wikiHow:Writer's Guide

This simple writing guide is intended to help you create articles that match wikiHow’s format and tone. You’re writing for someone who's probably never completed this task before, and who may be covered in dirt or baking powder as they frantically search the Internet for a solution to how to properly do the thing they're doing. It's for this reason, that your articles need to be clear, concise, and most importantly, informative.

Our overall goal with writing on wikiHow is to provide skimmable information that readers can quickly understand while simultaneously creating rich, informative articles for more patient users. Because readers of online content need to be able to comprehend information as quickly as possible, we’re trying to step away from the style of most traditional print publishers; thus, we’ll be throwing some of the old rules out the window.

Remember: The advice below should serve as a guide while you’re writing. We realize there are exceptions to every rule, and that nothing is set in stone, so always use your best judgment when creating or editing articles.

For questions, feel free to contact the Help Team or reach out to our community facilitator, Jayne .

Choosing a Topic

You can write an article about how to do almost any topic you'd like, as long as it's something helpful that we don't already cover on wikiHow. It can be very broad (like How to Sleep Better ) or very specific (like How to Sleep Comfortably on a Hot Night ).

If we've already covered the exact topic you want to write, please edit the existing article instead . Since wikiHow is a collaborative project, we want people to work together to build one high-quality page on a particular topic, rather than creating a ton of low-quality, duplicate articles.

Choosing a Title

Use the shortest title you can with the most common words to describe your article content. Be specific.

Begin the title with a verb. Remember, the words How to are automatically added for you. For example, instead of submitting "How to Bake a Cake", you would just write "Bake a Cake".

If you start an article with a mistake in the title, don't worry. Just insert {{title|new title}} at the very beginning of your article and eventually, either a volunteer admin or New Article Booster will see the request and change the title for you.

Introduction

The introduction is the place where the reader decides whether those delicious-looking chocolate chip cookies sound good enough to make. (Hint: They are .) It should be a brief overview of what the reader will learn from the article, with the style and tone varying depending on the type of article.

If the subject is rather serious, such as in technical or medical-related articles, get straight to the point. Aim for two to three sentences maximum, and avoid adding fluff or filler.


If the subject is a bit more lighthearted, such as in relationships or crafting articles, make the intro as accessible as possible. In these articles, people are probably reading to be entertained just as much as they're reading for information, so aim to catch their wandering eyes and draw them into the article.


Create a closing statement to lead a reader to the article. Avoid referring to the article with phrases like "follow these steps", "here are X methods" or “see below”. Instead, try writing something such as "This article will show you how to do X", or a general statement about the topic covered by the article.

  • Alternatively, your introduction could be a short history of the subject of the article you're writing about.
  • (See " How to Do Gyotaku Fish Rubbing " for an example.)


Steps

  1. 1
    Begin each step with an action-oriented instruction, such as “Put two cups of water into a medium saucepan." A good way to ensure you’re being active instead of passive is to check if each step begins with a verb.
    • Remember that your article, like the whole wikiHow site, is supposed to teach people how to do things. If a reader is unable to complete the task you've provided the steps for immediately or within a reasonable length of time, consider what your article may have actually taught them and whether your proposed topic really is instructional.
    • Avoid starting the step with transitional words like "Next", "Additionally", "But", and "If" unless they are necessary.
  2. 2
    Summarize the entirety of each step within the first sentence of said step. When you’re writing, keep in mind that some readers only skim the first steps; thus, ask yourself if the first sentences of the step would help them understand the basic actions of the how-to. If the answer is yes, then job well done; you nailed it!
  3. 3
    Avoid using the first person . Since this is a collaborative community, it's better to refrain from putting" I, me, my", etc. into articles, to make it clear that anyone can collaborate on the advice.
    • Turn personal stories into instructions. Instead of writing "I put the heat up too high once and the eggs exploded" write "Keep the heat low, otherwise the eggs might explode."
    • It's sometimes acceptable to use "I", "me", "my", etc. when trying to tell the reader the best way to say something. For example, 'try saying something like, "I can't do that, I'm sorry."'
  4. 4
    Organize the steps for easy reading. Readers respond best to the main steps that are three to four lines long. If you find that one of your main steps, or the article itself, is looking a little lengthy, consider adding sub-steps or subsections to make it easier to follow.
    • Use your substeps (the circular bullets) as the supporting cast. These are particularly useful if you need to break up a step into multiple parts or if there’s additional information that might help the reader accomplish the step.
    • You can also use the Parts or Methods subsections to break things down when the article can be expanded beyond a simple few-step process. Use "Parts" when all the sections are necessary to accomplish the goal and "Methods" when only one section is necessary to accomplish the goal (each section being a different approach for the same goal).
    • See How to Divide a wikiHow Article into Subsections for more information about making these subsection titles.
  5. 5
    Avoid explicitly referring to other steps, as the numbering of steps may change over time. For example, instead of writing “Repeat Step 1,” write “Repeat the rinsing process.”
  6. 6
    Remember that people from all over the world use wikiHow. Try not to include steps that can only be followed by people in one country unless your article is specifically about said country (eg. How to Become a UK Citizen or How to Buy Property in Brazil).
    • Similarly, aim to keep gender pronouns neutral (ie. using they/them instead of he/she) unless the article is written for a specific gender (eg. How to Trim Eyebrows (for Men) or How to Flirt Girl to Girl ).
    • Remember that certain brands of products aren't available in some parts of the world, so try to avoid using brand names where possible (eg. saying "gelatin" instead of "Jell-O").
  7. 7
    Avoid generic steps such as “Be patient”, "Have fun" or "Be yourself." These steps could apply to almost any task, so they aren't really helpful. Make the advice specific to the topic.
    • One exception to this is the last step of an article where readers want to see an image of the finished product, as in a crafting article. In this case, the last step could just be the word “Finished” or "Done".
  8. 8
    Review your writing for mistakes. Check to make sure each sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period. If grammar and spelling aren't your strong point, don't worry too much. Simply place a copyedit tag at the top of the article (just write {{copyedit}}), which guarantees that the article stays de-indexed from anonymous readers until someone comes along and fixes any present issues.
  9. 9
    Make sure that the sections are in the proper order. If you use the Article Creator or Guided Editor (the default editing options), this is handled for you; if you choose to switch to the Advanced Editor though, you'll have to make sure your sections follow the standard order. Our formatting guidelines includes more details about the preferred layout, including a template you can follow.

Tips

  • The Tips section should contain additional helpful guidance for the reader about how to perform the how-to. Tips can do several different things:
    • Extend information presented in the Steps section: “To make sure your cake is done, insert and remove a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready.”
    • Inform readers about alternatives that can be used: “A tablespoon of olive oil can be substituted for the butter in this recipe.”
    • Offer other helpful non-step information that is not appropriate elsewhere.
  • The Tips section is not appropriate for personal opinions, generic comments such as "Enjoy!" or "Have fun!", or for repeating information from the main steps.

Warnings

  • The Warnings section should be used if it’s necessary to alert readers to serious problems they might encounter when completing the task, such as threats to life and limb or any major costs that might be incurred.
  • Not every article will have a Warnings section, but if you’re trying to move past that knife-throwing article without one, you should maybe consider rethinking your approach.
  • Avoid obvious warnings such as “Be careful not to cut yourself with the scissors.”

Things You'll Need

  • In the Things You’ll Need section, include all physical items necessary to complete the task (e.g., scissors, needle, thread). Don't include non-physical needs (e.g., perseverance, time) or items that are obvious or probably already available to the reader.
  • Don't write "a" before a listed item.
    • Example: Incorrect: A pen ; Correct: Pen
  • See How to Add the Things You'll Need Section to a wikiHow Article for more information.

Ingredients

  • If your article needs an Ingredients section, it should go at the top of the article, below the Introduction and above Steps. Include all the edible items that are necessary for the article, as well as their measurements in both metric and imperial.
  • Non-edible items, such as pans, utensils, tools, or machines (e.g., fridges), should be listed under Things You’ll Need.

General Guidelines

Providing References

  • We want readers to feel confident about the accuracy of the information we’re presenting on wikiHow, hence why we place a huge emphasis on both sourcing, as well as choosing reputable references.
  • Avoid using personal blogs and web forums as references unless they’re run by reputable organizations (eg. a professor’s blog linked from their university website, or an expert's personal site). For lighter topics, such as cooking or crafting, there are a lot of respected individual blogs, which are fine to use, just as long as your references look professional and are free of egregious errors.
  • Avoid websites such as eHow, Ask.com, Examiner.com, or other sites where you suspect that a vibrant fact verification process doesn't take place.
  • Don't use websites that are overloaded with advertisements, especially ones that are malicious. If you're using AdBlock, turn it off before searching for references.
  • Don't add hyperlinks to outside sources within the text, as in-text citations are far more likely to be kept with the article. Hyperlinks to external sources within the main text, however, will often be changed or removed by editors, especially if they are intended to pull readers to another site - they have too often been inserted by spammers in the past.
  • Using in-text citations can boost the credibility of what you've written, especially if your references are well-regarded, and enable readers to dig deeper if they want more information.
    • See the example of in-text citations in this guide (below), and refer to "How to Reference Sources on wikiHow" for complete information on how to format in-text citations. [1]

Brand Names

  • Avoid referring to specific products where possible. For example, an article about how to clean up spills, recommend that readers use cloths or paper towels instead of Scotch-Brite™ Kitchen Wipes.
  • There are two exceptions to this rule:
    • When your article talks about how to use a specific product, such as in How to Create a Graph in Excel .
    • When there is no alternative to a brand-name product.

Use of Content Creation Tools

  • We ask that you do not use chatbots or any other auto-text generators to develop your article copy or imagery. Please see our AI Policy for more information.

Measurements

  • To accommodate wikiHow’s international audience, always refer to both imperial and metric measurements: "Walk one mile (1.6 km) every day.". Other good practices include using general phrasing like "Call emergency services" instead of "Call 911/999".

Categorizing Articles

  • Each article on wikiHow must be categorized in some form. Although you can have either one or two categories on them, there might occasionally be a third category called "Articles in Quality Review". This means the article has been demoted and isn't able to be accessed by readers unless the article is directly accessed because it requires editing and improvements.
  • Read How to Categorize a wikiHow Article to learn how to categorize an article.