May 2018

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Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia. This is a message letting you know that one or more of your recent edits to Cookeville High School has been undone by an automated computer program called ClueBot NG.

Thank you. ClueBot NG (talk) 16:29, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

Welcome!

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Hello, Jdstewart98, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Unfortunately, one or more of your recent edits to the page Cookeville High School have not conformed to Wikipedia's verifiability policy, and has been removed. Wikipedia articles should refer only to facts and interpretations that have been stated in print or on reputable websites or in other media. Always remember to provide a reliable source for quotations and for any material that is likely to be challenged, or it may be removed. Wikipedia also has a related policy against including original research in articles. Additionally, all new biographies of living people must contain at least one reliable source.

If you are stuck and looking for help, please see the guide for citing sources or come to the new contributors' help page, where experienced Wikipedians can answer any queries you have! Here are a few other good links for newcomers:

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask a question on your talk page. Again, welcome.  HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 16:42, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

May 2018

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  Please stop adding unsourced content, as you did to Cookeville High School. This contravenes Wikipedia's policy on verifiability. If you continue to do so, you may be blocked from editing Wikipedia. HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 16:46, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

@HickoryOughtShirt?4: I am a faculty member at Cookeville High School compiling a history from source material but that material does not have any online content. I am trying to promote the culture and identity of Cookeville High School and can guarantee that all my editing and posting is accurate and beneficial. Can I please be allowed to edit the Cookeville High School page with guaranteed fidelity and integrity?

Thank you for admitting your conflict of interest. However, your goal to "promote the culture and identity of Cookeville High School" goes directly against what Wikipedia is about. Wikipedia should not be used for advertisement and promotion. Since you have a conflict of interest you should not edit the page yourself and instead make edit requests on the talk page with reliable sources. HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 16:54, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

@HickoryOughtShirt?4: Allow me to clarify. I am trying to provide accurate and factually based information about Cookeville High School on Wikipedia. Are you saying that I can not post a history of the school or the school's Alma Mater or the accurate school color scheme (because what was originally listed on Wikipedia was wrong)? All I am trying to promote is access to knowledge and understanding.

Just to let you know, the ping doesn't work unless you sign your posts with 4 tidals (~). Now, the problem is you are adding content that is unsourced. As well, you admitted above you are a faculty member at the school meaning a direct conflict of interest. Take a look at this conflict of interest guide. HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 17:06, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

@HickoryOughtShirt?4: Thank you for the information. The recent posts I made to the page concerned the history of the school and my intention is to create a page that is both factually accurate and more comprehensive. My source material comes from school archives and local newspaper articles that I cannot site online because they do not exist online. I understand you have certain policies in place to prohibit abuse, but I am only trying to promote factually accurate and comprehensive information. Jdstewart98 (talk) 17:21, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

Interestingly, you actually can cite paper sources such as newspapers that aren't available online. It is all laid out here on this page:Wikipedia:Offline sources. HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 17:28, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

@HickoryOughtShirt?4: Thank you for your help. I have reposted the history of the school with citations to the original newspaper article. I hope that works?Jdstewart98 (talk) 18:41, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

Thank you very much for adding citations and for being understanding during all of this. HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 18:42, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply
I just wanted to add that I have added a conflict of interest tag to the article as is customary when someone with a conflict of interest is adding major portions to articles. HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 18:56, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

@HickoryOughtShirt?4: Thank you again for your help. My edits to the history content have been accepted so far but some of my edits are still being deleted even when I cite specific sources. I added to an 'Academics' section on the page and cited sources but it has since been removed. I am just confused now as to what will and won't be removed or censored. Please understand that I am not adding anything to the page that is not factually accurate or beneficial. And I am somewhat confused by a 'conflict of interest' label. Anyone who would take the time and effort to add substantively to any subject on a website like Wikipedia would have a close connection to the subject matter. I would ask you to read any edits or posts I have made to this article and find anything that would not be considered fair and accurate.Jdstewart98 (talk) 20:32, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

If you look at the articles edit history you will see the reason why an editor removed content. John from Idegon just wanted an independent source from the school. The conflict of interest label is because of your conflict of interest. Editors on Wikipedia are generally volunteers who just edit because they enjoy it and want to spread knowledge, myself included. However, when editors who are paid or have direct contact with the subject edit Wikipedia they are naturally going to have a bias or might have a problem remaining neutral. The notice is just a caution about that to show that the neutrality of the article might be challenged. I pinged John from Idegon in case he wanted to add more. HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 20:38, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply

@HickoryOughtShirt?4: John from Idegon I don't know what you mean by "an independent source from the school"? And I am a volunteer who is doing this because I enjoy it and want to spread knowledge. And who better to post information about a particular subject than someone who is familiar with it and cares about it? I am not being paid or compensated in any way by anyone for my edits or posts on Wikipedia or the research I am doing in order to find the information. I understand that policies are in place to protect the validity of information on Wikipedia as best you can, but that shouldn't prevent accurate, relevant, and beneficial information from being included.

I believe John means cite the source directly, as in cite the US news survey if you can find it. HickoryOughtShirt?4 (talk) 20:57, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply
That's exactly what I mean. By nature, encyclopedias are tertiary. The school has its own website to disseminate information they want out there. With some exceptions, if someone else has not written about it, it doesn't belong in the article. If you are talking about something that makes the school sound "better", external sources are absolutely required. Also, listing a previous USNWR ranking just because it's a high one is a violation of our pillar policies WP:NPOV and WP:NOT. The article in question is in no way for the school. To add only things that make the school sound good is simply wrong. Our job as Wikipedia editors is to report neutrally on what reliable secondary sources have said about a given subject. If those sources do not exist, you cannot say it. See WP:V. Additionally, encyclopedia articles are supposed to summarize what all available sources have said on the subject in a way that is useful to our intended audience, which is the entire world. Although your addition of a history section is useful, considering it is entirely sourced to one rather low quality source, it is entirely too long and overly detailed. It's not of much use to one in Boise or Bean Blossom, Indiana. I'm having connectivity issues today, but I'll attempt to copyedit it later. There is a section on demographics sourced to the school and way out of date. The proper source for education stats is NCES, and the also out of date info in the infobox is cited to it. It should all be updated to 15-16, and the demographics should be sourced to it with the incorrect copy about sourcing the school removed. Also, please don't re-add the Alma mater. We simply do not include school songs. Two reasons: First, they are of little to no interest outside the school community. Second, there are frequently copyright issues. In the very rare instance that a school song has been written about in detail in reliable secondary sources, we discuss it without including the lyrics. Most often, we simply do not discuss it. As a teacher, you are presumably a college graduate. You should have a pretty clear understanding of the differences between primary, secondary and tertiary sources, and the concept of academic independence. Please apply them to what you are doing here. One last thing: With the exception of policies based in legal issues (such as copyright and libel), rules don't decide content. Consensus does. If a change you make is reverted, do not put it back. Instead, follow WP:BRD and start a discussion on the article talk page and using impassionate argument based in sources, policies and guidelines, try to win over the opposition. Thanks. John from Idegon (talk) 21:55, 21 May 2018 (UTC), co-coordinator, WikiProject SchoolsReply

Welcome to Wikipedia: check out the Teahouse!

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Hello! Jdstewart98, you are invited to the Teahouse, a forum on Wikipedia for new editors to ask questions about editing Wikipedia, and get support from peers and experienced editors. Please join us! John from Idegon (talk) 21:57, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply


Adding references can be easy

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Just follow the steps 1, 2 and 3 as shown and fill in the details

Hello! Here's how to add references from reliable sources for the content you add to Wikipedia. This helps maintain the Wikipedia policy of verifiability.

Adding well formatted references is actually quite easy:

  1. While editing any article or a wikipage, on the top of the edit window you will see a toolbar which says "Cite". Click on it.
  2. Then click on "Templates".
  3. Choose the most appropriate template and fill in as many details as you can. This will add a well formatted reference that is helpful in case the web URL (or "website link") becomes inactive in the future.
  4. Click on Preview when you're done filling out the 'Cite (web/news/book/journal)' to make sure that the reference is correct.
  5. Click on Insert to insert the reference into your editing window content.
  6. Click on Show preview to Preview all your editing changes.
  • Before clicking on Publish changes, check that a References header   ==References==   is near the end of the article.
  • And check that   {{Reflist}}    is directly underneath that header.
7.  Click on Publish changes. ...and you've just added a complete reference to a Wikipedia article.

You can read more about this on Help:Edit toolbar or see this video File:RefTools.ogv.
Hope this helps, --John from Idegon (talk) 22:01, 21 May 2018 (UTC)Reply