Wikipedia:Identifying test edits

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This page in a nutshell: Test edits are typically performed by new users either to "test the system", to see if their changes will save, or to see what impact their change will make to a page. If you're not sure as to whether or not an edit is vandalism or simply a test edit, it's always best to assume good faith.

Patrolling the recent changes of articles is a big task that many editors dedicate a significant amount of time towards. Nonconstructive or disruptive edits come in very wide ranges of ambiguity and difficulty; some edits are blatant vandalism and are easily identified even by novice editors, while others can be difficult even for experienced patrollers to identify or properly handle; they cross into "grey areas" or could be interpreted one way or another, and they might either be sneaky vandalism or a harmless experiment made by a new user who is just unaware of Wikipedia's policies. A common question that most recent changes patrollers (namely, those who patrol for vandalism) will find themselves occasionally asking is, "is this edit vandalism, or an editing test?"

The reason it's important to understand the difference between the two is because it affects how we should handle the situation. Remember that vandalism is "any addition, removal, or change of content, in a deliberate attempt to damage Wikipedia". While editing tests are certainly deliberate, the intention of editing tests are usually to "see what this will do" or "see if this works", and are usually not made with the intention of damaging Wikipedia. Reverting edit tests should be done manually or with the undo function, or by using a patrolling or reversion tool that expedites and simplifies the undo process for you. Using the rollback function to revert editing tests must come with an edit summary, since the rollback function is designed by default to be used only for the reversion of obvious vandalism only.^[1] The warning or message that is left on the editor's talk page will be different as well, depending on the type of edit (among other things). While the warning templates are different and will assume good faith at first, they will both eventually assume that the user is making bad faith edits and vandalism. You don't want to make the mistake of warning someone for vandalism if they did not do so; it can come out as a bite if a sensitive newcomer takes offense to the mistake. It may also drive them to leave Wikipedia, something we don't want to be doing.

Identifying editing tests apart from vandalism, the assumption of good faith, and the proper handling of "grey area" situations can be challenging. However, it represents one of the many skills in vandalism patrolling that is essential to be proficient at; it separates experienced patrollers from the average and the new, it makes leaders out of followers, and paints maturity and wisdom among those who have been an editor on Wikipedia for a long time. This essay will help you identify the difference between the two.