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{{Short description|Explanatory supplement to the Misplaced Pages Manual of Style guideline}}
This article is a '''better writing guide'''. It is not, and will not become, policy. But it does contain advice on how to make an article look good.
{{Redirect|Misplaced Pages:Topic|information about topic bans|Misplaced Pages:Banning policy#Topic ban}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Supplement|pages=] guideline|shortcut=WP:BETTER|shortcut2=WP:WBA}}
{{Contributing to Misplaced Pages}}
{{Style}}


This page advises on article layout and style, and on making an article clear, precise and relevant to the reader.
*This article is not about markup: see ] for that.
*This article is not about formal policy on style: see ] for that.
*Nor does this article offer advice on lists and disambiguation pages or images. See ], ] and ] for that.
*And you may also want to read ] and ]
*And if you want to see what Misplaced Pages's finest articles look like now, and learn from following the best, have a look at ].


* You can post questions about English grammar and usage at ].
So relax, this article contains no rules. Remember: If ] and guidance make you ] and ], and not desirous of participating in the ], then '''ignore them''' and go about your ]. If you stay with us, we'll look at layout, writing style, how to make an article relevant to a reader and making an article clear and precise. We also offer some general guidance on a few miscellaneous issues at the end.
* If you want to read some of Misplaced Pages's finest articles, have a look at ].
* For information on how to cite sources, see ].
* For our guidelines on style, see the ] and its subsidiary pages, listed in its template.
* To learn about markup in Misplaced Pages articles, see ].
* To learn about lists, disambiguation pages, and images, see ], ], and ].


{{toc limit|3}}
==Layout==


== Structure of the article ==
The layout of an article is important. Good articles start with some introductory material and then present their information using a clear structure. They are then followed by standard appendices showing such things as references and related articles.
{{main|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Layout}}
Good articles start with introductions, continue with a clear structure, and end with standard appendices such as references and related articles.


===Structure of the article=== ===Introductory material / Lead===
{{More|#Lead section|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Lead section}}


Articles start with a ] (]) summarising the most important points of the topic. The lead section is the first part of the article; it comes above the first header, and may contain a ] which is representative of the topic, and/or an ] that provides a few key facts, often statistical, such as dates and measurements.
====Introductory material====


The lead should stand on its own as a concise overview of the article's topic, identifying the topic, establishing context, and explaining why the topic is ]. The first few sentences should mention the most notable features of the article's subject – the essential facts that every reader should know. Significant information should not appear in the lead if it is not covered in the remainder of the article; the article should provide further details on all the things mentioned in the lead. Each major section in the article should be represented with an appropriate summary in the lead, including any prominent controversies; but be careful not to violate ] by giving undue attention to less important controversies, information, or praise in the lead section. As in the body of the article itself, the emphasis given to material in the lead should roughly ], according to ].
Good articles start with a brief lead section introducing the topic. We discuss lead sections in greater detail below. As the lead section comes above the first header, it is very rarely useful to put <nowiki>==Introduction==</nowiki> . A common title for the first section of a longer article under the introductory paragraph is "Overview", although more specific section titles are generally to be preferred.


As a rough guide to size, a lead section should generally contain no more than four well-composed paragraphs and be carefully sourced as appropriate.
====Size====


Sometimes, the first section after the lead is a broad summary of the topic, and is called "Overview", although more specific section titles and structures are generally preferred.
Articles themselves should be kept relatively short. Say what needs saying, but do not overdo it. Articles, other than lists, should anyway aim to be less than 32kb in size. When articles grow past this amount of readable text, they should be broken-up to improve readability and ease of editing. There are also technical issues with editing articles over 32kb. Few editors will read an entire 50 or 70kb often poorly-structured article just to make sure a piece of info they want to put in is not already there. The result is that the information is misplaced, duplicated, or not put in at all.


====Paragraphs==== === Paragraphs ===
{{shortcut|WP:PARAGRAPH}}
{{seealso|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Layout#Paragraphs}}


Paragraphs should be short enough to be readable, but long enough to develop an idea. Paragraphs should deal with a particular point or idea. All the sentences within a paragraph should revolve around the same topic. When the topic changes, a new paragraph should be started. Overly long paragraphs should be split up, as long as the cousin paragraphs keep the idea in focus.
Similarly, paragraphs should be relatively short, as the eye gets tired of following solid text for too many lines, but not too short. Group similar items and sentences together to improve readability. A long paragraph can normally be split up into two or more separate paragraphs with similar themes. Conversely, a one-sentence paragraph is like a cannon-shot during the performance: it attracts so much attention that it had '''better be good.''' An entire article that consists of one-sentence paragraphs can normally be consolidated by theme into a few paragraphs.


One-sentence paragraphs can be emphatic, and should be used sparingly.
====Headings====


Some paragraphs are really ] or ] in disguise. They should be rewritten as prose or converted to their unmasked form. ] and ] offer guidance on the proper use of these elements.
Headings help make an article clearer and determine the table of contents, see ].
Since headers are hierarchical, and some people set their user preferences to number them, you should start with <nowiki>==Header==</nowiki> and follow it with <nowiki>===Subheader===</nowiki>, <nowiki>====Subsubheader====</nowiki>, and so forth.
Yes, the <nowiki>==Header==</nowiki> is awfully big in some browsers, but that can be fixed in the future with a ] more easily than a nonhierarchical article structure can be fixed.


=== Headings ===
While it may be preferable to use bullet points within a section instead of using sub-headings, bold fonts should not be used. Good HTML practice dictates that headers are marked up as headers. The degree to which subtopics should be kept on a single page or given their own pages is a matter of judgment.
Headings help clarify articles and create a structure shown in the table of contents. To learn about how the MediaWiki software uses sections, see ].


Headings are hierarchical. The article's title uses a level 1 heading, so you should start with a level 2 heading (<code><nowiki>==Heading==</nowiki></code>) and follow it with lower levels: <code><nowiki>===Subheading===</nowiki></code>, <code><nowiki>====Subsubheading====</nowiki></code>, and so forth. Whether extensive subtopics should be kept on one page or moved to individual pages is a matter of personal judgment. See also below under ].
====Images====
If the article can be illustrated with pictures, find an appropriate place to position these images. For more information, see ].


Headings should not contain ]. This is because headings in themselves introduce information and let the reader know what subtopics will be presented; Wikilinks should be incorporated in the text of the section.
====Standard appendices====
Certain optional sections go at the bottom of the article.


=== Images ===
*'''Quotations'''
If the article can be illustrated with pictures, find an appropriate place to position these images, where they relate closely to text they illustrate. For more information on using pictures, see {{section link|Misplaced Pages:Layout|Images}} and ].
:Under this header, list any memorable quotations that are appropriate to the subject.


=== Standard appendices ===
*'''Related topics''' or '''See also'''
<!-- The following language tracks the language at ], the main article covering this subject. If you change this language you should be sure that your change reflects the text at Layout. -->
Put here, in a bulleted list, other articles in the Misplaced Pages that are related to this one. Eg:
As explained in more detail at {{section link|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Layout|Standard appendices and footers}}, optional appendix sections containing the following information may appear after the body of the article in the following order:
*]
# A list of books or other works created by the subject of the article (])
*]
# A list of internal "]" to related Misplaced Pages articles (])
# Notes and references (])
# A list of recommended relevant books, articles, or other publications that have not been used as sources (])
# A list of recommended relevant websites that have not been used as sources (]).
With some exceptions, any ] appear in further reading or external links sections. ] go at the end of the article, following the last appendix section, but preceding the category and interwiki templates.


== Size ==
Or for a less formal feel you can simply use this:
{{anchor|SIZE}}{{shortcut|WP:BETTER#SIZE}}
{{seealso|Misplaced Pages:Article size}}


Excessively long articles should usually be avoided. Articles should ideally contain less than 50,000 characters of text.<ref>Number of characters may be checked by selecting the ''View History'' tab for the page, then ''Page Statistics'' from the line near the top headed External Tools. Number of characters is listed on the right under the Prose column.</ref> When articles grow past this amount of readable text, they can be ] into smaller articles to improve readability and ease of editing, or may require trimming to remain ]. The headed sub-section should be retained, with a concise version of what has been removed under an italicized header, such as ''Main article: ]'' (a list of templates used to create these headers is available at ]). Otherwise, context is lost and the general treatment suffers. Each article on a subtopic should be written as a stand-alone article—that is, it should have a lead section, headings, et cetera.
See also: ]. ]


When an article is long and has many sub articles, try to balance the main page. Do not put undue weight into one part of an article at the cost of other parts. In shorter articles, if one subtopic has much more text than another subtopic, that may be an indication the subtopic should have its own page, with only a summary presented on the main page.
*'''References'''
Put under this header, again in a bulleted list, any books, articles, web pages, etcetera that you used in constructing the article and/or recommend as sources of further information to readers. Eg:


=== Articles covering subtopics ===
* Pooh, W. T. & Robin, C. (1926). "How to catch a heffalump" in A. A. Milne (Ed.), ''The Karma of Kanga'', pp. 23&ndash;47. Hundred Acre Wood: Wol Press.
Misplaced Pages articles tend to grow in a way that leads to the natural creation of new articles. The text of any article consists of a sequence of related but distinct subtopics. When there is enough text in a given subtopic to merit its own article, that text can be ] in the present article and a link provided to the more detailed article.<!--note:nearly verbatim from ]<ref>A similar approach is an ], in which related articles are connected to each other with a special-purpose index box. An example of this is ], where articles on various periods of his life are listed in {{tl|IsaacNewtonSegments}}.</ref> Note: commenting out this footnote because ] needs some work.--> ] is an example of an article covering subtopics: it is divided into subsections that give an overview of the sport, with each subsection leading to one or more subtopic articles.


== Information style and tone ==
The most important thing is to include the complete citation information, just as you would for any other bibliography. The precise formatting is still debatable and can be fixed later. See also: ].
{{shortcut|WP:ENCSTYLE|WP:INFSTYLE}}
Two styles, closely related and not mutually exclusive, tend to be used for Misplaced Pages articles. The ], however, should always remain ], ], and ].


These styles are ''summary style'', which is the arrangement of a broad topic into a main article and side articles, each with subtopical sections; and the ''inverted pyramid'' style (or news style, though this term is ambiguous), which prioritizes key information to the top, followed by supporting material and details, with background information at the bottom.
*'''External links'''
Put here, in list form, any web sites that you have used or recommend for readers of the article. Describe it if possible (see ])


A feature of both styles, and of all Misplaced Pages articles, is the presence of the ], a summarizing overview of the most important facts about the topic. The ] template found at the top of many articles is a further distillation of key points.
*


=== Summary style ===
Its code is: <code><nowiki>* </nowiki></code>
{{Main|Misplaced Pages:Summary style}}
Summary style may apply both across a category of articles and within an article. Material is grouped and divided into sections that logically form discrete subtopics, and which over time may ] to separate articles in order to prevent excessive ] as the main article grows. As each subtopic is spun off, a concise summary of it is left behind with a pointer (usually using the {{tlx|Main}} template) to the new side article.


There are three main advantages to using summary style:
If you link to another website, you should give your reader a good summary of the site's contents, and the reasons why this specific website is relevant to the article in question. If you cite an online article, try to provide as much meaningful citation information as possible. Examples:
* Different readers want varying amounts of detail, and this style permits them to choose how much they are exposed to. Some readers need just a quick summary and are satisfied by the lead section; others seek a moderate amount of info, and will find the main article suitable to their needs; yet others want a lot of detail, and will be interested in reading the side articles.
* An article that is too long becomes tedious to read. Progressively summarizing and spinning off material avoids overwhelming the reader with too much text at once.
* An excessively detailed article is often one that repeats itself or exhibits writing that could be more concise. The development of summary-style articles tends to naturally clear out redundancy and bloat, though in a multi-article topic this comes at the cost of some necessary cross-article redundancy (i.e., a summary of one article in another).


The exact organizing principle of a particular summary-style article is highly context-dependent, with various options, such as chronological, geographical, and alphabetical (primarily in lists), among others.
<table border=0 width="100%" cellpadding="5">
<tr valign="top"><th width="30%" bgcolor="#eeaaaa"><b>Link with uninformative description</b>
</th>
<th width="70%" bgcolor="#aaeeaa"><B>Link with informative description</b>
</th>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
*
</TD>
<td>
* . Editorial by ], '']'', January 30, 2003. Discusses the Misplaced Pages idea and provides a general summary of the wiki concept.
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
*
</td>
<td>
* by Russ Kick, a website which "exists to preserve and spread material that is in danger of being lost, is hard to find, or is not widely known" . It is regularly updated with new documents, which are often obtained by the editor himself through ] requests. The site also provides links to reports on external sites.
</td>
</tr>
</table>


Some examples of summary style are the featured articles '']'' and '']''.
If you are dealing with controversial issues, it is also useful to point out which sites take which stance, and maybe separate the links by proponents and critics. Funding information or relationships may also be interesting. When linking to commercial sites, you may also wish to provide information on registration requirements and other limits, especially unexpected ones.


=== Inverted pyramid ===
Websites can take a long time to load, and a long time to evaluate. Try making it easier for the reader to choose which sites to visit. If a particular website is known to take a long time to load, or requires special software to interpret (for example, a large ] file) then add a note to the description indicating this fact.
{{anchor|News style|Inverted pyramid (news style)|reason=Old section headings that contradict ]; probably have incoming links.}}
{{see also|Misplaced Pages:Too long; didn't read}}
{{shortcut|WP:PYRAMID}}
Some Wikipedians prefer using the '']'' structure of ]. This information presentation technique is found in short, direct, front-page newspaper stories and the news bulletins that air on radio and television. This is a style used only within a single article, not across a category of them.


The main feature of the inverted pyramid is placement of important information first, with a decreasing importance as the article advances. Originally developed so that the editors could cut from the bottom to fit an item into the available layout space, this style encourages brevity and prioritizes information, because many people expect to find important material early, and less important information later, where interest decreases.
Don't use external links where we'll want Misplaced Pages links.
Don't put in links to external URLs
linking text that ''we'' will want articles on Misplaced Pages about.
Put external links in an "External links" section at the end of the article.
For example, if you're writing an article about Descartes and you know of
a great article about rationalism online, don't link the word "rationalism"
to that article.
Simply wikify the word ], and add an "External Links" section with an external link to the source (perhaps in both articles).


Encyclopedia articles {{em|are not required}} to be in inverted pyramid order and often are not, especially when their substance is detailed and their structure is highly granular. However, a familiarity with this convention may help in planning the style and layout of an article for which this approach is a good fit. Inverted-pyramid style is most often used with articles in which a chronological, geographical, or other order will not be helpful. Common examples are short-term events, concise biographies of persons notable for only one thing, and other articles where there are not likely to be many logical subtopics, but a number of facts to prioritize for the reader.
===Long article layout===


The lead section common to all Misplaced Pages articles is, in essence, a limited application of the inverted pyramid approach. Virtually all ] articles should be created in inverted-pyramid style, since they basically consist of just a lead section. Consequently, many articles begin as inverted-pyramid pieces and change to summary style later as the topic develops, often combining the approaches by retaining a general inverted pyramid structure, but dividing the background material subtopically, with summary pointers to other articles. The subtopic sections can also be constructed using inverted pyramid structure so that readers skimming the sections get the most important information first before moving to the next section.
The length of a given Misplaced Pages entry tends to grow as people add information to it. This cannot go on forever: infinitely long entries would cause problems. So we must remove information from entries periodically. This information should not be removed from Misplaced Pages: that would defeat the purpose of the contributions. So we must create new entries to hold the excised information.


=== Tone<span id="WPMOSTONE"></span><span id="WPSLANG"></span> ===
====Articles covering subtopics====
{{Shortcut|WP:TONE|WP:SLANG}}
{{Redirect|WP:SLANG|the policy that covers writing Misplaced Pages articles about slang terms|WP:Misplaced Pages is not a dictionary{{!}}WP:NOTSLANG}}
{{See also|Misplaced Pages:Neutral point of view#Impartial tone}}


]. Articles and other encyclopedic content should be written in a formal ]. Standards for formal tone vary a bit depending upon the subject matter but should usually match the style used in ]- and ]-class articles in the same category. Encyclopedic writing has a fairly academic approach, while remaining clear and understandable. Formal tone means that the article should not be written using ], ], ]s, ], ], or ] that is unintelligible to an average reader; it means that the English language should be used in a ] manner (e.g. use "{{xt|feel}}" or "{{xt|atmosphere}}" instead of "{{!xt|vibe(s)}}").
Misplaced Pages entries tend to grow in a way which lends itself to the natural creation of new entries. The text of any entry consists of a sequence of related but distinct subtopics. When there is enough text in a given subtopic to merit its own entry, that text can be excised from the present entry and replaced by a link. Some characteristics:


==== Use of pronouns<span id="Use of pronouns"></span><span id="Pronouns"></span><span id="WPPRONOUN"></span><span id="WPPRONOUNS"></span><span id="WPNARRATOR"></span><span id="WPDONTNARRATE"></span> ====
*Longer articles are split into ]s (each about several good-sized paragraphs long. Subsectioning can increase this amount)
{{redirect|WP:PRONOUNS|information on the usage of pronouns in relation to gender identity|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Biography#Gender identity}}
*Ideally many of those sections will eventually provide summaries of separate articles on the sub-topic covered in that section (a ''Main article'' or similar link would be below the section title)
{{See also|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style#Pronouns}}
*Each article on each subtopics has a lead section
{{shortcut|WP:PRONOUN|WP:PRONOUNS|WP:NARRATOR}}
*As a rule, they do not trigger a page size warning (in rare cases this rule must be broken since the point is to limit ''readable'' text, not markup and sometimes markup may push a page above 32kb).


Articles should not be written from a first- or second-person perspective. In prose writing, the ] (''I/me/my'' and ''we/us/our'') point of view and ] (''you'' and ''your'') point of view typically evoke a strong narrator. While this is acceptable in works of fiction and in monographs, it is unsuitable in an encyclopedia, where the writer should be invisible to the reader. Moreover, the first person often inappropriately implies a point of view inconsistent with the ], while the second person is associated with the step-by-step instructions of a how-to guide, which ]. First- and second-person pronouns should ordinarily be used only in attributed direct quotations relevant to the subject of the article.
Examples of entries that do this are:


There can be exceptions to these guidelines. For instance, the "]" widely used in professional mathematics writing is sometimes used to present and explain examples in articles, although discouraged on Misplaced Pages ]. ] to determine whether the chosen perspective is in the spirit of the guidelines.
*'']'', where the page is divided into different subsections that give an overview of the sport, with each subsection leading off to one or more articles covering subtopics and with a large 'See also' section at the end
*'']'', which is part of the 'History of the English penny series', as illustrated by a table on the right hand side of the article.


]s should be used (or pronouns avoided) where gendered language is not necessary, and especially when gender is not specific or unknown. {{Crossref|(See ], and {{slink|WP:Manual of Style#Identity}}, for further information.)}}
A smaller number of articles are split into a series of pages. An example of this style is '']''. In this instance there is one contents page for the whole series of pages.


==== News style or persuasive writing<span id="WPNEWSSTYLE"></span><span id="WPPERSUASIVE"></span><span id="WP:NOPERSUASIVE"></span> ====
====Balance parts of a page====
{{shortcut|WP:NEWSSTYLE|WP:PERSUASIVE}}


As a ], Misplaced Pages is not written in ] (in any sense other than some use of the ], above), including tone. The encyclopedic and journalistic intent and audience are different. Especially avoid ], attempts at humor or cleverness, reliance on ], ], ], ], ], and ].
Where an article is long, and has lots of subtopics with their own articles, try to balance parts of the main page. Do not put overdue weight into one part of an article at the cost of other parts. In shorter articles, if one subtopic has much more text than another subtopic, that may be an indication that that subtopic should have its own page, with only a summary presented on the main page.


Similarly, avoid news style's close sibling, ], which has many of those faults and more of its own, most often various kinds of ] and related ]. This style is used in press releases, advertising, op-ed writing, activism, propaganda, proposals, formal debate, reviews, and much tabloid and sometimes investigative journalism. It is not Misplaced Pages's role to try to convince the reader of anything, only to provide the salient facts as best they can be determined, and the reliable sources for them.
==Which style to use?==


==== Colloquial, emphatic or poetic language<span id="WPCOLLOQUIAL"></span><span id="WPCONVERSATIONAL"></span><span id="WPEMPHATIC"></span><span id="WPFORMAL"></span><span id="WPINFORMAL"></span><span id="WPPOETIC"></span> ====
Two styles, closely related, tend to be used for Misplaced Pages articles.
{{shortcut|WP:COLLOQUIAL|WP:COLLOQUIALISM|WP:EMPHATIC|WP:FORMAL|WP:INFORMAL|WP:POETIC}}
{{See also|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Words to watch#Puffery|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Words to watch#Editorializing|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Words to watch#Euphemisms}}


Another error of writing approach is attempting to make bits of material "pop" (an ] problem), such as with excessive ], over-], use of ], unnecessary ], the inclusion of ] adjectives and adverbs, or the use of unusual synonyms or ]. Just present the sourced information without embellishment, agenda, fanfare, cleverness, or conversational tone.
===News style===


An extreme example of hyperbole and emphatic language taken from ] as of 28 December 2019 (fixed in the next two revisions) read:
Some Wikipedians advocate using a ]. News style is the prose style of short, front-page newspaper stories and the news bulletins that air on radio and television. It encompasses not only vocabulary and sentence structure, but the order in which stories present information, their tone and the readers or interests to which they cater.


:{{!xt|Miraculously both divers survived the 294-foot fall, but now they faced a harrowing predicament. ... Helplessly trapped, with nothing to keep them warm, ... all they could do was huddle together and pray that rescuers would find them in time. ... But time was not on their side.}}
Encyclopedia articles do not ''have'' to follow '''news style''', but a familiarity with news style conventions may be a great help in planning the style and layout of an article.


This was fixed to:
===Summary style===


:{{xt|Both divers survived the 294-foot fall.}}
'Summary style' is an organisational style that is similar to 'news style' that works in the basic spirit of news style except it applies to ''topics'' instead of articles and lead section instead of lead sentences.


See ] for other examples. Avoid using words and phrases like ''{{!xt|terrible}}'', ''{{!xt|rising star}}'', ''{{!xt|curiously}}'', ''{{!xt|championed the likes of}}'' or ''{{!xt|on the other side of the pond}}'', unless part of a quotation or stated as an external viewpoint.
The idea is to distribute information in such a way so that Misplaced Pages can serve readers who want varying amounts of detail. It is up to the reader to choose how much detail they are exposed to. This is done by not overwhelming the reader with too much text at once by using progressively longer and longer summaries. This is the style followed by '']'' and '']'' referred to above.


Punctuation marks that appear in the article should be used only per generally accepted practice. ]s (!) should be used only if they occur in direct quotations.
====Rationale====


==== Rhetorical questions<span id="WPRHETORICAL"></span> ====
Misplaced Pages is not divided into a macropaedia and a micropaedia like Encyclopaedia Britannica is. We must serve both user types in the same encyclopedia. Summary style is based on the premise that information about a topic should not all be contained in a single article since different readers have different needs:
{{shortcut|WP:RHETORICAL}}
{{See also|MOS:SOCRATIC}}
*some readers need just a quick summary (lead section),
*more people need a moderate amount of info (a set of multi-paragraph sections)
*and yet others need a lot of detail (links to full-sized separate articles).
We must serve all groups.


As with exclamation marks, ]s (?) should also generally only be used if they occur in direct quotations; do not pose ]s for the reader.


For example, do not write:
==Think of the reader==


:{{!xt|There are many environmental concerns when it comes to ]. How can these be solved? Well, one solution involves ...}}
Misplaced Pages is an international encyclopaedia. The people who read it have different backgrounds, education and worldview from you. Try to make your article accessible to as many of them as possible. The reader is probably reading the article to learn. It's quite possible the reader knows nothing at all about the subject: the article needs to explain it to them.


Rhetorical questions can occasionally be used, when appropriate, in the presentation of material, but only when the question is asked by the material under consideration, not being asked in Misplaced Pages's own voice.
Where possible, avoid using jargon. But again, consider the reader. An article entitled "Use of chromatic scales in early Baroque music" is likely
to be read by musicians, and so technical details and jargon, linked to articles explaining the jargon, are appropriate.


For example:
But an article entitled "Rap music" is likely to be read by laymen who want a brief and plainly written overview, with links to more detailed information if available. If any jargon that is used, a brief explanation should be given in the article itself.


:{{xt|One model of policy analysis is the "five-E approach", which consists of examining a policy in terms of:}}
=== State the obvious ===
:{{xt|'''Effectiveness'''}}
::{{xt|How well does it work (or how well will it be predicted to work)?}}
:{{xt|'''Efficiency'''}}
::{{xt|How much work does or will it entail? Are there significant costs associated with this solution, and are they worth it? ...}}<ref>Taken from ] as of 6 September 2017.</ref>


==== Inappropriate lists ====
State facts which may be obvious to you, but are not necessarily obvious to the reader. Usually, such a statement will be in the first sentence or two of the article. For example, consider this sentence:
{{See also|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Lists#Use prose where understood easily}}


A related presentation problem is "info-dumping" by presenting information in the form of a long, bulleted list when it would be ]. This is especially true when the items in the list are not of equal importance, or are not really comparable in some other way, and need context. Using explanatory prose also helps identify and remove ]; if we cannot explain to readers why something is ], then it is not important.
* The ''']''' was conceived as a response to the ] and entered production for the ] model year.


== Provide context for the reader ==
Here no mention is made of the Ford Thunderbird's fundamental nature: it is an ]. It assumes that the reader already knows this&mdash;an assumption that may not be correct, especially if the reader is not familiar with ] or ]. Perhaps instead:
{{shortcut|WP:AUDIENCE}}
{{redirect|WP:AUDIENCE|guideline on notability of companies with regards to reach of sources|Misplaced Pages:Notability (organizations and companies)#Audience}}
{{For|context and linking|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Linking}}


{{For|articles without context|:Category:Misplaced Pages articles needing context}}
* The ''']''' is a ] manufactured in the ] by the ].
{{About||article context notice |Template:Context|inline template for a general context problem|Template:Context inline}}


Misplaced Pages is an international encyclopedia. People who read Misplaced Pages have different backgrounds, education and opinions. Make your article accessible and understandable for as many readers as possible. Assume readers are reading the article to learn. It is possible that the reader knows nothing about the subject, so the article needs to explain the subject fully.
But there is no need to go overboard. There is no need to explain a common word like "car". Repetition is usually unnecessary, for example:


] whenever possible. Consider the reader. An article entitled "Use of chromatic scales in early Baroque music" is likely to be read by musicians, and technical details and terms are appropriate, linking to articles explaining the technical terms. On the other hand, an article entitled "Baroque music" is likely to be read by laypersons who want a brief and plainly written overview, with links to available detailed information. When jargon is used in an article, a brief explanation should be given within the article. Aim for a balance between comprehensibility and detail so that readers can gain information from the article.
* ] was ]ed into the ] in ].


=== Evaluating context ===
conveys enough information. Thus, the following is redundant.
Here are some ]s to help you test whether you are setting enough context:


* Does the article make sense if the reader gets to it ]?
* ] was a Japanese soldier in Japan who was drafted into the ] in ]. He speaks Japanese.
* Imagine yourself as a ] in another English-speaking country. Can you figure out what or who the article is about? Can you figure out whether a particular place or time is relevant?
* Can people tell what the article is about if the first page is printed out and passed around?
* Would a reader want to follow some of the links? Do sentences still make sense if they can't?


===Lead section=== === Build the web ===
{{Main|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Linking}}


Remember that every Misplaced Pages article is tightly connected to a network of other topics. Establishing such connections via wikilink is a good way to establish context. Because Misplaced Pages is not a long, ordered sequence of carefully categorized articles like a paper encyclopedia, but a collection of randomly accessible, highly interlinked ones, each article should contain links to more ''general'' subjects that serve to ] the article. When creating links, do not go overboard, and be careful to make your links relevant. It is not necessary to link the same term twelve times (although if it appears in the lead, then near the end, it might be a good idea to link it twice).
The '''lead section''' is the ] before the first headline. It is shown above the table of contents (for pages with more than three headlines). It should establish significances, large implications and ''why we should care''.


Avoid making your articles ]. When you write a new article, make sure that one or more other pages link to it, to lessen the chances that your article will be orphaned through someone else's ]. Otherwise, when it falls off the bottom of the ] page, it will disappear into the ]. There should always be an unbroken chain of links leading from the ] to every article in Misplaced Pages; following the path you would expect to use to find your article may give you some hints as to which articles should link to your article.
====The first sentence====


=== State the obvious ===
If the subject is amenable to ], the first sentence should give a concise, ] definition in its opening sentence that puts the article in context. The title should be highlighted in bold the first time it appears in an article, but not thereafter. Nor should the title be linked: a reader will only get back to the same article.
{{shortcut|WP:OBVIOUS}}
{{redirect|WP:OBVIOUS|the essay about over-citing obvious things|Misplaced Pages:You don't need to cite that the sky is blue}}
State facts that may be obvious to you, but are not necessarily obvious to the reader. Usually, such a statement will be in the first sentence or two of the article. For example, consider this sentence:
<blockquote>{{!xt|The ''']''' was conceived as a response to the ] and entered production for the 1955 model year.}}</blockquote>


Here no mention is made of the Ford Thunderbird's fundamental nature: it is an ]. It assumes that the reader already knows this—an assumption that may not be correct, especially if the reader is not familiar with ] or ]. Perhaps instead:
For example, an article on ], should not begin with:
<blockquote>{{xt|The ''']''' was a ] manufactured in the United States by the ].}}</blockquote>


However, there is no need to go overboard. There is no need to explain a common word like "car". Repetition is usually unnecessary, for example:
:'''Darwin''' created controversy with the publication of ''Origin of Species''...
<blockquote>{{xt|] was ] into the ] in 1941.}}</blockquote>


conveys enough information (although it is not a good first sentence). However, the following is not only ] but ]:
But instead should begin with something like:
<blockquote>{{!xt|] was a Japanese soldier in Japan who was ] into the ] in 1941.}}</blockquote>


== Lead section ==
: '''Charles Darwin''' (]&ndash;]) was a naturalist and geologist who proposed the modern theory of ]....
{{:Misplaced Pages:Lead section TT text}}<!-- TEMPORARY editorial note: To learn more about this edit please go to Misplaced Pages:Lead section TT text -->
=== Opening paragraph ===
{{shortcut|WP:BETTER/GRAF1}}
Normally, the opening paragraph summarizes the most important points of the article. It should clearly explain the subject so that the reader is prepared for the greater level of detail that follows. If further introductory material is appropriate before the first section, it can be covered in subsequent paragraphs in the lead. Introductions to biographical articles commonly double as summaries, listing the best-known achievements of the subject. Because some readers will read only the opening of an article, the most vital information should be included.
{{:Misplaced Pages:Lead section TT first sentence content}}{{:Misplaced Pages:Lead section TT first sentence format}}<!-- for more about this edit see WP:Transclude text -->


=== The rest of the opening paragraph ===
] has more on the specific format for biography articles.
Then proceed with a description. Remember, the basic significance of a topic may not be obvious to nonspecialist readers, even if they understand the basic characterization or definition. Tell them. For instance:


:'''Peer review''', known as ''refereeing'' in some academic fields, is a scholarly process used in the publication of manuscripts and in the awarding of money for research. Publishers and agencies use peer review to select and to screen submissions. At the same time, the process assists authors in meeting the standards of their discipline. Publications and awards that have not undergone peer review are liable to be regarded with suspicion by scholars and professionals in many fields.
A common context problem is writers linking a work from an author's page, say, and then starting an article with "''A'' is his third novel..." without stating ''whose'' novel it is.


=== The rest of the lead section ===
If the article is about a fictional character or place, say so. Readers might not know, for instance, that ] is not a real person. Start with, for example:
If the article is long enough for the lead section to contain several paragraphs, then the first paragraph should be short and to the point, with a clear explanation of what the subject of the page is. The following paragraphs should give a summary of the article. They should provide an overview of the main points the article will make, summarizing the primary reasons the subject matter is interesting or notable, including its more important controversies, if there are any.


The appropriate length of the lead section depends on the total length of the article. As a general guideline:
:'''Homer Simpson''' is a fictional character in the television series...


{| class="wikitable"
====The rest of the lead section====
|-
! Article length
! Lead length
|-
| Fewer than 15,000 characters
| One or two paragraphs
|-
| 15,000–30,000 characters
| Two or three paragraphs
|-
| More than 30,000 characters
| Three or four paragraphs
|}


=== "Lead follows body" ===
Then proceed with a description. The definition should be as clear to the nonspecialist as the subject matter allows. If the article is long (more than one page), the remainder of the opening paragraph should ] it. Remember, the basic significance of a topic may not be obvious to nonspecialist readers, even if they understand the basic definition. Tell them! For instance:
{{shortcut|WP:LEADFOLLOWSBODY}}


The sequence in which you edit should usually be: first change the body, then update the lead to summarize the body. Several editors might add or improve some information in the body of the article, and then another editor might update the lead once the new information has stabilized. Don't try to update the lead first, hoping to provide direction for future changes to the body. There are three reasons why editing the body first and then making the lead reflect it leads to improvement of articles.
:''']''' (known as '''refereeing''' in some academic fields) is a scholarly process used in the publication of manuscripts and in the awarding of money for research. Publishers and agencies use peer review to select and to screen submissions. At the same time, the process assists authors in meeting the standards of their discipline. Publications and awards that have not undergone peer review are liable be regarded with suspicion by scholars and professionals in many fields.


First, it keeps the lead in sync with the body. The lead, being a summary of the article, promises that the body will deliver fuller treatment of each point. Generally, wiki pages are imperfect at all times, but they should be complete, useful articles at all times. They should not contain "under construction" sections or refer to features and information that editors hope they will contain in the future. It's much worse for the lead to promise information that the body does not deliver than for the body to deliver information that the lead does not promise.
If the article is long enough to contain several paragraphs, then the first paragraph should be short and to the point, with a clear explanation of what the subject of the page is.


Second, good ways to summarize material usually only become clear after that material has been written. If you add a new point to the lead before it's covered in the body, you only think you know what the body ''will'' eventually contain. When the material is actually covered in the body, and checked and improved, usually by multiple editors, then you ''know.'' (If having a rough, tentative summary helps you write the body, keep your own private summary, either on your computer or in your User space.)
To avoid the ] being positioned too low, say lower than this position in a page, put <nowiki>__TOC__</nowiki> at the top of the desired position.


Third, on contentious pages, people often get into edit wars over the lead because the lead is the most prominent part of the article. It's much harder to argue constructively over high-level statements when you don't share common understanding of the lower-level information that they summarize. Space is scarce in the lead, so people are tempted to cram too much into one sentence, or pile on lots of references, in order to fully state and prove their case—resulting in an unreadable lead. In the body, you have all the space you need to cover subtleties and to cover opposing ideas fairly and in depth, separately, one at a time. Once the opposing ideas have been shaken out and covered well in the body, editing the lead without warring often becomes much easier. Instead of arguing about what is true or what all the competing sources say, now you are just arguing over whether the lead fairly summarizes what's currently in the body.
The appropriate length of the lead section depends on the total length of the article. As a general guideline, the lead should be no longer than two or three paragraphs. The following specific rules have been proposed:


== Use other languages sparingly ==
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5
{{main|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style#Foreign terms}}
!< 15,000 characters
!15,000 characters - 30,000 characters
!> 30,000 characters
|----
|one or two paragraphs
|two or three paragraphs
|three paragraphs (consider ])
|}


It is fine to include foreign terms as extra information, but avoid writing articles that can only be understood if the reader understands the foreign terms. Such words are equivalent to ], which should be ] somehow. In the English-language Misplaced Pages, the English form does not always have to come first: sometimes the non-English word is better as the main text, with the English in parentheses or set off by commas after it, and sometimes not. For example, see ].
===How to test===


{{shortcut|WP:NONENGLISHTITLE}}
Here are some thought experiments to help you test whether you are setting enough context:
Non-English words in the English-language Misplaced Pages should be written in ''italics''. Non-English words should be used as titles for entries ]. Again, see ].
* Does the article make sense if the reader gets to it as a random page? (])
* Imagine yourself as a layman in another English speaking country. Can you figure out what the article is about?
* Can people tell what the article is about if the first page is printed out and passed around?
* Would a reader want to follow some of the links?


English title terms taken from a language that does not use the Roman alphabet can include the native spelling in parentheses. See, for example, ] ({{zh|t=易經|s=易经|p=Yìjīng}}) or ] ({{langx|grc|Σοφοκλῆς}}). The native spelling is useful for precisely identifying foreign words, since transliterations may be inaccurate or ambiguous. Foreign terms within the article body do not need native spellings if they can be specified as title terms in separate articles; just link to the appropriate article on first occurrence.
===Use other languages sparingly===


== Use color sparingly ==
It is fine to include foreign terms as extra information, but avoid writing articles that can only be understood if the reader understands the foreign terms. In the English-language Misplaced Pages, the English form does not always have to come first, sometimes the non-English word is better as the main text with the English in parentheses or set off by commas after it, and sometimes not. For example, see ]
{{see also|Help:Using colors}}
If possible, avoid presenting information with color only within the article's text and in tables.


Color should only be used sparingly, as a secondary visual aid. Computers and browsers vary, and you cannot know how much color, if any, is visible on the recipient's machine. Misplaced Pages is international: colors have different meaning in different cultures. Too many colors on one page look cluttered and unencyclopedic. Specifically, use the color red only for alerts and warnings.
Non-English words in the English-language Misplaced Pages should be given emphasis, usually ''italic''. Non-English words should be used as titles for entries only as a last resort. Again, see ].


Awareness of color should be allowed for low-vision viewers: poor lighting, color blindness, ] software, dark or overbright screens, monochrome screens, and the wrong contrast/color settings on the display screen.
English title terms with foreign origin can encode the native spelling and put it in parentheses. See, for example, ] (&#26131;&#32147; ] ''yì j&#299;ng'') or ] (&Sigma;&omicron;&phi;&omicron;&kappa;&lambda;&eta;&sigmaf;).
The native text is useful for researchers to precisely identify ambiguous
spelling, especially for tonal languages that do not transliterate well
into the Roman alphabet. Foreign terms within the article body do not need native text if they can be specified as title terms in separate articles.


== Use clear, precise and accurate terms ==
See also ],
=== Be concise ===
{{see also|WP:DETAIL|WP:BECONCISE}}
{{shortcut|WP:TERSE}}
Articles should use only necessary words. This does not mean using fewer words is always better; rather, when considering equivalent expressions, choose the more concise.
{{quote|Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.|] from the 1918 work, '']''}}


Reduce sentences to the essentials. Wordiness does not add credibility to Misplaced Pages articles. Avoid circumlocutions like "due to the fact that" in place of "because", or "at the present time" for "currently". Ongoing events should be qualified with "as of {{CURRENTYEAR}}".
===Use colour sparingly===


Conciseness alone does not justify removing information from an article.
Use colour sparingly. Computers and browsers vary: you cannot know how much colour is presented on the recipient's machine if any. Misplaced Pages is international: colours have different meaning in different cultures. Too many colours on one page make them look cluttered and unencyclopedic. Use the colour red only for alerts and warnings.


=== Principle of least astonishment ===<!-- This section is linked from ] -->
==Use clear, precise and accurate terms==
{{selfref|For the principle of least astonishment as applied to potentially offensive content, see ] and ].}}
{{seealso|WP:NOTWHATFIRSTCOMESTOMIND|MOS:BOLDREDIRECT|WP:R#ASTONISH}}
{{shortcut|WP:PLA|WP:LEAST|WP:ASTONISH|WP:SURPRISE}}
When the ] is successfully employed, information is understood by the reader without struggle. The average reader should not be shocked, surprised, or confused by what they read. Do not use provocative language. Instead, offer information gently. Use consistent vocabulary in parts that are technical and difficult. To work out which parts of the sentence are going to be difficult for the reader, try to put yourself in the position of a reader hitherto uninformed on the subject.


You should plan your page structure and links so that everything appears reasonable and makes sense. A link should not take readers to somewhere other than where they thought it would go.
===Use short sentences and lists===


Avoid ], which require the reader to open them before understanding what's going on. Instead, use a ] to describe what the link will refer to once it's opened.
''Use short sentences'' does not mean ''use fewer words''. It means ''don't use unnecessary words'' and sometimes using full stops/periods rather than commas. Consider the view of ] in his 1918 :


Similarly, make sure that concepts being used as the basis for further discussion have already been defined or linked to a proper article. Explain causes before consequences and make sure your logical sequence is clear and sound, especially to the layperson.
:''Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.''


Ensure that ] and ] that are likely to be useful are in place.
===Principle of least astonishment===


We cannot control all astonishment – the point of an encyclopedia is to learn things, after all. But limiting the surprises our readers find within our articles' text will encourage rather than frustrate our readers.
This is the principle that you should plan your pages and links so that everything appears reasonable and makes sense. If a link takes a surfer to somewhere other than what they thought it would, it should at least take them someplace that makes sense.


====Example==== === Use of "refers to" ===
{{see also|Misplaced Pages:Misplaced Pages is not a dictionary#Fixing the introductory sentence: removing "refers to"|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Lead section#First sentence}}
{{shortcut|WP:REFERS|WP:UMD}}


Phrases such as '''''refers to''''', ''is the name of'', ''describes'', or ''is a term for'' are sometimes used inappropriately in the first sentence of Misplaced Pages articles.
A user wants to know about the nuclear power plant that exploded in ]. The page on "Chernobyl" redirects to "]", an alternative spelling for that town. However, the user sees that a link to the desired page, ], is placed prominently near the top of the Chornobyl page, and happily clicks on that.
For the vast majority of articles, the introduction is ''using'' a term, rather than ''mentioning'' it. This is known as the '']''.


For example, the article ] once began with the sentence, "{{!xt|'''Computer architecture''' refers to the theory behind the design of a computer.}}"
===Use of 'refers to'===
That is not true: Computer architecture {{em|is}} the theory. The {{em|words}} "computer architecture" refer to the theory, but the article is not about the words; it is about the theory.
Thus it is better to say, "{{xt|'''Computer architecture''' is the theory behind the design of a computer.}}"


To speak easily of the scope of a ] without confusing the term for the thing, one can simply say that " is any of various " or "any of a class of with trait X", such as "A pine is any conifer in the genus ''Pinus'' of the family Pinaceae" (not "Pine refers to any tree in the genus ''Pinus'' of the family Pinaceae").
The phrase '''''refers to''''' is often found near the beginning of Misplaced Pages articles. For example, the article ] once began by saying "'''Computer architecture''' refers to the theory behind the design of a computer." But that is not literally true; it would be better to say, "'''Computer architecture''' is the theory behind the design of a computer", as the article now does. Note that it is the words ''computer architecture'' that refer to a certain theory; computer architecture itself does not refer to any theory, it ''is'' a theory.


Sometimes it may be appropriate to say, for example, "The term '''''Great Schism''''' refers to either one of two schisms in the history of Christianity", but most often the simpler locution is better. ] ''mention'' the term, so in such cases it is correct to write "{{xt|'''Great Schism''' may refer to either of two schisms in the history of Christianity: ...}}". However, a ] should read "{{xt|There have been two '''Great Schisms''' in the history of Christianity}}".
If you ''mention'' the phrase ''Great Schism'', rather than ''using'' that phrase to refer to one of the Great Schisms, then write the word in italics to indicate that.


=== Check your facts === <!-- This section is linked from ] -->
See also: ]
{{seealso|Misplaced Pages:Verifiability}}
{{shortcut|WP:FACTCHECK}}
Write material that is true: check your facts. Do not write material that is false. This might require that you verify your alleged facts.


This is a crucial part of ]: even if you think you know something, you have to provide references anyway to prove to the reader that the fact is true. Material that seems to naturally stem from sourced claims might not have been actually claimed. In searching for good references to cite, you might even learn something new.
===Check your facts===


Be careful about deleting material that may be factual. If you are inclined to delete something from an entry, first consider checking whether it is true. If material ''is'' apparently factual, in other words substantiated and cited, be extra careful about deleting. An encyclopedia is a collection of facts. If another editor provided a fact, there was probably a reason for it that should not be overlooked. Therefore, consider each fact provided as potentially precious. Is the context or overall presentation the issue? If the fact does not belong in one particular article, maybe it belongs in another.
Write stuff that is true: check your facts. Do not write stuff that is false. This might require that you check your alleged facts.

This is a basic part of ]...even if you think you know something, you have to cite references anyway to prove to the reader that the fact is true. In searching for good references to cite, you might even learn something new.

Be careful about deleting material that may be factual. Frequently editors incorporate substantive material without providing a reference. If you should be inclined to delete something from an entry, first consider checking whether it is true. If material ''is'' factual, i.e. substantiated and cited, be extra careful about deleting. An encyclopedia is a collection of facts. If another editor provided a fact, there was probably a reason for it that should not be overlooked. So consider each fact provided as potentially precious. Is the context or overall presentation the issue? If the fact does not being in one particular article, maybe it belongs in another.


Examine entries you have worked on subsequent to revision by others. Have facts been omitted or deleted? It may be the case that you failed to provide sufficient substantiation for the facts, or that the facts you incorporated may need a clearer relationship to the entry. Protect your facts, but also be sure that they are presented meaningfully. Examine entries you have worked on subsequent to revision by others. Have facts been omitted or deleted? It may be the case that you failed to provide sufficient substantiation for the facts, or that the facts you incorporated may need a clearer relationship to the entry. Protect your facts, but also be sure that they are presented meaningfully.


==== Check your fiction ====<!-- This section is linked from ] -->
See also: ]
{{shortcut|WP:CYF}}
{{Main|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)}}


The advice about factual articles also applies to articles on fiction subjects. Further considerations apply when writing about fictional topics because they are ''inherently not real''. It is important to keep these articles verifiable and encyclopedic.
====Avoid blanket terms====


If you add fictional information, clearly distinguish fact and fiction. As with normal articles, establish context so that a reader unfamiliar with the subject can get an idea about the article's meaning without having to check several links. Instead of writing:
Avoid blanket terms unless you have verified them. For example, the ] article states that of the 18 Montgomery Counties in the United States, '''most''' are named after Richard Montgomery. This is a blanket statement. It may very well be true, but is it reliable? In this instance the editor had done the research to verify this. Without the research, the statement should not be made. It would have been a good idea to describe the research done and sign it on the article's talk page.


: {{!xt|'''Trillian''' is ]'s girlfriend. She was taken away from Earth by ] when he met her at a party. She meets Dent while travelling with Zaphod.}}
====Check your fiction====


write:
The advice about factual articles also applies to articles on fiction subjects. Further considerations need to be made when writing about fictional topics: they are inherently not real. It is important to keep these articles verifiable and encyclopedic.


: {{xt|'''Trillian''' is a ] from ]'s radio, book and film series '']''. In the first book, Trillian is introduced to the main character ] on a spaceship. In her backstory, she was taken away from Earth when the space alien ] met her at a party.}}
If you add fictional information, clearly distinguish fact and fiction. As with normal articles, establish context so that a reader unfamiliar with the subject can get an idea about the article's meaning without having to check several links. Instead of


==== Use of fictional tenses ====
: "Trillian was taken away from Earth by Zaphod when he visited a party."
{{shortcut|WP:FICTENSE}}{{anchor|Tense}}{{anchor|Tense in fiction}}
Works of fiction are generally considered to "come alive" for their audience. They therefore exist in a kind of perpetual present, regardless of when the fictional action is supposed to take place relative to the reader's "now". Thus, generally you should write about fiction using the '']'', not the past tense. (See {{section link|WP:Manual of Style|Verb tense}} and {{section link|WP:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction|Contextual presentation}}.)
Examples:


: Homer ''{{xt|presents}}'', Achilles ''{{xt|rages}}'', Andromache ''{{xt|laments}}'', Priam ''{{xt|pleads}}''.
write
: {{xt|Holden Caulfield ''has'' a certain disdain for what he ''sees'' as 'phony'.}}
: {{xt|''Friends'' ''is'' an American sitcom that ''was'' aired on NBC.}}


Conversely, discussion of history is usually written in the past tense and thus "fictional history" may be presented in that way as well.
: "'''Trillian''' is a ] from ]'s radio and book series '']''. She was taken away from Earth in a ] when ] visited a party. Together with Zaphod, she explores the universe in the starship. " And so on.


: {{xt|Chroniclers ''claimed'' that Thalestris, queen of the Amazons, ''seduced'' Alexander the Great.}}
Articles about fictional topics should not be simple book-reports, rather the topic should be explained through its significance on the work. The reader should be able to feel like they understand why a character, place, or event was included in the fictional work after reading an article about one.


A reader should be able to understand why this person/place/thing/event is relevant to the story. Articles about fictional topics should not read like ]s; instead, they should explain the topic's significance to the work. After reading the article, the reader should be able to understand why a character, place, or event was included in the fictional work.


It is generally discouraged to add fictional information from sources that cannot be verified or are limited to a very small number of readers, such as ] and online role playing games. In the latter case, if you absolutely have to write about the subject, please be especially careful to ]. Editors are generally discouraged from adding fictional information from sources that cannot be verified or are limited to a very small number of readers, such as ] and online role-playing games. In the latter case, if you absolutely have to write about the subject, please be especially careful to cite your sources.


If the subject, a character in a TV show, say, is too limited to be given a full article, then integrate information about that character into a larger article. It is better to write a larger article about the TV show or a fictional universe itself than to create all sorts of stubs about its characters that nobody can find. And if you find a lot of related fiction stubs? Merge them! Make yourself a ] page, and go ] crazy, leaving a solid characters article, and a trail of ] in your wake. If the subject, say a character in a television show, is too limited to be given a full article, then integrate information about that character into a larger article. It is better to write a larger article about the television show or a fictional universe itself than to create all sorts of stubs about its characters that nobody can find.


==== Stay on topic ====
See also: ]
{{Redirect|WP:TOPIC|information about the Topic namespace|Misplaced Pages:Flow}}
{{Redirect|WP:OFFTOPIC|the guideline on collapsing off-topic talk page discussions|Misplaced Pages:TALKOFFTOPIC}}
{{shortcut|WP:TOPIC|WP:OFFTOPIC}}
The most readable articles contain no irrelevant (nor only loosely relevant) information. While writing an article, you might find yourself digressing into a side subject. If you are wandering off-topic, consider placing the additional information into a different article, where it will fit more closely with that topic. If you provide a link to the other article, readers who are interested in the side topic have the option of digging into it, but readers who are not interested will not be distracted by it.


=== Pay attention to spelling ===
====from Stay on topic====
{{Main|Misplaced Pages:Spellchecking}}
'''Pay attention to spelling''', particularly of new page names. Articles with good spelling and proper grammar can help encourage further contributions of well-formed content. Proper spelling of an article name will also make it easier for other authors to link their articles to your article. Sloppiness begets sloppiness, so always do your best.
* Browsers have the native ability to highlight misspelled words in text boxes.
* Use free online dictionaries like , , , and a spell checker such as , , or your browser's built-in spell checker. See ] for tips on how to use these resources.
* Articles may also be spell-checked in a word processor before being saved. A free word processor may be obtained from or .
* A "draft" message on certain free email websites, such as , can also provide spell-check. This might be convenient, especially regarding email websites with which you are already familiar and use often.


=== Avoid peacock and weasel terms ===
The most readable articles contain a minimum of irrelevant (or only loosely relevant!) information. While writing an article you might find yourself digressing into a side subject. If you find yourself wandering off topic, consider placing the additional information into a different article, where it will fit more closely with the topic. If you provide a link to the other article, readers who are interested in the side topic have the option of digging into it, but readers who aren't interested won't be distracted by it.
] that show off the subject of the article without containing any real information. Similarly, ] that offer an opinion without really backing it up, and which are really used to express a non-neutral point of view.


{| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
===Pay attention to spelling===

'''Pay attention to spelling''', particularly of new page names. Articles with good spelling and proper grammar will encourage further contributions of good content. Proper spelling of an article name will also make it easier for other authors to link their articles to your article. Sloppiness in one aspect of writing can lead to sloppiness in others. Always do your best. It's not that big a deal, but why not get it right?

* Use free ] dictionaries like , , and a spell checker such as . See ] for tips on how to use these resources.
* Articles may also be spell-checked in a word processor before being saved. A free word processor may be obtained from .
* Users of Unix-like systems can also use ] to edit Misplaced Pages &mdash; it highlights misspelt words in text boxes.

For more information, refer to the ].

===Avoid peacock and weasel terms===

Avoid '''peacock terms''' that show off the subject of the article without containing any real information. Similarly, avoid ''']''' that offer an opinion without really backing it up, and which really are a used to express a non-neutral point of view.

{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|- bgcolor="#efefef" |- bgcolor="#efefef"
! colspan=3 style="border-right:0px;"; | Examples of '''peacock terms''' ! colspan=3 style="border-right:0px;"; | Examples of '''peacock terms'''
|- bgcolor="#efefef" |- bgcolor="#efefef"
|- |-
|an important...||one of the most important...||one of the best... |an important...||one of the most prestigious...||one of the best...
|- |-
||the most influential...||a significant...||the greatest... ||the most influential...||a significant...||the great...
|- |-
|- bgcolor="#efefef" |- bgcolor="#efefef"
! colspan=3 style="border-right:0px;"; | Examples of '''weasel terms''' ! colspan=3 style="border-right:0px;"; | Examples of '''weasel words'''
|- bgcolor="#efefef" |- bgcolor="#efefef"
|- |-
Line 357: Line 402:
|} |}


Believe in your subject. Let the facts speak for themselves. If your ] player, ], or species of ] is worth the reader's time, it will come out in the facts. Believe in your subject. Let the facts speak for themselves. If your ] player, ], or species of ] is worth the reader's time, it will come out through the facts. However, in some cases (for example, history of graphic design) using superlative adjectives (in the "... ''one of the'' most important figures in the history of ..." format) in the description may help readers with no previous knowledge about the subject to learn about the importance or generally perceived status of the subject discussed. Note that to use this type of superlative adjective format, the most reputable experts in the relevant field must support the claim.


Avoid blanket terms unless you have verified them. For example, ] states that of the 18 Montgomery Counties in the United States, '''most''' are named after Richard Montgomery. This is a blanket statement. It may very well be true, but is it reliable? In this instance, the editor had done the research to verify this. Without the research, the statement should not be made. It is always a good idea to describe the research done and sign it on the article's talk page.
====Example 1====


If you wish to, or must refer to an opinion, first make sure someone who holds some standing in that subject gives it. A view on former American President ] from ] is more interesting for the reader than one from your teacher from school. Then say who holds the opinion being given, preferably with a source or a quote for it. Compare the following:
Sometimes the way round using these terms is to back the statement up with a fact.


:Some critics of ] have said he has low intelligence.
:"The Yankees are one of the greatest baseball teams in history."


:Author ] in his book '']'' wrote an open letter to George Bush. In it, he asked, "George, are you able to read and write on an adult level?"
:"The New York Yankees have won 26 World Series championships -- almost three times as many as any other team."


==== Examples ====
By sticking to concrete and factual information, we can avoid the need to name any opinion at all.
Sometimes the way around using these terms is to replace the statements with the facts that back them up. Instead of:


:{{!xt|The Yankees are one of the greatest baseball teams in history.}}
====Example 2====


Write:
Consider the following two examples. Which do you think makes for more interesting reading?

:'''''William Peckenridge,''''' ''eighth '''Duke of Omnium''' (]? - ], ]) is widely considered to be one of the most important men to carry that title.''

:'''''William Peckenridge,''''' ''eighth '''Duke of Omnium''' (]? - ], ]) was personal counsellor to ], general in the ], a ], ], and the director of the secret society known as ]. He expanded the title of Omnium to include protectorship of Guiana and right of revocation for civil-service appointments in ].''

The first example simply ''tells'' the reader that William Peckenridge was important. The second example ''shows'' the reader that he was important.

====Example 3====

If you wish to refer to an opinion, first make sure it is given by someone who holds some standing in that subject. A view on ] from ] is more interesting for the reader than one from your teacher at school. Then say who holds the opinion being given, preferably with a source or a quote for it. Compare the following:

:Some critics of ] have said he has low intelligence.


:{{xt|The New York Yankees have won 27 World Series championships—almost three times as many as any other team.}}
:Author ] in his book '']'' wrote an open letter to George Bush. In it, he asked "George, are you able to read and write on an adult level?".


By sticking to concrete and factual information, we can avoid the need to give any opinion at all. Doing so also makes for writing that is much more interesting, for example:
====Exceptions====


:{{!xt|'''William Peckenridge,''' eighth '''Duke of Omnium''' (1642? – May 8, 1691) is widely considered to be one of the most important men to carry that title.}}
What we have described is not a rule. When repeating established views, it may be easier to just state "Before ]', most people thought the Sun revolved round the Earth" rather than go into details and sources for it. Particularly if the statement forms only a small part of your article. But do not be surprised if people later question the source or reword your phrase.
:{{xt|'''William Peckenridge,''' eighth '''Duke of Omnium''' (1642? – May 8, 1691) was a personal counselor to ], general in the ], a chemist, bandleader, and the director of the secret society known as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. He expanded the title of Omnium to include protectorship of Guiana and right of revocation for civil-service appointments in India.}}


]. The first example simply ''tells'' the reader that William Peckenridge was important. The second example ''shows'' the reader why he was important.
===Make omissions explicit===


==== Exceptions ====
'''Make omissions explicit''' when creating or editing an article. When writing an article, always aim for completeness. If for some reason you can't cover a point that should be covered, ''make that omission explicit''. You can do this either by leaving a note on the discussion page or by leaving ] ] within the text and adding a notice to the bottom about the omissions. This has two purposes: it entices others to contribute, and it alerts non-experts that the article they're reading doesn't yet give the full story.
When repeating established views, it may be easier to simply state: "Before ], most people thought the sun revolved round the earth", rather than sacrifice clarity with details and sources, particularly if the statement forms only a small part of your article. However, in general, everything should be ], whether within the text, with a footnote, or with a general reference.
<!-- Actually knowledge of the earth's spherical shape was well-disseminated in ancient Greece, and for the past 50 years historians have known survived into the Middle Ages among the educated classes more widely than was previously believed, so actually this IS a good area for checking your sources. See Jeffrey Russell's book on the myth of the flat earth. -->


=== Make omissions explicit for other editors ===
That's why Misplaced Pages is a collaborative encyclopedia&mdash;we work together to achieve what we could not achieve individually. Every aspect that you cover means less work for someone else, plus you may cover something that someone else may not think of, but is nevertheless important to the subject. Add <nowiki>{{todo}}</nowiki> to the top of the talk page of articles for which you can establish some goals, priorities or things to do.
'''Make omissions explicit''' when creating or editing an article. When writing an article, always aim for completeness. If for some reason you cannot cover a point that should be explained, ''make that omission explicit''. You can do this either by leaving a note on the discussion page or by leaving ] within the text and adding a notice to the bottom about the omissions. This has two purposes: it entices others to contribute, and it alerts non-experts that the article they are reading does not yet give the full story.


That's why Misplaced Pages is a collaborative encyclopedia—we work together to achieve what we could not achieve individually. Every aspect that you cover means less work for someone else, plus you may cover something that someone else may not think of but which is nevertheless important to the subject. Add <nowiki>{{</nowiki>]<nowiki>}}</nowiki> to the top of the talk page of articles for which you can establish some goals, priorities or things to do.
==Other issues==


== Other issues ==<!-- This section is linked from ] -->
; '''Inappropriate subjects''' : If you are trying to dress up something that doesn't belong in Misplaced Pages&mdash;your band, your Web site, your company's product&mdash;think twice about it. ] an advertising medium or home page service. Wikipedians are pretty clever, and if an article is really just personal gratification or blatant advertising, it's not going to last long&mdash;no matter how "important" you say the subject is.
; Honorifics: Do not use ]s or ]s, such as Mr, Ms, Rev, Doctor, Professor, etc. See ] and ]
; '''Categorisation''' : Because Misplaced Pages is not a long, ordered sequence of carefully categorised articles like a paper encyclopedia, but a collection of randomly-accessible highly interlinked ones, each article should contain links to more ''general'' subjects that serve to categorise the article.
; Inappropriate subjects: If you are ] something that doesn't belong in Misplaced Pages—your band, your Web site, your company's product—think twice about it. ] or ]. Wikipedians are pretty clever, and if an article is really just ] or ], it's not going to last long—no matter how "]" you say the subject is.
; '''Avoid making your articles orphans''' : Avoid making your articles orphans. Link and link. When you write a new article page make sure ''at least'' one other page links to it (preferably more to increase your chances that your article does not become an orphan through someone else's ]). Otherwise, when it falls off the bottom of the ] page it disappears into the ]. There should always be an unbroken chain of links leading from the ] to every article in the Misplaced Pages; following the path you would expect to use to find your article may give you some hints as to which articles should link to your article.
; Integrate changes: {{anchor|Integrate changes}}When you make a change to some text, rather than appending the new text you would like to see included at the bottom of the page, if you feel so motivated, please place and edit your comments so that they flow seamlessly with the present text. Misplaced Pages articles should not end up being a series of disjointed comments about a subject, but unified, seamless, and ever-expanding expositions of the subject.
; '''Links''' : When you do create links, link only one or a few instances of the same term; don't link all instances of it. See also: ]
; Avoiding common mistakes: It is easy to commit a Misplaced Pages '']''. That is OK—everybody does it! Nevertheless, here are a few you might ].
; '''Pronouns''' : See ] and the ] on this for ideas relating to the use of pronouns, particularly gender-neutral ones, in Misplaced Pages.
; Make a personal copy: Suppose you get into an ]. Or worse, a ] war. Therefore, you try to ]. This is good. Congratulations! However, what would be great is if you could carry on working on the article, even though there is an edit war going on, and even though the version on the top is the evil one favored by the other side in the dispute.
; '''Integrate changes''' : When you make a change to some text, rather than appending the new text you'd like to see included at the bottom of the page, if you feel so motivated, please place and edit your comments so that they flow seamlessly with the present text. Misplaced Pages articles should not end up being a series of disjointed comments about a subject, but unified, seamless, and ever-expanding expositions of the subject.
:So, '''make a temporary personal copy''' as a subpage of your user page. Just ] at ] (it can be renamed in the ] address to start a page with a different article name), and copy and paste the wiki-source in there. Then you can carry on improving the article at your own pace! If you like, drop a note on the appropriate ] to let people know what you are doing.
; '''Unimportant things are important, too''' : Remember the pleasure of reading about relatively '''un'''important subjects: the vice presidents, the discredited scientists, the ], the backwater cities, the extinct species, the trivial detail. Not everything is the best, the most important, or the most influential. If you can add interesting links to fringe subjects, do.
:Some time later, at your leisure, once the fuss has died down, merge your improvements back in to the article proper. Maybe the other person has left Misplaced Pages, finding it not to their taste. Maybe they have gone on to other projects. Maybe they have changed their mind. Maybe someone else has made similar edits anyway (although they may not be as good as yours, as you have had more time to consider the matter). Alternative versions of pages ] once you are finished with them.
; '''Avoiding common mistakes''' : It is easy to commit a Misplaced Pages ''faux pas''. That's OK &#8212; everybody does it! But, here are a few you might ].
; '''Make a personal copy''' : Suppose you get into an ]. Or worse, a ] war. So you try to ]. This is good. Congratulations! However, what would be great is if you could carry on working on the article, even though there is an edit war going on, and even though the version on the top is the evil one favoured by the other side in the dispute.


== See also ==
:So '''make a personal copy''' as a subpage of your user page. Just ] a new page at ], and copy and paste the wiki-source in there. Then you can carry on improving the article at your own pace! If you like, drop a note on the appropriate ] to let people know what you're doing.
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] (essay)
* ]
* ]
* ], where experienced editors carefully go through an article, significantly helping it toward ] or ] article status
* "]" from '']'', the online newspaper covering the ] and the ]
* {{cite web |url= https://www.nngroup.com/topic/writing-web/ |title= Inverted Pyramid: Writing for Comprehension |author= Amy Schade |date= February 11, 2018 |work= Topic: Writing for the Web |publisher= ]}}


== Notes ==
:Some time later, at your leisure, once the fuss has died down, merge your improvements back in to the article proper. Maybe the other person has left Misplaced Pages, finding it not to their taste. Maybe they have gone on to other projects. Maybe they have changed their mind. Maybe someone else has made similar edits anyway (but of course, not as good as yours, as you have had more time to consider the matter). Try it. You might like it.
{{reflist}}


{{Writing guides}}
== External Links ==
{{Help navigation}}
{{Essays on building Misplaced Pages}}


]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 13:44, 6 January 2025

Explanatory supplement to the Misplaced Pages Manual of Style guideline "Misplaced Pages:Topic" redirects here. For information about topic bans, see Misplaced Pages:Banning policy § Topic ban.

This is an explanatory essay about the Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style guideline.
This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of Misplaced Pages's policies or guidelines as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community.
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Explanatory essay about the Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style guideline
Contributing to Misplaced Pages
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Manual of Style (MoS)

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Related guidelines

This page advises on article layout and style, and on making an article clear, precise and relevant to the reader.

Structure of the article

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Layout

Good articles start with introductions, continue with a clear structure, and end with standard appendices such as references and related articles.

Introductory material / Lead

Further information: § Lead section, and Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Lead section

Articles start with a lead section (WP:CREATELEAD) summarising the most important points of the topic. The lead section is the first part of the article; it comes above the first header, and may contain a lead image which is representative of the topic, and/or an infobox that provides a few key facts, often statistical, such as dates and measurements.

The lead should stand on its own as a concise overview of the article's topic, identifying the topic, establishing context, and explaining why the topic is notable. The first few sentences should mention the most notable features of the article's subject – the essential facts that every reader should know. Significant information should not appear in the lead if it is not covered in the remainder of the article; the article should provide further details on all the things mentioned in the lead. Each major section in the article should be represented with an appropriate summary in the lead, including any prominent controversies; but be careful not to violate WP:Neutral point of view by giving undue attention to less important controversies, information, or praise in the lead section. As in the body of the article itself, the emphasis given to material in the lead should roughly reflect its importance to the topic, according to reliable, published sources.

As a rough guide to size, a lead section should generally contain no more than four well-composed paragraphs and be carefully sourced as appropriate.

Sometimes, the first section after the lead is a broad summary of the topic, and is called "Overview", although more specific section titles and structures are generally preferred.

Paragraphs

Shortcut See also: Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Layout § Paragraphs

Paragraphs should be short enough to be readable, but long enough to develop an idea. Paragraphs should deal with a particular point or idea. All the sentences within a paragraph should revolve around the same topic. When the topic changes, a new paragraph should be started. Overly long paragraphs should be split up, as long as the cousin paragraphs keep the idea in focus.

One-sentence paragraphs can be emphatic, and should be used sparingly.

Some paragraphs are really tables or lists in disguise. They should be rewritten as prose or converted to their unmasked form. Misplaced Pages:When to use tables and Misplaced Pages:Embedded list offer guidance on the proper use of these elements.

Headings

Headings help clarify articles and create a structure shown in the table of contents. To learn about how the MediaWiki software uses sections, see Help:Section.

Headings are hierarchical. The article's title uses a level 1 heading, so you should start with a level 2 heading (==Heading==) and follow it with lower levels: ===Subheading===, ====Subsubheading====, and so forth. Whether extensive subtopics should be kept on one page or moved to individual pages is a matter of personal judgment. See also below under § Summary style.

Headings should not contain Wikilinks. This is because headings in themselves introduce information and let the reader know what subtopics will be presented; Wikilinks should be incorporated in the text of the section.

Images

If the article can be illustrated with pictures, find an appropriate place to position these images, where they relate closely to text they illustrate. For more information on using pictures, see Misplaced Pages:Layout § Images and Misplaced Pages:Picture tutorial.

Standard appendices

As explained in more detail at Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Layout § Standard appendices and footers, optional appendix sections containing the following information may appear after the body of the article in the following order:

  1. A list of books or other works created by the subject of the article (works)
  2. A list of internal "wikilinks" to related Misplaced Pages articles (see also)
  3. Notes and references (notes, footnotes, or references)
  4. A list of recommended relevant books, articles, or other publications that have not been used as sources (further reading)
  5. A list of recommended relevant websites that have not been used as sources (external links).

With some exceptions, any links to sister projects appear in further reading or external links sections. Succession boxes and navigational footers go at the end of the article, following the last appendix section, but preceding the category and interwiki templates.

Size

Shortcut See also: Misplaced Pages:Article size

Excessively long articles should usually be avoided. Articles should ideally contain less than 50,000 characters of text. When articles grow past this amount of readable text, they can be split into smaller articles to improve readability and ease of editing, or may require trimming to remain concise. The headed sub-section should be retained, with a concise version of what has been removed under an italicized header, such as Main article: History of Ruritania (a list of templates used to create these headers is available at Category:Misplaced Pages page-section templates). Otherwise, context is lost and the general treatment suffers. Each article on a subtopic should be written as a stand-alone article—that is, it should have a lead section, headings, et cetera.

When an article is long and has many sub articles, try to balance the main page. Do not put undue weight into one part of an article at the cost of other parts. In shorter articles, if one subtopic has much more text than another subtopic, that may be an indication the subtopic should have its own page, with only a summary presented on the main page.

Articles covering subtopics

Misplaced Pages articles tend to grow in a way that leads to the natural creation of new articles. The text of any article consists of a sequence of related but distinct subtopics. When there is enough text in a given subtopic to merit its own article, that text can be summarized in the present article and a link provided to the more detailed article. Cricket is an example of an article covering subtopics: it is divided into subsections that give an overview of the sport, with each subsection leading to one or more subtopic articles.

Information style and tone

Shortcuts

Two styles, closely related and not mutually exclusive, tend to be used for Misplaced Pages articles. The tone, however, should always remain formal, impersonal, and dispassionate.

These styles are summary style, which is the arrangement of a broad topic into a main article and side articles, each with subtopical sections; and the inverted pyramid style (or news style, though this term is ambiguous), which prioritizes key information to the top, followed by supporting material and details, with background information at the bottom.

A feature of both styles, and of all Misplaced Pages articles, is the presence of the lead section, a summarizing overview of the most important facts about the topic. The infobox template found at the top of many articles is a further distillation of key points.

Summary style

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Summary style

Summary style may apply both across a category of articles and within an article. Material is grouped and divided into sections that logically form discrete subtopics, and which over time may spin off to separate articles in order to prevent excessive article length as the main article grows. As each subtopic is spun off, a concise summary of it is left behind with a pointer (usually using the {{Main}} template) to the new side article.

There are three main advantages to using summary style:

  • Different readers want varying amounts of detail, and this style permits them to choose how much they are exposed to. Some readers need just a quick summary and are satisfied by the lead section; others seek a moderate amount of info, and will find the main article suitable to their needs; yet others want a lot of detail, and will be interested in reading the side articles.
  • An article that is too long becomes tedious to read. Progressively summarizing and spinning off material avoids overwhelming the reader with too much text at once.
  • An excessively detailed article is often one that repeats itself or exhibits writing that could be more concise. The development of summary-style articles tends to naturally clear out redundancy and bloat, though in a multi-article topic this comes at the cost of some necessary cross-article redundancy (i.e., a summary of one article in another).

The exact organizing principle of a particular summary-style article is highly context-dependent, with various options, such as chronological, geographical, and alphabetical (primarily in lists), among others.

Some examples of summary style are the featured articles Association football and Music of the Lesser Antilles.

Inverted pyramid

See also: Misplaced Pages:Too long; didn't read Shortcut

Some Wikipedians prefer using the inverted pyramid structure of journalism. This information presentation technique is found in short, direct, front-page newspaper stories and the news bulletins that air on radio and television. This is a style used only within a single article, not across a category of them.

The main feature of the inverted pyramid is placement of important information first, with a decreasing importance as the article advances. Originally developed so that the editors could cut from the bottom to fit an item into the available layout space, this style encourages brevity and prioritizes information, because many people expect to find important material early, and less important information later, where interest decreases.

Encyclopedia articles are not required to be in inverted pyramid order and often are not, especially when their substance is detailed and their structure is highly granular. However, a familiarity with this convention may help in planning the style and layout of an article for which this approach is a good fit. Inverted-pyramid style is most often used with articles in which a chronological, geographical, or other order will not be helpful. Common examples are short-term events, concise biographies of persons notable for only one thing, and other articles where there are not likely to be many logical subtopics, but a number of facts to prioritize for the reader.

The lead section common to all Misplaced Pages articles is, in essence, a limited application of the inverted pyramid approach. Virtually all stub articles should be created in inverted-pyramid style, since they basically consist of just a lead section. Consequently, many articles begin as inverted-pyramid pieces and change to summary style later as the topic develops, often combining the approaches by retaining a general inverted pyramid structure, but dividing the background material subtopically, with summary pointers to other articles. The subtopic sections can also be constructed using inverted pyramid structure so that readers skimming the sections get the most important information first before moving to the next section.

Tone

Shortcuts "WP:SLANG" redirects here. For the policy that covers writing Misplaced Pages articles about slang terms, see WP:NOTSLANG. See also: Misplaced Pages:Neutral point of view § Impartial tone

Misplaced Pages is not a manual, guidebook, textbook, or scientific journal. Articles and other encyclopedic content should be written in a formal tone. Standards for formal tone vary a bit depending upon the subject matter but should usually match the style used in Featured- and Good-class articles in the same category. Encyclopedic writing has a fairly academic approach, while remaining clear and understandable. Formal tone means that the article should not be written using argot, slang, colloquialisms, doublespeak, legalese, or jargon that is unintelligible to an average reader; it means that the English language should be used in a businesslike manner (e.g. use "feel" or "atmosphere" instead of "vibe(s)").

Use of pronouns

"WP:PRONOUNS" redirects here. For information on the usage of pronouns in relation to gender identity, see Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Biography § Gender identity. See also: Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style § Pronouns Shortcuts

Articles should not be written from a first- or second-person perspective. In prose writing, the first-person (I/me/my and we/us/our) point of view and second-person (you and your) point of view typically evoke a strong narrator. While this is acceptable in works of fiction and in monographs, it is unsuitable in an encyclopedia, where the writer should be invisible to the reader. Moreover, the first person often inappropriately implies a point of view inconsistent with the neutrality policy, while the second person is associated with the step-by-step instructions of a how-to guide, which Misplaced Pages is not. First- and second-person pronouns should ordinarily be used only in attributed direct quotations relevant to the subject of the article.

There can be exceptions to these guidelines. For instance, the "inclusive we" widely used in professional mathematics writing is sometimes used to present and explain examples in articles, although discouraged on Misplaced Pages even for that subject. Use common sense to determine whether the chosen perspective is in the spirit of the guidelines.

Gender-neutral pronouns should be used (or pronouns avoided) where gendered language is not necessary, and especially when gender is not specific or unknown. (See WP:Gender-neutral language, and WP:Manual of Style § Identity, for further information.)

News style or persuasive writing

Shortcuts

As a matter of policy, Misplaced Pages is not written in news style (in any sense other than some use of the inverted pyramid, above), including tone. The encyclopedic and journalistic intent and audience are different. Especially avoid bombastic wording, attempts at humor or cleverness, reliance on primary sources, editorializing, recentism, pull quotes, journalese, and headlinese.

Similarly, avoid news style's close sibling, persuasive writing, which has many of those faults and more of its own, most often various kinds of appeals to emotion and related fallacies. This style is used in press releases, advertising, op-ed writing, activism, propaganda, proposals, formal debate, reviews, and much tabloid and sometimes investigative journalism. It is not Misplaced Pages's role to try to convince the reader of anything, only to provide the salient facts as best they can be determined, and the reliable sources for them.

Colloquial, emphatic or poetic language

Shortcuts See also: Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Words to watch § Puffery, Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Words to watch § Editorializing, and Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Words to watch § Euphemisms

Another error of writing approach is attempting to make bits of material "pop" (an undue weight problem), such as with excessive emphasis, over-capitalization, use of contractions, unnecessary acronyms and other abbreviations, the inclusion of hyperbolic adjectives and adverbs, or the use of unusual synonyms or loaded words. Just present the sourced information without embellishment, agenda, fanfare, cleverness, or conversational tone.

An extreme example of hyperbole and emphatic language taken from Star Canopus diving accident as of 28 December 2019 (fixed in the next two revisions) read:

Miraculously both divers survived the 294-foot fall, but now they faced a harrowing predicament. ... Helplessly trapped, with nothing to keep them warm, ... all they could do was huddle together and pray that rescuers would find them in time. ... But time was not on their side.

This was fixed to:

Both divers survived the 294-foot fall.

See Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Words to watch for other examples. Avoid using words and phrases like terrible, rising star, curiously, championed the likes of or on the other side of the pond, unless part of a quotation or stated as an external viewpoint.

Punctuation marks that appear in the article should be used only per generally accepted practice. Exclamation marks (!) should be used only if they occur in direct quotations.

Rhetorical questions

Shortcut See also: MOS:SOCRATIC

As with exclamation marks, question marks (?) should also generally only be used if they occur in direct quotations; do not pose rhetorical questions for the reader.

For example, do not write:

There are many environmental concerns when it comes to industrial effluent. How can these be solved? Well, one solution involves ...

Rhetorical questions can occasionally be used, when appropriate, in the presentation of material, but only when the question is asked by the material under consideration, not being asked in Misplaced Pages's own voice.

For example:

One model of policy analysis is the "five-E approach", which consists of examining a policy in terms of:
Effectiveness
How well does it work (or how well will it be predicted to work)?
Efficiency
How much work does or will it entail? Are there significant costs associated with this solution, and are they worth it? ...

Inappropriate lists

See also: Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Lists § Use prose where understood easily

A related presentation problem is "info-dumping" by presenting information in the form of a long, bulleted list when it would be better as normal prose paragraphs. This is especially true when the items in the list are not of equal importance, or are not really comparable in some other way, and need context. Using explanatory prose also helps identify and remove trivia; if we cannot explain to readers why something is important, then it is not important.

Provide context for the reader

Shortcut "WP:AUDIENCE" redirects here. For guideline on notability of companies with regards to reach of sources, see Misplaced Pages:Notability (organizations and companies) § Audience. For context and linking, see Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Linking. For articles without context, see Category:Misplaced Pages articles needing context. For article context notice, see Template:Context. For inline template for a general context problem, see Template:Context inline.

Misplaced Pages is an international encyclopedia. People who read Misplaced Pages have different backgrounds, education and opinions. Make your article accessible and understandable for as many readers as possible. Assume readers are reading the article to learn. It is possible that the reader knows nothing about the subject, so the article needs to explain the subject fully.

Avoid using jargon whenever possible. Consider the reader. An article entitled "Use of chromatic scales in early Baroque music" is likely to be read by musicians, and technical details and terms are appropriate, linking to articles explaining the technical terms. On the other hand, an article entitled "Baroque music" is likely to be read by laypersons who want a brief and plainly written overview, with links to available detailed information. When jargon is used in an article, a brief explanation should be given within the article. Aim for a balance between comprehensibility and detail so that readers can gain information from the article.

Evaluating context

Here are some thought experiments to help you test whether you are setting enough context:

  • Does the article make sense if the reader gets to it as a random page?
  • Imagine yourself as a layperson in another English-speaking country. Can you figure out what or who the article is about? Can you figure out whether a particular place or time is relevant?
  • Can people tell what the article is about if the first page is printed out and passed around?
  • Would a reader want to follow some of the links? Do sentences still make sense if they can't?

Build the web

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Linking

Remember that every Misplaced Pages article is tightly connected to a network of other topics. Establishing such connections via wikilink is a good way to establish context. Because Misplaced Pages is not a long, ordered sequence of carefully categorized articles like a paper encyclopedia, but a collection of randomly accessible, highly interlinked ones, each article should contain links to more general subjects that serve to categorize the article. When creating links, do not go overboard, and be careful to make your links relevant. It is not necessary to link the same term twelve times (although if it appears in the lead, then near the end, it might be a good idea to link it twice).

Avoid making your articles orphans. When you write a new article, make sure that one or more other pages link to it, to lessen the chances that your article will be orphaned through someone else's refactoring. Otherwise, when it falls off the bottom of the Recent Changes page, it will disappear into the Mariana Trench. There should always be an unbroken chain of links leading from the Main Page to every article in Misplaced Pages; following the path you would expect to use to find your article may give you some hints as to which articles should link to your article.

State the obvious

Shortcut "WP:OBVIOUS" redirects here. For the essay about over-citing obvious things, see Misplaced Pages:You don't need to cite that the sky is blue.

State facts that may be obvious to you, but are not necessarily obvious to the reader. Usually, such a statement will be in the first sentence or two of the article. For example, consider this sentence:

The Ford Thunderbird was conceived as a response to the Chevrolet Corvette and entered production for the 1955 model year.

Here no mention is made of the Ford Thunderbird's fundamental nature: it is an automobile. It assumes that the reader already knows this—an assumption that may not be correct, especially if the reader is not familiar with Ford or Chevrolet. Perhaps instead:

The Ford Thunderbird was a car manufactured in the United States by the Ford Motor Company.

However, there is no need to go overboard. There is no need to explain a common word like "car". Repetition is usually unnecessary, for example:

Shoichi Yokoi was conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army in 1941.

conveys enough information (although it is not a good first sentence). However, the following is not only verbose but redundant:

Shoichi Yokoi was a Japanese soldier in Japan who was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army in 1941.

Lead section

As explained in more detail at Misplaced Pages:Lead section § Introductory text, all but the shortest articles should start with introductory text (the "lead"). The lead should establish significance, include mention of consequential or significant criticism or controversies, and be written in a way that makes readers want to know more. The appropriate length of the lead depends on that of the article, but should normally be no more than four paragraphs. The lead itself has no heading and, on pages with more than three headings, automatically appears above the table of contents, if present.

Opening paragraph

Shortcut

Normally, the opening paragraph summarizes the most important points of the article. It should clearly explain the subject so that the reader is prepared for the greater level of detail that follows. If further introductory material is appropriate before the first section, it can be covered in subsequent paragraphs in the lead. Introductions to biographical articles commonly double as summaries, listing the best-known achievements of the subject. Because some readers will read only the opening of an article, the most vital information should be included.

First sentence content

The article should begin with a short declarative sentence, answering two questions for the nonspecialist reader: "What (or who) is the subject?" and "Why is this subject notable?"

  • If possible, the page title should be the subject of the first sentence: However, if the article title is merely descriptive—such as Electrical characteristics of dynamic loudspeakers—the title does not need to appear verbatim in the main text. Similarly, where an article title is of the type "List of ...", a clearer and more informative introduction to the list is better than verbatim repetition of the title.
  • When the page title is used as the subject of the first sentence, it may appear in a slightly different form, and it may include variations. Similarly, if the title has a parenthetical disambiguator, the disambiguator should be omitted in the text.
  • If its subject is amenable to definition, then the first sentence should give a concise definition: where possible, one that puts the article in context for the nonspecialist. Similarly, if the subject is a term of art, provide the context as early as possible.
  • If the article is about a fictional character or place, make sure to say so.

First sentence format

  • As a general rule, the first (and only the first) appearance of the page title should be in boldface as early as possible in the first sentence:

    An electron is a subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge.

  • However, if the title of a page is descriptive and does not appear verbatim in the main text, then it should not be in boldface. So, for example, Electrical characteristics of dynamic loudspeakers begins with:

    The chief electrical characteristic of a dynamic loudspeaker's driver is its electrical impedance as a function of frequency.

  • If the subject of the page is normally italicized (for example, a work of art, literature, album, or ship) then its first mention should be both bold and italic text; if it is usually surrounded by quotation marks, the title should be bold but the quotation marks should not:

    Las Meninas (Spanish for The Maids of Honour) is a 1656 painting by Diego Velázquez, ...

    "Yesterday" is a pop song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!

  • If the subject of the page has a common abbreviation or more than one name, the abbreviation (in parentheses) and each additional name should be in boldface on its first appearance:

    Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye, caustic soda and (incorrectly, according to IUPAC nomenclature) sodium hydrate, is ...

  • Use as few links as possible before and in the bolded title. Thereafter, words used in a title may be linked to provide more detail:

    Arugam Bay is a bay situated on the Indian Ocean in the dry zone of Sri Lanka's southeast coast.

The rest of the opening paragraph

Then proceed with a description. Remember, the basic significance of a topic may not be obvious to nonspecialist readers, even if they understand the basic characterization or definition. Tell them. For instance:

Peer review, known as refereeing in some academic fields, is a scholarly process used in the publication of manuscripts and in the awarding of money for research. Publishers and agencies use peer review to select and to screen submissions. At the same time, the process assists authors in meeting the standards of their discipline. Publications and awards that have not undergone peer review are liable to be regarded with suspicion by scholars and professionals in many fields.

The rest of the lead section

If the article is long enough for the lead section to contain several paragraphs, then the first paragraph should be short and to the point, with a clear explanation of what the subject of the page is. The following paragraphs should give a summary of the article. They should provide an overview of the main points the article will make, summarizing the primary reasons the subject matter is interesting or notable, including its more important controversies, if there are any.

The appropriate length of the lead section depends on the total length of the article. As a general guideline:

Article length Lead length
Fewer than 15,000 characters One or two paragraphs
15,000–30,000 characters Two or three paragraphs
More than 30,000 characters Three or four paragraphs

"Lead follows body"

Shortcut

The sequence in which you edit should usually be: first change the body, then update the lead to summarize the body. Several editors might add or improve some information in the body of the article, and then another editor might update the lead once the new information has stabilized. Don't try to update the lead first, hoping to provide direction for future changes to the body. There are three reasons why editing the body first and then making the lead reflect it leads to improvement of articles.

First, it keeps the lead in sync with the body. The lead, being a summary of the article, promises that the body will deliver fuller treatment of each point. Generally, wiki pages are imperfect at all times, but they should be complete, useful articles at all times. They should not contain "under construction" sections or refer to features and information that editors hope they will contain in the future. It's much worse for the lead to promise information that the body does not deliver than for the body to deliver information that the lead does not promise.

Second, good ways to summarize material usually only become clear after that material has been written. If you add a new point to the lead before it's covered in the body, you only think you know what the body will eventually contain. When the material is actually covered in the body, and checked and improved, usually by multiple editors, then you know. (If having a rough, tentative summary helps you write the body, keep your own private summary, either on your computer or in your User space.)

Third, on contentious pages, people often get into edit wars over the lead because the lead is the most prominent part of the article. It's much harder to argue constructively over high-level statements when you don't share common understanding of the lower-level information that they summarize. Space is scarce in the lead, so people are tempted to cram too much into one sentence, or pile on lots of references, in order to fully state and prove their case—resulting in an unreadable lead. In the body, you have all the space you need to cover subtleties and to cover opposing ideas fairly and in depth, separately, one at a time. Once the opposing ideas have been shaken out and covered well in the body, editing the lead without warring often becomes much easier. Instead of arguing about what is true or what all the competing sources say, now you are just arguing over whether the lead fairly summarizes what's currently in the body.

Use other languages sparingly

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style § Foreign terms

It is fine to include foreign terms as extra information, but avoid writing articles that can only be understood if the reader understands the foreign terms. Such words are equivalent to jargon, which should be explained somehow. In the English-language Misplaced Pages, the English form does not always have to come first: sometimes the non-English word is better as the main text, with the English in parentheses or set off by commas after it, and sometimes not. For example, see Perestroika.

Shortcut

Non-English words in the English-language Misplaced Pages should be written in italics. Non-English words should be used as titles for entries only as a last resort. Again, see Perestroika.

English title terms taken from a language that does not use the Roman alphabet can include the native spelling in parentheses. See, for example, I Ching (simplified Chinese: 易经; traditional Chinese: 易經; pinyin: Yìjīng) or Sophocles (Ancient Greek: Σοφοκλῆς). The native spelling is useful for precisely identifying foreign words, since transliterations may be inaccurate or ambiguous. Foreign terms within the article body do not need native spellings if they can be specified as title terms in separate articles; just link to the appropriate article on first occurrence.

Use color sparingly

See also: Help:Using colors

If possible, avoid presenting information with color only within the article's text and in tables.

Color should only be used sparingly, as a secondary visual aid. Computers and browsers vary, and you cannot know how much color, if any, is visible on the recipient's machine. Misplaced Pages is international: colors have different meaning in different cultures. Too many colors on one page look cluttered and unencyclopedic. Specifically, use the color red only for alerts and warnings.

Awareness of color should be allowed for low-vision viewers: poor lighting, color blindness, screen reader software, dark or overbright screens, monochrome screens, and the wrong contrast/color settings on the display screen.

Use clear, precise and accurate terms

Be concise

See also: WP:DETAIL and WP:BECONCISE Shortcut

Articles should use only necessary words. This does not mean using fewer words is always better; rather, when considering equivalent expressions, choose the more concise.

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.

— William Strunk, Jr. from the 1918 work, The Elements of Style

Reduce sentences to the essentials. Wordiness does not add credibility to Misplaced Pages articles. Avoid circumlocutions like "due to the fact that" in place of "because", or "at the present time" for "currently". Ongoing events should be qualified with "as of 2025".

Conciseness alone does not justify removing information from an article.

Principle of least astonishment

For the principle of least astonishment as applied to potentially offensive content, see WP:Offensive material#least astonishment and wmf:Resolution:Controversial content. See also: WP:NOTWHATFIRSTCOMESTOMIND, MOS:BOLDREDIRECT, and WP:R § ASTONISH Shortcuts

When the principle of least astonishment is successfully employed, information is understood by the reader without struggle. The average reader should not be shocked, surprised, or confused by what they read. Do not use provocative language. Instead, offer information gently. Use consistent vocabulary in parts that are technical and difficult. To work out which parts of the sentence are going to be difficult for the reader, try to put yourself in the position of a reader hitherto uninformed on the subject.

You should plan your page structure and links so that everything appears reasonable and makes sense. A link should not take readers to somewhere other than where they thought it would go.

Avoid Easter-egg links, which require the reader to open them before understanding what's going on. Instead, use a short phrase or a few words to describe what the link will refer to once it's opened.

Similarly, make sure that concepts being used as the basis for further discussion have already been defined or linked to a proper article. Explain causes before consequences and make sure your logical sequence is clear and sound, especially to the layperson.

Ensure that redirects and hatnotes that are likely to be useful are in place.

We cannot control all astonishment – the point of an encyclopedia is to learn things, after all. But limiting the surprises our readers find within our articles' text will encourage rather than frustrate our readers.

Use of "refers to"

See also: Misplaced Pages:Misplaced Pages is not a dictionary § Fixing the introductory sentence: removing "refers to", and Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Lead section § First sentence Shortcuts

Phrases such as refers to, is the name of, describes, or is a term for are sometimes used inappropriately in the first sentence of Misplaced Pages articles. For the vast majority of articles, the introduction is using a term, rather than mentioning it. This is known as the use–mention distinction.

For example, the article Computer architecture once began with the sentence, "Computer architecture refers to the theory behind the design of a computer." That is not true: Computer architecture is the theory. The words "computer architecture" refer to the theory, but the article is not about the words; it is about the theory. Thus it is better to say, "Computer architecture is the theory behind the design of a computer."

To speak easily of the scope of a hyponym without confusing the term for the thing, one can simply say that " is any of various " or "any of a class of with trait X", such as "A pine is any conifer in the genus Pinus of the family Pinaceae" (not "Pine refers to any tree in the genus Pinus of the family Pinaceae").

Disambiguation pages mention the term, so in such cases it is correct to write "Great Schism may refer to either of two schisms in the history of Christianity: ...". However, a content article should read "There have been two Great Schisms in the history of Christianity".

Check your facts

See also: Misplaced Pages:Verifiability Shortcut

Write material that is true: check your facts. Do not write material that is false. This might require that you verify your alleged facts.

This is a crucial part of citing good sources: even if you think you know something, you have to provide references anyway to prove to the reader that the fact is true. Material that seems to naturally stem from sourced claims might not have been actually claimed. In searching for good references to cite, you might even learn something new.

Be careful about deleting material that may be factual. If you are inclined to delete something from an entry, first consider checking whether it is true. If material is apparently factual, in other words substantiated and cited, be extra careful about deleting. An encyclopedia is a collection of facts. If another editor provided a fact, there was probably a reason for it that should not be overlooked. Therefore, consider each fact provided as potentially precious. Is the context or overall presentation the issue? If the fact does not belong in one particular article, maybe it belongs in another.

Examine entries you have worked on subsequent to revision by others. Have facts been omitted or deleted? It may be the case that you failed to provide sufficient substantiation for the facts, or that the facts you incorporated may need a clearer relationship to the entry. Protect your facts, but also be sure that they are presented meaningfully.

Check your fiction

Shortcut Main page: Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)

The advice about factual articles also applies to articles on fiction subjects. Further considerations apply when writing about fictional topics because they are inherently not real. It is important to keep these articles verifiable and encyclopedic.

If you add fictional information, clearly distinguish fact and fiction. As with normal articles, establish context so that a reader unfamiliar with the subject can get an idea about the article's meaning without having to check several links. Instead of writing:

Trillian is Arthur Dent's girlfriend. She was taken away from Earth by Zaphod when he met her at a party. She meets Dent while travelling with Zaphod.

write:

Trillian is a fictional character from Douglas Adams's radio, book and film series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In the first book, Trillian is introduced to the main character Arthur Dent on a spaceship. In her backstory, she was taken away from Earth when the space alien Zaphod Beeblebrox met her at a party.

Use of fictional tenses

Shortcut

Works of fiction are generally considered to "come alive" for their audience. They therefore exist in a kind of perpetual present, regardless of when the fictional action is supposed to take place relative to the reader's "now". Thus, generally you should write about fiction using the historical present tense, not the past tense. (See WP:Manual of Style § Verb tense and WP:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction § Contextual presentation.) Examples:

Homer presents, Achilles rages, Andromache laments, Priam pleads.
Holden Caulfield has a certain disdain for what he sees as 'phony'.
Friends is an American sitcom that was aired on NBC.

Conversely, discussion of history is usually written in the past tense and thus "fictional history" may be presented in that way as well.

Chroniclers claimed that Thalestris, queen of the Amazons, seduced Alexander the Great.

Articles about fictional topics should not read like book reports; instead, they should explain the topic's significance to the work. After reading the article, the reader should be able to understand why a character, place, or event was included in the fictional work.

Editors are generally discouraged from adding fictional information from sources that cannot be verified or are limited to a very small number of readers, such as fan fiction and online role-playing games. In the latter case, if you absolutely have to write about the subject, please be especially careful to cite your sources.

If the subject, say a character in a television show, is too limited to be given a full article, then integrate information about that character into a larger article. It is better to write a larger article about the television show or a fictional universe itself than to create all sorts of stubs about its characters that nobody can find.

Stay on topic

"WP:TOPIC" redirects here. For information about the Topic namespace, see Misplaced Pages:Flow. "WP:OFFTOPIC" redirects here. For the guideline on collapsing off-topic talk page discussions, see Misplaced Pages:TALKOFFTOPIC. Shortcuts

The most readable articles contain no irrelevant (nor only loosely relevant) information. While writing an article, you might find yourself digressing into a side subject. If you are wandering off-topic, consider placing the additional information into a different article, where it will fit more closely with that topic. If you provide a link to the other article, readers who are interested in the side topic have the option of digging into it, but readers who are not interested will not be distracted by it.

Pay attention to spelling

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Spellchecking

Pay attention to spelling, particularly of new page names. Articles with good spelling and proper grammar can help encourage further contributions of well-formed content. Proper spelling of an article name will also make it easier for other authors to link their articles to your article. Sloppiness begets sloppiness, so always do your best.

  • Browsers have the native ability to highlight misspelled words in text boxes.
  • Use free online dictionaries like Ask Oxford, Dictionary.com, Onelook.com, Google Define and a spell checker such as SpellCheck.net, GingerSoftware, or your browser's built-in spell checker. See Misplaced Pages:Typo Team for tips on how to use these resources.
  • Articles may also be spell-checked in a word processor before being saved. A free word processor may be obtained from OpenOffice.org or LibreOffice.org.
  • A "draft" message on certain free email websites, such as Gmail, can also provide spell-check. This might be convenient, especially regarding email websites with which you are already familiar and use often.

Avoid peacock and weasel terms

Avoid peacock terms that show off the subject of the article without containing any real information. Similarly, avoid weasel words that offer an opinion without really backing it up, and which are really used to express a non-neutral point of view.

Examples of peacock terms
an important... one of the most prestigious... one of the best...
the most influential... a significant... the great...
Examples of weasel words
Some people say... ...is widely regarded as... ..is widely considered...
...has been called... It is believed that... It has been suggested/noticed/decided...
Some people believe... It has been said that... Some would say...
Legend has it that... Critics say that... Many/some have claimed...

Believe in your subject. Let the facts speak for themselves. If your ice hockey player, canton, or species of beetle is worth the reader's time, it will come out through the facts. However, in some cases (for example, history of graphic design) using superlative adjectives (in the "... one of the most important figures in the history of ..." format) in the description may help readers with no previous knowledge about the subject to learn about the importance or generally perceived status of the subject discussed. Note that to use this type of superlative adjective format, the most reputable experts in the relevant field must support the claim.

Avoid blanket terms unless you have verified them. For example, this article states that of the 18 Montgomery Counties in the United States, most are named after Richard Montgomery. This is a blanket statement. It may very well be true, but is it reliable? In this instance, the editor had done the research to verify this. Without the research, the statement should not be made. It is always a good idea to describe the research done and sign it on the article's talk page.

If you wish to, or must refer to an opinion, first make sure someone who holds some standing in that subject gives it. A view on former American President Gerald Ford from Henry Kissinger is more interesting for the reader than one from your teacher from school. Then say who holds the opinion being given, preferably with a source or a quote for it. Compare the following:

Some critics of George W. Bush have said he has low intelligence.
Author Michael Moore in his book Stupid White Men ...and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation! wrote an open letter to George Bush. In it, he asked, "George, are you able to read and write on an adult level?"

Examples

Sometimes the way around using these terms is to replace the statements with the facts that back them up. Instead of:

The Yankees are one of the greatest baseball teams in history.

Write:

The New York Yankees have won 27 World Series championships—almost three times as many as any other team.

By sticking to concrete and factual information, we can avoid the need to give any opinion at all. Doing so also makes for writing that is much more interesting, for example:

William Peckenridge, eighth Duke of Omnium (1642? – May 8, 1691) is widely considered to be one of the most important men to carry that title.
William Peckenridge, eighth Duke of Omnium (1642? – May 8, 1691) was a personal counselor to King James I, general in the Wars of the Roses, a chemist, bandleader, and the director of the secret society known as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. He expanded the title of Omnium to include protectorship of Guiana and right of revocation for civil-service appointments in India.

Show, don't tell. The first example simply tells the reader that William Peckenridge was important. The second example shows the reader why he was important.

Exceptions

When repeating established views, it may be easier to simply state: "Before Nicolaus Copernicus, most people thought the sun revolved round the earth", rather than sacrifice clarity with details and sources, particularly if the statement forms only a small part of your article. However, in general, everything should be sourced, whether within the text, with a footnote, or with a general reference.

Make omissions explicit for other editors

Make omissions explicit when creating or editing an article. When writing an article, always aim for completeness. If for some reason you cannot cover a point that should be explained, make that omission explicit. You can do this either by leaving a note on the discussion page or by leaving HTML comments within the text and adding a notice to the bottom about the omissions. This has two purposes: it entices others to contribute, and it alerts non-experts that the article they are reading does not yet give the full story.

That's why Misplaced Pages is a collaborative encyclopedia—we work together to achieve what we could not achieve individually. Every aspect that you cover means less work for someone else, plus you may cover something that someone else may not think of but which is nevertheless important to the subject. Add {{To do}} to the top of the talk page of articles for which you can establish some goals, priorities or things to do.

Other issues

Honorifics
Do not use honorifics or titles, such as Mr, Ms, Rev, Doctor, Professor, etc. See Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (royalty and nobility) and Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Biography
Inappropriate subjects
If you are trying to dress up something that doesn't belong in Misplaced Pages—your band, your Web site, your company's product—think twice about it. Misplaced Pages is not an advertising medium or home page service. Wikipedians are pretty clever, and if an article is really just personal gratification or blatant advertising, it's not going to last long—no matter how "important" you say the subject is.
Integrate changes
When you make a change to some text, rather than appending the new text you would like to see included at the bottom of the page, if you feel so motivated, please place and edit your comments so that they flow seamlessly with the present text. Misplaced Pages articles should not end up being a series of disjointed comments about a subject, but unified, seamless, and ever-expanding expositions of the subject.
Avoiding common mistakes
It is easy to commit a Misplaced Pages faux pas. That is OK—everybody does it! Nevertheless, here are a few you might try to avoid.
Make a personal copy
Suppose you get into an edit war. Or worse, a revert war. Therefore, you try to stay cool. This is good. Congratulations! However, what would be great is if you could carry on working on the article, even though there is an edit war going on, and even though the version on the top is the evil one favored by the other side in the dispute.
So, make a temporary personal copy as a subpage of your user page. Just start a new page at Special:MyPage/Article name (it can be renamed in the URL address to start a page with a different article name), and copy and paste the wiki-source in there. Then you can carry on improving the article at your own pace! If you like, drop a note on the appropriate talk page to let people know what you are doing.
Some time later, at your leisure, once the fuss has died down, merge your improvements back in to the article proper. Maybe the other person has left Misplaced Pages, finding it not to their taste. Maybe they have gone on to other projects. Maybe they have changed their mind. Maybe someone else has made similar edits anyway (although they may not be as good as yours, as you have had more time to consider the matter). Alternative versions of pages should be deleted once you are finished with them.

See also

Notes

  1. Number of characters may be checked by selecting the View History tab for the page, then Page Statistics from the line near the top headed External Tools. Number of characters is listed on the right under the Prose column.
  2. Taken from Policy analysis as of 6 September 2017.
  3. For example:

    Amalie Emmy Noether (23 March 1882 – 14 April 1935) was a German mathematician known for her groundbreaking contributions to abstract algebra and her contributions to theoretical physics.

    This example not only tells the reader that the subject was a mathematician, it also indicates her field of expertise and work she did outside of it. The years of her birth and death provide time context. The reader who goes no further in this article already knows when she lived, what work she did, and why she is notable. (Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (biographies) has more on the specific format for biography articles.)

  4. For example:

    This Manual of Style is a style guide containing ...

    not

    This style guide, known as the Manual of Style, contains ...

  5. For example, in the article "United Kingdom":

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain, is a sovereign island country located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe.

  6. Thus, the article Egg (food) should start like this:

    An egg is an ovum produced by ...

    Not like this:

    An egg (food) is an ovum produced by ...

  7. When writing definitional material, remember that Misplaced Pages is not a dictionary. We do not do one-liner entries here, and the lead section does not contain notes about whether something is a noun, etc. The purpose of an encyclopedic definition is not to just inform the reader of the basic meaning of term, but to explain the import of the subject contextually. If a reader leaves the article after reading only the lead section, they should come away with a deeper sense of the meaning than they would get from a dictionary entry.
  8. For example, instead of:

    A trusted third party is an entity that facilitates interactions between two parties who both trust the third party.

    write:

    In cryptography, a trusted third party is an entity that facilitates interactions between two parties who both trust the third party.

  9. For example:

    Homer Simpson is a fictional character in The Simpsons.

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