Protected entries
Anyone with an account can suggest changes to most entries. A few are protected: fewer people can suggest changes to them, or nobody can. Here’s why, and what you can still do.
Two settings on every entry
- Who can suggest changes. Usually anyone who is signed in. On a protected entry, only trusted editors, or only administrators, can. A closed entry takes no suggestions at all.
- Who can change the entry directly. Usually trusted editors, and the person or organisation the entry is about once they’ve claimed it. Some entries can only be changed by administrators.
Our team sets both, entry by entry. Everyone else’s suggestions are reviewed before they are published, so changes to a protected entry can take longer to appear.
Why we protect an entry
We protect entries at our own discretion. Common reasons are:
- the subject of the entry is controversial;
- the entry is very widely viewed;
- the entry is in a specialist area that needs careful checking.
Some of our staff have entries, and nobody can suggest changes to those.
Closed entries
A closed entry is fully frozen: nobody can suggest changes to it, and it can’t be claimed. We close entries rarely, because it slows down how quickly they are kept up to date, and we may lower or lift the protection later.
What you can still do
If something on a protected entry is wrong or out of date, use Report it on the entry and our team will look. Urgent changes and removal requests are always possible, whatever the protection: contact us, with “Content removal” in the subject for a removal.