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 | This page in a nutshell: Don't be too quick to jump to certain conclusions without real evidence. |
There are many situations that occur on Wikipedia in which one may assume that one or more accounts are sockpuppets. Something is really fishy. All the signs are present, it seems. The suspecting editor may find that the suspected user's behavior looks all too familiar and resembles that of someone who already exists.
But this is not always the case. There are many good faith behaviors that have a lot in common with sockpuppetry and are totally unavoidable and are actually helpful. It is important to assume good faith whenever possible and not jump to the conclusion that sockpuppetry is occurring just because one or more signs are present. Only when editing is extremely disruptive may it be necessary to open a sockpuppet investigation.