Wikipedia:Administrators' guide/Dealing with disputes: Difference between revisions

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==Overview==

Wikipedia is a busy place with millions of articles already, and thousands of new articles being added (or attempted) every day, with a net gain of thousands of new articles each week. As in any dynamic endeavor, there are bound to be occasional disputes; on Wikipedia, the vast majority are minor or brief, thatand the participants are well able to deal with the issues on their own.

This page is designed to address a different kind of dispute: those that are long-running or widespread, whichwhere the participants do not appear able to resolve in a way that is satisfactory to the participants while adhering to Wikipedia's policies.

In some of these disputes, the presence and/or intervention of an uninvolved administrator may help to de-escalate a dispute.

[[Image:Medic template.gif|left]]'''Administrator intervention in complex disputes is an art, not a science.''' It requires a calm demeanor in the face of bitter attacks, an excellent knowledge of the wikiprocess, a good sense of judgment, and a light touch. When at all possible, administrator intervention should beaim targetedto towards guidingguide the participants towards resolving their own disputes, andrather notthan imposing the administrator's view of "what the article should be."

The goal is to produce an article that complies with Wikipedia's policies, and reflects positively on the project.