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| {{proposal}} | {{proposal}} | ||
| '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a list of guidelines for how to appropriately name ]. Standard article ] also apply; in particular, do not capitalise regular nouns. If you wish to propose a new or modified category related '''naming convention''', please do so on ], whilst also publicising the proposal at ], ], and the ], as well as at any related pages. | |||
| ⚫ | All categories whose subcategories are categories by country (roughly all categories that are members of ]) shall have a naming convention which will apply to all of their subcategories. |
||
| ==General naming conventions== | |||
| Standards that have been discussed upon the ] are as follows: | |||
| *For a pre-existing category, the article of the same or similar name and (rarely, or) on the same topic should be added to that category. When creating an article one should, only if appropriate (especially horizontally), create a category of the same or similar name on the same topic <!-- articles should be more or equally specific as the categories they are in -->. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| *Articles should be placed in the most specific categories possible. Categories should be more or equally as broad as the articles they contain; articles should be more or equally specific as the categories they are in. | |||
| #Categories of businesses, governmental agencies and statistics directly related to a country (e.g. history, economy, demographics) should be called "... of country" | |||
| *Avoid abbreviations. Example: "World War II equipment", not "WW2 equipment". | |||
| #Categories of abstracts and cultural items by country, such as law, music and religion, should be called "... in country". | |||
| *Don't hard-code the category structure into names. Example: "Monarchs", not "People - Monarchs". | |||
| #Categories of nations at sporting events (e.g. the 2000 olympics) should be called "country at ...". | |||
| *Choose category names that are able to stand alone, independent of the way a category is connected to other categories. Example: "Misplaced Pages policy precedents and examples", not "Precedents and examples" (a subcategory of "Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines"). | |||
| #The above guidelines can have exceptions when the proposed naming doesn't make sense gramatically. For instance "islands in country" sounds strange, so it should be "islands of country" instead. | |||
| *Topical category names should be singular. Examples: "]", "]". | |||
| #Parent categories of the above, such as ], should be called "... by country" (rather than "... by nation"). This does not apply to categorization of people. | |||
| *As with lists avoid descriptive adjectives such as ''famous'', ''important'', or ''notable'' in category titles. | |||
| ==Special conventions for lists of items== | |||
| Note that the vast majority of categories already conform to these proposed standards. | |||
| *Category names for lists of items should be '''plural'''. Examples: "]", "]". | |||
| <!-- | |||
| *In instances where a list page simply contains an alphabetical list of items with no other information (for example "List of Beatles songs") it could be replaced by a category (such as "]"). | |||
| THIS BIT BELOW IS DISPUTED and may be a bad idea. See talk page. | |||
| *If the list contains extra information (in this example that could include writing credits, date of release, etc.), or is non-alphabetical (for example sorted by date) it should remain as a list page, rather than a category. | |||
| *Categories can only list articles that exist and have been assigned to the category. Therefore, comprehensive lists, (such as "]"), which must include all items regardless of whether an article already exists for them, should not be replaced by categories. Similarly, in an area that is not yet well-covered, lists can effectively indicate articles that still need to be written; categories cannot do this. | |||
| *If there are a lot of lists regarding a particular subject area, it might be useful to have a category to hold them, (such as "]"). These categories should only contain list pages (for example "]", "]"). Please use the pipe trick for ], or all properly named lists will appear under the letter "L". | |||
| See also: ], ]. | |||
| In addition to the above, a poll should be held to determine if there's a consensus for preferring "American topic" or "United States topic" in category naming, with an additional option for "don't care as long as it's consistent". This poll has no bearing on categories named "topic in/of the United States". --> | |||
| Note that there are a growing number of instances where both the singular category (listing topics relating to) and plural category (listing instances of) exist, for example, ] and ]. Be careful to choose the right one when categorizing articles. | |||
| Categories of people by country as covered by ] may be debated at some point in the future. | |||
| ==Categories by county== | |||
| ⚫ | All categories whose subcategories are categories by country (roughly all categories that are members of ]) shall have a per-category naming convention which will apply to all of their subcategories. These naming conventions, their guidelines and their exceptions are listed here. Conformance to these naming conventions shall be treated as a criterion for "speedy renaming" as defined on ]. Changing these conventions shall require a consensual discussion either directly at or advertised on ]. | ||
| ===Man-made objects=== | |||
| ⚫ | Categories of man-made objects by country should be called "... in country". This convention applies to: | ||
| * ''list to be included here'' | |||
| ===Natural features=== | |||
| Categories of natural features by country should be called "... of country" (there will be a proposal to change this to "... in country" advertised soon). This convention applies to: | |||
| * ''list to be included here'' | |||
| ===Miscellaneous "of country"=== | |||
| Subcategories of the following list of categories shall be named "... of country". | |||
| *''list to be included here'' | |||
| ===Miscellaneous "in country"=== | |||
| Subcategories of the following list of categories shall be named "... in country". | |||
| *''list to be included here'' | |||
| ===Miscellaneous "nationality x"=== | |||
| Subcategories of the following list of categories shall be named "nationality ...". | |||
| *''list to be included here'' | |||
Revision as of 18:53, 31 August 2005
 | The following is a proposed Misplaced Pages policy, guideline, or process. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption. |
Category names is a list of guidelines for how to appropriately name categories. Standard article naming conventions also apply; in particular, do not capitalise regular nouns. If you wish to propose a new or modified category related naming convention, please do so on Misplaced Pages talk:Category names, whilst also publicising the proposal at Misplaced Pages Talk:Naming conventions, Requests for comment, and the Village Pump, as well as at any related pages.
General naming conventions
- For a pre-existing category, the article of the same or similar name and (rarely, or) on the same topic should be added to that category. When creating an article one should, only if appropriate (especially horizontally), create a category of the same or similar name on the same topic .
- Articles should be placed in the most specific categories possible. Categories should be more or equally as broad as the articles they contain; articles should be more or equally specific as the categories they are in.
- Avoid abbreviations. Example: "World War II equipment", not "WW2 equipment".
- Don't hard-code the category structure into names. Example: "Monarchs", not "People - Monarchs".
- Choose category names that are able to stand alone, independent of the way a category is connected to other categories. Example: "Misplaced Pages policy precedents and examples", not "Precedents and examples" (a subcategory of "Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines").
- Topical category names should be singular. Examples: "Biology", "Law".
- As with lists avoid descriptive adjectives such as famous, important, or notable in category titles.
Special conventions for lists of items
- Category names for lists of items should be plural. Examples: "sports", "writers".
- In instances where a list page simply contains an alphabetical list of items with no other information (for example "List of Beatles songs") it could be replaced by a category (such as "Category:The Beatles songs").
- If the list contains extra information (in this example that could include writing credits, date of release, etc.), or is non-alphabetical (for example sorted by date) it should remain as a list page, rather than a category.
- Categories can only list articles that exist and have been assigned to the category. Therefore, comprehensive lists, (such as "List of British Prime Ministers"), which must include all items regardless of whether an article already exists for them, should not be replaced by categories. Similarly, in an area that is not yet well-covered, lists can effectively indicate articles that still need to be written; categories cannot do this.
- If there are a lot of lists regarding a particular subject area, it might be useful to have a category to hold them, (such as "Category:Lists of countries"). These categories should only contain list pages (for example "List of Soviet Republics", "List of countries by population"). Please use the pipe trick for category sorting, or all properly named lists will appear under the letter "L".
See also: Category:Lists, Category:Lists that should be categories.
Note that there are a growing number of instances where both the singular category (listing topics relating to) and plural category (listing instances of) exist, for example, Category:Opera and Category:Operas. Be careful to choose the right one when categorizing articles.
Categories by county
All categories whose subcategories are categories by country (roughly all categories that are members of category:categories by country) shall have a per-category naming convention which will apply to all of their subcategories. These naming conventions, their guidelines and their exceptions are listed here. Conformance to these naming conventions shall be treated as a criterion for "speedy renaming" as defined on WP:CFD. Changing these conventions shall require a consensual discussion either directly at or advertised on WP:CFD.
Man-made objects
Categories of man-made objects by country should be called "... in country". This convention applies to:
- list to be included here
Natural features
Categories of natural features by country should be called "... of country" (there will be a proposal to change this to "... in country" advertised soon). This convention applies to:
- list to be included here
Miscellaneous "of country"
Subcategories of the following list of categories shall be named "... of country".
- list to be included here
Miscellaneous "in country"
Subcategories of the following list of categories shall be named "... in country".
- list to be included here
Miscellaneous "nationality x"
Subcategories of the following list of categories shall be named "nationality ...".
- list to be included here