You need a Wikipedia account, a topic that meets their notability rules, and sources to back up every claim

Creating a Wikipedia page is not the same as posting to a blog or social media. Wikipedia requires you to register an account, write in a neutral tone, cite reliable sources for every statement, and follow their specific formatting rules. The process takes time — your page may be rejected or deleted if it does not meet their standards, and even accepted pages go through review by other editors.

The biggest barrier is not the technical steps. It is that Wikipedia only accepts pages about topics they consider notable enough to document. A local business, a private person, or a niche hobby may not meet that threshold, no matter how well you write it. Understanding what Wikipedia will and will not accept before you start saves you hours of work.

Key Takeaways

  • Wikipedia requires a registered account and will reject pages about topics that lack significant coverage in independent, reliable sources.
  • Every statement in your page must be backed by a citation to a published source — Wikipedia editors will delete unsourced claims.
  • New pages are reviewed by experienced editors before they go live, and pages that do not meet standards are deleted, sometimes within days.
  • You can start by editing an existing page or creating a draft in your user space before attempting to publish a new article.
  • Wikipedia has specific formatting rules for headings, links, and references that differ from most other websites.

Check whether your topic meets Wikipedia's notability standard

Wikipedia has a formal definition of notability. A topic is generally notable if it has received significant coverage in multiple independent, reliable sources — usually meaning published books, newspapers, magazines, or academic journals, not blogs or press releases. The topic does not have to be famous worldwide, but it does need to have been written about by sources outside of itself.

For example, a local restaurant is not notable just because it exists and serves food. But a restaurant that won a major award, was featured in a national publication, or has historical significance might be. A private person is not notable just because they have a social media following. But a researcher who published peer-reviewed studies, an athlete who competed professionally, or a public official might be.

Before you write, search Wikipedia to see if a page already exists for your topic. If it does, you can edit it instead of creating a new one. If it does not, look for whether other Wikipedia editors have discussed the topic in deletion debates or notability discussions. You can find these by searching Wikipedia's deletion log or checking the talk pages of related articles.

Create a Wikipedia account and start with a draft

Go to Wikipedia.org and click "Create account" in the top right corner. You will need a username and password. Your username is public and permanent, so choose something professional. Wikipedia does not require an email address, but providing one lets you reset your password if you forget it.

Do not create your page directly in the main Wikipedia namespace yet. Instead, create it in your user space as a draft. Click on your username after you log in, then click "Create a new page" or navigate to "User:[Your Username]/Sandbox" to write in a protected space. This lets you work without your incomplete page being seen by the public or deleted by other editors while you are still writing.

Alternatively, you can use Wikipedia's Article Wizard, which walks you through the steps of creating a new page. Go to the Wikipedia homepage and look for "Start an article" or navigate directly to the Article Wizard. It will ask you for a title, a brief description, and whether you have sources ready.

Write your page in a neutral, encyclopedic tone

Wikipedia pages are written in third person and present information as fact, not opinion. Do not write "I believe" or "in my view." Do not use marketing language, exclamation points, or promotional tone. If you are writing about a company, a person, or a product, assume you are writing for someone who has never heard of it and has no reason to care yet.

Start with a lead section — usually one to four paragraphs that summarize the entire article. The lead should answer who or what the topic is, why it matters, and what the article will cover. After the lead, organize the rest of the content into sections with clear headings like "History," "Notable Works," "Criticism," or "See Also."

Keep sentences short and clear. Avoid jargon unless you explain it. If your topic is technical, assume the reader has general knowledge but not specialized knowledge. Wikipedia's Manual of Style has detailed rules about capitalization, punctuation, and formatting — you can read it as you write, but do not let it slow you down in the draft stage.

Cite every claim with reliable sources

This is the step that stops most new Wikipedia pages. Every factual claim — every date, every achievement, every statistic — must be backed by a source. Wikipedia uses inline citations, which means you add a reference tag right after the claim. The format looks like this: The company was founded in 1995.<ref>Smith, John. "Company History." Business Journal, 2020.</ref>

Reliable sources for Wikipedia include published books, peer-reviewed academic journals, newspaper and magazine articles from established outlets, government documents, and official organizational records. Blog posts, social media, press releases, and self-published websites are not reliable sources. If the topic is about a person or organization, their own website or social media can sometimes be used for basic facts like founding date, but not for claims about their importance or achievements.

You do not need to have the full text of every source in front of you while you write, but you do need to know where each claim comes from and be able to provide the source information later. Wikipedia editors will check your sources, and if they cannot verify a claim, they will remove it or mark it as needing a citation.

Format your page using Wikipedia markup

Wikipedia uses a markup language that is different from HTML or Markdown. Headings are created with equal signs: == Heading == for a main section and === Subheading === for a subsection. Bold text uses three apostrophes: '''bold text'''. Italic text uses two: ''italic text''. Links to other Wikipedia pages use double brackets: [[Article Name]].

References are added at the end of your article in a section called "References." You can use a simple format or a more detailed template. A basic reference looks like this:

<ref>Author Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." Publication Name, Year.</ref>

You can also use Wikipedia's citation templates, which automatically format references. The template {{cite book}} or {{cite web}} lets you fill in fields for author, title, publisher, and date, and Wikipedia formats them consistently. You can find examples by looking at the source code of existing Wikipedia pages in your topic area.

Submit your draft for review or move it to the main namespace

Once your page is written, cited, and formatted, you have two options. You can submit it for review through Wikipedia's Articles for Creation process, or you can move it directly to the main Wikipedia namespace if you are confident it meets their standards.

The Articles for Creation process is slower but safer for new editors. Go to Wikipedia:Articles for Creation and follow the instructions to submit your draft. An experienced editor will review it within days or weeks. They will check whether your topic is notable, whether your sources are reliable, and whether your writing follows Wikipedia's style. They will either accept it, ask you to make changes, or decline it with an explanation.

If you move your page directly to the main namespace, it will be visible to all Wikipedia users and other editors immediately. Experienced editors may review it anyway, and if they think it does not meet standards, they may tag it for deletion or delete it outright. New pages are often reviewed more closely than old ones.

Respond to feedback and maintain your page

If an editor leaves feedback on your page's talk page — the discussion page associated with your article — read it carefully and make the changes they suggest. If you disagree with a change, you can discuss it on the talk page, but be prepared to explain why your version is more accurate or better sourced. Wikipedia editors are volunteers, and they are not always right, but they have experience with the site's rules.

After your page is published, other editors may add information, fix formatting, or remove claims they think are unsourced. This is normal. You can revert changes you think are wrong, but if you do, be prepared to explain why on the talk page. Edit wars — where two editors keep reverting each other — are against Wikipedia's rules and can get you blocked.

Check your page occasionally to make sure the information is still accurate and the sources are still working. If a source link breaks, try to find an updated version or replace it with a different reliable source for the same claim.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if my page gets deleted?

If Wikipedia deletes your page, you can ask why on the Articles for Creation talk page or the deletion discussion page. If you think the deletion was wrong, you can request that it be restored. You can also revise your page to address the reasons it was deleted and resubmit it. Many pages are rejected the first time and accepted after revision.

Can I write about myself or my business?

Wikipedia discourages articles written by the subject about themselves, because of bias. If you want to create a page about yourself or your business, you should disclose that conflict of interest on the talk page. Even then, the page must meet notability standards and be backed by independent sources, not just your own claims.

How long does it take to get a page published?

If you submit through Articles for Creation, expect one to four weeks for a review. If you move your page directly to the main namespace, it may be reviewed within days. Some pages are accepted immediately, while others are deleted within 24 hours if they do not meet standards.

Can I edit my page after it is published?

Yes. Any registered Wikipedia user can edit any page, including yours. You can make changes to your own page, and other editors can too. If someone makes a change you disagree with, you can revert it and discuss the change on the talk page.

What if I cannot find sources for everything I want to include?

Do not include it. Wikipedia is built on the principle that if something is not documented in reliable sources, it does not belong in an encyclopedia. If a claim is important to your topic but you cannot source it, that is a sign the topic may not be notable enough for Wikipedia, or you need to do more research to find the sources.