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Do not revert an otherwise good edit solely because an editor used a poor edit summary or has a bad username. You cannot remove or change prior edit summaries by reverting, even if you made the edit in question. If an edit summary violates the privacy policy or otherwise qualifies for oversighting or
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meaning the editor who is reading this page right now. This is not a case in which you get to revert to your preferred version while you tell the other editor(s) to stop reverting to their preferred versions. We're trying to prevent an edit war here; we're not trying to get the version that you've
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A reversion is an edit, or part of an edit, that completely reverses a prior edit, restoring at least part of an article to what it was before the prior edit. The typical way to effect a reversion is to use the "undo" button on the article's history page, but it isn't any less of a reversion if one
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revert, rather than the other way around; this gives the other editor a chance to agree with you and revise their edit appropriately. Conversely, if another editor reverts your change without any apparent explanation, you may wish to wait a few minutes to see if they explain their actions on the
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are caught up and lost in a revert. It is often difficult for an editor to restore an uncontroversial portion of their edit without seeming like they are edit warring. If you do feel that all parts of a multi-part edit warrant reversion, it is good practice to note so in your edit summary for
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Edit wars are often myopic, occurring while neither participant is familiar with the big picture. The editors involved tend to focus on only one part of an article without considering other sections of the article or other articles linked dependently to the area in question, resulting in
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Ideally, each edit should contain one distinct change. But in practice, editors often bundle multiple changes into a single edit, such as adding a new section while also fixing a copy error elsewhere on the page. If you object to only part of an edit, consider
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If you see a good-faith edit that you believe lowers the quality of the article, make a good-faith effort to reword instead of just reverting it. Similarly, if you make an edit that is good-faith reverted, do not simply reinstate your edit – leave the
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by alerting the reverted editor to the problem with the original edit. The reverted editor may then be able to revise the edit to correct the perceived problem. The result will be an improved article, a more knowledgeable editor, and greater harmony.
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In addition to helping the reverted editor, providing information regarding the reversion will help other editors by letting them know whether – or not – they need to even view the reverted version, such as in the case of
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and informative explanation including, if possible, a link to the
Knowledge (XXG) principle you believe justifies the reversion. Try to remain available for dialogue, especially in the half-day or so after reverting.
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Edit wars tend to cause ill-will, delay editor development, and reduce editor retention. An editor can feel a revert is "a slap in the face" – "I worked hard and someone reverted it!"
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rather than reverting. Violation of the three-revert rule may lead to protection of the page on the version preferred by the non-violating party, blocking or investigation by the
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are generally considered to be exceptions to the three-revert rule. These include reverts of obvious vandalism, reverts of banned users, and removal of potentially libelous text.
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means reversing a prior edit or undoing the effects of one or more edits, which typically results in the article being restored to a version that existed sometime previously. A
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of a previous edit. However, this is not the way the community defines reversion, because it is not consistent with either the principle of collaborative editing or with the
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Editors should not revert simply because of disagreement. Instead, explore alternative methods, such as raising objections on a talk page or following the processes in
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Edit wars destabilize the article in question and may be off-putting to the observant and wary editors who would otherwise contribute stabilizing improvements to it.
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A reversion is a complete rejection of the work of another editor and if the reversion is not adequately supported then the reverted editor may find it difficult to
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state that one may not revert any article more than three times in the same 24-hour period. This is a hard limit, not a given right. Attempts to circumvent the
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reversal of one or more previous edits) are singled out for special treatment because a reversion cannot help an article converge on a consensus version.
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Nobody can be compelled to follow the advice in this essay. However, favoring the status quo while discussion is taking place is one way to prevent
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It contains the advice or opinions of one or more
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link in the page history, or revert manually. If you use the undo link, the editors whose edits you revert will receive a
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inconsistencies with the big picture concerning the content in question. The noticeboard is part of the big picture too.
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A single edit may reverse multiple prior edits, in which case the edit constitutes multiple reversions.
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You reverse all of Alice's changes in wording, restoring the article to the previous version.
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When intermediate edits have been made, it is sometimes not possible to use the undo link.
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revert an edit made in good faith only with an explanation and after careful consideration
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is good. Leave the status quo and the tag in place until the discussion concludes.
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involves reversing only part of a prior edit, while retaining other parts of it.
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Alice re-phrases the wording in the first paragraph of an existing article.
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When you have decided to revert, please consider whether you will use the
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You remove most of Alice's new paragraph, but leave one or two sentences.
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decided is the One True™ Correct
Version showing as soon as possible.
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To eliminate the risk of an edit war, do not revert away from the
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If your reasons for reverting are too complex to explain in an
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less useful, and flood recent-change lists and watchlists.
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been reverted to an older, pre-dispute version, then it's
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helpful if you avoid reverting to a different version.
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Exceptions to this recommendation include the following:
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Reverting is appropriate mostly for vandalism or other
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Alice adds a new paragraph at the end of the article.
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