User:Jim62sch/article probation guidelines

This page is a proposed guideline for article probation, as described at Wikipedia:General sanctions.

Article probation is a sanction imposed on all editors working in a particular area. Editors making disruptive edits may be banned by an administrator from articles on probation and related articles or project pages. Editors of such articles should be especially mindful of content policies, such as WP:NPOV, and interaction policies, such as WP:CIVIL, WP:NPA, WP:3RR, and WP:POINT. See Category:Articles on probation.

In nutshell, article probation can be summed up thus: "normal Wikipedia rules apply, except more so".

Disagreement over articles is natural. Probation is meant to help the community focus on working through disagreements calmly and per WP:DR. Probation is not meant to scare away calm, knowledgeable editors and admins, since such editors are often the key to resolving disagreements.

Things to do

• Familiarize yourself with the topic and preceding discussion of it
• Make sure you understand applicable policies and guidelines, especially those that have been frequently brought up by other editors
• Steer discussion toward common ground (start with the big picture, then hone in on specifics)
• Set a good example with talk page etiquette
• Use common sense. We usually know when we cross the line; we are all intelligent people
• Assume good faith, particularly from editors who have contributed constructively in the past. (For admins: discuss and warn such editors before sanctioning)

Things to avoid

• Do not edit war (or wheel war, for admins)
• Be nice to others
• Avoid making repeated comments unrelated to bettering the article
• Avoid repeatedly discussing other editors, discuss the article instead
• There is not much leeway in pages under probation, so basically be a model Wikipedian
• Don't get worked up when you get subjected to remedies such as a temporary block or ban. Take a break and come back refreshed