Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2018 January 23

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January 23

Reroute page

When I go here, and press the talk page button, and then press the draft button (notice that I didn't say "back" button), it takes me to a different page. Can you fix that?Ramesty (talk) 03:03, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

I removed the redirect. RJFJR (talk) 03:06, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Does original research apply to art?

I'm not aware of policies here about that, but is it allowed to add examples (pictures ) of painting techniques in articles treating them? Most of the artist works are finished, thought that it would be interesting to have previous steps (which highlight those techniques). If they're from someone I know, would they be allowed? Yaḥyā ‎ (talk) 05:41, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

I'm not quite sure what you have in mind, but generally graphics are given a looser rein than text. If you create a map to show the range of a species or a diagram to illustrate how something works, that's generally OK if there are no other issues Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:44, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Thanks, is there a policy about that? I didn't find one. Yaḥyā ‎ (talk) 07:04, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

I'm not sure that I understand the question. If you create an image to show how impasto is used, I can't imagine what policy could prevent you from using it in Wikipedia. But if you take a photograph of an incomplete work by another artist to show such a technique, the artist would still have copyright in it. Maproom (talk) 08:10, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Yaḥyā ‎. If you are showing the sequences in a process and it's verifiably your own work, you can license it as such whether you have created a drawing or a photograph. If it's a "based on", like all maps and many diagrams, you need to say that too. Jimfbleak - talk to me? 11:31, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Tks both of you. Yaḥyā ‎ (talk) 15:38, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

@Yahya Talatin: There is some guidance at WP:OI. The important bit is " Original images created by a Wikipedian are not considered original research, so long as they do not illustrate or introduce unpublished ideas or arguments". RudolfRed (talk) 21:26, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Perfect, exactly what I needed! Yaḥyā ‎ (talk) 21:36, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Emails

I haven't used the Wiki email system for some time and have forgotten how to use it. Instructions, please! P-123 (talk) 09:49, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

If your intended recipient has enabled email, you'll see an "Email this user" link from the left-hand toolbar on the user's talk page. Alternatively you can go via Special:EmailUser/, but if there you choose a username who has not enabled email it will tell you so. --David Biddulph (talk) 10:20, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

See more at Wikipedia:Emailing users. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:24, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

The usual way to communicate about Wikipedia topics is via the user's talk page, of course, and Wikipedia regards this communication as mail. Dbfirs 11:37, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Editing articles that needa citation

If I am editing articles which needs citation and I come across the source which bears the information on this topic should I add a link to it? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_C._Smedley) And the second question is: when I compare the source and the article and see it's a Plagiarism shall I add the link to the source or shall I edit the text by the way of paraphrasing it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lyupant (talk • contribs) 12:55, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Hello Lyupant, to your first query – yes, you can add a link, provided the source is reliable. Also, you can read up on how to cite sources if you're unsure about citation methods. To your second query – I assume you are referring to plagiarism and not just to copyright violations. Read up on our guidelines on how to resolve plagiarism in articles (paraphrasing is not the solution to resolve plagiarism; read Wikipedia:Close paraphrasing to understand more details). Come back for any further assistance, thanks, Lourdes 16:23, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

• Also, verify that your source actually predates the appearance of the material in Wikipedia. If the article was copied from Wikipedia, then 1) it's not plagiarism (by us, at least) and 2) it's not a valid source. This happens more often than you might think. -Arch dude (talk) 02:40, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

Odd results with NOINDEX

I can't remember how it works, but I know that deleted or about-to-be-deleted pages get a NOINDEX, so they won't be noticed by properly behaved crawlers like Google's.

I was looking for information on Berrett-Koehler, a US publisher, and the lack of a Wikipedia article surprised me, so I used a search string of <Berrett-Koehler wiki>. I was surprised to be given a link to the talk page, but not the article. I now see that the article was deleted at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Berrett-Koehler Publishers, so I understand its absence, but aren't talk pages all NOINDEXed? And why wouldn't its deletion cause the talk page to be noindexed? I don't understand why I got any Wikipedia results. Nyttend backup (talk) 15:50, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

@Nyttend backup: (partial answer) Talk pages are indexed by default, but this is turned off for BLPs by {{WikiProjectBannerShell|blp=yes|...}}, {{BLP}}, or similar talk page templates. -- John of Reading (talk) 16:10, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Article talk pages generally don't have noindex but it's added by some templates. Google omits talk pages for some reason, maybe a Google choice, but sometimes shows them with alternative url's like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3ATennis. Other search engines like Yahoo and Bing include talk pages. Talk:Berrett-Koehler Publishers was deleted 5 January and should not show up in any search engine which has visited the page and updated its index since then. Red links give both noindex and HTTP 404 Not Found. Talk:Berrett-Koehler Publishers does not show up in Google for me. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:20, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Wikification

I've tried to enhance the page Merchet with additional verifiable citations, but I've also created a mess of the references in the process. I'm not sure how to clean things up without help.

 Working GMG^talk 16:01, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

 Done You may also want to read over our guide to referencing for beginners which may help explain the whole process a bit better. GMG^talk 16:13, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Create and Edit my Company Page

My company is based in Canada, is relatively large, and does business with many businesses in many countries. It has no wiki page. Can I initiate one so that people can at least find us and learn basic information? If I do so, do I have a COI? If I don't, then there is a void of any info at all. Thanks, Dave L. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.177.12.30 (talk) 17:08, 23 January 2018‎ (UTC)

That probably isn't a good idea, and although I don't think it's strictly forbidden, it's strongly discouraged. You should probably read wp:coi and wp:neutral, and also remember that this isn't a place to promote your business. LittlePuppers (talk) 17:19, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

(edit conflict) (x2) Hello Dave, the answer is probably no. You would definitely have a COI and if a page were to be created you would have to follow that link and make the necessary disclosures; also WP:PAID. Wikipedia has little, if any, interest in what a subject has to say about itself but rather it reports on what has been written about the subject in independent reliable sources. Please also bear in mind that Wikipedia is not a directory. Please sign your posts on talk pages by typing four tildes (~~~~). Thank you. Eagleash (talk) 17:24, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Please understand, Dave, that not one company in the world (or person, or band, or anything else) has a Wiki page. Wikipedia has articles about many notable companies, but they do not belong to the company, and should contain little material that derives from the company: almost all the content should be based on what people who have no connection with the company have chosen to publish about it somewhere, good or bad. --ColinFine (talk) 21:50, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Help:Cite errors/Cite error ref no input

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.17.225.39 (talk • contribs) 23 January 2018 17:40 (UTC)

There are no edits from the IP address shown, other than to the HD. Please provide a link to the page you need help with and please sign your posts on talk pages by typing four tildes (~~~~). Thank you. Eagleash (talk) 17:45, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Problem

Hello,

Something is wrong with Metropoolregio Eindhoven but I don't know what it is. Can someone help?

Thanks. WhatsUpWorld (talk) 20:27, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

I believe I fixed it, can you check and make sure it's how you want it now? Thanks. LittlePuppers (talk) 20:33, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Looks like Template:Lang automatically applies italics, so when italics are applied manually using ''TEXT'' the template freaks out and spits out a warning. Now  Fixed it seems. GMG^talk 20:35, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

I also just put italics in where I think you tried to put them. LittlePuppers (talk) 21:03, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Date of birth

Hello! Can I use the sourses only to confirm the date of birth:

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/vFnzRzpxQvHxB39-d1gdRXxZxB8/appointments

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryfischbach

https://www.mylife.com/gregory-fischbach/gregoryfischbach

Thank you) Lidiia Kondratieva (talk) 23:00, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

See WP:DOB

The first two are primary sources, so WP:BLPPRIMARY applies to them. The third is a website that uses user-submitted content as well as unindentified primary sources, so it is not reliable for BLP-related info. --Ronz (talk) 01:15, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

• @Lidiia Kondratieva: You should also read WP:BLPPRIVACY, though in that particular case (subject posted their DoB on LinkedIn) it probably does not apply. Tigraan^{Click here to contact me} 17:06, 24 January 2018 (UTC)