Add an internal link to another Wikipedia article
Linking is an important feature of Wikipedia. Internal links connect the article you are working on to other related articles on the Wikipedia platform. These can increase a readers understanding, introduce them to new and important related topics, and also create an interconnected whole between articles. This can be especially important when working on Indigenous writers or topics to establish connections and increase notability.
Don’t be afraid to create links to articles that do not exist yet on Wikipedia – these are called Red Links and are useful to indicate that a page will be created soon, or that an article should be created for the topic because the subject is notable. This can be especially relevant and important when writing about Indigenous writers or topics, as these are areas that can be under-represented on Wikipedia, and red links can provide guidance or justification in creating new articles.
In general, links should be created for:
- Relevant connections to the subject of another article that will help readers understand the article more fully (people, events, and topics)
- Articles with relevant information
- Articles explaining technical terms, jargon or slang expressions/phrases
- Proper names unfamiliar to readers
For Indigenous writers, relevant links might include:
- Tribal or community affiliations
- Land-based connections
- Other Indigenous writers the subject of your article has a connection to
If an article for something you want to link doesn’t exist, you can create a red link. When you search in the visual editor link pop up for an article and it doesn’t exist, it will show up in red. You can click on this to have it inserted as a link. Do not create red links to articles that are not likely to be created and retained in Wikipedia, including articles that do not comply with Wikipedia’s naming conventions. Red links generally are not included in See also sections
Instructions
Choose an article whose author can be connected to other Wikipedia articles.
- Highlight the word or phrase that you want to add a link for
- Visual Editor: Click on the link icon in the toolbar. It will lead you to a pop-up that will let you search for the article on Wikipedia. After you have chosen the right page, click Done.
- Publish changes
Complete this Activity
After you have finished adding internal links to an article, let us know by tweeting out the Author page and one of the linked articles using the hashtag #HonouringIndigenousWriters. If the article doesn’t already exist, let us know!
Image Attribution: Featured photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash