# Introduction to English-language Wikipedia

This is a [general introduction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:INFOPAGES "Wikipedia:INFOPAGES") for visitors to Wikipedia. For aspiring contributors, also see this [guide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contributing_to_Wikipedia "Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia") and [tutorial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction "Help:Introduction"). For other uses, see [Wikipedia:Wikipedia (disambiguation)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_(disambiguation) "Wikipedia:Wikipedia (disambiguation)").

"Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing." — [Jimmy Wales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Wales "Jimmy Wales")

[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia "Wikipedia") is a [free online encyclopedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Free_encyclopedia "Wikipedia:Free encyclopedia") that [anyone can edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction_to_Wikipedia "Help:Introduction to Wikipedia"), and [millions already have](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedians#Number_of_editors "Wikipedia:Wikipedians").

[Wikipedia's purpose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Purpose "Wikipedia:Purpose") is to present information on all branches of [knowledge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge "Knowledge"). It consists of [freely editable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Editing "Help:Editing") content, with articles that contain numerous links guiding readers to more information. Wikipedia is one of many [Wikimedia projects](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation#Projects_and_initiatives "Wikimedia Foundation") hosted by the nonprofit [Wikimedia Foundation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikimedia_Foundation "Wikipedia:Wikimedia Foundation").

[Wikipedia is written by human](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_is_written_by_humans,_for_humans "Wikipedia:Wikipedia is written by humans, for humans") volunteers known as [Wikipedians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_community "Wikipedia community") who [collaborate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_writing "Collaborative writing") with [almost no assistance from artificial intelligence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Editing_policy#Artificial_intelligence_additions "Wikipedia:Editing policy"). Wikipedia articles can be edited by [anyone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Who_writes_Wikipedia%3F "Wikipedia:Who writes Wikipedia?") with [Internet access](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_access "Internet access"), except in [limited cases](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Protection_policy "Wikipedia:Protection policy") in which editing is [restricted](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Protection_policy#Edit_protection "Wikipedia:Protection policy") to prevent [disruption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Disruption "Wikipedia:Disruption") or [vandalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:VAND "Wikipedia:VAND"). Since its creation on [January 15, 2001](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Day "Wikipedia Day"), it has grown into the world's [largest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Size_of_Wikipedia "Wikipedia:Size of Wikipedia") reference [website](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website "Website"), attracting [over a billion visitors each month](https://stats.wikimedia.org/#/all-wikipedia-projects/reading/unique-devices). Wikipedia is a multilingual project, with more than [sixty-eight million articles](https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List%20of%20Wikipedias#All_Wikipedias_ordered_by_number_of_articles "m:List of Wikipedias") in more than [300 separate wikis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:SiteMatrix "Special:SiteMatrix") for almost as many languages. This includes 7,220,996 articles in [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language "English language"), with 252,454 active contributors in the past month.

A short video explaining how Wikipedia works

Wikipedia's fundamental principles are summarized in its [five pillars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Five_pillars "Wikipedia:Five pillars"). While the [Wikipedia community](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_community "Wikipedia community") has developed many [policies and guidelines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Policies_and_guidelines "Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines"), new editors do not need to be familiar with them before they start contributing.

The quality of content is more important than the expertise of who contributes it. Wikipedia's content must conform with its [policies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Editing_policy "Wikipedia:Editing policy"), including being [verifiable](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiable "Wikipedia:Verifiable") by published [reliable sources](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources "Wikipedia:Reliable sources"). Contributions based on [personal opinions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view "Wikipedia:Neutral point of view"), beliefs, or personal experiences, [unreviewed research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Original_research "Wikipedia:Original_research"), libellous material, and [copyright violations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyright_violations "Wikipedia:Copyright_violations") are not allowed and will not remain. Wikipedia's software makes it easy to reverse errors, and experienced [editors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_editor "Wikipedia editor") [watch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Watchlist "Wikipedia:Watchlist") and [patrol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Recent_changes_patrol "Wikipedia:Recent changes patrol") bad edits.

[Wikipedia differs from printed references in important ways](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:NOTPAPER "Wikipedia:NOTPAPER"). Anyone can instantly improve it, add quality information, remove misinformation, and fix errors and [vandalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Vandalism "Wikipedia:Vandalism"). Since Wikipedia is continually updated, encyclopedic articles on major news events appear within minutes.

For over 25 years, Wikipedians have volunteered their time and talents to create history's most comprehensive encyclopedia while providing references and other resources to researchers worldwide (see [Researching with Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Researching_with_Wikipedia "Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia")). In summary, since 2001 Wikipedia has tested the [wisdom of the crowd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_of_the_crowd "Wisdom of the crowd") and has found that it succeeds.

To start editing, simply click the `Edit` or `Edit source` button, or the pencil icon, at the top of any [non-protected](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Protection_policy "Wikipedia:Protection policy") Wikipedia page or section.