Help:Getting started

Creating a new account
It is recommended to create a new user account, although it is not obligatory. The main advantages are:
 * editors can help you at the beginning;
 * you will have the possibility to observe if somebody edited your articles;
 * you will be able to track changes of pages that you are interested in;
 * some changes can be done only by registered users because of the security.

How to create a new account

 * Click on Create an account.

You will need to provide a username and password. Real name and e-mail is optional and if you choose to provide it, this will be used for giving you attribution for your work and it enables others to contact you through your user or user talk page without need to reveal your identity.

Your e-mail address is hidden from other users – the others can send you a message, but only by using a special form at WikiLectures. Your address won't be revealed unless you answer.

To automatically receive announcements about changes of your pages, you need to check out your e-mail address. -->

“No fear”
Now you can log in everytime you want to use WikiLectures and you can start to create you own pages. The most important motto sounds: “No fear!” In case you can’t do something, someone else will. Every piece of your work can help the others.

You can try editing in the sandbox. If logged in, you can also use your own sandbox (link in the upper right corner).

Creating new page

 * Consider creating the article on your user sandbox first. If you are registered, you have your own area (sandbox) to start working on a new article. Then you can simply copy it to the proper location.
 * Search WikiLectures first to make sure that the article does not already exist. under a different title. If you find an existing article on your subject, it is best to redirect the name you were thinking of onto the existing article.
 * To create a new page you can use a special page.

Editing existing page
You can first try editing existing articles to get a feel for writing and for using the mark-up language in use at WikiLectures. Also, try reading some of our better articles.

To edit existing page click on the “Edit” icon (pencil – the 3rd from the left) on the top right of WikiLectures page.

This will bring you to a new page with a text box containing the editable text of the original page. You can start to write. The simpliest editing forms are available above the text box.

To see how the page looks like with your edits, press the button. To see the differences between the page with your edits and the previous version of the page, press the button.

If you want to save your work and return back to finish it latter, use button. If you're satisfied with your article, press the button. Your changes will immediately be visible to all WikiLectures users.

Everytime you save a page, you should write a short edit summary in the small field below the edit box. You may use shorthand to describe your changes, as described in the legend.

Be careful with copyrights
Everything you add to WikiLectures is immediately accessible to everybody who has an internet connection. In most of cases author rules forbid to publish works which are related to copyrights without author’s permission.

By editing or creating of an article you also permit editing, changing or deleting your article.