 | This page documents an English Wikipedia content guideline. Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Spam is the inappropriate addition of content to Wikipedia with the intention of promoting or publicizing an outside organization, individual or idea, and is considered harmful to the encyclopedia. Do not disrupt Wikipedia with spam. If you find spam, please remove or rewrite the content. |
There are three main types of spam on Wikipedia:
- Advertisements masquerading as articles: Sometimes editors add content that seems more like an advertisement than an encyclopedia article. Even when the promotional material is added in a good-faith effort to improve Wikipedia, it is not appropriate for an encyclopedia article.
- External link spamming: Sometimes editors add inappropriate links to external websites. Adding the same website to multiple articles usually causes other editors to suspect that a spammer is trying to promote the website.
- Reference spamming: Sometimes editors add citations to sources in contexts or volumes that make other editors suspect that the main goal is promoting the author or the work being cited, rather than impartially providing a relevant citation.