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Welcome to Articles for creation!

Write a draft, submit it for review, and contribute to Wikipedia.

Articles for creation (AfC) lets you write an article as a draft and submit it for review by an experienced volunteer before publication.

Anyone can create and submit a draft. Articles for creation is especially useful if you are not yet autoconfirmed, are editing without an account, or would like an experienced volunteer to review your draft. Editors who are autoconfirmed can also create articles directly.

If you have a conflict of interest or are being paid to edit, you should submit your draft through Articles for creation and follow the relevant disclosure requirements.

Creating an article can be challenging, especially if you are new to Wikipedia. You may find it helpful to learn the basics of editing or improve existing articles first.

Before you start

Before writing a new draft, check whether your topic is suitable for a Wikipedia article. This can save you time and help avoid common problems during review.

  1. Check for an existing article or draft: Search Wikipedia for your topic, including alternative names and existing drafts. If an article already exists, consider improving it rather than starting another.
  2. Check whether your subject qualifies for an article: Most topics need significant coverage in multiple reliable, independent, secondary sources. These should discuss the topic in detail, rather than simply mentioning it in passing. Some topics have subject-specific notability guidelines.
  3. Find suitable sources first: Base your draft on what reliable, published sources say about the subject. Find these sources before writing, and use inline citations to show where the information comes from. Sources do not need to be in English, online, or freely accessible.

Important rules

Writing about a topic you are connected to

  • Conflict of interest: If you are writing about yourself, your employer, a client, or another subject you are closely connected to, you should disclose your connection on your user page or the draft's talk page.
  • Paid editing: If you are paid or otherwise compensated to contribute, you must disclose your employer or client as required by the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use.

Creating your draft

Ready to begin? The Article Wizard will guide you through creating a draft step by step. Click the button below:

Writing and formatting your draft

Focus on the information and references first. Your draft does not need to look like a finished Wikipedia article before it can be reviewed. You do not need images, perfect formatting, or an infobox.

Saving your draft

Your changes are not saved to Wikipedia until you publish them. To save your work, click the Publish page… or Publish changes… button at the top of your draft. Publish your changes regularly, especially before leaving the editor. This does not submit your draft for review or turn it into an article on Wikipedia.

Once created, your draft will usually have Draft: at the beginning of its title. This means it is not yet a published Wikipedia article.

Finding your draft again

You can return to your draft at any time using its page address. If you have a Wikipedia account, you can also visit your contributions to find pages you have edited.

Submitting for review

When you think your draft is ready, submit it for review by clicking the Submit the draft for review! button.

Once submitted, your draft will display a notice with Review waiting, please be patient. You can still improve your draft while you wait.

Can't find the submit button?

Open your draft in the source editor, add {{subst:submit}} at the top of the page, and publish your changes. If the Articles for creation submission box does not appear at the top of your draft, you can ask for help at the AfC Help desk.

After submitting

Waiting for a review

Your draft will join a list of submissions waiting to be reviewed by experienced volunteers. There is no fixed waiting time. Some drafts are reviewed quickly, while others might wait considerably longer. Drafts are not necessarily reviewed in the order they were submitted.

You can continue editing and improving your draft while you wait. Adding better sources, improving the writing, and correcting mistakes will not require you to submit it for review again. Make sure you click Publish changes… each time you want to save your changes.

Do not repeatedly submit your draft for review or ask individual reviewers to review it quickly.

Understanding your review

A reviewer will accept, decline or reject your draft. These outcomes mean different things:

Accepted

Your draft has been accepted and published as a Wikipedia article. You can continue improving the article. Congratulations!

Declined

Your draft is not ready to become an article yet, but the problems may be fixable. Read the reviewer's feedback carefully and address the problems they identified. You can then resubmit your draft for another review.

Rejected

The reviewer considers the subject or content fundamentally unsuitable for Wikipedia, with little prospect that further work will make the draft acceptable. If you have found significant new evidence or believe the decision was mistaken, ask the reviewer for reconsideration before attempting to resubmit.

Reviewers will normally explain why a draft has been declined or rejected. If you do not understand their feedback, you can ask for clarification or seek advice at the AfC Help desk.

Improving and resubmitting your draft

If your draft has been declined, read the reviewer's feedback carefully and make the necessary improvements before submitting it again. Once you have addressed the problems identified, click the Resubmit button.

Do not remove or alter previous review notices or reviewer comments, even if you have addressed the issues raised. These provide a record of earlier reviews and help future reviewers understand what has changed.

Getting help

If you are unsure about any part of the process, you can ask other Wikipedia editors for help.

  • For an overview of Wikipedia's policies and guidelines, see Everything you need to know.
  • For specific questions on why your draft was declined, read the reviewer's feedback or ask at the AfC Help desk.
  • For friendly peer support regarding editing, sourcing, or policies, visit the Teahouse, a question and answer hub for new editors.

Frequently asked questions

Choose a topic below to find answers to common questions about creating, submitting and reviewing Wikipedia drafts.

Creating and submitting a draft

Questions about creating and submitting drafts

How do I create a new draft?

The easiest place to start is the Article Wizard. It will guide you through creating a draft and explain what Wikipedia expects from a new article.

Before you begin, search Wikipedia to check whether an article or draft about the same subject already exists. It is also worth finding suitable reliable sources before you start writing. You can save your draft and come back to it later; it does not need to be finished in one sitting.

I wrote my draft in my sandbox. How do I submit it for review?

You can submit a draft from your own sandbox. You do not have to move it to a page beginning with Draft: first.

If you see the Submit the draft for review! button, click it. If the button is missing, open your draft in the source editor, add {{subst:submit}} at the top of the page, and publish your changes.

Your sandbox title is not necessarily the title your finished article will have. If your submission is accepted, the reviewer can move it to a suitable article title.

I clicked "Publish changes". Is my draft now an article?

No. On Wikipedia, the Publish page… and Publish changes… buttons save your edits. They do not submit your draft for review or turn it into a Wikipedia article. Your draft remains a draft until it is accepted through AfC or otherwise moved into mainspace.

To submit the draft for review, click the Submit the draft for review! button.

I can't find the submit for review button. What should I do?

Open your draft in the source editor, add {{subst:submit}} at the top of the page, and publish your changes. If the Articles for creation submission box does not appear at the top of your draft, you can ask for help at the AfC Help desk.

How do I know if my draft has been submitted for review?

A properly submitted draft will display a notice stating Review waiting, please be patient. at the top.

If the submission notice has disappeared, check the page history in case the AfC submission template was accidentally removed. You can also ask at the AfC Help desk.

Do I have to use Articles for creation?

Not always. Autoconfirmed editors can usually create new articles directly in mainspace. New or unregistered editors who cannot create articles directly can use AfC instead.

If you have a conflict of interest, including if you are being paid to edit, you should use AfC. More experienced editors may also choose to use AfC if they would like another editor to review their draft before publication.

Writing and improving a draft

Questions about writing and improving drafts

Can I use ChatGPT or another AI tool to write my draft?

Wikipedia prohibits using large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, to generate or rewrite article content. Limited exceptions apply to basic corrections to your own writing and certain translations. Read the guideline at Writing articles with large language models for more information.

Can I copy text from websites or other sources?

Generally, no. You should write your draft in your own words and cite the sources you have used. Copying or closely paraphrasing copyrighted text is not permitted simply because you have provided a reference.

Limited exceptions apply to short quotations and material in the public domain or released under a compatible licence, subject to Wikipedia's attribution and copyright requirements. See Copying text from other sources.

Do I need an infobox, images, categories, or perfect formatting?

No. These are not requirements for acceptance. Your draft does not need to be complete or beautifully formatted before it becomes an article. Focus on demonstrating notability, using reliable sources and writing neutrally. Ordinary formatting problems can usually be addressed after acceptance.

How do I add an image to my draft?

You can use suitable images already available on Wikimedia Commons, or upload an image that meets Wikimedia Commons' free-licensing requirements.

An image being available on Google, social media, or another website does not mean you are allowed to upload it. Usually, the copyright holder must release it under a suitable free licence. This may be the photographer, even if the person in the photograph gave you permission to use it.

Can someone check my draft before I submit it?

The usual way to receive a full review is to submit your draft through Articles for creation. If you have a specific question about notability, sourcing, or Wikipedia's guidelines before submitting, you can ask at the Teahouse. If your draft has already been declined and you believe you have addressed the reviewer's feedback, you can resubmit it.

Sources and notability

Questions about sources and Wikipedia's inclusion requirements

What does Wikipedia mean by notability?

On Wikipedia, notability means that a subject has received enough coverage in suitable published sources to justify its own encyclopaedia article. It does not simply mean that the subject is important, successful, popular or well known.

For most subjects, reviewers look for significant discussion in reliable sources that are independent of the subject. For example, a detailed newspaper feature written by an independent journalist may help to establish notability; a company's own website, a press release or an award listing usually will not do so on its own.

Some subjects have additional subject-specific guidelines. See Wikipedia's notability guideline for more information.

How do I add references and inline citations to my draft?

An inline citation is a numbered reference placed beside a statement so readers can check its source.

For example, if you write that someone won an award in 2022, place a citation to a reliable source confirming the award next to that statement. Simply putting a list of websites at the bottom of the draft is often not enough.

In the visual editor, place your cursor after the relevant sentence and choose Cite from the toolbar. You can enter a website address or add details from a book, newspaper or other source. If you use the source editor, see Referencing for beginners for instructions.

Not every sentence needs a separate citation, but information that might reasonably be questioned needs suitable sourcing, especially in biographies of living people.

How many sources do I need?

There is no fixed number. For most subjects, around three strong, independent sources providing significant coverage is a useful starting point.

The quality and depth of coverage matter more than the number of references. A few sources providing substantial independent coverage are generally more useful than dozens of passing mentions, press releases, or directory entries. Some subjects may also qualify under subject-specific notability guidelines.

Why aren't my reliable sources enough?

A source can be reliable without helping to establish notability. For most subjects, sources used to establish notability must also be independent of the subject and discuss it in significant detail.

For example, an interview in a reliable newspaper may be useful for verifying what somebody said, but much of its content may come from the subject themselves. Likewise, company websites, press releases, official registers, lists of awards and routine announcements may verify individual facts without providing the independent coverage needed to establish notability.

Can I use offline, paywalled, or non-English sources?

Yes. Sources do not need to be freely available online or written in English. They must have been published and be accessible in some way so that the information can be verified. Books, academic publications and newspaper articles can all be suitable sources, including those behind paywalls.

What special rules apply to biographies of living people?

Wikipedia has particularly careful rules for articles about people who are alive. The biographies of living persons policy applies to drafts as well as published articles.

Personal details, career claims, awards and other information that could reasonably be questioned should be supported by reliable published sources. Be especially careful with private or potentially harmful information. Unsourced or poorly sourced contentious claims about living people should be removed rather than left in place while you look for references.

If you cannot find a reliable source for a detail, it is usually better to leave that detail out. Your draft does not need to include every fact about somebody's life.

What if I can't find enough suitable sources?

Sometimes there is nothing you can do to resolve a notability problem. Not every subject meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion.

Adding large numbers of weak sources will not compensate for a lack of significant independent coverage. If suitable sources are not available, it may be better to wait until further coverage becomes available.

Why does another subject have an article when my draft was declined?

Drafts are assessed on their own merits, not by comparison with existing Wikipedia articles. The existence of an article about one subject does not mean another automatically qualifies.

Wikipedia has millions of articles, and not every existing article meets current standards. Some were created many years ago, while others were created directly in mainspace without being reviewed through AfC. An existing article that does not meet Wikipedia's guidelines does not justify accepting another.

Waiting for review

Questions about waiting for a review

How long will my draft take to be reviewed?

There is no fixed waiting time. Wikipedia is maintained by volunteers, and drafts are not necessarily reviewed in the order they were submitted.

Some reviewers work through older submissions, while others review subjects they are familiar with. Some drafts are reviewed quickly, while others take considerably longer.

Can somebody review my draft right now?

Reviewers are volunteers and are under no obligation to perform individual reviews. There are also no deadlines on Wikipedia. Normally, you should leave your draft submitted and wait for a reviewer to reach it.

You are welcome to continue improving your draft while you wait, but repeatedly submitting it or asking individual reviewers to prioritise it will not make the process faster.

Can I keep editing my draft while it is waiting for review?

Yes, you can continue improving your draft while it is waiting for review. Remember to publish your changes to save them.

Draft titles and page moves

Questions about renaming and moving drafts

How do I change the name of my draft?

You can leave a note on your draft's talk page explaining what you would like it to be called. If the draft is accepted, the reviewer can move it to a suitable title when publishing it.

If you would like the name changed sooner, you can ask for help at the AfC Help desk.

If your account is autoconfirmed, you can usually move the draft to a new title yourself.

Can I move my draft to mainspace myself?

If your account is autoconfirmed, you can usually create or move articles into mainspace yourself. However, if you are new to creating articles, it is generally better to leave your draft submitted for review by experienced editors.

An unsuitable article may be returned to draftspace or nominated for deletion.

Why was my article moved back to draftspace?

Sometimes a newly created article is moved to a page beginning with Draft: because another editor believes it needs more work before it is ready for the encyclopaedia. This is called draftification. It does not automatically mean that the subject can never have an article.

You can improve the draft and submit it through Articles for creation for an independent review.

If you believe the move was mistaken, you can discuss it with the editor who moved the page. See Moving articles to draftspace for more information.

What should I do if an article about my subject already exists?

If an article about your subject already exists, improve that article rather than creating another draft.

If you are unsure whether two pages cover the same subject, ask at the Teahouse before creating a duplicate.

Declines, rejections and appeals

Questions about reviews and appeals

What is the difference between a decline and a rejection?

A decline means that the draft is not ready to become an article, but the problems may be fixable. You can improve the draft and resubmit it for review.

A rejection means that the reviewer considers the subject or content fundamentally unsuitable for Wikipedia, with no reasonable prospect that further work on the current draft will make it acceptable. If important new evidence becomes available, ask the reviewer to reconsider.

Can I resubmit after a decline?

Yes. Before resubmitting, read the reviewer's comments and address the problems they identified. When you are ready, click the Resubmit button to resubmit a draft for review.

Repeatedly resubmitting your draft without addressing the problems is unlikely to lead to a different outcome and may become disruptive.

My draft was declined for sounding promotional. How can I fix it?

Wikipedia articles need to describe their subjects neutrally, rather than advertise or promote them. Even an accurate statement can sound promotional if it is written to impress the reader.

Remove unsupported praise, sales language, promotional language, and unnecessary claims of importance. Don't write from the company's point of view, and base your draft prose on what independent sources have actually published about the subject.

See Neutral point of view and Wikipedia is not for promotion for further advice.

My draft was declined for using AI, but I didn't use AI. What can I do?

If you wrote your draft yourself and believe the reviewer has made a mistake, politely explain how the draft was written, and whether you used any tools for spelling, grammar or editing. Some writing tools include AI features, so it is worth checking what they actually did to your text.

If the reviewer does not respond after a reasonable time, you can ask for advice at the AfC Help desk. See Wikipedia's guideline on writing articles with large language models.

Why did different reviewers give me different decline reasons?

A draft can have several problems, and different reviewers may identify different issues or reach different conclusions. Fixing one decline reason does not necessarily mean that the draft is ready for acceptance.

Can I appeal a decline or rejection?

If your draft was declined and you think the reviewer may have made a mistake, you can ask them to explain their decision. You can also improve the draft and resubmit it, or seek further advice at the AfC Help desk.

If your draft was rejected, first ask the rejecting reviewer to reconsider if significant new evidence has appeared that may change its suitability. If you do not receive a reply after a reasonable time, you can ask for advice at the AfC Help desk.

Can I ask for a different reviewer?

If you improve and resubmit a declined draft, a different volunteer may review it. If you believe a previous review was mistaken, explain your concerns to the reviewer or ask for advice at the AfC Help desk.

Deleted and abandoned drafts

Questions about deleted and inactive drafts

What happens if my draft is abandoned or deleted?

You do not need to finish your draft immediately. However, drafts that have not been edited by a person for six months may be deleted under criterion G13. This is a housekeeping process, not a judgement about the subject's suitability. Drafts deleted under G13 can normally be restored on request at Requests for undeletion/G13.

Other types of deletion are handled differently. If your draft was deleted for another reason, read the deletion notice or log before asking for it to be restored.

Can I recreate a previously deleted article?

Sometimes. Whether an article can be recreated depends on why it was deleted.

For example, a draft deleted because it was promotional may be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's guidelines, provided there are no other barriers to recreation.

However, if an article was deleted following an Articles for deletion discussion, the reasons for that deletion need to be addressed before it is recreated.

Conflicts of interest and other questions

Questions about conflicts of interest, scams, and search engines

Can I write an article about myself, my company, or my client?

Wikipedia strongly discourages writing about yourself or where you have a conflict of interest, but this does not automatically prevent a draft from being accepted. Your draft will be assessed against the same notability, sourcing, neutrality and other requirements as any other submission.

How do I declare a conflict of interest or paid editing?

If you are writing about yourself, your employer, a client, or another subject you are closely connected to, you should disclose that connection.

One straightforward way to do this is on your user page by briefly explaining your connection. For example: I work for Example Ltd and have contributed to Draft:Example Ltd.

If you are paid or otherwise compensated to contribute, you must disclose your employer or client as required by the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use. Read Paid-contribution disclosure for more information.

Disclosure does not guarantee that a draft will be accepted.

Someone offered to publish my article for money. Is this a scam?

Yes. Wikipedia does not charge authors to submit, review, or publish articles. Scammers may falsely promise publication, protection from deletion, or other special treatment in exchange for payment. See Wikipedia:Scam warning for more information.

I've been contacted by a reviewer off-wiki about my article. Is this a scam?

Be cautious of unsolicited messages from people claiming to be AfC reviewers or Wikipedia administrators, particularly if they request payment or offer to guarantee publication. Keep discussions about your draft on Wikipedia wherever possible. See Wikipedia:Scam warning for more information.

When will my accepted draft appear on Google?

New articles may be prevented from being indexed by search engines until they have been reviewed by New Pages Patrol or have existed for 90 days.

This only allows search engines to index the article. Wikipedia does not control search engine indexing and cannot guarantee when an article will appear in Google or other search results.

Google's Knowledge Panel or AI summary is wrong. Can Wikipedia fix it?

No. Google's Knowledge Panels and AI-generated summaries are controlled by Google, not Wikipedia. Although they may use information from Wikipedia, Wikipedia editors cannot directly change them. This also applies to any other services that scrapes Wikipedia for data.

If your question is not answered here, you can ask for help at the AfC Help desk or the Teahouse.

Other ways to contribute

You do not need to create a new article to make a useful contribution to Wikipedia. There are plenty of other ways to help:

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