General Questions
Is SCP real?
No. We are a creative writing website. The Foundation, its anomalies, and everything else that's been written about is fictional.
Fair. In-character, what is the SCP Foundation?
We are the last bastion of security in a world where natural laws rapidly break down. We are here to protect humanity from the things that go bump in the night, from people who wield power beyond mortal understanding. We are here to make the world a safer place. We are the holders of wonders, and the caretakers of dreams. We are why the world continues.
See also About The SCP Foundation.
What does "SCP" stand for?
"Special Containment Procedures" and the motto "Secure. Contain. Protect."
How can I join the SCP Foundation?
Go to our Join page and follow the instructions from there.
Can the memetic hazards hurt me? Will I die if I ignore a security warning? Will anything happen to me in real life from reading these pages?
No. The "memetic hazards" are just random pictures. The security warnings are just to tell the reader how much the Foundation thinks these things are important and scary. They're not real.
I saw an SCP! / I think I am an SCP! What do I do?
Again, SCP isn't real. SCPs are fiction that we wrote, and we are not a roleplaying site.
Do you have a Discord server?
We do not. Communication within the wiki community is conducted primarily through the SkipIRC network on IRC due to the ease of moderation.
But what about [SCP-related Discord server]?
The SCP Wiki does not operate an official Discord server for the Wiki; however, certain staff teams do operate private Discord servers in order to facilitate staff work. Additionally, many international/translation branches operate their own Discord servers.
Do you all write this stuff, or did someone else?
We wrote all this stuff. We are a community of writers.
How long has this site been around?
Basically, the original SCP (SCP-173) was written back in 2007, the first incarnation of this wiki (on editthis.info) was made in early 2008, and we moved to Wikidot in the middle of that year.
Read forum post and the site history essay for more.
I want to create a project based on the SCP Foundation. Can I do that?
Yes! See our Licensing Guide for more information. The short version:
- SCP is licensed under the Creative Commons Share-Alike 3.0 License
- Yes, you can make money off of anything — except the image of SCP-173. But you must follow the license.
- The Creative Commons license means anyone else can copy and profit off of anything you make if they wish.
- DRM is explicitly forbidden by the CC-BY-SA 3.0 License.
- You do have to credit us and link our site.
- No, we can't take off the Creative Commons license. Not 'won't' — 'can't'.
- Yes, we will help you sort out licensing confusion if you ask. See the Licensing hub for more details.
I have a question about Containment Breach/Secret Lab/Blackout/some other video game.
We are not the official site for any of the SCP video games, and cannot take feedback or bug reports on them.
I have a question about an offsite content creator's SCP work.
We are not officially affiliated with any offsite SCP content creators. Their content can be found on their own channels.
Why do you have an age limit?
The SCP Wiki expects a certain standard of maturity. Presently, the SCP Wiki is in a three-year process of raising its age limit from fifteen to eighteen; as a result, anyone presently born after May 8, 2005 will not be old enough to join the site by the time the age requirement increases each year.
I'm mature enough, but I'm technically underage. Can you make an exception?
Apologies, but we can't make exceptions for "maturity". If you tell us you're underage, or if we figure it out, we'll be forced to ban you.
Bans for being underage expire when a user reaches the minimum required age. As with other temporary bans, attempting to evade bans for being underage may result in a permanent ban.
Can I draw or make artwork about an SCP? Can I show you?
Absolutely! Post away in our Fan Work forum. You can also post on Visual Records — anyone can join, even if they're not a member here. If you have at least three pieces of artwork related to SCP, you can make an art page!
What is vandalism?
We define any unauthorized edits to pre-existing content on the site as vandalism. You are free to edit your own works as you see fit, but editing the work of other users without permission is against the rules. You are already authorized to make minor grammar edits (fixing unintentional typos, spelling errors, etc), but nothing more. You may request any additional edits to be made to existing work by asking the original author, the current curator of that work, or a member of the Rewrite Team. If you don’t get permission, don’t make the edit. If you don’t know if your edit requires permission, you may ask in our IRC chat.
Questions About SCPs & Stories
Will I die if I scroll down and read SCP-001? Can I click on SCP-2000?
You'll be perfectly fine if you scroll down and read SCP-001. Yes, you can click on SCP-2000. This is true for all SCPs like this. You're supposed to read everything. These are works of fiction — they can't hurt you.
Which SCPs should I read?
The biggest tip we can give you is: Don't ONLY read Series 1 (i.e. the first 1000 SCPs). Series 1 can be great, but it's a decade old and can sometimes fall short of modern site standards. We've also got Series 2, 3, 4, 5 and the latest series, Series 6. Try reading an equal number of SCPs from each series. Also, read some Tales and GoI Formats too!
Additionally, check out the user curated lists for recommendations sourced from the community itself! You can also ask on the forums or in our IRC chat for peoples' recommendations.
How come there are so many contradictions? What is canon?
The SCP Foundation is built on contradiction! There is no "one true canon", and even the established canons we do have tend to be flexible. The only exception is if a certain view is too "off-concept" to be accepted by the readers, or too silly in a bad way.
In-character, the Foundation may put false and contradictory information in "public" versions of SCP articles as a security measure.
What's a "skip" or a "scip"?
It's slang for "SCP".
What's the correct spelling: amnesic, amnestic, or amnesiac?
The correct spellings are "amnesic" and "amnestic". "Amnestic" is more commonly used and considered the correct term. "Amnesiac" means "a person who has amnesia".
Note: A few authors of older works have chosen to keep the "amnesiac" spelling, the original spelling, as a stylistic choice. If you're helping fix the spelling on old articles, please make note of this and respect the author's decision should they revert your edit(s).
What's up with D-Class? Are they really from death row? Are they really killed at the end of the month?
Only sometimes. Check out Security Clearance Levels for one interpretation on D-Class, but because there's no centralized canon, even that's more of a guideline than a rule.
Is SCP-173 based on the Weeping Angels? Or the Endermen?
Possibly not. The current oldest known posting of SCP-173 on 4chan was created on June 22nd, 2007, a couple of weeks after the BBC airdate of Blink, and before the US airdate for the episode. The Endermen were created in 2010, much later.
I remember reading this one SCP, but I can't find it anymore!
One of two things might have happened:
- You might have forgotten the number! There's… quite a few of these, so that's common. This forum thread is a good resource for finding articles you can't remember, and the SCP Reddit also allows users to make "Tip of my Tongue" posts in case they want to find something again.
- The SCP in question was deleted. While we don't archive deleted articles ourselves, if an article was around for long enough, it may have been archived by the fan-made SCPper.
Questions About Writing SCPs & Other Writing Questions
How do I write an SCP? Where do I submit an SCP?
Read the How to Write an SCP for a step-by-step guide!
I wrote an SCP. Do you want to see it?
Yes, of course. Please show it to reviewers before posting, although you don't have to. And please read How to Write an SCP even if you've already written it.
You'll first want to make a page (named after you) on the sandbox wiki. Ideally, you'll have made an Idea thread before starting your draft. You can get feedback on it on the Ideas Critique boards. If you don't have any successful pages present on the wiki, you'll need to have your idea reviewed and greenlighted before you can post it to the draft forums.
Once you're either greenlighted for an idea or have a successful article, you can post a link to your sandbox in the Drafts Critique boards. You can also seek feedback in chat!
Can I just post an SCP without any feedback?
Yes, you can. This isn't encouraged, however. Please read the How to Write an SCP guide and show it to reviewers first. Once you get enough feedback, and most people think it looks good, then post it.
You can take the risk, bypass the critique forums and post it to the site with no feedback - this is referred to as "coldposting". This is absolutely not advised if you're not experienced in writing for the Wiki.
What if my friends like it?
Show it to reviewers anyway. We have different standards than your friends.
I posted my SCP, but it was downvoted. Why don't you like it?
Once you've posted your finished work to the site, readers will vote on it, and they're not obligated to explain their vote (although many choose to do so, leaving comments on the article's discussion page).
The site is for summary judgement of finished work — it's not for soliciting opinions on drafts. If your article is doing poorly and you're having trouble finding out what your readers think of it, you would probably benefit from getting more critique.
Please keep in mind that critique — both on the critique forums and on published works — is aimed at the work, not at the author. Negative comments that are aimed at the author are considered personal attacks and are not tolerated.
How do I become a good writer?
(1) Practice writing a lot and (2) listen to feedback, and usually you will be able to create something good. If you specifically mean for the wiki, (3) reading the wiki also helps.
We also offer Seminars on a semi-regular basis, as well as various guides and essays on the ins and outs of writing.
Can I cross-test? Can I use crosslinks? Can I use an author avatar?
Yes. Please read the Crosslinks guide in How To Write An SCP first, and keep in mind that Author Avatars are subject to the same standards as any other character.
But people are saying I can't do those things at all!
They are wrong. Some people still repeat outdated information. You can do all these things, as long as your piece survives.
Can I reserve an SCP number on the list?
No, you cannot. SCP numbers are first come, first serve.
Can I write something from a thing I read or watched as an SCP?
Nope. Articles have to be original work; attempting to pass off something from existing media as your own creation amounts to plagiarism, which can net you a permanent ban.
Can I use other authors' characters and SCPs in what I write?
Yes, you can. If the author is still around, you might want to ask them for their advice first, but you don't necessarily have to.
When can I post an author page?
Once you have at least three positively-rated mainsite pages (including SCP articles, tales, GoI-format documents, site dossiers, and artwork pages), you may post an author page. Any combination of page types is fine, so long as the total number is three.
Do you guys want pictures that other writers can use in their SCPs?
Yes, definitely! We have a really cool Visual Records site where you can upload art or pictures. The Visual Records wiki is currently in open registration, just hit Join in the sidebar to become a member. There are also SCP fuel images, if you want to contribute to those.
The best images you can contribute are images that you own yourself! You can either give us permission to use them while retaining your copyright, or release them to Creative Commons.
Community & Staff Questions
How can I contribute if I'm not a good writer?
Just be friendly and hang out with us! If you can give good critique, awesome. If you have some research skills, or can help out with other things, awesome. But just being cool is generally enough.
Why is everyone mean to me?
Critique isn't meant to be mean. Our Site Rules and Criticism Policy lay out standards of acceptable critique; the long and short of it is that we're here to help your article succeed, and sometimes that means picking it apart like a dead alien at a black site.
Bullying and abuse, however, will not be tolerated, and we encourage you to report to a member of staff if any user (including another member of staff) is targeting you for such things.
Is that [other site member] single?
That is not your business, and it doesn't matter if they're single or not! This is not a dating website. Hitting on other users is a terrible idea. And if you creep people out, you'll get banned pretty quick.
Why does [harsh critic] hate everything?
They don't actually hate everything. If they did, they wouldn't care enough to be here. They're just… well, harsh critics, with high personal standards.
Can I change someone else's article?
You can only edit for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Otherwise, please leave a comment in the article's discussion thread requesting a change. You can also send a message to the author, or to the rewrite team. Consult Site Rules for more info.
Where is [insert member of site staff]?
Hang out in chat and see if they show up. Listings of staff members can be found on the Contact Staff and Meet The Staff pages. Please note that some people have permanently left the community and aren't around anymore.
Please keep in mind that just because a user has a fictional author avatar character who is SCP Foundation staff, that doesn't necessarily mean that user is SCP Wiki staff IRL. For example, "Real Life" 
Zyn and 
DrEverettMann are real site staff, but "Real Life" Kondraki is not.
How do I become staff?
That depends!
The SCP Wiki staff structure consists of various teams (detailed here). Each team is responsible for a certain aspect of site function, such as critique or maintenance. Joining a team typically involves contacting one of the respective team captains and applying to volunteer.
Certain teams will occasionally put out calls for recruitment, often in the Announcements boards. Others, such as Forum Criticism, might scout for talent among existing users who are more-or-less performing staff-adjacent functions already.
In all cases, members are recruited as "Junior Staff", and subject to what is essentially a "trial period". Thrice yearly, captains may put Junior Staff up for promotion to Operational Staff.
Note that certain teams (Such as Rewrite and Disciplinary) are exclusive to Operational Staff.
Please note that it is very hard to become staff without first being a positive influence on the community as a member.
Am I allowed to read the posts on the admin site, O5 Command?
Yes, you can read those! A lot of new people think they're not supposed to be reading that site and might get in trouble for it. But you're fine. Read away. It's public for a reason. If we didn't want it to be public, we wouldn't put it there.
I’m really new, and I don’t know all the rules yet. Is that ok?
The rules still apply, even if you’re new. However, people breaking the rules are almost always warned ahead of time before anyone starts talking about bans. It’s important to pay attention to warnings issued by Staff. These are generally posts in the forums that say Staff Post - Info or something similar. We also send site PMs from time to time, and in the chat official warnings are usually pretty clear.
What kinds of things can get me in trouble?
Rule Zero of the SCP Wiki is ‘Don’t be a dick’. Most rules descend from that. Excessive rudeness, posting NSFW content in public spaces, not listening when a staff member asks you to stop something (for example, changing a conversation topic in IRC chat), spammy messages around the forums, editing others’ work without permission, plagiarism, bigotry, ‘being a creep’, threats, harassing other members - essentially, anything covered in Site Rules, and anything that doesn’t fit in polite company, if done in excess, could get you in trouble.
I got warned for X, does that mean I’m about to get banned?
No! It just means you’ve been warned about doing X. Try not to do it any more, or depending on the context, change how you’re approaching situations around X. Warnings are our very first step of discipline, and it’s meant more as a “Hey, cut this out or change how you’re doing things a bit, we don’t want you to get in trouble”.
I got revoked, what happens next?
A “revoke” is essentially a temp-ban; they’re handed out for smaller-scale issues and minor rule breaking if there isn’t a previous history. Sometimes revokes are issued when someone is spamming a lot to the site and aren’t listening to other types of staff warnings. Revokes are used as a hard “Heads Up, this behavior isn’t good” and don’t always come along with a ban. Just take a breather and re-apply in 24 hours (after brushing up on the site rules, of course).
I got banned for a long time, can I appeal?
Yes. You can appeal once after you get banned, and then again one year to the day of the initial ban date.
What should I do in my appeal?
- Take it seriously. Most bans are a result of rule breaking behavior, but not all rule breaking behavior is intentional. If you think this is one of these cases, let us know! We take such things seriously and we hardly ever WANT to ban anyone.
- Be prepared. Take the time to read the 05 thread associated with the ban. We try to make those as clear as possible so there shouldn’t be any confusion as to why someone was banned. If you are still not sure, ask. We will do our best to clarify why the ban was implemented.
- Be patient. Harassing staffers about your ban generally doesn’t help. We understand that this is a big deal for you and we try to be accommodating, but staffers have lives too and all of us are volunteers.
Remember, you’re talking to a real human when you are appealing. Being abusive or violating Rule 0 in your appeal is never a good idea and is unlikely to help you get what you want.
I’ve been permanently banned, what happens next?
Usually, perma-bans are for obvious and explicit rule breaking, or for certain kinds of harassment or trolling behaviour. If you’ve been delivered a “permanent” ban and not a one-year, staff will usually have good grounds to not accept you back any time soon. That being said, for most cases you’ll be permitted to make an appeal. We suggest you take this appeal seriously and do your best to present your argument. If not accepted, and depending on your circumstances, you will generally be allowed to appeal again on the anniversary of the original ban. We generally are not going to accept appeals for sockpuppeting, ban evasion, or severe trolling/vandalism.
Under-age bans (that is, bans where the banned person is under our age limit) do not count as permabans for this, and you’ll be allowed to apply once you’ve hit the age limit, so long as you don’t try and sneak in early.
My appeal was accepted! What happens next?
Just re-apply to the site just as if you were a new member. Bans have to be removed manually by an Administrator, and part of how Wikidot’s system does bans involves actually fully removing somebody from the site member list. If you cannot re-apply, let a member of staff know. Sometimes it takes a little bit to remove a ban, and sometimes Wikidot’s systems are excessively slow in recognizing when one is lifted, so please have patience with us.
What happens if I try and evade my ban?
Lots of people try, and when they’re caught, the original ban is almost always increased to a permanent ban. I understand that being banned is frustrating, but trying to get around that ban will only make things worse. Please just don’t.
