless sock creating film pages of non-existing films · 12/2009 filter 129, Possible tireless sock creating film pages of non-existing films · 12/2009 triggered an abuse filter, Scibaby #1 on a talk page for Hansen "14 link 47 is to a different paper than the May 18, 2007 = In a paper published May 18, 2007, Hansen discussed the potential danger of "fast-feedback" effects causing ice sheet disintegration, based on paleoclimate data —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wakelamp (talk • contribs) 00:36, 15 December 2009 (UTC) Wakelamp d[@-@]b (talk) 14:18, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Wakelamp. What you see is related to a new feature being introduced to the Wikipedia projects by the Growth Team. Among these features is the new mentorship program, where a percentage of new users is automatically assigned a mentor they can contact in case they need help with something. It is not supposed to imply you are having trouble understanding the project's guidelines or policies, or that you are in any kind of trouble. I hope I've been able to answer your question! Isabelle ^🔔 14:30, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Pelagic @Isabelle Belato

a/ Thank-you both for confirming that there is no issue. I did have a tick against "Enable the editor help panel".

b/ I have added the below to Wikipedia_talk:Growth_Team_features, and suggested that the help desk have a similar template to the mentor.

"I clicked on the edit help and found that I had been assigned a mentor. I instantly thought oh - what have I done as per @Nick Moyes comment " see essay WP:MENTOR - which has a bit of 'naughty' connotation here" So I raised a help desk and they were very nice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help_desk#I_have_a_mentor_-_is_there_a_problem%

The WP:Mentor essay has been updated to mention the growth project. It is pretty gloomy, and if I read the WP:Mentor page early enough I would run screaming into the hills

I am not a new account, but was assigned one. Maybe because I had the tick against "Enable the editor help panel". But I don't remember setting it. If I reset now though, it doesn't "Enable the editor help panel".

Anyway

The aim seems to be to stop new users leaving in frustration. Creating a page and getting rapid RfD, then rage quitting is common based on my friends experience

So some suggestions and questions

- Contact your mentor should not be the first option

- Change the name to "new editor mentor"

- What do you do if you want to change mentors?

- What do you ask your mentor?

- Maybe add create a Help desk within the pop up to work the same way as the mentor

- when you click general editing help the first option should be "learn to edit" (from the sidebar) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction rather than the current first option which is the monstrosity called https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Writing_better_articles.

- have a way of the helpdesk adding their most asked questions. No

Wakelamp d[@-@]b (talk) 15:41, 22 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Yep, it's a different kind of mentor. ~~Perhaps we need a hatnote on the old Mentorship page to avoid confusion~~. As Isabelle said, a small sample of new users are being opted in automatically. But since you're not a newbie, Wakelamp, you may have ticked the box "Enable the editor help panel" in Preferences – Editing. ⁓ Pelagic ( messages ) 12:29, 22 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, I see a note has been added already, 11 hrs ago. ⁓ Pelagic ( messages ) 12:39, 22 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Osteomyelitis of the jaws request from author

I would like to email the author of Osteomyelitis of the jaws. In your wiki you said "In addition, some schools of dentistry do not recognize "silent" OM of the jaws—occurrence of the condition without visually obvious manifestations—in their curriculum" Do you know which dental schools do recognize OM of the maxilla caused by trauma minus odontogenic infection in their curriculum? Do you have some references that you can point me to? Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.212.65.6 (talk • contribs) 18:09, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

You cannot "email the author" because there are many, many authors, as you can see if you look at the article history.

Also, Wikipedia business is best conducted on Wikipedia, not in email. Therefore, your best approach is to post a message on the talk page of an author you believe may know the answer, or, if you are suggesting a change to the article, you should do that on Talk:Osteomyelitis of the jaws. ~Anachronist (talk) 18:22, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to ask questions about content here the Reference desk is the place to go, this help page is intended for questions on how to edit the site. 192.76.8.74 (talk) 18:26, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I disagree, they are interested in the current content on the article, hence the advice to open a discussion on the talk page. S Philbrick (Talk) 19:46, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I concur. The OP is really asking for citations for the implicit "many schools recognize it" and for the "... some do not". -Arch dude (talk) 20:15, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Lots of unsourced edits by an unregistered user on a single article

Greetings, there is an issue which recently came to my attention (perhaps a bit too late) on the article, COVID-19 pandemic in Malta. The article has had multiple additions of unsourced content to the Timeline section of the article since June 2020. Not a single citation has been provided since then. Due to a lack of regular editors, no one noticed this. Starting in Jan 2021, an unregistered user has done the same. Have a glance here [2], over 300 edits so far none of which have any citations.

I have since moved the content to a separate article, Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta as is common practice for the COVID-19 WikiProject to avoid cluttering the main articles with too many details and to avoid lengthy articles which later cause an issue with size. An 'additional citations needed' tag has also been place at the top. Note the lack of citations since June 2020.

What is the best way to handle/resolve this issue? How many unsourced edits can a user make on the same article without it becoming a cause of concern? What happens to their additions? Should those be removed or a single 'additional citations needed' tag is enough to overcome this even though roughly 60% of the article is unsourced? An editor did bring this up on the user's talk page last month but there has been no response from them. I do believe their contributions are in good faith however.•Shawnqual• 📚 • 💭 22:15, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Shawnqual, I can give a brief answer: adding uncited information when asked not to is an example of Wikipedia:Disruptive editing and there are suggestions for dealing with it at WP:DDE. There are some template warnings at Template:Uw-unsourced1, etc. You could add a single 'additional citations needed' tag now and remove unreferenced content later. TSventon (talk) 13:55, 22 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]