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The difference between policies, guidelines, and essays on Wikipedia is obscure. There is no bright line between what the community chooses to call a "policy" or a "guideline" or an "essay" or an "information page". This explanatory essay itself is a supplemental page, which is an even more ambiguous group. [1]
The purpose of policies and guidelines is to state what most agree upon, and should be phrased to reflect the present consensus. Editing a policy/guideline/essay page does not in itself imply an immediate change to accepted practice. It is bad practice to recommend a rejected practice on a policy or guideline page.
This page includes a listing of policies and guidelines for English Wikipedia. Policy and guideline pages describe Wikipedia's principles and best-agreed practices. Policies are standards that all users should normally follow, while guidelines are meant to be best practices for following those standards in specific contexts.
List of policies and guidelines — a list of principle policies and guidelines. List of policies — a comprehensive descriptive directory of policies. List of guidelines — a comprehensive descriptive directory of guidelines. Manual of Style contents — a comprehensive descriptive directory of the pages which make up the Manual of Style.
Wikipedia actually has few strict rules, but rather is founded on five fundamental principles.Wikipedia's policies and guidelines are developed by the community to clarify these principles and describe the best way to apply them, resolve conflicts, and otherwise further our goal of creating a free and reliable encyclopedia.
Based on parent policies and guidelines: If your proposal relates to an existing policy or guideline, leave a note on the talk page of the related policy or guideline. For example, proposed style guidelines should be announced at Wikipedia:Manual of Style .
A guideline is a statement by which to determine a course of action. It aims to streamline particular processes according to a set routine or sound practice. [ 1 ] They may be issued by and used by any organization (governmental or private) to make the actions of its employees or divisions more predictable, and presumably of higher quality.
The difference between policies, guidelines, and essays is thin and obscure, but some page types are more appropriate for some types of information or advice. Use help, procedure/process, supplement, and information pages appropriately.