Wikipedia: The Missing Manual

Resolving Disputes with Assistance

It may be clear, after some discussion, that you and other editors involved in a content dispute aren’t making much progress in resolving a dispute. Sometimes no one’s aware of a particularly relevant policy or guideline; sometimes one side or the other can’t state clearly what they object to or why; and sometimes editors have different opinions about what’s acceptable at Wikipedia. Regardless of the reason, some informal discussions just aren’t particularly productive.

Wikipedia has a number of ways editors in a dispute can get assistance. Don’t hesitate to use them when progress slows or stops. These resources exist because editors do need help, even when everyone’s being reasonable. (And, unfortunately, sometimes editors aren’t reasonable, so getting help is even more important.)

As mentioned earlier, Wikipedia:Dispute resolution (shortcut: WP:DR) lays out the recommended process for resolving content disputes. Which processes you use, and in what order, depends on the nature of the dispute. But in general, try following the order listed in this section, starting with editor assistance. And take it slow: The Wikipedia community doesn’t like what it calls forum shopping, where the same question is posted on multiple pages without waiting to see if the first posting gets satisfactory answers.

Note

With the exception of the first of the six options discussed on the next three pages—editor assistance—anytime there’s a content ...