Wikipedia: The Missing Manual

Appendix A. A Tour of the Wikipedia Page

When you’re registered (Why Register?), and logged into Wikipedia, you’ll see links in a number of places: at the screen’s top right; across the top in tabs; on the left side in boxes, and at the bottom of the page in disclaimers and other boilerplate text.

These features are discussed in detail where they come up throughout this book. This appendix serves as a quick reference when you have a question about what an onscreen element does.

Note

The placement of the links and tabs described in this appendix are based on the use of the Monobook skin, the standard way that all new editors see Wikipedia. If you’re using one of the other seven skins that you can choose from, some of these elements will be in a different place on your screen, and some may not be visible at all. (If you’re not sure which skin you’re using, see Skin.)

The Six Upper-Right Links

The upper-right corner of your screen contains six links when you’re logged in. If you’re not logged in, it says, “Sign in / create account”. Each of these links takes you to one of your personal account pages.

Note

If you have windows open to multiple Wikipedia pages, logging out on one page logs you out completely. Each of the other open pages continues to display the six links in the upper-right corner until you refresh the page. Beware: If you edit one of those pages—whether you refresh the page or not—you’re editing anonymously (Disadvantages to Using Your IP Address), since you’re not logged in. ...