Help:Quick guide to editing

This page provides basic instructions for editing on SourceWatch and Congresspedia. Before you can edit, you'll need to quickly register with a valid email address, which is done to deter spammers and vandals.

Editing cheatsheet

See SourceWatch:How to edit a page for more detailed explanations and advanced syntax.

Description	You type	You get
Applies anywhere
Italicise text	''italic''	italic
Bold text	'''bold'''	bold
Bold and italic	'''''bold & italic'''''	bold & italic
Internal link (within Wikipedia)	[[name of page]] [[name of page|display text]]	name of page display text
Redirect to another page	#redirect [[Target page]]	1. redirect Target page
External link (to other websites)	[http://www.example.org] [http://www.example.org display text] http://www.example.org	[1] display text http://www.example.org
Sign your posts on talk pages	~~~~	Username 06:59, 3 April 2025 (UTC)
Applies only at the beginning of the line
Headings of different sizes	== Level 1 == === Level 2 === ==== Level 3 ==== ===== Level 4 ===== ====== Level 5 ======	Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Bullet list	* one * two ** two point one * three	one two two point one three
Numbered list	# one # two ## two point one # three	one two two point one three
Thumbnail image	[[Image:Sourcewatch.png|thumb|Caption text]]	Caption text

Sourcing an article

Each outside source used to cite information added to the site must be added to the Articles and Resources section at the bottom of each page. If you were to add a link to a resource such as THOMAS, you would enter:

*[http://thomas.loc.gov THOMAS]

The star preceding the text will create a bullet point before the source. As is indicated in the example, follow the URL with the name of the resource (the text you wish to be visible). In this particular example, the text will read:

• THOMAS

When adding a new article to the articles section, the following information is necessary:

• Name of the author
• URL of the site where the information was taken
• Name of the article
• Name of the source
• Date the information was published

The following is an example of how a citation should be entered:

*Jonathan Weisman, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/17/AR2006051701779.html "Ethics Panel Starts 3 Probes,"] ''Washington Post,'' May 18, 2006.

Note: The two apostrophes before and after Washington Post italicize the text. This can also be done in the editing window by highlighting the text you wish to italicize and clicking the italics logo at the top of the window. If you wish to bold text, you can either add 3 apostrophes before and after the appropriate text, or highlight the text and click the bold logo at the top of the editing window.

Entering the above text/code will make the following citation appear:

• Jonathan Weisman, “Ethics Panel Starts 3 Probes,” Washington Post, May 18, 2006.

Remember to preview

At the bottom of the edit window, you will see options for "Save page" and "Show preview." It is always best to preview your work and make sure it looks the way it should before saving the page. Until the page is saved, none of your changes will be visible to site visitors.