Wikibooks:What is Wikibooks/Unstable

Wikibooks is a collection of free open-content textbooks, supplementary texts and annotated texts that anyone can edit. This page briefly defines English Wikibooks' basic project scope which allows us to maintain focus and stay on task. The process for removing material that does not aim to be within project scope is described in the deletion policy.

Wikibooks materials are

• Free. They can be used and distributed by anyone that accepts the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license. They may include derived and aggregations of works that are compatible with the CC-BY-SA license, if properly attributed.
• Open. They aim to be the result of many people working together through consensus building. Almost anyone with an Internet connection can contribute. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then do not contribute to Wikibooks.
• Educational. They aim to be suitable for learning and teaching class or course curricula, and/or for self-learning. Materials are written for fluent English language readers (for other languages see Wikibooks' portal page). Published educational standards are followed when appropriate.
• Comprehensive. They aim to be easy to understand and follow by a targeted audience that is able to learn from reading it, with a scope that defines what is covered and how complete that coverage is intended to be. They are written with purpose and allow readers to read with purpose. To this effect they may use interactive features, multimedia files, a narrative, or links that directly benefit the target audience.
• Consistent. They aim to be consistent in tone, narrative, layout, scope, purpose, audience, and writing style. They should explain these things to authors and readers. They must also build knowledge from one page to the next in a consistent way.
• Reliable. They aim to maintain a neutral tone and present factual information that anyone can independently and easily verify to be accurate and balanced by checking established, respected and reliable sources, or through reasonable and safe reproduction. For primary research use peer-reviewed journals or other websites instead, such as Wikiversity or Academia Wikia. For original works of fiction use The Fiction Wikia.
• Dynamic. They aim to evolve and change over time to reflect current knowledge. Static versions of previously published works that have been released into the public domain or a compatible license may qualify for inclusion on Wikisource.

Wikibooks materials are not

• Collections. They are more than just outlines or a collection of facts, images, quotations, or lists. Bibliographies, Appendixes, Glossaries, reference material, or other collections of information must be part of a book that provides a comprehensive coverage of a subject mater.
• Fiction including novels, stories, poems and other non-factual works. However Annotated texts are fine. For original fiction use The Fiction Wikia.
• Dictionaries or thesauruses. They aim to do more than define topics. For dictionary or thesaurus entries use Wiktionary instead.
• News stories. They are not a primary source of current or breaking news. Use Wikinews for that instead.
• Macropedias or encyclopedia articles. They aim to do more than provide topic overviews. For that use Wikipedia instead.
• Unverifiable. Even books must be composed of verifiable material. If you can't prove it, don't add it!
• Primary sources. They are not for reporting or publishing new information and ideas. For that use Wikiversity instead.
• A main source for other forms of class curriculum, this includes tests, notes and class plans. Use Wikiversity instead.
• Promotional. They are not for promoting or advertising products, services, companies, events, people or other things.
• Paper. They may have needs that are not possible to replicate on paper or in printed form.
• Censored. They are not censored for there potential to be offensive, controversial, unethical, dangerous, illegal, or seen by minors.
• Personal homepages, blogs, mirrors, directories, or soap boxes. This includes anything which does not aid in Wikibooks' educational mission.
• Guides. They aim to do more than give step by step directions, offer guidance or strategies, or provide answers to specific problems. For electronic game guides use StrategyWiki instead.

See also

Related policies and guidelines

• Wikibooks:Copyrights — our official policy on copyrighted material
• Wikibooks:Content disclaimer
• Wikibooks:Original research

Further reading

• Relationship between Wikibooks and Wikisource
• Wikipedia guidelines for writing about fiction