FalloutWiki:Survival Guide

Welcome to the Fallout Wiki Survival Guide, a series of tools and lessons to assist editors of all skill levels in learning new things, developing leadership skills, and enjoying contributing to the wiki.

Welcome!
Every member of this site is important to the success of the Independent Fallout Wiki, regardless of their edit count, user rights, or time spent here. Each editor has the same right to give advice, ask questions, and edit pages as anyone else. Do not put yourself down by commenting, or believing, that you are "just a newbie" or that you "haven't made very many edits."

Everyone is new at some point, and we are all here to help each other learn. The perspective and knowledge of everyone are what make our work effective and comprehensive, and each contributor is equally valuable!

Specialties
There are several Editing Specialties that you can contribute to on the Independent Fallout Wiki depending on your interests. Many of these disciplines overlap, so you are welcome to explore anything that interests you. If you would rather try something else out, be bold and go for it! If you ever have any questions or ideas, join the Discord - and thank you in advance!


 * Article Creation: Writing and creating articles is one of the most common tasks on the wiki. We have a Format Policy going over how to navigate articles if you are interested. Starting the pipeline by starting articles helps others see opportunities to help out - especially in new sections of the wiki such as Merchandise, Real World, Fallout 76 Updates, and Mods. Check out the list of wanted pages and tools for creating articles.
 * Datamining: The information on Fallout 76 is currently expanding and we need dataminers to help move new information to the wiki for each update. Whether it is statistics, NifSkope renders, crafting information, item location, or game mechanics - we are in need of editors with this skillset.
 * Images: Images are crucial to help illustrate the ideas that we write about on the Independent Fallout Wiki. Image work consists of a few variants, including game images (taking screenshots directly in-game), renders (taking pictures of objects in NifSkope or exporting textures), and product/external images (such as products from Modiphius, Bethesda Website, or developer statements). The Image Policy helps describe how images are uploaded and presented on the wiki.
 * Lore Reviewer: Our wiki is a fork, and a lot of content remains unverified, unconfirmed, or incorrect. We are currently reviewing all content to ensure it is up to our new standards as quickly as possible. In order to maintain our high standards, we need editors that are both well versed in lore and have critical thinking skills to identify information that is not accurate, embellished, or needs fact checking - and source/reword/remove it.
 * Maintenance: Maintenance edits are an important part of our wiki's cleanup efforts following the fork. Several Attention Required categories exist to show issues that need to be addressed. Projects are also a good way to find maintenance edits that have been identified. Whether it is fixing redirect links, capitalizing article names, or moving images - maintenance editors are incredible important to our efforts to keep the wiki consistent, accurate, organized, and tidy.
 * Modules: Modules, skins, and templates make up the base of the Independent Fallout Wiki and they give us the framework we need to make our articles look good as well as allow readers to navigate them quickly. We need editors who have web development experience, especially with MediaWiki, CSS, and cPanel.
 * Projects: Projects on the Independent Fallout Wiki bring members of our community together to assist in specific improvement initiatives. Check out the current Projects, which are also a good way to get started in editing.
 * References: Displaying where information comes from helps avoid details being misremembered or false information based on opinions or personal headcanon turning into widely accepted facts, which damages the community as a whole. All claims on the wiki need to be supported with an independently verifiable reference, whether it be from game contents, publications, developer statements, design documents, or external websites. It is always okay to bring unsubstantiated claims forward to the group, as sometimes the information is available even though it's not documented on the wiki yet, such as in the game files or by way of asking developers. Check out the Objective Writing and Reference Policies for guidance.

Schmault-Tec University
Enroll at Schmault-Tec University! The Schmault-Tec University series covers various aspects of the wiki and its community in a stress-free learning environment. Available on the wiki and in the Discord Server!