 | This is an essay on the conduct policy. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
As noted in the Dispute Resolution policy, all content dispute resolution procedures – Third Opinion, Dispute Resolution Noticeboard, and Request for Comments (though the requirement is very weak there[1]) – require thorough talk page discussion at the article talk page before a request for DR can be properly filed.[2] This is because Wikipedia is built around a model of collaboration through discussion and edit summaries are not intended to substitute for that discussion.[3]
What is an editor supposed to do when the other editor simply won't respond, or won't engage in the back-and-forth discussion that DR requires? There is no sure answer, but there are administrators who consider continuing to revert without discussing to be disruptive behavior and who will put pressure on the other editor to respond to you. This guide is intended to help editors put themselves in the best position to obtain such assistance.
- ^ Indeed, it is so weak at RFC that it may only be a pointed suggestion, not a requirement.
- ^ Most DR volunteers are pretty flexible about where the discussion occurs, so long as it is on a talk page.
- ^ To allow users to just edit and revert and then jump straight to DR without even making an effort to talk out the problem violates that principle and encourages trollishness and edit warring rather than collaboration.