Wikipedia accepts new articles from anyone, but they have to meet specific rules about notability, sources, and neutral tone
You can create a Wikipedia article if your topic meets their notability standards — which usually means it has been covered in independent, published sources like newspapers, books, or academic journals. Wikipedia does not accept articles about private individuals, local businesses, or topics that exist only on social media or personal websites. The article must be written in a neutral point of view, cite reliable sources for every claim, and follow Wikipedia's formatting rules. If your topic does not meet these standards, Wikipedia will delete the article, sometimes within hours.
The process itself is straightforward: you create an account, draft your article in a sandbox, request a review, and wait for an experienced editor to check it. Most new articles are rejected on the first try, usually because they lack sources or read like promotional material. Understanding why before you start saves time.
Key Takeaways
- Your topic must have been written about in at least two independent, reliable published sources — not just mentioned in passing, but covered substantively.
- Wikipedia has a specific format for citations, infoboxes, and section headers that you must follow, and articles that ignore these rules are harder to get approved.
- New articles go through a review process where experienced editors check sources and tone; most first drafts are rejected, and that is normal.
- You can draft your article in a sandbox (a private workspace) before submitting it for review, which gives you a chance to fix problems before an editor sees it.
- Articles about living people, companies you own or work for, or topics without published sources will be deleted regardless of how well they are written.
Check whether your topic meets Wikipedia's notability standard
Wikipedia's notability rule is simple: your topic must have been covered in at least two independent, reliable sources that are not controlled by the subject. For a person, this usually means newspaper articles, magazine profiles, or academic papers — not a personal website, LinkedIn profile, or press release written by the person themselves. For a company, it means coverage in business publications or news outlets, not the company's own marketing materials. For an event, place, or concept, it means the same: published, independent sources.
The sources also have to be substantive. A single mention in a list does not count. Wikipedia editors will check whether your sources actually discuss the topic in depth, and if they do not, the article will be rejected. Before you start writing, gather your sources and read them. If you have fewer than two independent sources, or if all your sources are controlled by the subject, stop here — your article will not survive review.
You can check whether similar topics have Wikipedia articles by searching for them. If a local business, minor public figure, or niche hobby does not have an article, that is usually because it does not meet notability. Do not assume your topic is an exception.
Create a Wikipedia account and set up a sandbox
Go to Wikipedia.org, click "Create account" in the top right, and choose a username. You do not need to use your real name. Verify your email address — Wikipedia will send you a confirmation link. Once your account is active, you can create a sandbox, which is a private workspace where you draft articles without publishing them to the main site.
To create a sandbox, go to your user page (click your username in the top right after logging in), then click "Sandbox" or type into the address bar: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:YourUsername/Sandbox. Replace "YourUsername" with your actual username. The sandbox is only visible to you until you move the article to the main site, so use it to write and revise without pressure.
Write your article in Wikipedia format
Wikipedia articles follow a specific structure. Start with a lead section — usually one to four paragraphs that summarize the entire topic. The lead should answer who or what the subject is, why it matters, and what makes it notable. After the lead, add section headers like "Early life", "Career", "Criticism", or "Legacy" depending on your topic. Each section should have its own paragraphs and citations.
Every factual claim needs a citation. In Wikipedia, citations are added using a specific format: place the source information in square brackets with a number, like this: [1]. At the bottom of the article, create a "References" section and list all your sources in the same numbered order. Wikipedia has templates for different source types — books, news articles, websites — and using the right template makes your article look professional and easier for editors to verify.
Write in a neutral, encyclopedic tone. Do not use "I" or "you". Do not make arguments or take sides. Do not use marketing language or praise the subject. If you are writing about a person, describe what they did and what reliable sources say about them, but do not editorialize. If you are writing about a company, state facts about its founding, products, and history, but do not promote it.
Learn Wikipedia's citation and formatting rules
Wikipedia uses a citation system called ref tags. When you make a claim, add <ref> at the end, then paste your source information inside, then close with </ref>. For example: "The company was founded in 1995<ref>Smith, John. 'Company History.' Business Journal, 2020.</ref>". At the bottom of your article, add a "References" section with == References ==, then add <references /> to automatically generate the numbered list.
For section headers, use == Header Name == for main sections and === Subsection === for subsections. For bold text, use '''text'''. For italics, use ''text''. Wikipedia has a visual editor that handles some of this automatically, but learning the code makes you faster and more precise.
If your article is about a person, you may want to add an infobox — a box in the top right with key facts like birth date, nationality, or occupation. Infoboxes use templates, and you can find examples by looking at similar Wikipedia articles and copying their format. Do not worry about getting the infobox perfect on your first try; editors often fix formatting issues.
Submit your article for review
Once your article is drafted in your sandbox, you are ready to submit it. Go to your sandbox page, copy all the text, then go to the main Wikipedia site and search for your topic. If it does not exist, you will see a button that says "Create" or "Start the article". Click it, paste your text, and add a summary of what you wrote in the "Edit summary" box at the bottom. Then click "Publish".
Your article will now be live on Wikipedia, but it will be tagged as a new article. Experienced editors monitor new articles and will review yours within hours or days. They will check your sources, your tone, and your formatting. If they find problems, they may leave comments on the article's "Talk" page (a discussion area for editors) or add tags like "This article needs citations" or "This reads like promotional material".
Do not be discouraged if your article is tagged or rejected. Most new articles need revision. Read the feedback, fix the problems, and resubmit. If an editor deletes your article, you can ask why on the deletion review page and sometimes get it restored if you address their concerns.
Understand why new articles are often rejected
The most common reason new articles are rejected is insufficient sources. If your sources are weak, vague, or controlled by the subject, editors will delete the article. The second most common reason is that the article reads like promotion or advertising rather than neutral description. If you use words like "innovative", "leading", "groundbreaking", or "the best", editors will flag it. The third reason is that the topic simply does not meet notability — it is too local, too recent, or too obscure to warrant a Wikipedia article.
Other rejections happen because of formatting errors, missing citations, or articles that are too short. Wikipedia has a rough guideline that articles should be at least a few hundred words, though there is no hard minimum. If your article is only two paragraphs, it may be considered a stub and tagged for expansion rather than deleted outright.
If your article is rejected, you have options. You can revise it and resubmit, you can ask for a second review, or you can accept that your topic may not be suitable for Wikipedia. Not everything belongs on Wikipedia, and that is by design — the site prioritizes notability and reliability over comprehensiveness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a reliable source on Wikipedia?
Reliable sources are published materials from organizations with editorial standards: newspapers, magazines, academic journals, books from established publishers, and government reports. Wikipedia generally does not accept blogs, social media, press releases, or self-published websites. If you are unsure whether a source qualifies, check Wikipedia's "Reliable sources" guideline page.
Can I write an article about myself or my business?
You can, but Wikipedia discourages it and editors scrutinize such articles heavily. Articles about the writer or their business are often seen as promotional and deleted. If you want an article about yourself or your company, it is better to have someone else write it based on independent sources. If you do write it yourself, be extremely careful to use only neutral language and cite external sources, not your own website.
How long does it take to get an article approved?
There is no formal approval process. Your article goes live immediately when you publish it, and editors review it afterward. Some articles are tagged or deleted within hours; others sit untouched for weeks. If your article is solid and well-sourced, it may never be challenged. If it has problems, you will usually hear about them within a few days.
What if my article is deleted?
You can view the deletion reason on the article's history page and ask for a review. If you believe the deletion was wrong, you can request undeletion and explain why your article meets Wikipedia's standards. Editors will reconsider, and sometimes articles are restored. If it is not restored, you can revise it and try again, or accept that the topic may not be suitable for Wikipedia.
Do I need to be an expert to write a Wikipedia article?
No, but you need to be thorough and honest. You do not have to be an expert in the subject; you just have to find reliable sources that discuss it and summarize them accurately. Many Wikipedia editors are not experts in their topics — they are people who found good sources and wrote clearly about them. What matters is that your sources are solid and your writing is neutral.