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Wikipedia:Assume good faith

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Assuming good faith(AGF) means assuming that people are not deliberatelytryingto hurt Wikipedia, even when their actions are harmful. This is a fundamental principle onWikipedia.Most people try to help the project, not hurt it. Otherwise, a project like Wikipedia would have been doomed from the beginning.

When disagreement occurs, try as best you can to explain and resolve the problem, not cause more conflict, and so give others the opportunity to reply in kind. Consider whether a dispute stems from different perspectives, and look for ways to reachconsensus.

When doubt is cast on good faith, continue to assume good faith yourself when possible. Beciviland followdispute resolution procedures,rather thanattackingeditors oredit-warringwith them. If you wish to express doubts about the conduct of fellowWikipedians,please substantiate those doubts with specificdiffsand other relevant evidence, so that people can understand the basis for your concerns. Although bad conduct may seem to be due to bad faith, it is usually best to address the conduct without mentioning motives, which might intensify resentments all around.

This guideline does not require that editors continue to assume good faith in the presence of obvious evidence to the contrary (e.g.vandalism), nor does assuming good faith prohibit discussion and criticism, as even editors who try to improve Wikipedia may not have theinformationorskillsnecessary to succeed in their good-faith goals. Rather, editors should not attribute the actions being criticized tomaliceunless there is specific evidence of such.

About good faith

Everyone makes mistakes, both behavioral (such aspersonal attacks) and content-based (such as addingoriginal research). Most of the time, we can correct such mistakes with simple reminders. However, there will be disagreements on Wikipedia for which no policy or guideline has an easy answer. When disagreements happen, ill intent may not be involved. Keep acool head,and considerdispute resolutionif disagreements seem intractable; many of them are not.

Violation of policies—such as engaging insockpuppetry,violatingconsensus,and so on—may be perpetrated in either good or bad faith. There are processes for dealing with all of these, andsanctionsfor repeated violation of policy will apply regardless of whether bad faith was involved or not.

Good faith and newcomers

Main page:Wikipedia:Please do not bite the newcomers
It's a big mess now, but remember: The editor who spilled this probably wasn'ttryingto make a mess for you to clean up.

It is important to be patient with newcomers, who will be unfamiliar with Wikipedia's culture and rules, but may nonetheless turn out to be valuable contributors.

A newcomer's behavior probably seems appropriate to them, and a problem in that regard usually indicates unawareness or misunderstanding of Wikipedian culture. It is not uncommon for a newcomer to believe that an unfamiliar policy should be changed to match their notion of how things should function, especially if they notice that there is already some level of disagreement over the policy in question. Similarly, many newcomers want to have their contributions to articles accepted without question, especially those which pertain to subjects on which they have extensive knowledge. Behaviors arising from these perspectives, while possibly misguided, are usually not malicious and should not be treated as such. Many new users who lack an intuitive grasp of Wikipedia customs are gradually brought around, once the logic behind these customs becomes clearer to them.

Main page:Wikipedia:Copyright violations
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The editor who broke this was probably just trying to get information out. It's still a problem, but their goal was to help.

When dealing with possible copyright violations, good faith means assuming that editorsintendto comply with site policy and the law. That is different from assuming they haveactuallycomplied with either. Editors have a proactive obligation to document image uploads, etc. and material may be deleted if the documentation is incorrect or inadequate. Good-faith corrective action includes informing editors of problems and helping them improve their practices.

Good faith and administrative action

When dealing with potential breaches of policy, administrators should not assume editors have breached policy in bad faith absent evidence to that effect.

What good faith is not

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Many people misunderstand Wikipedia's "assume good faith" policy as meaning "assume another editor performeddue diligence"or" assume blind faith "regarding a reference, editor, or content. However, the actual intention is closer to" presume good intent, "which does not mean" I do not have access to a source, so I 'assume good faith' about the source's content, "nor does it mean" an editor hasremoved unreferenced material,so I 'assume good faith' that they've performed due diligence to ensure there are noreliable sourcesavailable. "

This policy also does not mean you should ignore clear evidence ofdisruptive behaviororviolations of site guidelinesor accept all edits without question. Some bad actors may insist that trust in them should be immutable, per "assume good faith," even when there is evidence against this. However, editors should remember to not disregard patterns of harmful editing, nor should they overlook obvious attempts to deceive,vandalize,or push abiased agenda.Instead, "assume good faith" encourages editors to start with the belief that others are trying to improve Wikipedia. When you encounter a problematic edit, it's important to investigate and address it, but do so with the mindset that mistakes can happen and not every error is made with malicious intent. The purpose of assuming good faith is to maintain a collaborative and respectful editing environment.

Demonstrate good faith

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In addition to assuming good faith, encourage others to assume good faith by demonstrating your own good faith. You can do this by articulating yourhonestmotives and by making edits that show your willingness to compromise, interest in improving Wikipedia, adherence to policies and guidelines, belief in the veracity of your edits, avoidance ofgaming the system,and other good-faith behavior. Showing good faith is not required, but it aids smooth and successful interactions with editors.

Dealing with bad faith

Socrateswas known to steadfastly assume others around him were acting in good faith.
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Even ifbad faithis evident, do not actuncivillyyourself in return,attackothers, orlose your coolover it. It is ultimately much easier for others toresolve a disputeand see who is breaching policies if one side is clearly acting appropriately throughout.

Wikipediaadministratorsand other experienced editors involved in dispute resolution will usually be glad to help, and are very capable of identifying policy-breaching conduct if their attention is drawn to clear and specific evidence.

Be careful about citing this principle too aggressively. Just as one can incorrectly judge that another is acting in bad faith, so too can one mistakenly conclude that bad faith is being assumed; exhortations to "assume good faith" can themselvesreflect negative assumptions about others.

Accusing others of bad faith

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See also:Wikipedia:Assume the assumption of good faith

Avoid accusing other editors of bad faith without clear evidence in the form ofdiffs.Making such claims often serves no purpose and could be seen as inflammatory and hence aggravate a dispute. Without clear evidence that the action of another editor is actually in bad faith orharassment,repeatedly alleging bad faith motives could be construed as apersonal attack.The result could be accusations of bad faith on your part, which tends to create a nasty cycle of unhelpful accusations and counter-accusations.

See also

This page is referenced in theWikipedia Glossary.

Guidelines

Main page:Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines

Essays

Main page:Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines § Essays

Articles

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