Misplaced Pages

:Stub: Difference between revisions - Misplaced Pages

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 03:54, 1 July 2006 view source70.20.145.110 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit Latest revision as of 05:39, 6 January 2025 view source Tule-hog (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users4,594 edits →How big is too big?: boldly add {shortcut} 
(965 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
<noinclude>{{Short description|Article too short for encyclopedic coverage}}{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}{{Pp-move-indef}}
{{Guideline|]}}
</noinclude>{{for|proposing new stub articles|Misplaced Pages:Articles for creation|Misplaced Pages:Requested articles}}
this articl is a stub
{{Subcat guideline|editing guideline|Stub|WP:STUB|WP:STUBS|WP:STB}}
'''Stubs''' are Misplaced Pages entries that have not yet received substantial attention from the editors of ], and do not yet contain sufficient ] on their subject matter. In other words, they are short or insufficient pieces of information and require additions to further increase Misplaced Pages's usefulness. The community values stubs as useful first steps toward complete articles. Anyone can complete them.
{{Nutshell|An article too short and incomplete to provide more than rudimentary information about a subject should be marked as a '''stub''' by adding an ] to the end of the article. Anyone can edit a stub article, or remove a stub template from an article which is no longer a stub.}}
{{Style}}
{{Article creation}}


A '''stub''' is an article deemed too short and incomplete to provide encyclopedic coverage of a subject. As of 2024, almost half of Misplaced Pages's articles could be considered stubs.
The objective of this article is to provide a general guide for dealing with stubs. The first section, '']'', contains basic information. The second half, '']'' contains more specialist material.


This page provides a general guide for dealing with stubs: the first section, '']'', contains information that is recommended for most users; and the second section, '']'', contains more specialized material.
== Essential information about stubs ==


Existing stub categories can be found at ], as maintained by the
A stub is an article that is too short to be genuinely useful, but not so short as to be useless. In general, it must be long enough to at least define the article's title, which generally means 3 to 10 short sentences. Note that even a longer article on a complicated topic may be a stub; conversely, a short article on a topic of narrow scope may not be a stub. However in reality many articles which are labelled as stubs are much longer than that. You can help Misplaced Pages by removing inappropriate stub notices.
] collaborative.


==Basic information==
Another way to define a stub is an article so incomplete that an editor who knows little or nothing about the topic could improve its content after a superficial Web search or a few minutes in a reference library. An article that can be improved by only a rather knowledgeable editor, or after significant research, may not be a stub.
{{Shortcut|WP:STUBDEF}}
A '''stub''' is an article that, although lacking the breadth of coverage expected from an encyclopedia, provides some useful information and is capable of expansion. Non-article pages, such as disambiguation pages, lists, categories, templates, talk pages, and ], are not regarded as stubs.


Sizeable articles which lack ] or ] are generally not considered stubs, and the normal procedure is for one of the ] to be added to them, instead. Note that small articles with little information may end up being nominated for ] or be ] into another relevant article. Misplaced Pages is not a dictionary, but has a sister project—the ]—which is. If your article is very short consider either moving it to the Wiktionary or, even better, adding some more information to it. If a stub has little ] information, or if its subject has no apparent ], it may be ] or be ] into another relevant article.


While a "]" may be enough to qualify an article as a stub, ]. The distinction between dictionary and encyclopedia articles is best expressed by the ]:
=== Removing stub status ===
* A dictionary article is ''about'' ] and will often have several ''different'' definitions for it
* An encyclopedia article is ''about the subject ] the title'' but usually has only '''''one definition''''' (or in some cases, several definitions that are largely the ''same'') but there may be ''several equivalent words (synonyms) or phrases for it''.


Sizable articles are usually not considered stubs, even if they have significant problems or are noticeably incomplete. With these larger articles, a ] is usually added instead of a stub template.
Once a stub has been properly expanded and becomes an article rather than just a stub, you or any editor may remove the stub tag from it. No ] action or formal permission is needed.


=== Categorizing stubs === ===How big is too big?===
{{shortcut|WP:STUBLENGTH}}
Over the years, different editors have followed different ] to help them decide when an article is likely to be a stub. Editors may decide that an article with more than ten sentences is too big to be a stub, or that the threshold for another article may be 250 words. Others follow the ] standard of 1,500 ], which is usually around 300 words.


'''There is no set size at which an article stops being a stub.''' While very short articles are very likely to be stubs, there are some subjects about which very little {{em|can}} be written. Conversely, there are subjects about which a lot could be written, and their articles may still be stubs even if they are a few paragraphs long. As such, it is impossible to state whether an article is a stub based solely on its length, and any decision on the article has to come down to an editor's best judgment (the user essay on the ] may be of use when trying to judge whether an article is a stub). Similarly, stub status usually depends on the length of prose text alone; lists, ], images, and other such peripheral parts of an article are usually not considered when judging whether an article is a stub.
After writing or finding the short article, the editor should insert what is called a ''stub template'', which makes it possible for the article to be flagged as a stub. By convention, these stub templates should be placed near the bottom of the article. Because the stub identification is rendered on an article page prior to ] items like categories and inter-Wiki language links, the template is usually placed at the end of the article proper, after the ''External links'' section if it exists, but before categories or inter-Wiki links. However, since the stub category is the least important of the article's categories, some Wikipedians prefer to place the template after the category tags, so that the stub category will appear last.


That said, ] is frequently set to automatically remove stub tags from any article with more than 500 words. This threshold was chosen because it is very unlikely that any article containing more than 500 words is correctly classified as a stub.
Stub templates are composed of two distinct parts: first, a short message stating that said article is a stub of a particular kind and encouraging editors to expand it; second, a category link, which places the article in a ''stub category'', together with other stubs with the same subject as it.


===Creating and improving a stub article===
The need for stub categories arose when the main stub category—{{tl|stub}}—became so full that it got quite hard to find articles on a specific topic. With stub categories, if an editor is, for example, a ], he or she can look for articles with the tag {{tl|biology-stub}} on said category and easily find stubs to which they can add, subtract, modify, etc.
{{Shortcut|WP:PSA|WP:IDEALSTUB}}
{{See also|Misplaced Pages:Writing better articles}}


A stub should contain enough information for other editors to expand upon it. The key is to provide adequate ''context''—articles with little or no context usually end up being ]. Your initial research may be done either through books or reliable websites. You may also contribute knowledge acquired from other sources, but it is useful to conduct some research beforehand to ensure that your facts are accurate and ]. Use your own words: directly copying other sources without giving them credit is ], and may in some cases be a violation of ].
In general, the ] for stub templates is ''topic-stub''; for a complete list of these templates, refer to ]. When marking articles as stubs, please be as precise and accurate as you possibly can. It saves other editors a lot of work further down the road. If an article overlaps a number of potential categories, more than one stub template may be used, but it is strongly recommended that only those relating to the subject's main notability be used. In cases such as biographies, it is also desirable to indicate the subject's nationality. This may be in the form of an additional template, such as {{tl|Egypt-bio-stub}}, or as a refinement of another template, for example {{tl|US-artist-stub}}. Stub-related activities are centralized on ] (shortcut ]). The project should be your main reference when it comes to this subject.


Begin by defining or describing your topic. Avoid ]. Write clearly and informatively. State what a person is famous for, where a place is located and what it is known for, or the basic details of an event and when it happened. As of 2024, most stubs contain two to seven sentences (50–150 words).
=== Ideal stub article ===
When you write a stub article, it is important to bear in mind that its main interest is to be expanded, and that thus it ideally contains enough information to give a basis for other editors to expand upon. Your initial research may be done either through books or through a reliable search engine such as ], ], ] or ]. You may also contribute with knowledge you have acquired from other sources, but it is useful to conduct a small amount of research beforehand, in order to make sure that your version of the facts is correct and from a ].


Next, try to expand upon this basic definition. Internally ] relevant words, so that users unfamiliar with the subject can understand what you have written. Avoid linking words needlessly; instead, consider which words may require further definition for a casual reader to understand the article. Most stubs link out to 5–20 other Misplaced Pages articles, often averaging about two links per sentence.
Begin by giving a definition or description of the topic in question. Avoid ]. Since at times definitions are impossible, you should write a clear and informative description of the subject. State, for example, what a person is famous for, where a place is located and what it is known for, or state the basic details of an event and when it happened.


Lastly, a critical step: add ] for the information you have put into the stub; see ] for information on how to do so in Misplaced Pages. Most stub articles have one to three ]; some also list sources at the end of the page, as ].
Next, you should try to expand this basic definition. The previously mentioned research methods will often fetch you enough information for you to be able to expose the basic points of the subject. Once you have a couple of well-structured and well-written sentences, you should internally link relevant words, so that users unfamiliar with the specifics of a subject can understand what is written on the article. Avoid linking words needlessly; in case you are in doubt, you should use the preview button and try reading the article from the point of view of somebody who has had no exposure to information regarding the subject. If no word seems hard to comprehend or relevant enough, simply do not link anything.


{{Anchor|STUB-SPACING|SVSP|STUBSPACE}}
Once you have submitted the article, there are a number of courses it may take. An editor might get interested in it and develop it further, or you could expand it yourself once you have found greater information about the subject or once you have more free time on your hands.


===How to mark an article as a stub===
Anyone can contribute to complete the stub.
{{Shortcut|WP:STUBSPACING|WP:SVSP|WP:TAGSTUB}}


After writing a short article, or finding an unmarked stub, you should insert a ''stub template''. Choose from among the templates listed at ''']''', or if you are unsure what template to use, just use a generic <nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki>, which others can sort later. Stubs should never be manually added to stub categories—always use a template.
=== Locating stubs ===


Per the ], the stub template is placed at the ''end'' of the article, ''after'' the ], any ], and the ], so that the stub category will appear after all article content. Until December 2024, it was the standard to leave two blank lines between the first stub template on a page and whatever preceded it. This is now unecessary and the extra line should be removed when encountered. As with all templates, stub templates are added by simply placing the name of the template in the text between double pairs of curly brackets (e.g., <nowiki>{{Misplaced Pages-stub}}</nowiki>). Stub templates are ], ''not'' ].
: ] ''the main list of stub categories and of articles contained within them''


Stub templates have two parts: a short message noting the stub's topic and encouraging editors to expand it, and a category link, which places the article in a ''stub category'' alongside other stubs on the same topic. The naming for stub templates is usually ''topic-stub''; a list of these templates may be found ]. You need not learn all the templates—even simply adding {{tl|stub}} helps (see ] for more information). The more accurately an article is tagged, however, the less work it is for other sorters later, and the more useful it is for editors looking for articles to expand.
: ] ''deprecated, but still receives a few articles periodically''


If a more specific stub template than is currently on an article exists and completely covers the subject of the article, remove the more general template and replace it with the more specific type (for example, an article on Morocco may be stubbed with {{tl|Africa-stub}}. If it is ''solely'' about Morocco, remove the template and replace it with {{tl|Morocco-stub}} – don't simply add {{tl|Morocco-stub}} and leave {{tl|Africa-stub}} in place). One specific template can often replace multiple more general types (for example, {{tl|UK-sport-bio-stub}} can replace both {{tl|UK-bio-stub}} and {{tl|sport-bio-stub}}).
: ] ''a script which detects long articles with the stub tag attached to them and is used to organize periodic ]''


If an article overlaps several stub categories, more than one template may be used, but it is strongly recommended that only those relating to the subject's main notability be used. A limit of three or, if really necessary, four stub templates is advised.
: ]


Stub-related activities are centralised at ] (] ]). This project should be your main reference for stub information, and is where new stub types should be proposed for discussion prior to creation.
: ]


===Removing stub status===
== Additional information ==
{{Shortcut|WP:DESTUB}}


Once a stub has been properly expanded and becomes a larger article, any editor may remove its stub template. No ] action or formal permission is needed. Stub templates are usually located at the bottom of the page, and usually have a name like {{tlc|something-stub}} if you are using the classic wikitext editor rather than ].
=== New stub categories ===


Many articles still marked as stubs have in fact been expanded beyond what is regarded as stub size. If an article is too large to be considered a stub but still needs expansion, the stub template may be removed and appropriate {{tl|expand section}} templates may be added (no article should contain both a stub template and an expand template).
If you identify a group of stubs that do not fit in an existing category, or if an existing stub category is growing too large and might be optimized by creating a narrower category, you might propose the creation of a new stub category. Proposed new stub types are debated at ]. Before you propose a new stub category, make sure you consider these six guidelines:


When removing stub templates, users should also visit the talk page and update the WikiProject classifications as necessary.
# Is there a stub for this topic already?
#: Check ].
# Will the new category be well-defined enough to help editors identify articles that they have the expertise to expand?
#: Remember that using stubs categories is a way to facilitate article expansion.
# Does the new category cover ground not covered by other categories, or create a well-defined subcategory that does?
#: A new category might fit as a subcategory of more than one existing category, such as in the case of {{tl|Baseballbio-stub}}, which is a ''child'' of both {{tl|Sportbio-stub}} and {{tl|Baseball-stub}}.
# Will there be a significant number of stubs in this category; are there enough article stubs to warrant this new type?
#: Typically the threshold ranges from 100 to 300 articles. This threshold is waived if the stub category exists as a tool for use by a ]. In general any new category must have at least 60 articles.
# Would your new category overlap with other categories?
#: For example, geography stubs are sorted by country so you wouldn't want to create mountain-stub or river-stub.
# If you are breaking a subcategory out of a pre-existing category, will the new stub reduce the size of the parent category by a significant amount?
#: This is not an absolute necessity, but it has been a driver for the creation of most of the existing stub categories.


] in removing stub tags that are clearly no longer applicable.
If you think you have satisfied these guidelines, propose the new stub category at ]. If there are no objections within a week, you can go ahead and create the new stub category.


===Locating stubs===
=== Creating the stub template ===


{{hatnote|This section is about finding articles already tagged as a stub. To find the appropriate stub template to tag an article with, see {{slink||How to mark an article as a stub}}.}}
<big><font color=red>'''NB:''' do not create new stub types prior to discussing them at ]. </font></big>
* ] ''the main list of stub categories and of articles contained within them''
* ] ''deprecated, but still receives a few articles periodically''
<!--*] ''a script which detects long articles with the stub tag attached to them and is used to organize periodic ]'' (appears inactive)-->
* ]


These categories can be used with ] (AWB) to make bulk changes to stub types, or the sub-program within AWB called ] can be used to find articles by number of characters or words to locate potential stubs needing categorization or other tagging and/or expansion. This stand-alone application requires ] and the installation of the program on a personal computer (Linux, Mac, or PC). An alternate process using the web-based tool ] (no installation required) can also be used to locate articles by minimum or maximum size, the intersection of stub categories along with another category of interest, templates on the page, date of last edit, and namespace.
Once the creation has been agreed upon, you will need to create the template which will be displayed on the articles which contain the stub. This should be named logically, following this model: ''Template: topic-stub''. For more information please refer to ].


==Creating stub types==
This is the basic format for new stub templates:
{{Shortcut|WP:NEWSTUB}}
{{WikiProject Stub sorting navbar}}
'''Please propose new stub types at ] so that they may be discussed before creating them.'''


In general, a ''stub type'' consists of a ''stub template'' and a dedicated ''stub category'', although ] are also occasionally created which feed into more general stub categories.
<div>


If you identify a group of stub articles that do not fit an existing stub type, or if an existing stub category is growing very large, you can propose the creation of a new stub type which is debated at ].
<table cellspacing = "0" style = "width;background: #C5FCDC"> <tr>


===Example===
<td style="font-size: 0.8em; padding: 4 pt.; line-height: 1.25 em"> <nowiki><div class="boilerplate" id="stub">
An example of a stub template is {{tlx|Website-stub}}, which produces:


{{Website-stub}}
''This ]-related article is a ]. You can help Misplaced Pages by {{plainlink|url={{SERVER}}{{localurl:{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}|action=edit}} expanding it}}''.
</div>]
</nowiki></td></tr></table></div>


The stub category, ], lists all articles containing the {{tlx|Website-stub}} template.
You might find use in pasting this code into the new template and customizing it by inserting different text into it. Replacing the letters '''A''' and '''B''' as such:
*A: The stub topic goes into this field. For example, ''Road''. The topic must have a developed article, and thus not be another stub.
*B: This should be replaced by a proper category, so that the stub will automatically be listed together with other stubs of its kind. Continuing with the previous example, you would replace '''B''' with ''Road''. When the page is saved, a new template will have been created. In this example, {{tl|road-stub}}.


===Guidelines===
It is also possible to automate the procedure of creating new stub templates somewhat by using the following syntax:
Several guidelines are used to decide whether a new stub type is useful. These include the following:
# Is there a stub type for this topic already? (Check ].)
# Will the new type be well-defined? (Stub categories are a tool used by editors to expand articles. Good topic definition makes stubs easier to sort accurately.)
# Does the new stub type cover ground not covered by other type, or create a well-defined subtype that does?
# {{anchor|numerosity}}Will there be a significant number of existing stubs in this category? (Ideally, a newly created stub type has 100–300 articles. In general, any new stub category should have a ''minimum'' of 60 articles. This threshold is modified in the case of the ''main'' stub category used by a ].)
# Would your new stub type overlap with other stub types? (Stub types form a hierarchy and as such are usually split in specific ways. Compare other stub splits at ].)
# If you are breaking a subtype out of an existing type, will the new creation reduce the size of the parent by a significant amount? (This is not an absolute necessity, but is often a catalyst for the creation of stub categories. Stub categories containing over 800 articles are typically considered to be "over-sized", and in need of such sub-types.)


If you think you have satisfied these guidelines, it is ''highly recommended'' that you propose the new stub type at ]. This allows for debate on matters relating to the stub type that may not have occurred to the proposer, and also allows for objections if the split does not satisfy stub guidelines. If there are no objections within five days, you may create the new stub type.
<div>
<table cellspacing="0" style="width;background:#C5FCDC"><tr>
<td style="font-size: 0.8em; padding: 4pt; line-height: 1.25em"><nowiki>


===New stub templates===
{{subst:metastub|article=A|category=B}}
After the creation of a new stub type has been discussed at ] and agreed upon, a template can be created. The name of this should follow the ], and will usually be decided during the discussion process.


All stub templates should link to a stub category. This may be a category specific to the topic of the template, or the template might be "upmerged" to one or more less specific categories&nbsp;– for example, a template for Andorran history might link to a stub category for European history and a general Andorran stub category. This is often thought to be desirable when a stub type is proposed in anticipation of future use, but is not currently over the size threshold; or where an existing stub type has a finite number of well-defined subdivisions, with some numerically viable as subtypes, and others not.
</nowiki></td></tr></table></div>


As stub templates can sort articles into more general categories, the bar for the creation of a stub template is not as high as the bar for the creation of a dedicated stub category; a template should still be used on more than just one or two pages, but does not necessarily require 60. In fact, the creation of a stub template may be a helpful tracking tool for determining whether the topic is approaching the 60-article minimum to justify a category, as the template's "what links here" can be used to count how many articles are using the template.
This will produce a message saying "This '''A'''-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it" and will put stubs in category named "'''B''' stubs", just like the above manual method.


It is also possible to add a small image to the stub template (the "stub icon"). However, this is discouraged because it increases the strain on the Misplaced Pages servers. If you still wish to use images, apply formatting such as that provided by {{tl|MetaPicstub}} (and remember to use it with the subst: prefix). Also the image must be either in the public domain or have a free license. Misplaced Pages policy is that fair use images are not to be used in any templates and that of course includes stub templates. Adding a small image to the stub template (the "stub icon") is permitted, so long as the image is ] or has a free license—] images must not be used in templates. Stub icons should be small, preferably no more than about 40px in size.


The standard code for stub templates is found at: {{tl|asbox}}. This template can be used ('''without''' substitution).
=== Section stub ===
<!-- THESE TEMPLATES ARE NOW DEPRECATED; USE ASBOX: Standard code for stub templates is found at {{tl|metastub}}:
You can add '''<nowiki>{{Sectstub}}</nowiki>''' to an empty section of an article, below the section name. See ].
:<code><nowiki>{{subst:metastub | article=article related to ] | id=foo-stub | category=Foo}}</nowiki></code>


which produces this:
===Creating the stub category===
<div class="notice metadata plainlinks" id="stub" style="clear:both;">''This article related to ] is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by .''</div>
<big><font color=red>'''NB:''' do not create new stub categories prior to discussing them at ]. </font></big>


And, if an image is appropriate, use {{tl|metapicstub}}:
:<code><nowiki>{{subst:MetaPicstub|article=article about ]| id=stub | category=Foo| image=foo.svg | size=40 | alt=Foo}}</nowiki></code><br />
which produces this:
{| class="notice metadata plainlinks" id="stub" style="background: transparent;"
|-
| ]||''This article about ] is a stub. You can ] Misplaced Pages by .''
|}


'''''Be sure to {{tl|subst}} the template code when creating the template!'''''
Next, you will need to create a category to hold the articles which will have the new stub tag attached to them. ''Do this before you add your new template to any articles.''
-->


===New stub categories===
To start editing it, you should follow the red category link on the stub template you have created. In this case, it would appear as ]. The basic format for stub categories is as follows:
The name of the stub category should also have been decided during the proposal process and will also follow the ].


The text of a stub category should contain a definition of what type of stubs are contained in it and an indication of what template is used to add stubs to it. The {{tl|WPSS-cat}} template should also be placed on the category, to indicate that it has been created after debate at ]. The new stub category should also be added to the ] list.
<div>


The new stub category should be correctly added into other categories. These should include at least three specific categories:
<table cellspacing = "0" style = "width; background: #C5FCDC"> <tr>
* The analogous permanent category ("permcat")
* At least one higher level ("parent") stub category
* ]


Thus, for example, ], should be in an equivalent permcat (]), parent stub category (]), and ].
<td style = "font-size: 0.8em; padding: 4 pt.; line-height: 1.25em"> <nowiki>


The creation of stub categories can be partially automated by using {{tl|Stub category}} as follows:
{{Stub Category|article=]s or ]|newstub=B|category=C}}
<code><nowiki>{{Stub category|article=]|newstub=B|category=C}}</nowiki></code>
:<code>A</code>: Insert the description of the category here.
:<code>B</code>: Insert the name of the new stub template here.
:<code>C</code>: Insert the name of an appropriate parent non-stub category.


In the example given above, the formatting would look like this:
</nowiki> </td> </tr> </table> </div>
<code><nowiki>{{Stub category|article=]|newstub=France-stub|category=France}}</nowiki></code>
which would produce this:
{{cmbox
| type = notice
| image = ]
| text = This category is for stub articles relating to ]. You can help by expanding them.


{{#if:France-stub|<br />To add an article to this category, use {{tl2|France-stub}} instead of {{tl2|stub}}.|}}
* A: Insert the description of the category here. In this case it would be ''roads'', you can expand the description by adding additional terms. So you could, for example, add ''road transportation''.
}}


This syntax also automatically adds the new category to ], though parent stub categories and {{tl|WPSS-cat}} still need to be added manually. It also automatically ] the stub category with "Σ", so that appears at the end of the list of subcategories in non-stub category C. This effectively moves it away from navigation categories to place it alongside other editing- and cleanup-related categories.
* B: Insert the name of the new stub here.


'''''If you have some doubts or comments regarding any part of the process, do not hesitate to address them or ask for assistance at ].'''''
* C: Insert the name of an appropriate higher level non-stub category, for this example it would be ''road transport''.


==Stubbing existing articles<!--wp:stubify redirects here-->==
This syntax does four things, it:
{{Shortcut|WP:STUBIFY}}
On occasion, an article may have significant problems that create opportunities to remove most of its content. This may be done in response to an article that is heavily ], either ] or ] its subject; in response to an article that has some verifiable material but is otherwise full of ], ], or ] sources; in response to a ]; or a variety of other reasons.


If enough content is removed that all that remains is a stub, a stub template should be added to the article, if it does not already have one.
# adds the ] to ]


==Stub types, WikiProjects, and assessment templates==
# provides a description of the category
{{Shortcut|WP:PROJSTUB}}
]


When a new ] commences, one of the first things its creators often do is decide whether or not a specific ] should be created for it. Often there is no real problem, as WikiProject topics frequently coincide with subjects of specific stub types. On other occasions, there will be no specific stub type, and thus a new type should be proposed.
# displays the stub text


Occasionally, a WikiProject will seek to have a stub category which is too small, or a stub type which runs contrary to the way stubs are normally split. This can create conflict between that project and WikiProject Stub sorting, or, more importantly, between that one stub type and one or more ''other'' stub types. Even where there is an existing stub type, there may be conflict, as often the definition of a topic as used for stub sorting may not be identical to that used by its specific WikiProject. It should be remembered in cases like this that, while a specific WikiProject may be looking for a solution for its concerns, WikiProject Stub sorting is attempting to make a coherent and cohesive system that works for ''all'' editors. The system needs to be as compatible as possible with the needs of ''all'' WikiProjects, and also with the needs of casual editors, and others who are participants in any WikiProject.
# inserts this category into a higher level category, in this case the ''Category:Road stubs'' will be a member of ''Category:Road transport''.


] are a way around this problem, and more often than not a far more useful tool for WikiProjects. Assessment templates have several distinct advantages over stub types for WikiProjects. The templates are placed on article talk pages, where they are less likely to be seen as controversial (the placing of stub templates on controversial articles has frequently been a source of ]). They allow all articles within a topic area to be assessed and catalogued by a related project—not just stub articles. They allow an indication to be made of exactly what work needs to be done on an article. They also allow workgroups that are subgroups of WikiProjects to have their own specific templates that are better suited to their tasks.
Thus, in this example, the formatting would look like this:


==See also==
<div>
{{Meta}}
* ]
* ]
* ] (or the easier-to-load list of subpages ])
* ], ]
* ] for help expanding stubs
* ], including:
** ]
** ] (permanent stubs)
** ]


]
<table cellspacing = "0" style = "width; background: #C5FCDC"> <tr>
]

<td style="font-size: 0.8em; padding: 4 pt; line-height: 1.25em"> <nowiki>

{{Stub Category|article=]s or ]|newstub=Road-stub|category=Road transport}}

</nowiki> </td> </tr> </table> </div>

It is also advisable to add it to a larger stub category, if an appropriate one exists. For ], no such category exists however.

In order to increase the category's effectiveness and visibility, it is generally advisable to add your category to several categories. For example, this would add it to the Roads category:

<div>
<table cellspacing = "0" style="width; background: #C5FCDC"> <tr>
<td style = "font-size: 0.8 em; padding: 4 pt.; line-height: 1.25 em"> <nowiki>

]

</nowiki> </td> </tr> </table> </div>

When you are done, it is important that you make sure that the new stub and the new stub category are linked correctly to other categories. Using the ''road-stub'' as an example, the ''road-stub category'' needs to be a member of ] (because it's a stub category) and ] (because it is a category consisting of roads). If your new category has been made from part of an existing stub category or categories, these should also be listed here (so, for example, ] should be part of ] and ]).

'''At this point, you should add the new stub category to this list: ''' ]

Once the new stub category is approved by the ] (which should normally be done before it is created), to make clear that it underwent the mandatory revision process and was approved by means of consensus, add the {{tl|WPSS-cat}} template to the category page.

If you have some doubts or comments regarding any part of the process, do not hesitate to address them ].

== See also ==

* ]

== External links ==

=== Stub articles on other Wikis ===

A link with (T) will denote the template.

* on the ] ] ()

* ] (])

* ] (])

* ] (])

* ] (])

{{listdev}}

]

]

]

''This ]-related article on stubs is not a stub, but feel free to help Misplaced Pages by ''.
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 05:39, 6 January 2025

Article too short for encyclopedic coverage For proposing new stub articles, see Misplaced Pages:Articles for creation and Misplaced Pages:Requested articles.
Blue tickThis page documents an English Misplaced Pages editing guideline.
Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page.		Shortcuts
This page in a nutshell: An article too short and incomplete to provide more than rudimentary information about a subject should be marked as a stub by adding an appropriate stub template to the end of the article. Anyone can edit a stub article, or remove a stub template from an article which is no longer a stub.
Manual of Style (MoS)

Content
Formatting
Images
Layout
Lists
By topic area
Legal
Arts
Music
History
Regional
Religion
Science
Sports
Related guidelines
Article creation
Introductory
Suggested articles
Concepts and guidelines
Development processes
Meta tools and groups

A stub is an article deemed too short and incomplete to provide encyclopedic coverage of a subject. As of 2024, almost half of Misplaced Pages's articles could be considered stubs.

This page provides a general guide for dealing with stubs: the first section, Basic information, contains information that is recommended for most users; and the second section, Creating stub types, contains more specialized material.

Existing stub categories can be found at Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types, as maintained by the WikiProject Stub improvement collaborative.

Basic information

Shortcut

A stub is an article that, although lacking the breadth of coverage expected from an encyclopedia, provides some useful information and is capable of expansion. Non-article pages, such as disambiguation pages, lists, categories, templates, talk pages, and redirects, are not regarded as stubs.

If a stub has little verifiable information, or if its subject has no apparent notability, it may be deleted or be merged into another relevant article.

While a "definition" may be enough to qualify an article as a stub, Misplaced Pages is not a dictionary. The distinction between dictionary and encyclopedia articles is best expressed by the use–mention distinction:

  • A dictionary article is about a word or phrase and will often have several different definitions for it
  • An encyclopedia article is about the subject denoted by the title but usually has only one definition (or in some cases, several definitions that are largely the same) but there may be several equivalent words (synonyms) or phrases for it.

Sizable articles are usually not considered stubs, even if they have significant problems or are noticeably incomplete. With these larger articles, a cleanup template is usually added instead of a stub template.

How big is too big?

Shortcut

Over the years, different editors have followed different rules of thumb to help them decide when an article is likely to be a stub. Editors may decide that an article with more than ten sentences is too big to be a stub, or that the threshold for another article may be 250 words. Others follow the Did you know? standard of 1,500 characters in the main text, which is usually around 300 words.

There is no set size at which an article stops being a stub. While very short articles are very likely to be stubs, there are some subjects about which very little can be written. Conversely, there are subjects about which a lot could be written, and their articles may still be stubs even if they are a few paragraphs long. As such, it is impossible to state whether an article is a stub based solely on its length, and any decision on the article has to come down to an editor's best judgment (the user essay on the Croughton-London rule may be of use when trying to judge whether an article is a stub). Similarly, stub status usually depends on the length of prose text alone; lists, templates, images, and other such peripheral parts of an article are usually not considered when judging whether an article is a stub.

That said, AutoWikiBrowser is frequently set to automatically remove stub tags from any article with more than 500 words. This threshold was chosen because it is very unlikely that any article containing more than 500 words is correctly classified as a stub.

Creating and improving a stub article

Shortcuts See also: Misplaced Pages:Writing better articles

A stub should contain enough information for other editors to expand upon it. The key is to provide adequate context—articles with little or no context usually end up being speedily deleted. Your initial research may be done either through books or reliable websites. You may also contribute knowledge acquired from other sources, but it is useful to conduct some research beforehand to ensure that your facts are accurate and unbiased. Use your own words: directly copying other sources without giving them credit is plagiarism, and may in some cases be a violation of copyright.

Begin by defining or describing your topic. Avoid fallacies of definition. Write clearly and informatively. State what a person is famous for, where a place is located and what it is known for, or the basic details of an event and when it happened. As of 2024, most stubs contain two to seven sentences (50–150 words).

Next, try to expand upon this basic definition. Internally link relevant words, so that users unfamiliar with the subject can understand what you have written. Avoid linking words needlessly; instead, consider which words may require further definition for a casual reader to understand the article. Most stubs link out to 5–20 other Misplaced Pages articles, often averaging about two links per sentence.

Lastly, a critical step: add sources for the information you have put into the stub; see citing sources for information on how to do so in Misplaced Pages. Most stub articles have one to three inline citations; some also list sources at the end of the page, as general references.

How to mark an article as a stub

Shortcuts

After writing a short article, or finding an unmarked stub, you should insert a stub template. Choose from among the templates listed at Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types, or if you are unsure what template to use, just use a generic {{stub}}, which others can sort later. Stubs should never be manually added to stub categories—always use a template.

Per the Manual of Style, the stub template is placed at the end of the article, after the External links section, any navigation templates, and the category tags, so that the stub category will appear after all article content. Until December 2024, it was the standard to leave two blank lines between the first stub template on a page and whatever preceded it. This is now unecessary and the extra line should be removed when encountered. As with all templates, stub templates are added by simply placing the name of the template in the text between double pairs of curly brackets (e.g., {{Misplaced Pages-stub}}). Stub templates are transcluded, not substituted.

Stub templates have two parts: a short message noting the stub's topic and encouraging editors to expand it, and a category link, which places the article in a stub category alongside other stubs on the same topic. The naming for stub templates is usually topic-stub; a list of these templates may be found here. You need not learn all the templates—even simply adding {{stub}} helps (see this essay for more information). The more accurately an article is tagged, however, the less work it is for other sorters later, and the more useful it is for editors looking for articles to expand.

If a more specific stub template than is currently on an article exists and completely covers the subject of the article, remove the more general template and replace it with the more specific type (for example, an article on Morocco may be stubbed with {{Africa-stub}}. If it is solely about Morocco, remove the template and replace it with {{Morocco-stub}} – don't simply add {{Morocco-stub}} and leave {{Africa-stub}} in place). One specific template can often replace multiple more general types (for example, {{UK-sport-bio-stub}} can replace both {{UK-bio-stub}} and {{sport-bio-stub}}).

If an article overlaps several stub categories, more than one template may be used, but it is strongly recommended that only those relating to the subject's main notability be used. A limit of three or, if really necessary, four stub templates is advised.

Stub-related activities are centralised at Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Stub sorting (shortcut Misplaced Pages:WSS). This project should be your main reference for stub information, and is where new stub types should be proposed for discussion prior to creation.

Removing stub status

Shortcut

Once a stub has been properly expanded and becomes a larger article, any editor may remove its stub template. No administrator action or formal permission is needed. Stub templates are usually located at the bottom of the page, and usually have a name like {{something-stub}} if you are using the classic wikitext editor rather than VisualEditor.

Many articles still marked as stubs have in fact been expanded beyond what is regarded as stub size. If an article is too large to be considered a stub but still needs expansion, the stub template may be removed and appropriate {{expand section}} templates may be added (no article should contain both a stub template and an expand template).

When removing stub templates, users should also visit the talk page and update the WikiProject classifications as necessary.

Be bold in removing stub tags that are clearly no longer applicable.

Locating stubs

This section is about finding articles already tagged as a stub. To find the appropriate stub template to tag an article with, see § How to mark an article as a stub.

These categories can be used with AutoWikiBrowser (AWB) to make bulk changes to stub types, or the sub-program within AWB called DataBase Scanner can be used to find articles by number of characters or words to locate potential stubs needing categorization or other tagging and/or expansion. This stand-alone application requires the operator be approved and the installation of the program on a personal computer (Linux, Mac, or PC). An alternate process using the web-based tool PetScan (no installation required) can also be used to locate articles by minimum or maximum size, the intersection of stub categories along with another category of interest, templates on the page, date of last edit, and namespace.

Creating stub types

Shortcut
WikiProject Stub sorting
Information
Project page talk
- Stub types (sections) talk
- Stub types (full list) talk
- To do talk
- Naming conventions talk
- Redirects category talk
Misplaced Pages:Stub talk
Discussion
Proposals (A) talk
- Current month
Discussion talk
Criteria (A) (discontinued) talk
Deletion (Log) (discontinued) talk
Category

Please propose new stub types at WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals so that they may be discussed before creating them.

In general, a stub type consists of a stub template and a dedicated stub category, although "upmerged" templates are also occasionally created which feed into more general stub categories.

If you identify a group of stub articles that do not fit an existing stub type, or if an existing stub category is growing very large, you can propose the creation of a new stub type which is debated at Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals.

Example

An example of a stub template is {{Website-stub}}, which produces:

Stub icon

This website-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

The stub category, Category:Website stubs, lists all articles containing the {{Website-stub}} template.

Guidelines

Several guidelines are used to decide whether a new stub type is useful. These include the following:

  1. Is there a stub type for this topic already? (Check Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types.)
  2. Will the new type be well-defined? (Stub categories are a tool used by editors to expand articles. Good topic definition makes stubs easier to sort accurately.)
  3. Does the new stub type cover ground not covered by other type, or create a well-defined subtype that does?
  4. Will there be a significant number of existing stubs in this category? (Ideally, a newly created stub type has 100–300 articles. In general, any new stub category should have a minimum of 60 articles. This threshold is modified in the case of the main stub category used by a WikiProject.)
  5. Would your new stub type overlap with other stub types? (Stub types form a hierarchy and as such are usually split in specific ways. Compare other stub splits at Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types.)
  6. If you are breaking a subtype out of an existing type, will the new creation reduce the size of the parent by a significant amount? (This is not an absolute necessity, but is often a catalyst for the creation of stub categories. Stub categories containing over 800 articles are typically considered to be "over-sized", and in need of such sub-types.)

If you think you have satisfied these guidelines, it is highly recommended that you propose the new stub type at stub type proposals page. This allows for debate on matters relating to the stub type that may not have occurred to the proposer, and also allows for objections if the split does not satisfy stub guidelines. If there are no objections within five days, you may create the new stub type.

New stub templates

After the creation of a new stub type has been discussed at Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals and agreed upon, a template can be created. The name of this should follow the stub type naming conventions, and will usually be decided during the discussion process.

All stub templates should link to a stub category. This may be a category specific to the topic of the template, or the template might be "upmerged" to one or more less specific categories – for example, a template for Andorran history might link to a stub category for European history and a general Andorran stub category. This is often thought to be desirable when a stub type is proposed in anticipation of future use, but is not currently over the size threshold; or where an existing stub type has a finite number of well-defined subdivisions, with some numerically viable as subtypes, and others not.

As stub templates can sort articles into more general categories, the bar for the creation of a stub template is not as high as the bar for the creation of a dedicated stub category; a template should still be used on more than just one or two pages, but does not necessarily require 60. In fact, the creation of a stub template may be a helpful tracking tool for determining whether the topic is approaching the 60-article minimum to justify a category, as the template's "what links here" can be used to count how many articles are using the template.

Adding a small image to the stub template (the "stub icon") is permitted, so long as the image is public domain or has a free license—fair use images must not be used in templates. Stub icons should be small, preferably no more than about 40px in size.

The standard code for stub templates is found at: {{asbox}}. This template can be used (without substitution).

New stub categories

The name of the stub category should also have been decided during the proposal process and will also follow the naming guidelines.

The text of a stub category should contain a definition of what type of stubs are contained in it and an indication of what template is used to add stubs to it. The {{WPSS-cat}} template should also be placed on the category, to indicate that it has been created after debate at Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Stub sorting/Proposals. The new stub category should also be added to the Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types list.

The new stub category should be correctly added into other categories. These should include at least three specific categories:

  • The analogous permanent category ("permcat")
  • At least one higher level ("parent") stub category
  • Category:Stub categories

Thus, for example, Category:France stubs, should be in an equivalent permcat (Category:France), parent stub category (Category:Europe stubs), and Category:Stub categories.

The creation of stub categories can be partially automated by using {{Stub category}} as follows: {{Stub category|article=]|newstub=B|category=C}}

A: Insert the description of the category here.
B: Insert the name of the new stub template here.
C: Insert the name of an appropriate parent non-stub category.

In the example given above, the formatting would look like this: {{Stub category|article=]|newstub=France-stub|category=France}} which would produce this:

This category is for stub articles relating to France. You can help by expanding them.
To add an article to this category, use {{France-stub}} instead of {{stub}}.

This syntax also automatically adds the new category to Category:Stub categories, though parent stub categories and {{WPSS-cat}} still need to be added manually. It also automatically pipes the stub category with "Σ", so that appears at the end of the list of subcategories in non-stub category C. This effectively moves it away from navigation categories to place it alongside other editing- and cleanup-related categories.

If you have some doubts or comments regarding any part of the process, do not hesitate to address them or ask for assistance at Misplaced Pages talk:WikiProject Stub sorting.

Stubbing existing articles

Shortcut

On occasion, an article may have significant problems that create opportunities to remove most of its content. This may be done in response to an article that is heavily biased, either for or against its subject; in response to an article that has some verifiable material but is otherwise full of original research, self-published, or primary sources; in response to a VRT complaint; or a variety of other reasons.

If enough content is removed that all that remains is a stub, a stub template should be added to the article, if it does not already have one.

Stub types, WikiProjects, and assessment templates

Shortcut
This stub really needs expansion.

When a new WikiProject commences, one of the first things its creators often do is decide whether or not a specific stub type should be created for it. Often there is no real problem, as WikiProject topics frequently coincide with subjects of specific stub types. On other occasions, there will be no specific stub type, and thus a new type should be proposed.

Occasionally, a WikiProject will seek to have a stub category which is too small, or a stub type which runs contrary to the way stubs are normally split. This can create conflict between that project and WikiProject Stub sorting, or, more importantly, between that one stub type and one or more other stub types. Even where there is an existing stub type, there may be conflict, as often the definition of a topic as used for stub sorting may not be identical to that used by its specific WikiProject. It should be remembered in cases like this that, while a specific WikiProject may be looking for a solution for its concerns, WikiProject Stub sorting is attempting to make a coherent and cohesive system that works for all editors. The system needs to be as compatible as possible with the needs of all WikiProjects, and also with the needs of casual editors, and others who are participants in any WikiProject.

Assessment templates are a way around this problem, and more often than not a far more useful tool for WikiProjects. Assessment templates have several distinct advantages over stub types for WikiProjects. The templates are placed on article talk pages, where they are less likely to be seen as controversial (the placing of stub templates on controversial articles has frequently been a source of edit warring). They allow all articles within a topic area to be assessed and catalogued by a related project—not just stub articles. They allow an indication to be made of exactly what work needs to be done on an article. They also allow workgroups that are subgroups of WikiProjects to have their own specific templates that are better suited to their tasks.

See also

Categories: