Editing Encyclopedia:Vandalism (section)

===For beginners===
{{See also|Wikipedia:Cleaning up vandalism}}
For relatively inexperienced Wikipedians, use these simple steps to quickly respond to what you consider vandalism. This is essentially an abridged version of the above page.

# {{strong|Assess}} whether the edit was made in [[WP:good faith|good or bad faith]]. If in good faith, it is {{em|not}} vandalism as such, so question the accuracy of information on the talk page or add an [[:Template:Inline cleanup tags|inline cleanup tag]], such as a "{{tl|dubious}}" tag, to the disputed edit. If it is in bad faith, then it {{em|is}} vandalism and you may take the appropriate steps to remove it.
# {{strong|Revert}} the vandalism by viewing the page's history and selecting the most recent version of the page prior to the vandalism. Use an edit summary such as 'rv/v' or 'reverted vandalism' and click on 'Publish changes'.
# {{strong|Warn}} the vandal. Access the vandal's talk page and warn them. A simple note explaining the problem with their editing is sufficient. If desired, a [[WP:UWT|series of warning templates]] exist to simplify the process of warning users, but {{strong|these templates are not required}}. These templates include
#* Level one: {{tls|uw-vandalism1}} This is a gentle caution regarding unconstructive edits; it encourages new editors to use a sandbox for test edits. This is the mildest warning.
#* Level two: {{tls|uw-vandalism2}} This warning is also fairly mild, though it explicitly uses the word 'vandalism' and links to this Wikipedia policy. It is the first to warn that further disruptive editing or vandalism may lead to a block, however it uses the wording "loss of editing privileges" rather than "block".
#* Level three: {{tls|uw-vandalism3}} This warning is sterner. It is the first to warn that further disruptive editing or vandalism may lead to a block while actually using the word "block".
#* Level four: {{tls|uw-vandalism4|}} This is the sharpest vandalism warning template, and indicates that any further disruptive editing may lead to a block without warning.
#* Level four-im: {{tls|uw-vandalism4im|}} This warning template should be used only in the worst conditions of vandalism. It indicates that this is the only warning the target will receive, and that further disruptive edits will result in a block without warning.
# {{strong|Watch}} for future vandalism from the vandal by checking the user's contributions. If bad faith edits continue, revert them and warn them again, letting the users know that they can be blocked. Note that it is {{em|not}} necessary to use all four warning templates in succession, nor is it necessary to incrementally step through warnings.
# {{strong|Report}} vandals that continue their behavior after being warned to [[Wikipedia:Administrator intervention against vandalism]]. While not strictly required, administrators there are most likely to respond rapidly to requests which include at least two warnings, culminating in the level-four "last chance" template.