Contribute to an article’s talk page.
While browsing and reading Wikipedia articles, you may have noticed a tab labelled “Talk” right next to the main article.
Talk pages are used for Wikipedia editors to discuss how an article can be improved. If you’ve made substantial or potentially controversial edits to an article, leave a message on the talk page explaining why you chose to make the edits. You can also use a talk page to point out issues or areas for improvement that you don’t have time to tackle yourself.
Some Indigenous author articles have undergone extensive back-and-forth editing because of controversial edits or disagreements about how that author should be represented on Wikipedia. Before you begin editing an article, read through it’s talk page to see what issues have already come up and how past editors have dealt with them.
Instructions
Find an Indigenous authors talk page where there is discussion you want to contribute to, or an issue you want to raise. If you’re not sure where to start, check the talk pages for HIW authors.
- While on the talk page, click Edit.
- If you are joining a discussion
- Below the last comment, type your contribution.
- Add colons (:) to the beginning of your message. Each colon represents one level of indentation, so enter a number of colons equal to the previous comment (to give your input on the general discussion) or enter a number of colons which is one greater than the previous comment (to respond to that comment specifically)
- If you are starting a new discussion
- At the top right of the page, next to the Edit button, click on New Section
- Fill out the subject heading and type your comment in the box below.
- After you have typed and formatted your comment, sign your post by adding four tildes (~~~~)
- Publish changes
Resources
- Wikipeida Help:Talk pages
- Wikipedia basics – Talk pages Video
- Staying cool when the editing gets hot (tips for engaging in debates with other editors)
Examples
Bruce Pascoe’s talk page contains an in-depth discussion by Wikipedia editors on the inclusion of Pascoe’s ancestry and the reliability of sources being used. The issue has currently reached a consensus and the editors have moved on, but this is a good example of a talk page being used among editors for discussion.
Complete this Activity
After you have finished contributing to a talk page, let us know by tweeting out the Author article using the hashtag #HonouringIndigenousWriters.
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