Wikipedia:To-do list

The To-do list (template {{todo}}) of an article shows, as its name implies, the list of improvements that are suggested for the article. This list is maintained by editors, writers, reviewers or readers like you as a way to focus your collaborative efforts. As such, they represent a tentative consensus, helping improve the efficiency of the editing process.

"To do's" focus on improving otherwise adequate articles: tasks in to-do lists are important, significant, but not urgent (example: "insert a history section", or "provide more examples in the introduction"). They are shared (please do not use as personal to-do list).

The "To do" collaboration mechanism has the following advantages:

• the list of tasks is permanently visible in the talk page of the article, i.e. where most editors will see it.
• articles with To do's are automatically listed in the list of articles with To do's, so that additional editors unaware of the article are also attracted to it.
• potential editors can find the most popular articles where improvements are requested

Other mechanisms exists on Wikipedia to streamline the editing process. Please use the appropriate one to obtain faster response from specialized contributors: Template:List of collaborative edition mechanisms

Feel free to discuss "To do's" in the talk page of articles, to add new tasks, or to work on pending tasks. We also encourage you to contribute to other articles by visiting the list of "articles with To do's", at Category:to do or Category:To do, by priority.

Please note that the to-do list is edited in a special to-do page which is separate from the talk page of the article. However, its content automatically appears at the top of the talk page. Therefore, you cannot edit the normal talk page to modify the to-do list, as you may have expected. This is further explained in the detailed procedures below.

Procedure

To discuss a task and help reach a consensus:

• in most cases, you just edit the task as described below, summarizing the change and its reason in the edit summary as necessary
• if more discussion space is needed, enter a new heading at the bottom of the talk page of the article (not in the to-do page) to start a new discussion

To start a new to-do list:

• go to the talk page of the article
• edit it
• at the top of the edit box, enter {{todo}}
• save your edit : the talk page is now shown with an empty To-do list
• click the "Click here" link at the top of the talk page to go to the to-do page.
• enter "*" followed by the description of the task. Please begin with a verb such as "explain", "discuss", "justify" to clearly describe the task.
• enter an edit summary as needed, select "Watch this page", and save your changes
• if needed, go back to the talk page to check your entry

To add a task to the to do list:

• click the "Click here" link at the top of the talk page to go to the to-do page
• enter "*" followed by the description of the task. Please begin with a verb such as "explain", "discuss", "justify" to clearly describe the task.
• enter an edit summary as needed, select "Watch this page", and save your changes
• you can now go back to the talk page to check your entry

Similarly, to edit or remove a task from the to-do list:

• click the "Click here" link at the top of the talk page to go to the to-do page
• edit or remove the task in the edit box
• enter an edit summary as needed, select "Watch this page", and save your changes
• you can now go back to the talk page to check your entry

What a to-do list is

• A place to help give the page clear direction
  • General goals for the page
  • New sections to be added
• A place to note facts which need to be found or checked for the article
• A place to note sections which need expansion or other alterations

What a to-do list is not

• Not a place for discussion (use the talk page for that)
• Not a place for experimental ideas (these should be discussed first to reach a consensus)

Spelling & grammar

• "Todo" is used for simplicity as a template name.
• Otherwise, it is two words, and hyphenated when used adjectivally before the noun, i.e.:
  • "List of things to do"
  • "To-do list"