Wikipedia:Simple conflict of interest edit request

For new users, it is recommended that the edit request wizard is used.

"WP:COIER" redirects here. You may have been looking for Category:Wikipedia conflict of interest edit requests.

This simple conflict of interest edit request guide is a supplement to the more general guide on manual edit requests with a focus on assisting editors that have a conflict of interest (COI) and wish to abide by the Wikipedia Terms of Use. If you have not done so yet, please read the plain and simple conflict of interest guide before making a request. A requested COI edit is a request by someone with a conflict of interest for a volunteer to spend their time reviewing and doing the edit.

Before you create a request

• Create an account if you don't have one already. Do not create an account that implies shared use or reflects the name of a company
• If you receive, or expect to receive, compensation for your contributions to Wikipedia, you must disclose who is paying you to edit (your "employer"), who the client is, and any other relevant role or relationship (see WP:PAID for instructions on how to do this)
• When requesting the addition of material, please cite reliable sources to support your proposed changes.
• When requesting the removal of sourced material, please make sure to include conflicting sources that you feel are relevant, if any, as well as being clear as to why you think the information should be removed

How to create a request

Launch the Edit Request Wizard!

For instructions on how to manually create an edit request without the Edit Request Wizard, click [show]

• In the article that will be the subject of your request, click on the Talk tab at the top
• Click on the New section tab at the top. In some cases this will be a plus sign (+) instead
• In the Subject area enter the title of your request. This can be simply "Edit request"
• Paste or enter this exact text in the first line of the comment area: {{edit COI}}. New editors may want to use {{edit COI|N}}, and for major rewrites, use {{edit COI|R}}.
• Press Enter to start a new line, and begin typing your request. Add ~~~~ at the end to sign your username
• When you're done, use the Show preview button to make sure everything is OK. The screen should look similar to this:

Click to expand

• Click the Publish page or Publish changes button to save your changes. Optionally, add the page to your watchlist to monitor subsequent changes to it. You can also configure your preferences to receive an email when something in your watchlist changes.
• If you are asked to provide more information, you will need to reactivate the request by adding {{edit COI}} again when providing your extra information.

The best edit requests...

• are concise and to the point
• are worded neutrally
• include supporting sources, and a clear explanation of why the change must be made
• are not controversial or confrontational

Things to keep in mind

• Any unsourced controversial information can be challenged and removed by request. If it is a case of unambiguous vandalism then you may remove it yourself. However, keep in mind that vandalism has a very strict definition on Wikipedia, and some things are not vandalism.
• Do not engage in an edit war with other editors. Your account could be blocked. Instead, stop and discuss.
• Do not make legal threats, or your account will be blocked immediately.
• The removal of properly sourced, verificable, and neutrally-worded controversial information is very rarely done, unless the source(s) are inappropriate or unreliable, or there is a breach of our biographies of living people policy.
• Simply because you are the subject of an article or you are related to or employed by the subject does not mean you own the article or have special privileges over it. It also doesn't mean you are "right". Wikipedia articles must summarize information provided by sources which are secondary and unrelated to the subject, not primary. Edits based solely on personal knowledge are not acceptable.
• If you have questions, please ask for help. The Teahouse is a help desk monitored by helpful editors that will attempt to assist you with any problems you may encounter

Guide to effective COI edit requests

A proposed edit that is uncontroversial and minimizes the amount of volunteer time necessary to review is more likely to receive a prompt reply and will increase your chances of success.

• Prepare a clearly formatted request. Instead of relying on summaries or vague descriptions, specify exactly what text you want to add, change, or remove, and where.
• Avoid requests that may be controversial. They require more thorough review and may necessitate consensus for implementation.
• Proposed edits should align with the objectives of Wikipedia—to build an encyclopedia—rather than appear to serve primarily other purposes (e.g. advertisement or promotion of an article subject or its products). Explain the reasoning behind your request and clearly state why you want to make a change and how it improves the encyclopedia.
• Understand policies and guidelines: although not required, it is helpful to familiarize yourself with Wikipedia's policies and guidelines and reflect knowledge of them before and when submitting your request.
• Break large edits up into smaller ones. Make smaller proposed edits rather than larger ones, which take longer to review. If your proposal consists of parts that are clearly uncontroversial and parts that are more complex, consider splitting it into two requests. This will increase the chances of the uncontroversial changes being accepted quickly. Similarly if you wish to make multiple large and/or potentially controversial changes then split them into separate requests that don't depend on each other, making it more likely that at least some of your changes will be accepted.

See also

• {{edit COI}}
• {{Request edit}}