Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2023 January 28

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January 28

How would I cite this journal article?

https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/b1359 doi:10.3133/b1359

"Geology and Mineral Resources of the Northern Part of the North Cascades National Park, Washington". 1972. doi:10.3133/b1359. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) (autofilled reference)

Staatz, Mortimer Hay; Tabor, Rowland W.; Weis, Paul L.; Robertson, Jacques F.; Van Noy, Ronald M.; Pattee, Eldon C. (1972). "Geology and Mineral Resources of the Northern Part of the North Cascades National Park, Washington". USGS Numbered Series (Bulletin). 1359. U.S. Geological Survey. doi:10.3133/b1359. (what I came up with, but I'm not sure if it's right)

BhamBoi (talk) 01:00, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

@BhamBoi: It looks good to me. The goal of a cite is to identify the source sufficiently so any interested reader could find the source even without a URL. -Arch dude (talk) 13:51, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

@BhamBoi That's a slightly unusual example. Normally using the WP:Citation expander gadget, I can get details like the author list done automatically based on just the doi but for that reference it only gives "Geology and Mineral Resources of the Northern Part of the North Cascades National Park, Washington". 1972. doi:10.3133/b1359. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) where I've added |doi-access=free to the {{cite journal}} template so that the rendered citation automatically gives a link associated with the title and I don't need a separate |url= parameter. Your second version is an improvement but could be even better. The journal article is a 132-page report, stored as a 141-page .pdf. You are using it to back a statement in Hannegan caldera article and (for example) you could help the reader by having the .pdf open at a specific page of that document which you believe is the best place for them to start reading. So "Geology and Mineral Resources of the Northern Part of the North Cascades National Park, Washington" (PDF). 1972. doi:10.3133/b1359. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) would be one possibility that will open at page 2 of the report (page 10 of the .pdf) — and of course you could add the authors etc. of your longer citation too. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:38, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

Script / Bot for welcoming users

Are there any scripts or bots that have the ability to welcome IP users and new accounts to Wikipedia? StarryNightSky11 ☎ 03:22, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

@StarryNightSky11: I sure hope not.

There are, however, welcoming templates you can use. See Wikipedia:Welcoming committee/Welcome templates. ~Anachronist (talk) 03:39, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

@StarryNightSky11: See also Wikipedia:Bot requests/Frequently denied bots#Bots to welcome users. Happy editing! GoingBatty (talk) 06:40, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

@Anachronist and GoingBatty: Thank you, I do use Twinkle often to welcome IP users and those who have recently created an account too. -- StarryNightSky11 ☎ 02:26, 29 January 2023 (UTC)

Help about publish my biography as embassy

How can I publish my biography, being my project an embassy for entrepreneurs? 2001:1308:2CA9:F400:C922:631F:A3D4:501 (talk) 11:14, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

If you want to write a WP-article about yourself, take the time to read Wikipedia:Autobiography and Wikipedia:An article about yourself isn't necessarily a good thing. The short answer is that you probably can't, but if you meet the demands of WP:N it may be possible. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 11:48, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

It sounds like your goal is the promotion of your project. Our attitude here towards self-promotion ranges from dislike to active hostility. This is a reference work, not a place for you to attempt to gain free publicity. --Orange Mike | Talk 14:56, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

See the COI issues people brought up above. If you are notable, you may request an article for your topic at Link→Requested articles. If you don't want to do that, you may be able to write a draft and submit it through Link→Articles for creation BhamBoi (talk) 18:54, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

Quotations in different colors

I like using quotes on talk pages because they make my arguments easier to follow. I sometimes use Template:talkquote for this. I am finding myself referencing both comments from the talkpage and sources. Is there a way I can color different quotes differently, preferrably using a standard template? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Talpedia (talk • contribs) 14:20, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

Hello, Talpedia. Template:Talk quote block says that it takes a parameter style, and says

(see the testcases)

. (See what I did there?). {{tq}} does not appear to provide this option. ColinFine (talk) 15:40, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

@Talpedia Please remember MOS:CONTRAST to ensure everyone can clearly see text; and MOS:COLOR to ensure that people who can't distinguish colours are still able to understand what your scheme means. Bazza (talk) 11:17, 29 January 2023 (UTC)

Request for feedback of new article draft

Hi there. I am currently editing a new Wikipedia article in my sandbox, Tarek Hassan. Would it be possible for other editors to give me feedback for improving it before I move it to mainspace? Thanks a lot. Janeender (talk) 15:05, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

It's reasonably well written and cited. The main concern is conflict of interest. Are you in some way linked to the subject of the article, or have you been asked/paid to do it? Please bear in mind that Wikipedia articles are not like LinkedIn profiles, and once in mainspace, anyone could edit it.--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 15:09, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

@Janeender: You get feedback on a draft by moving it into draft space (in this case Draft:Tarek Hassan) and submitting it. You submit it by adding this syntax to the top of your draft: {{subst:submit}}, and then clicking on the "submit" button that this template will add to your draft. A reviewer will move it into main space when it is accepted. All of this is ordinarily done by starting at WP:YFA, which is why it seems complicated when you just start in your sandbox. But it's OK either way.-Arch dude (talk) 15:25, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

Correct template for a range of time at month/year precision

Hi there! I'm experimenting with parsing dates from Wikipedia (using the dump), and have been correcting malformed date templates as I go along. However, I'm not sure which date template to use to describe a range of time with month/year precision.

For days, I can use Template:Start and end date, like so: January 23, 2020 – April 28, 2021 (2020-01-23 – 2021-04-28). However, this does not work if the days are elided: {{Start and end date|2020|01||2021|04|}} results in an error.

For my existing edits, I've been using Template:Start date and Template:End date with a dash separating them, like so: January 2020 (2020-01) - April 2021 (2021-04) or 2020 (2020) - 2021 (2021). This works and renders reasonably correctly, but it doesn't convey the same semantic information. Is there a more appropriate template I can use for this?

Thanks in advance! Philpax (talk) 16:01, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

The answer was Template:date range, which does support optional days. Philpax (talk) 00:32, 29 January 2023 (UTC)

Changes

I have noticed that many pages are being so called protected to "prevent Vandalism" but this goes against freedom of speech If i have to add certain aspects to a glorified personality with evidence then denying me the ability to do so goes against the very philosophy of Wikipedia By terming contrary opinions as "vandalism' ab initio the site no longer remains a democratic platform — Preceding unsigned comment added by Osalil (talk • contribs) 16:09, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

@Osalil You are confusing WP:VANDALISM, which is specifically (and only) those edits made by someone who knows they are damaging the encyclopaedia with edits which cite a reliable source which states one or other opinion about a topic. Unfortunately, articles which require protection against vandalism may, as a side-effect, make it more difficult for some editors to add material. However, you can always make {{edit request}}s on the article's Talk Page. Note that you don't have "free speech" here: Wikipedia doesn't care about the views of individual editors, it only cares about what can be verified in already-published sources. Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:53, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

@Osalil: Yes, protection interferes with non-disruptive editing. We use it because disruption (vandalism) interferes even more. If you are ever told that one of your edits is vandalism, and you disagree, then raise the issue on the talk page. You (and the other editor) are not supposed to be concerned with "opinions" at all. You are supposed to be adding statements that are referenced to reliable sources. -Arch dude (talk) 17:28, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

@Osalil "goes against freedom of speech". Wikipedia does not grant editors freedom of speech -- that is not part of its philosophy. See Free Speech.

Here is a snippet: "The First Amendment [to the US constitution] forbids government censorship of expression; it does not prevent a public charity such as the Wikimedia Foundation from deciding for itself what words and images will be presented on its websites, and how."

There is more info at that link about "editing restrictions" on Wikipedia articles. David10244 (talk) 08:37, 29 January 2023 (UTC)

That new sizing toggle thingy does (almost) nothing

I wrote this in a related thread a few days ago; I think it got lost. So let me raise it again, in its own thread.

That new sizing toggle thinky in the lower right does--almost--nothing. It certainly doesn't change anything about articles. The ONLY thing I've seen is, if there's a particularly long table of contents, there's a scroll bar between the table of contents and the article; the toggle thingy moves that scroll bar right and left by a fraction of an inch. It slightly changes the wrap of the TOC--longer and a little narrower or shorter and a little wider--but that's all that I can see.

I use a Mac and a Windows PC; it's exactly the same. Uporządnicki (talk) 18:21, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

I'm using a 22.5 inch screen (1920x1080 pixels), with Wikipedia using Vector 2022. When I click that toggle, it switches between the narrow V2022 column width (~9.5 inches) and a wide more-like-V2010 column width (~14.5 inches). Are you already using a wide column width, or are you using a narrow monitor (though on my narrower laptop screen I don't get the toggle)? -- Verbarson  ^talk_edits 16:56, 29 January 2023 (UTC)

Deleted Article - Restore?

Hi, we recently noticed that an article on Phillip James Craig - the actor was deleted and we would like to see the page restored if possible. And if not - how do we create a new page?

Cheers, C — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2607:FEA8:9C5D:FC00:6D98:2D70:100A:D3DD (talk) 18:31, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

Hello! I actually don't see a deletion history under the title Phillip James Craig, but either way, you can request an article here, or write a draft and submit it through Wikipedia:Articles for creation. BhamBoi (talk) 18:58, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

Also: who is the "we" referred to in your question???? --Orange Mike | Talk 19:02, 28 January 2023 (UTC)

You mean this one mentioned here? Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Philip Craig (actor) The Banner talk 19:07, 28 January 2023 (UTC)