Wikipedia:Don't cite essays or proposals as if they were policy

This is an essay. 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.

Shortcuts WP:NOTPOLICY WP:DCE WP:EANP

This page in a nutshell: Don’t use essays or proposals as if they were guidelines or policy—not even this essay.

In heated debates, users often cite essays, proposals, WikiProject advice pages, information pages and template documentation pages as defence of their own actions, or to make an accusation of wrongdoing against another editor. This is often inappropriate and can lead to the escalation of a conflict. Essays, proposals and information pages should only be cited as opinions or advice, not admonishment. They should not be used as an end-run around the Wikipedia process of establishing consensus.

It is not a good idea to quote essays—including this one—as though they are Wikipedia-approved policies or guidelines. Essays can be written without much, if any, debate, as opposed to Wikipedia policies and guidelines, which have generally been more thoroughly vetted. Giving a link to an essay without explanation risks misrepresenting it as more than it is. Some essays are widely accepted, but they often represent the views of one or more editors. (See WP:Local consensus for details).