The scope of opera is huge, covering 400 years of history, many countries and many languages. Over the years we have developed detailed guidelines for writing, formatting, and categorizing articles in this area which you'll also find linked from the project page. Don't worry if you make a few mistakes at first—we all went through the same thing when we started! We've found that reference works such the Grove Dictionary of Opera, Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, and the Oxford Dictionary of Opera are helpful for checking facts and providing the essential references required on Wikipedia. If you don't have easy access to them, several project members may be able to help out. Just look for the icon next to their names on the Members page. We also have a Guide to online research in the area.

We hope you have a great time on WikiProject Opera, and please don't hesitate to ask us if you have any questions—we're are always here!