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{{Short description|Using Bharatpedia rules against their message}}
{{redir|BP:WL}}
{{dablink|"BP:LAWYER" redirects here. You may be looking for [[Bharatpedia:Legal disclaimer]], [[Bharatpedia:Manual of Style (legal)]], {{section link|Bharatpedia:Gaming the system#Spurious legalisms}}, [[Meta:Wikilegal]], or the [[foundationsite:about/contact/|Bharatmedia Foundation's legal contact page]].}}
{{essay|BP:WL|BP:LAWYER|BP:WIKILAWYER}}
{{policy in a nutshell|align=center|Using a portion of the rules in [[Letter and spirit of the law|a literal manner that goes against the rule's ''intended'' message]] (usually with the intent to "[[BP:WIN|win]]" an editing dispute) is frowned upon by the Bharatpedia community.}}
[[File:Advokat, Engelsk advokatdräkt, Nordisk familjebok.svg|thumb|right|401x401px|A Bharatpedia editor engaging in wikilawyering by using formal [[legal]] terms in an inappropriate way when discussing Bharatpedia [[Bharatpedia:Policies|policy]]]]

'''Wikilawyering''' is a critical term which describes various practices to be avoided in Bharatpedia. Editors who "wikilawyer" apply a portion of a policy or guideline with the motive to achieve an objective that goes against the ''intended'' message of that policy or guideline, particularly when doing so in a way that is stricter, more categorical or more literal than the norm. They abide by the letter of a [[Bharatpedia:Policies and guidelines|policy or guideline]] while violating its [[Letter and spirit of the law|spirit]] or underlying principles. Sometimes they assert that the technical interpretation of the policies and guidelines should override the [[Bharatpedia:Five pillars|underlying principles]] the policies express. Wikilawyers can also [[Bharatpedia:Gaming the_system#Gaming the use of policies and guidelines|willfully misinterpret policy]] or rely on technicalities to justify inappropriate actions, or weaponize policies, guidelines, noticeboards and other Bharatpedia systems with the goal of deprecating an editor rather than to resolve a problem.

The term may also be used in other cases, e.g., when a person superficially judges other editors and their actions by jumping to conclusions and slapping labels while brandishing Bharatpedia policies as a tool for defeating other Bharatpedians rather than resolving a conflict or finding a mutually agreeable solution.

Bharatpedia policies and procedures should be interpreted with [[Bharatpedia:Use common sense|common sense]] to achieve the '''purpose''' of the policy, or help with dispute resolution. Typically, wikilawyering raises procedural or evidentiary points in a manner analogous to that used in formal legal proceedings, often using ill-founded legal reasoning. It can serve to evade an issue or obstruct the crafting of a workable solution. In the [[Legal profession|legal field]], lawyers may use [[Legal technicality|technicalities]] to win a case. "Wikilawyering" can refer to emulating legal practices that may win a court case, but are likely not helpful for [[BP:DR|resolving disputes]] on Bharatpedia, which is [[BP:BURO|not a bureaucracy]].

As another example, the [[BP:3RR|three-revert rule]] is intended to prevent [[Bharatpedia:Edit warring|edit warring]]. An editor who reverts the same article three times day after day is violating [[Letter and spirit of the law|the spirit, if not the letter]], of the rule, and can thus be sanctioned for edit warring.

==Mild commonplace meaning==

Bharatpedia's policies and guidelines are written in a manner that usually is more fuzzy and open to interpretation than laws are. They create certain rules and principles which are applicable in many situations but are not a "how to write a good article" instruction, nor do they replace good decision-making. So, the "rules" and guidelines are just part of the decision-making process, and there is usually latitude on how they are interpreted or to what degree they influence a broader decision.

Also, without even getting into secondary sets of rules, there are about 73 official policy pages and about 280 official guideline pages, many of which are obscure, unknown, overlapping or with wording that is not carefully written. So whatever you are trying to do (such as win a debate or battle), you can probably find or interpret rules to help you win, even though enforcing that rule is not per se your concern. In those cases, your objective isn't to enforce the rule but to use it to achieve a different purpose or outcome. In short, you are using technicalities to achieve a different objective than what the rule was designed to restrict or enforce. While not a good thing, this is not some horrible rare behavior; it is a common practice and the most common meaning of "wikilawyering".

==Related policies==
All editors are expected to follow Bharatpedia's [[BP:PG|policies and guidelines]] (P&G). Civil, succinct, and relevant analysis of P&G is not wikilawyering; it is the best way to mutually resolve disputes. On the other hand, when editors use irrelevant P&G technicalities to try to win a content dispute, [[BP:Consensus]] and [[BP:Disruption]] might apply. When editors use inappropriate P&G argumentation to drive other editors away from a discussion or perhaps even the project itself, [[BP:Bullying]] and [[BP:Harassment]] may be in play.

==Degrees of severity==
Types of wikilawyering vary in severity. At the mild end of the spectrum is using technicalities to try to win a content decision unrelated to the raised technicality. At the severe end of the spectrum is "weaponizing" the Bharatpedia system to try to "get", deprecate, or eliminate the presence of an editor for objectives related to personal or content battles rather than to resolve the issue raised.

== Use and misuse of term ==
{{Anchor|Misuse of the term|reason=Old section name.}}
Some Bharatpedians allege that the charge of wikilawyering is used, particularly by Bharatpedians more influential than they, to avoid giving careful attention to their claims. It is also said that newer users tend to believe nuanced complex policy (particularly [[BP:Neutral point of view]]) conforms to their own point of view and repeatedly refer to policy rather than provide rationale for their edits.

The word ''wikilawyering'' typically has negative connotations, sometimes mild, sometimes more severe. Those utilizing the term should take care that they are not violating behavioral guidelines such as [[BP:No personal attacks]] and [[BP:Civility]]. Most importantly, they should use the term to discuss specific actions and not editors.

The types of wikilawyering vary from mild, commonplace, even inadvertent behavior to severe, deliberate misuse of Bharatpedia policies, guidelines, and systems. It can also be about a specific action or a broader characterization of the individual. So an assertion that it is occurring is not necessarily a strong accusation.

As with any critical term, care should be taken to, at most, criticize the practice or action and not attack the person. For example, the message, "Therefore, I conclude that you are stretching the [[BP:What Bharatpedia is not]] policy here beyond [[Bharatpedia:What "Ignore all rules" means#Use common sense|common sense]], i.e., you are [[BP:WL|wikilawyering]]", while aggressive, is not an insult, but rather a pointer to an identifiable wikibehavioral pattern. Similarly, "This proposal is wikilawyering a bit, because ..." is a comment on the content or nature of the proposal, not on the personality or motives of its author or supporters.

Because reasoned arguments in a debate necessarily include both elements of fact and references to principles, disputants who lack such an argument sometimes try to undermine arguments they cannot otherwise overcome by tossing out the naked accusation that their opponent is a wikilawyer. This is not a good-faith tactic and does not foster a collegial, consensus-seeking atmosphere. Therefore, any accusation of wikilawyering should include a brief explanation justifying use of the term.

Occasionally, editors who engage in [[semantic]] discussions about the language of a policy or guideline, or propose minor changes in the wording of a policy or guideline, will be accused of wikilawyering. In such cases, it may make sense instead to [[Bharatpedia:Assume good faith|assume good faith]] and engage in the discussion productively rather than tar those editors with the wikilawyering brush. And simply being a stickler about Bharatpedia [[BP:POLICY|policies/guidelines]] and [[BP:PROCESS|process]] does not make an editor a wikilawyer; remember that Bharatpedia has an [[Bharatpedia:Arbitration Committee|Arbitration Committee]] closely modelled on a court of law, a system of [[Bharatpedia:Requests for adminship|elections of administrators and bureaucrats]], [[Bharatpedia:Featured articles|Featured Article]] and [[Bharatpedia:Good articles|Good Article]] review procedures, and various other formal processes.

Another example of misuse of the term is when it is known that an editor is actually a lawyer. Sometimes editors who are also lawyers are accused of wikilawyering simply because of how they explain their positions. However, simply being a lawyer does not mean that one is wikilawyering whenever participating in discussion.

== See also ==
===Policies, guidelines and essays===
*[[Bharatpedia:Articles are more important than policy]]
* [[Bharatpedia:Civil POV pushing]]
* [[Bharatpedia:WikiBullying]]
* [[Bharatpedia:Ignore all rules]]
* {{section link|Bharatpedia:Gaming the system#Spurious legalisms}}
* [[Bharatpedia:Bharatpedia is not a bureaucracy]]
* [[Bharatpedia:Do not disrupt Bharatpedia to illustrate a point]]
* {{section link|Bharatpedia:Consensus#Forum shopping}}
* [[Bharatpedia:Policy shopping]]
* [[Bharatpedia:You might be wikilawyering if...]] (humor)
* [[Bharatpedia:RJDLI]] (rationalized [[Bharatpedia:I just don't like it|''just don't like it'']])
* [[Bharatpedia:The rules are principles]]
* [[Bharatpedia:UPPERCASE]], because wikilawyers don't always read what they link to
* {{section link|Bharatpedia:Signs of AI writing#Wikilawyering}}

===Articles===
* [[Rules lawyer]]
* [[Barratry (common law)|Barratry]]
* [[Abuse of process]]
* [[Frivolous litigation|Frivolous lawsuit]]
* [[Vexatious litigation]]
* [[Malicious prosecution]]

==Further reading==
*[http://www.abyssapexzine.com/wikihistory/ "Wikihistory"]

{{Bharatpedia essays|civility}}

[[Category:Bharatpedia culture|WikiLawyer]]

Bharatpedia:Wikilawyering - Revision history

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