Bahaipedia:Project scope

The scope and focus of Bahaipedia is limited. The primary reason for limiting scope on an otherwise unlimited platform is that editor resources are limited. The majority of time that an article is created it requires the time and attention from other editors to add or correct things like citations, categories and formatting. There are also issues of long-term maintenance, such as cleaning up dead external links. Choosing a focus and limiting scope enables editors to concentrate on articles which are going to be more widely accessed.

General principles

Bahaipedia focuses on three major areas:

• The teachings and principles of the Bahá'í Faith;
• The history of the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths;
• The worldwide Bahá'í community and its institutions.

Acceptable scope

Articles about individuals

See also: Bahaipedia:WikiProject Biography

Standalone biographical articles should be reserved for particularly notable individuals. Generally, articles can always be created on the following types of people:

• Members of institutions responsible for national or worldwide communities
• Any historical figure who is notable for their relationship to the Faith
• Any Bahá’í in good standing who is notable for their contributions to scholarship

Individuals who have made significant impacts in a single field or locality should be included in an article on that field or locality. Individuals who have made impacts across many different fields or localities should have a dedicated biographical article to organize all the relevant information connected to them.

As an example, consider two imaginary Bahá’ís, Bob and Carol.

• Bob became a Bahá’í in the 1970s and was a member of his town's Local Spiritual Assembly for many years, hosted a weekly fireside at the town's Bahá’í centre, supported local teaching campaigns, and was active in local social clubs and youth sports.
  It would make sense to mention Bob's contributions on the article for his town, as he played a significant role in the life of the community there.
• Carol also became a Bahá’í in the 1970s, was a Local Spiritual Assembly member for many years, and was an active travel teacher in her region. Apart from supporting local teaching campaigns, she served on the regional teaching committee, and on her country's first national committee for race unity, helping to plan events and campaigns, communicate with governments, and formulate policy on race relations.
  It would make sense to create a standalone article for Carol, as she was active in service in many fields and levels, and understanding the breadth of her contributions would be too difficult without one.

Articles about places and institutions

See also: Bahaipedia:WikiProject Geography

Articles covering places including cities, towns, states, countries are all acceptable. Standalone articles may also be created about institutions at the international or national levels, along with certain regional institutions which have a special function. Local institutions and most regional institutions are generally out of scope due to their large number and the difficulty of doing research at this level. However, details about local institutions may still be included in articles about the town, city, or region which they serve.

Articles about creative works and products

See also: Bahaipedia:WikiProject Works

Creative works and products, such as books, board games, music, films, and the like are acceptable; however, their inclusion should not benefit you personally. As a minimum standard, items should be distributed through one of the Bahá’í publishers to be included in Bahaipedia. Another standard would be how widespread or notable the products are.