hibranwar
Course → Module 5: Wikipedia and Wikidata: The Entity Registry
Session 6 of 7

Wikipedia: Article Creation Best Practices

Session 5.6 · ~5 min read

This session assumes you have honestly assessed your entity's notability (Session 5.5) and determined that sufficient independent, reliable sources exist. If you are not confident in your notability assessment, go back. A premature article attempt is worse than no attempt at all.

Writing a Wikipedia article is an exercise in restraint. Everything you have learned about marketing, branding, and persuasion must be set aside. Wikipedia requires neutral, encyclopedic, third-person writing that reads like a reference work, not a pitch deck.

The Conflict of Interest Policy

Wikipedia has a strict Conflict of Interest (COI) policy. If you are writing about yourself, your employer, or your client, you have a conflict of interest. Wikipedia does not ban COI editing outright, but it strongly discourages direct article creation by conflicted editors.

The recommended approach if you have a COI:

  1. Disclose your COI on your Wikipedia user page.
  2. Draft the article in your user sandbox (not in the main article space).
  3. Submit through Articles for Creation (AfC), where an independent editor reviews the draft.
  4. Do not edit the article directly after submission. Make suggestions on the article's talk page.

Alternatively, you can provide all source materials to an independent, established Wikipedia editor and ask them to assess whether an article is warranted. This is the safest approach from a COI perspective.

Writing your own Wikipedia article is like writing your own biography for an encyclopedia. Even if the facts are accurate, the appearance of bias is enough to trigger editorial scrutiny. Use the Articles for Creation process or work with an independent editor.

Promotional vs. Encyclopedic Language

The most common reason Wikipedia articles about businesses are flagged or deleted is promotional tone. The difference between promotional and encyclopedic writing is specific and learnable.

Promotional (Will Be Flagged) Encyclopedic (Acceptable) Problem with Promotional Version
"PT Arsindo is a leading engineering company" "PT Arsindo Cipta Karya is an Indonesian engineering company" "Leading" is an unverifiable superlative
"The company provides world-class pump solutions" "The company manufactures industrial pump systems" "World-class" is promotional. State what it does, not how good it is.
"With over 30 years of trusted experience" "Founded in 1993" "Trusted" is subjective. Let the founding date speak for itself.
"The company has earned the trust of major clients including..." "Notable clients include [name], according to [source]" "Earned the trust" is promotional framing. Cite specific sourced facts.
"Arsindo's innovative approach sets it apart from competitors" "The company holds 12 patents related to water treatment technology, according to [patent office source]" "Innovative" and "sets it apart" are promotional claims. State verifiable facts.
"Ibrahim Anwar is a visionary leader in the engineering industry" "Ibrahim Anwar is an Indonesian engineer and business director" "Visionary" is promotional. Describe the role factually.

Article Structure

A standard Wikipedia article about an organization follows a predictable structure. Do not deviate from this unless you have a good reason.

flowchart TD A["Lead Section
(2-3 sentences,
no heading)"] --> B["History Section
(Chronological,
sourced milestones)"] B --> C["Operations Section
(What the entity does,
factually described)"] C --> D["Products/Services
(If significant enough
for own section)"] D --> E["Recognition/Awards
(Only if independently
covered)"] E --> F["References Section
(All inline citations
listed here)"] F --> G["External Links
(Official website,
1-2 others max)"] G --> H["Categories
(Wikipedia categories
that apply)"] style A fill:#222221,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3 style B fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style C fill:#222221,stroke:#6b8f71,color:#ede9e3 style F fill:#222221,stroke:#c8a882,color:#ede9e3

The Lead Section

The opening paragraph (no heading) should answer: What is this entity? Where is it based? What does it do? When was it founded? This paragraph is critical because Google often extracts it for Knowledge Panel descriptions.

Example: "PT Arsindo Cipta Karya is an Indonesian engineering and manufacturing company headquartered in Tangerang, Banten. Founded in 1993 by Ibrahim Anwar, the company designs and manufactures industrial pump systems and water treatment equipment for municipal and industrial clients."

Every claim in the lead must be sourced with inline citations.

Sourcing Standards

Every factual claim needs an inline citation. Wikipedia uses numbered references, typically formatted as footnotes. The source must be:

Use a minimum of 5-10 distinct references for a business article. More is better. References should come from multiple independent sources, not multiple articles from the same publication.

The Articles for Creation Process

If you have a COI, use the AfC process:

  1. Create a draft in your user sandbox: User:YourUsername/sandbox
  2. Write the full article with all references and proper formatting.
  3. Add the {{AfC submission}} template to the top of the draft.
  4. Submit for review. An independent editor will evaluate the draft.
  5. The reviewer may accept, decline (with feedback), or reject the draft.
  6. If declined, address the feedback and resubmit.

The AfC queue can take weeks to months for review. Be patient. A properly sourced, neutrally written article will eventually be reviewed and, if it meets standards, accepted.

After Publication

Once your article is published in the main article space:

Further Reading

Assignment

  1. Rewrite the following promotional sentence in encyclopedic tone: "Our company is the most trusted provider of engineering solutions in Southeast Asia, with decades of proven expertise." Provide your rewritten version with a citation to a real source.
  2. If you have determined your entity is notable (from Session 5.5), draft a lead section (2-3 sentences) in neutral encyclopedic tone. Every claim must have an identified source.
  3. Outline the full article structure using the flowchart above. For each section, list the facts you would include and the sources you would cite.
  4. Create a Wikipedia account and disclose your COI on your user talk page. Create a sandbox page where you can draft your article.
  5. If your entity is not yet notable, take the promotional vs. encyclopedic table and rewrite your website's About page description in encyclopedic tone. This exercise builds the skill you will need when the time comes.