User:Spencer.mccormick/NPP Copyright

Copyright Problems

If you are here, it is very possible that I nominated your page as a candidate for speedy deletion due to a copyright issue; this most likely means that the page you created utilizes a substantial amount of content from a non-free source. The goal of this page is to explain the pertinent policy to you, and inform you on how to adapt your page so it is suitable for Wikipedia.

Non-free Content

Further information: Wikipedia:Copyright violations

Generally, content that is eligible for G12 speedy deletion (meaning it unambiguously infringes upon copyright) has a significant amount of copyrighted content in it. Though laws do vary by country, an author's right to their intellectual property—to at least some extent—is protected almost universally. Consequently, Wikipedia cannot accept copyrighted content without the consent of the copyright holder.

Getting Consent

Further information: Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials

It is possible to get authorization for use of this content on Wikipedia. However, it is necessary to own the content before hand in order to donate it to Wikipedia.

Creative Commons

Further information: Wikipedia:Licensing

The text you contribute to Wikipedia is licensed under a Creative Commons license, which allows for others to share and build upon what you contribute.

Fixing your Article

Because your article was tagged for deletion, it is possible it may have already been removed. Should you need any content from it, you can ask an administrator. However, it is often best to start without any of your previous content, and to entirely rewrite the article. Remember, closely paraphrashing a copyrighted source can be problematic as well.

Creating a New Article

See also: Wikipedia:Your first article

Due to the unsalvageability of a large portion, if not all, of your previous article, it is best to start from scratch. There are several ways to create a new article:

• The old-fashioned way, in the Wikipedia mainspace;
• By a submission at articles for creation;
• By using the article wizard;
• By creating it in your userspace, then moving it into the mainspace when complete.

As a new editor, you might want to consider using the article wizard. However, if you do not wish to use this tool, then I advise that you create it in your userspace, then move it into the mainspace when complete. This affords you the advantage of development time without the page being live on Wikipedia's mainspace. A few things to consider:

• Ensure your article is original, and not copied (or closely paraphrased) from any other online source;
• Verify that your article has reliable sources cited within the body of the article;
• Check to make sure your article's topic meets the notability guideline;
• Confirm that your article follows the standards of the Manual of Style.

There are innumerable editors willing to help you with this process, myself among them. A good place to ask for help is the teahouse, where helpful Wikipedians can answer your questions.

Contributing in Other Ways

Besides article creation, there are many ways to contribute to Wikipedia. Personally, I like to New Page Patrol, which is probably the process by which you encountered me. Additionally, you can perform recent changes patrol, copyedit articles, or join a WikiProject. Should you have ay additional questions, comments or concerns not covered by this document, please feel free to leave a message on my talk page. Good luck!

Sign your Posts

As a note, it is Wikipedia policy to sign your posts on talk pages (user talk, article talk, etc.). Note that this does not apply to article pages in the mainspace. Sign a post by typing four tildes ("~") in a row at the end of your post, like so: "~~~~". You might be doing this already; if so, please ignore this section. Signing allows other editors to attribute your posts to the correct author.

Page Notes

Frequently, new editors ask me why I have CSD'd their page; frequently, my response involves explaining to them that they cannot post non-free content to a free encyclopedia. Thus, in hopes of increasing future efficiency, I am creating this subpage to outline the common ideas from my explanations.