Policies and guidelines

Policies and guidelines are the principles and standards that help contributors create, improve, and maintain content on IndianPedia.

IndianPedia aims to provide reliable, neutral, well-sourced information about India, its people, history, culture, geography, institutions, and related subjects. Contributors are encouraged to be bold in improving articles while respecting the policies below.

Core principles

Neutral point of view

Articles should be written from a neutral point of view (NPOV). Content should represent significant viewpoints fairly and avoid advocacy, promotional language, personal opinions, or political campaigning.

Verifiability

Information that may reasonably be challenged should be supported by reliable, published sources. Contributors should provide citations where appropriate.

No original research

IndianPedia is not a place to publish unpublished research, personal theories, private investigations, or conclusions that cannot be verified through reliable sources.

Reliable sources

Use sources with a reputation for editorial reliability. Depending on the subject, these may include books, academic publications, reputable newspapers, government publications, official institutional websites, and other established reference works.

Article standards

Notability

Articles should cover subjects that have received significant coverage in reliable, independent sources. IndianPedia is not intended to be a directory, advertising platform, or personal homepage.

Biographies of living persons

Information about living people must be handled carefully. Avoid defamatory, sensational, private, or poorly sourced claims. Content about living persons should be based on reliable sources and written conservatively.

Copyright

Do not copy copyrighted material into IndianPedia unless its use is legally permitted or the material is appropriately licensed. Text and images should be created by contributors, released under a compatible license, or used in accordance with applicable law and IndianPedia's licensing requirements.

Images and media

Images should have appropriate licensing information and attribution where required. Do not upload material that infringes copyright or violates applicable law.

External links

External links should provide useful additional information relevant to the article. Links should not be added primarily for advertising, search-engine optimisation, or promotion.

Contributor conduct

Assume good faith

Contributors should generally assume that other editors are trying to improve IndianPedia. Disagreements should be addressed through discussion and evidence rather than personal attacks.

Civility

Treat other contributors with respect. Personal attacks, harassment, threats, intimidation, and abusive behaviour are not acceptable.

Edit warring

Repeatedly reverting another contributor's edits without attempting discussion is discouraged. When disagreements arise, use article talk pages and seek consensus.

Conflicts of interest

Contributors should disclose relevant conflicts of interest and exercise particular care when editing subjects with which they have a personal, professional, financial, or organisational connection.

No impersonation

Do not impersonate another contributor, public figure, organisation, or official institution.

User accounts

Users should normally operate through their own accounts. Accounts must not be used to deceive, harass, manipulate discussions, or evade legitimate administrative actions.

Administrative principles

Administrators

Administrators are trusted contributors with additional technical permissions. Administrative tools should be used to protect IndianPedia and its contributors, not to advance personal disputes or viewpoints.

Administrator accountability

Administrative actions should be reasonable, documented where appropriate, and consistent with IndianPedia policies. Administrators should avoid using their permissions in disputes in which they have a significant personal involvement.

Blocking

Blocks may be used to prevent disruption, harassment, vandalism, spam, abuse, or other serious violations. Blocks should not be used simply to silence disagreement or criticism.

Page protection

Page protection should be used when necessary to prevent disruption, vandalism, edit warring, or other legitimate risks to the encyclopedia.

Deletion

Pages may be deleted when they clearly violate IndianPedia policies, are unsuitable for the encyclopedia, are substantially duplicative, or otherwise meet the site's deletion criteria.

Abuse of administrative privileges

Misuse of administrative permissions may result in review, restriction, or removal of those permissions.

Editing guidelines

Write clearly, accurately, and objectively.
Use reliable sources for factual claims.
Avoid promotional and exaggerated language.
Do not add defamatory or unsupported claims.
Do not remove sourced information simply because you disagree with it.
Use article talk pages to discuss substantial disagreements.
Provide meaningful edit summaries when making significant changes.
Correct mistakes when you identify them.
Respect copyright and licensing requirements.
Do not use IndianPedia to advertise products, services, organisations, or personal businesses.

Dispute resolution

When contributors disagree:

Discuss the issue on the relevant article's talk page.
Explain the disagreement clearly and provide reliable sources.
Seek a compromise consistent with IndianPedia's policies.
Avoid repeated reversions and personal attacks.
Request assistance from experienced contributors or administrators when necessary.

What IndianPedia is not

IndianPedia is not:

A social-networking site.
A personal blog.
An advertising platform.
A political campaign platform.
A directory of businesses or individuals.
A place for defamatory allegations.
A repository for copyrighted material without permission.
A place for personal theories or unpublished research.
A substitute for professional legal, medical, financial, or other expert advice.

Policy versus guideline

Policies describe standards that contributors are expected to follow.

Guidelines provide recommended practices that help contributors work effectively and consistently.

Policies and guidelines may be updated as IndianPedia develops. Major changes should preferably be discussed with the community before implementation.

Related pages

Questions and proposals

For questions about these policies or proposals for changes, use the appropriate discussion page or contact an administrator.

IndianPedia:Policies and guidelines

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