Wikipedia:Mass editing

Mass editing is editing that occurs when a single editor makes the same change to a large number of articles, typically employing the assistance of a tool such as the AutoWikiBrowser. Although mass editing can be carried out by a bot, it is also possible (and sometimes necessary) for such edits to be carried out manually, so that the editor can see the pages being edited and make a judgment call as to whether a particular page should be skipped or edited differently from others in the group. For example, an editor may generate a list of articles containing a common misspelling or typographical error, but may find that in some instances the misspelling or other error is intentional because it is contained in a quote or as part of a URL or filename, and therefore should not be changed.

Some kinds of mass edits are presumptively correct to undertake. For example, when a title with a large number of incoming links is made into a disambiguation page, editors commonly use mass editing tools to correct the incoming links, although they must be careful that in each instance they choose the right disambiguation target.

Disputes

Depending on the number of articles to be edited and the degree to which the edit changes those articles, it may be advisable (or even required) to obtain consensus before beginning to undertake a series of mass edits. It should be assumed that mass editing will always have at least some disrupting character, and that consequently the benefits should outweigh the disruption. Among the potential disruptive effects of mass edits are that edits to watched pages will fill up editor watchlists, and mass edits to pages that are subject to frequent vandalism may mask instances of vandalism undertaken shortly before the mass edit is made.

Editors who are collectively or individually making large numbers of similar edits, and are apprised that those edits are controversial or disputed, are expected to attempt to resolve the dispute through discussion. It is inappropriate to use repetition or volume to present opponents with a fait accompli or to exhaust their ability to contest the change. This applies to many editors making a few edits each, as well as a few editors making many edits. Editors who carry out mass editing are required to be responsive to complaints while the mass editing is ongoing. They should be prepared to interrupt the process and to check if there is a serious problem which needs to be addressed first before continuing.

Cosmetic changes

Mass edits making only cosmetic changes to wikicode are likely to be controversial. In a discussion on the Administrator's noticeboard, a restriction was imposed that prohibited an editor from making cosmetic changes to wikicode that have no effect on the rendered page (excepting those changes that are built-in to stock AWB or those that have demonstrable consensus or BAG approval). This includes but is not limited to: changing templates to template redirects, changing template redirects to templates (see here for AWB stock changes on this item, with the understanding that bypassing template redirects will only be done when there is a substantive edit being done), changing the spacing around headers and ordered lists (except to make an aberration consistent with the rest of the page), and changing the capitalization of templates.

Rate of edits

Per WP:BOTREQUIRE, the editing speed of bots must be regulated in some way; subject to approval, bots doing non-urgent tasks may edit approximately once every ten seconds, while bots doing more urgent tasks may edit approximately once every five seconds. Similar constraints should also be considered for semi-automatic or supervised manual mass editing. In no case should an editor ever edit more quickly than their ability to confirm the correctness of each edit made.