Basics of Wikipedia
Explore the essentials of Wikipedia: why Wikipedia is considered one of the world's most important websites, who edits and approves content, what its main rules are, and what defines a reliable source. Get a foundational understanding to help you understand how it works and make decisions accordingly.
Why does Wikipedia matter?
Wikipedia is one of the most important and popular websites in the world, consistently ranking among the top 10 most visited sites and receiving nearly 7 billion visits each month. For many internet users, it is the go-to source for basic fact-checking, and millions of students rely on it to supplement their formal education.
As a unique resource, Wikipedia provides free access to information on an almost limitless range of topics. It is the largest repository of human knowledge in history, with more than 7 million articles in English alone and more than 300 language editions. Inspired by traditional encyclopedias like Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia covers far more topics and is updated much more frequently than was ever possible before.
What sets Wikipedia apart from other major websites is its volunteer-driven model of knowledge production. Unlike top sites run by billion-dollar companies, Wikipedia is maintained by a worldwide network of volunteers who write its articles and manage its governance. The nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, which owns Wikipedia's servers, plays no role in its content.
Who edits Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is maintained by a global, volunteer-driven community known as Wikipedians. There are no formal barriers to joining this group—anyone with a user account who makes meaningful contributions and believes in Wikipedia's mission of organizing the world's knowledge can become a Wikipedian.
Wikipedians contribute to the site for many reasons, and in many ways. Some are motivated to share their expertise, combat misinformation, or address perceived gaps in the platform's content. Some edit infrequently, while others edit almost every day. Many focus on creating new content, while others prefer tasks like archiving or maintaining existing articles. Others write software to help manage the site or organize activities offline, rarely editing the site itself.
Demographic surveys show that Wikipedia editors are predominantly male, often based in North America and Western Europe, and many hold advanced degrees, frequently working in or around academia. Editors tend to be either younger or older than the general population, likely due to the availability of time—students and retirees may have more flexibility compared to early to mid-career adults, especially those with children.
Who approves changes on Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is unlike traditional publishers or media organizations, having no formal review process or with no formal approval process or publishing schedule. Anyone can click the edit button and make any change to almost any page at any time, but just the same, anyone can undo any change at any time. Getting edits to stick requires understanding Wikipedia's rules on content, sources, and formatting.
Veteran editors actively monitor the site for changes that violate guidelines, and automated tools—called "bots"—help revert vandalism or other problematic edits. Filters are also in place to catch inappropriate content, such as offensive language, soon after it appears.
While nearly all pages are modifiable, some have restrictions. Some Wikipedians, known as administrators (or admins), have special powers to lock pages and block disruptive users. "Edit-protected" pages limit changes by unregistered or new users, and a small number of pages may be fully locked, often due to persistent vandalism or "edit-warring". These protections are usually temporary and remain in place until disputes are resolved.
Can anyone really edit Wikipedia?
Yes! Wikipedia is open to anyone who wants to contribute. However, it's important for new contributors to understand Wikipedia's mission and familiarize themselves with its policies and guidelines around content and editor behavior. Failing to do so can result in being blocked from editing—which would change the answer, unfortunately, to no.
While a user account isn't required to make edits, creating one provides access to additional tools, like the ability to create new articles. It also lets you choose a unique username, which may or may not be tied to your real-life identity. If you are new to Wikipedia, your account includes a "sandbox" for making test edits, and the Teahouse is a friendly place to get advice from more experienced editors.
Since you're reading this on the website of a consultancy that offers paid editing services, it's important to note that editing articles where you have a personal or professional interest should be avoided to prevent conflicts of interest. Every edit is permanently logged in the article's edit history, so be careful!
What are Wikipedia's main rules?
At its core, Wikipedia is based on a set of fundamental principles known as the Five Pillars. These precepts establish that Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, committed to being a free resource, maintaining a neutral point of view, promoting respect and civility, and encouraging flexibility to improve the project.
Building on these pillars, Wikipedia has two basic types of rules: mandatory policies, which define the project's scope and govern editor behavior, and widely-observed guidelines, which primarily focus on the specifics of editorial content.
Behavioral policies and guidelines include expectations that editors "assume good faith" in others' contributions, avoid disruptive editing, and disclose financial interests related to topics they edit. Since it is impossible to write rules about every possible situation, Wikipedia relies on consensus-building to address gaps in the rules.
Content policies clarify what Wikipedia is not: a dictionary, directory, blog, or "indiscriminate collection of information". Original research is prohibited—only previously published information is allowed. Topics must meet notability thresholds to merit standalone pages, reliable sources must verify all information, and special care is required when handling content that could affect the reputations of living people.
What is a reliable source?
To ensure Wikipedia's integrity and accuracy, all content must be independently verifiable, requiring editors to cite credible third-party sources. A related policy is that editors cannot contribute original research; all information must have been previously published in reputable, editor-reviewed publications.
Determining what counts as a reliable source is a complex and often contested matter. Since Wikipedia editors are not required to prove their personal expertise before editing in any given topic, they defer to the authority of experts and professionals whose professional role incentivizes accuracy.
As a result, reliable sources commonly include academic and peer-reviewed journals, books by reputable publishers, and established news organizations like major newspapers and magazines. While a publication need not be nonpartisan to be considered reliable, those focused on reporting rather than opinion are generally more trusted. In certain cases, government documents and work by recognized subject matter experts may also be used.
Even generally reliable sources may publish some material Wikipedia prefers not to use. For instance, newspaper opinion pieces may lack the fact-checking of staff articles, and some sources may be reliable in certain areas but not others. Many outlets now feature unpaid "contributors" whose writing is not afforded the same credibility as professional journalists. Sensationalist media like tabloids, and self-published sources such as blogs and social media, are generally not considered reliable.
How often is Wikipedia updated compared to other sources?
Wikipedia is updated far more frequently than traditional encyclopedias ever were. Print editions like Encyclopedia Britannica were updated annually or less often, while Wikipedia can be edited by anyone at any time — with changes appearing immediately. A mix of volunteer editors and automated tools helps maintain accuracy by flagging or correcting problematic edits quickly.
Compared to other online sources, Wikipedia often strikes a balance between real-time updates and editorial oversight. News sites may publish faster on breaking events, but their archives aren't always maintained or updated over time. Corporate websites may present the most current view of a company or product, but also lack historical perspective. Wikipedia, by contrast, is continually refined by third parties aiming for neutrality — making it one of the most up-to-date and widely reviewed information sources available online.
What makes Wikipedia different from other major websites?
What sets Wikipedia apart is its radically different model of ownership, authorship, and purpose. Unlike most top websites—which are run by for-profit tech companies, driven by advertising revenue, and controlled by internal editorial teams or opaque algorithms—Wikipedia is built and maintained by a global community of volunteers. Anyone can edit; no one owns the content.
Wikipedia is hosted by the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, which supports the platform's technical infrastructure but does not control editorial decisions. The rules that govern what gets written, and how, are developed and enforced by the community itself through discussion, consensus, and a commitment to neutrality and verifiability.
There are no ads, no user tracking, and no paywalls. And unlike social media platforms or AI chatbots that personalize or predict what you want to see, Wikipedia presents a single, transparent version of the facts, with every edit and source visible in the open. This makes Wikipedia not just an encyclopedia, but one of the last major websites structured around collaboration rather than profit.
How many language editions does Wikipedia have?
Wikipedia exists in more than 300 language editions, ranging from widely spoken global languages like English, Spanish, and Arabic to smaller regional and indigenous tongues. The English Wikipedia alone contains more than 7 million articles, but millions more can be found across other editions — each with its own community of editors, priorities, and cultural focus.
This multilingual reach makes Wikipedia the largest and most inclusive repository of human knowledge in history. Articles are not simply translated from English; in many cases, topics are covered differently or more extensively depending on local interest and expertise. This decentralized, community-driven approach allows Wikipedia to serve a truly global audience, offering free access to knowledge in languages that are often underserved by traditional media or academic publishing.