http://marspedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Help%3ACreating_an_article 2026-07-07T04:23:42Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.43.8 http://marspedia.org/index.php?title=Help:Creating_an_article&diff=143034&oldid=prev 2026-07-05T12:48:26Z

<p>Help consolidation: modern how-to (replaces Messy Article Tutorial)</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>So you want to add a new article to Marspedia? Great — here is how, start to finish. For general editing help see &#039;&#039;&#039;[[Help:Editing]]&#039;&#039;&#039;; for the bigger picture see the &#039;&#039;&#039;[[Marspedia_Tutorials|Marspedia Tutorials]]&#039;&#039;&#039;.<br /> <br /> == Before you start ==<br /> * &#039;&#039;&#039;Check it doesn&#039;t already exist.&#039;&#039;&#039; Use the &#039;&#039;&#039;[[Special:Search|search box]]&#039;&#039;&#039; — your topic may already have a page you can improve instead.<br /> * &#039;&#039;&#039;Make sure it fits Marspedia.&#039;&#039;&#039; Marspedia is an encyclopedia about the exploration and settlement of Mars. It summarizes topics and references fuller sources elsewhere; it is not a place for complete papers, essays, or personal opinion.<br /> * &#039;&#039;&#039;You need an account.&#039;&#039;&#039; [[Special:RequestAccount|Request one here]] if you don&#039;t have one yet.<br /> <br /> == Three ways to start a new page ==<br /> # &#039;&#039;&#039;From a red link.&#039;&#039;&#039; If another page links to your topic in red, the page doesn&#039;t exist yet — click the red link and start writing.<br /> # &#039;&#039;&#039;From search.&#039;&#039;&#039; Search for the title; if there is no match, the results page offers a link to create it.<br /> # &#039;&#039;&#039;By URL.&#039;&#039;&#039; Visit &lt;code&gt;&lt;nowiki&gt;https://marspedia.org/YOUR_TITLE&lt;/nowiki&gt;&lt;/code&gt; and, if the page is empty, click &#039;&#039;&#039;Create&#039;&#039;&#039;.<br /> <br /> == Write the article ==<br /> Aim for a clear, encyclopedic summary:<br /> * Open with a sentence that defines the topic (put the &#039;&#039;&#039;title in bold&#039;&#039;&#039;).<br /> * Keep it factual and reference your sources with &lt;code&gt;&lt;nowiki&gt;&lt;ref&gt;...&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;/nowiki&gt;&lt;/code&gt; tags — see &#039;&#039;&#039;[[Marspedia:Using Ref tags|Using references]]&#039;&#039;&#039;.<br /> * Use &#039;&#039;&#039;[[Help:Editing|section headings, links and lists]]&#039;&#039;&#039; to structure longer articles.<br /> <br /> == Finish up ==<br /> * &#039;&#039;&#039;Categorize it.&#039;&#039;&#039; Add one to three categories from the &#039;&#039;&#039;[[Marspedia:New Category Hierarchy|category hierarchy]]&#039;&#039;&#039; at the bottom: &lt;code&gt;&lt;nowiki&gt;[[Category:Name]]&lt;/nowiki&gt;&lt;/code&gt;.<br /> * &#039;&#039;&#039;Add a summary and save.&#039;&#039;&#039; Describe your change in a few words and click &#039;&#039;&#039;Save&#039;&#039;&#039;.<br /> * &#039;&#039;&#039;Don&#039;t worry about perfection.&#039;&#039;&#039; A short, rough start is fine — mark it &lt;code&gt;&lt;nowiki&gt;{{stub}}&lt;/nowiki&gt;&lt;/code&gt; and others can help expand it.<br /> <br /> Prefer to hand off a draft? You can &#039;&#039;&#039;[http://submissions.marspedia.org/ submit content through this form]&#039;&#039;&#039; and a volunteer will add it for you.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Help]]</div>

Jburk