How to Create Internal Links on a Wikipedia Article

Using content that already exists within Wikipedia's vast archive of articles is a great way to increase a reader's understanding of a broad topic. As a contributor, you can create internal links to other pages by following these simple steps.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer with Internet connection
• Wikipedia account

Log on to Wikipedia

1. Go to the home page of Wikipedia and click on the language of your choice (see the Resources section below).

2. Log in to your Wikipedia account by clicking on the 'Sign In' link on the main page.

3. Find the article you wish to create internal links to (or from) by entering its title or keywords in the 'Search' field and hitting the 'Search' button.

4. Click on the title link to the article you wish to edit.

Add Internal Links to a Wikipedia Article

5. Click on the 'Edit' link for the section you wish to edit.

6. Follow the code parameters to add internal links. For a direct link to another page where you want the name of the page to be displayed, enter '[[page name]]' (where 'page name' is the exact title of the article you are linking to).

7. Use the following syntax to link to an article while displaying a word or phrase which differs from its name: '[[page name|label]]' (where 'page name' is the title of the article you are linking to and 'label' is the word or words you wish to display in the article). Keep in mind that Wikipedia has a strict policy against misleading links, either internal or external.

8. Find more syntax formats in the 'Help:Link' article in Wikipedia's help section. You can locate this by clicking on the 'Help' link from the 'Navigation' menu.

Publish Your Edits

9. Preview your edits by clicking the 'Show Preview' button on the 'Edit' screen to confirm that you have successfully coded your internal links.

10. Publish your final edits by clicking on the 'Save Page' button. Your edits will go 'live' immediately upon clicking this button.

Tips & Warnings

• Familiarize yourself with the benefits and drawbacks of editing using a Wikipedia account by reviewing the Web site's Privacy Policy.
• Wikipedia has a complex and detailed style structure which is carefully outlined in its 'Help' section. You should peruse these pages and become familiar with this Web site's rules before you create internal links.