No original research: “How do you know this?”

When you've written for classes before, you’ve probably been asked to do research, come up with a point of view, and then argue it.

Writing for Wikipedia is different. Wikipedia is not a place to publish your ideas or conclusions about a topic. On Wikipedia, that’s considered “original research.” Of course, you can (and should) do "research" in the traditional sense of finding good information, likely through your library.

"No original research" means your writing for Wikipedia will summarize what other people have said about a topic you’re interested in, so that a Wikipedia reader can get an overview of the current thoughts and understanding of that topic.

While it may be tempting to connect ideas in a Wikipedia article, you shouldn’t make those connections unless someone else makes them in a published, reliable source.