| Revision as of 12:58, 25 August 2006 editHiding (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators45,138 edits guideline per consensus at Misplaced Pages talk:Avoid trivia sections in articles/poll← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:10, 25 August 2006 edit undoFrancis Schonken (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users68,468 edits Now that it has become a guideline the proposal to merge it with wikipedia:trivia is even more relevant & worth discussing, no?Next edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{mergeto|Trivia}} | |||
| {| class="messagebox" | {| class="messagebox" | ||
| |- | |- | ||
Revision as of 13:10, 25 August 2006
 | It has been suggested that this page be merged into Trivia. (Discuss) |
|
This page is considered a guideline on Misplaced Pages. It has general acceptance among editors and is considered a standard that all users should follow. However, it is not set in stone and should be treated with common sense and the occasional exception. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page. | Error: no shortcuts were specified and the |msg= parameter was not set. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Lists of facts, as found in trivia sections, are better presented within the context of the text rather than in a section of unrelated items. |
Avoid organizing articles as lists of isolated facts regarding the topic. A number of articles contain lists of isolated facts, often grouped into their own section labelled "Trivia", "Notes", "Facts", or "Other information". We often refer to these informally as trivia sections.
Rationale
These lists can be useful for developing a new article, as it sets a low bar for novice contributors to add information without having to keep in mind article organization or presentation - just tack a new fact on to the list. However, as articles grow, these lists become increasingly disorganized and difficult to read. It is ideal to provide a logical grouping and ordering of facts that gives an integrated presentation providing context and smooth transitions. Whenever you see a "trivia section", take a look at each fact and consider how you might integrate it into the larger text, whether by inserting it into a section, adding a new section, or creating a more targeted list of closely-related items, such as Cameos or Continuity errors. Creating subsections to group items in the list may be helpful in the search for an ideal presentation. Integrating these facts may require additional research to establish further context, locate suitable references to cite, or identify relationships with other facts.
Guidance
This guideline does not suggest removal of trivia sections. Instead, consider it a list of "facts pending integration" or "facts lacking sufficient context for integration". Seek to minimize it, but meanwhile leave it in place as a raw store of facts for both readers and editors to work with.
Other policies apply
Keep in mind, however, that "Trivia" content is not exempt from our rules and style guidelines. It is not a dumping ground for speculation, rumor, hearsay, invented "facts", or libel — continue to follow Misplaced Pages:Neutral point of view, Misplaced Pages:No original research, and Misplaced Pages:Cite your sources. If you have doubts about whether your fact is suitable for inclusion, place it on the talk page instead where other interested contributors can help consider its inclusion and locate suitable references.
Category: