| Revision as of 21:22, 22 July 2007 editEdgarde (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers19,109 editsm definition → "defining traits", per Father Goose. I find this inelegant, but it seems to confuse. Details also pluralized. + may be relevant → can be relevant← Previous edit | Revision as of 08:29, 23 July 2007 edit undoFather Goose (talk | contribs)Administrators10,523 edits reverting to Father Goose's version from 02:31, 22 July 2007, but will re-apply and attempt to refine several of edgarde's ideas over the next few daysNext edit → | ||
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| {{Proposed|]<br />]}} | {{Proposed|]<br />]}} | ||
| {{Nutshell|Material in an article should be directly relevant to its subject.}} | |||
| {{Nutshell|]}} | |||
| This guideline pertains to the '''relevance''' of content within articles. For guidelines regarding the relevance of articles or subjects as a whole, see ]. For guidance on the relevance of links to outside websites, see ]. For guidance on certain types of content in general, see ]. | This guideline pertains to the '''relevance''' of content within articles. For guidelines regarding the relevance of articles or subjects as a whole, see ]. For guidance on the relevance of links to outside websites, see ]. For guidance on certain types of content in general, see ]. | ||
| ⚫ | == Keep articles focused == | ||
| On Misplaced Pages, '''relevance''' is simply whether a fact is in the right article. This is determined by weighing the importance of the fact within the article '']'', against '']''. There are no general rules for establishing relevance in all cases, so often it is determined by ] on what is likely to be useful to readers. | |||
| ⚫ | Although ], the depth of Misplaced Pages's coverage must be balanced against the readability of its articles. An article that is dense with information only tenuously connected to the subject does little to inform the reader about the subject. | ||
| == Scope == | |||
| The article title usually defines a ''scope'' for the article's content. In other words, facts added to an article should be ''about the subject of the article''. | |||
| Misplaced Pages articles should be written in ], providing an ''overview'' of their subject. This overview may touch upon several related topics or subtopics, but any details not directly relevant to the primary topic should be moved into other articles, linking to them if appropriate. If coverage of a subtopic grows to the point where it overshadows the main subject (or digresses too far from it), it may be appropriate to ] into its own article. | |||
| The ] may further specify the subject scope through a concise description. Avoid making an ''explicit'' statement of scope, unless it is needed as part of a ].<!-- Needed to discourage editors from gaming scope to allow their fact. --> | |||
| == The subject of an article == | |||
| Information added to articles on very general subjects should address the entire subject, rather than meandering into related topics for which more specific articles exist (or should exist). Articles on very specific subjects will provide room for far greater detail. | |||
| The subject of an article should match the article's title. An article titled ] should be about the global computer network, not about networking, software, or computers in general. When several concepts share the same name, such as "]", ] pages or templates should be used. The ] of an article should further specify the subject through a concise description. | |||
| ;Example | |||
| An article entitled ] should be about the global computer network, not about networking, software, or computers in general. The influence of faster personal computers on the Internet may be relevant this article;<!-- Phoney example. Find a real one. --> speed comparisons of different makes of personal computer are ''not'' relevant. | |||
| == Establishing relevance == | == Establishing relevance == | ||
| Facts that go into an article must provide ''defining traits'', ''details'' or ''context''. Defining traits are the most essential to the article, context the most external. But all three can be relevant. | |||
| Ordinarily, material is relevant if it is simply "about the subject of the article". However, even when information is ] and specific to an article's subject, it may still fail to offer a broader understanding of the subject. | |||
| ⚫ | === |
||
| {{quote|The moon is the ] that orbits the ]. There is only one.}} | |||
| When adding material to an article, consider the following questions: | |||
| Facts that are needed to provide a fundamental description of the subject are ''always'' relevant. | |||
| * What impact has this had on the subject of the article? | |||
| ⚫ | These facts explain what the subject ''is'', what it ''does'' (or did), what it is ''notable'' for |
||
| * Is it a fundamental property? | |||
| * Is it a distinguishing trait? | |||
| Try to phrase the material in a way that answers one of these questions. If needed, provide additional context; even some highly-relevant information can seem irrelevant when it is not clear how it has affected the subject. This is especially true when disparate facts are grouped together, such as in "Trivia" lists, which ]. | |||
| ====Avoid dictionary-style definitions==== | |||
| ], so dictionary-style definitions including ] or alternative meanings for the subject title are usually ''not'' appropriate, and should be moved to ]. In rare exceptions, the subject of the article will be a word itself, such as ] or ]. Otherwise, Misplaced Pages articles are about the ''subject'' of the article, not a parsing of the word or phrase used in the article's title. | |||
| === |
=== Impact === | ||
| {{quote|The moon's equatorial circumference is 10,921 km.}} | |||
| Impact can take many forms — including, but not limited to: | |||
| Every subject may have an potentially unlimited number of details. Generally what details are important enough to include will be determined by a ] of the article's editors, favoring information the articles' anticipated readers might want. | |||
| * Causing the subject to come to public attention (i.e., increasing its ]). | |||
| Specific guidelines may be provided by a ] whose scope includes the article in question.<!-- What else should be listed here as a source of guidance? --> | |||
| ⚫ | * Changing the subject's ''form'' or ''history'' (in particular, any of its ''fundamental'' or ''distinguishing'' traits). | ||
| ⚫ | * Changing how the public perceives the subject. | ||
| === Fundamental information === | |||
| Biographical subjects have special limitations. Some people are only notable for their connection to ] events. Since such persons are not ]s, details of their personal lives should be excluded. This overrides other rules on relevance — see ] for policy on articles about living individuals. | |||
| ⚫ | Facts that are needed to provide a fundamental description of the subject are always relevant. These facts explain what the subject ''is'', what it ''does'' (or did), and what it is ''notable'' for. Such facts should be placed in the lead paragraphs (or in an ]), or in the first lines of the section to which they are most relevant. | ||
| === Context === | |||
| {{quote|Like any rotating celestial body, the moon's diameter is wider at its ] than through its poles, though only by less than a kilometer since the moon is fairly solid and rotating slowly. This type of ] is more extreme in rapidly spinning bodies, and can be seen clearly in images of the planet ], a rapidly spinning ] whose equatorial diameter is roughly 10 percent wider than the polar diameter.}}<!-- The moon's equatorial bulge is insubstantial, so this example is made-up. --> | |||
| ⚫ | === Distinguishing traits === | ||
| Context, while not intrinsic to the subject, may still provide an enhanced understanding of the subject. However, context has a higher potential for irrelevance than either ''definition'' or ''details'', and can usually be outsourced by linking the relevant article. | |||
| Some traits are not necessarily part of a basic description of the subject, but serve to distinguish it from other, similar subjects. These traits should be unusual for that type of subject, along the lines of "first", "most common", "one of the few", or similar distinctive claims. | |||
| Context information is worth including if it does one of the following: | |||
| * explains how properties of the subject are unique or ]. | |||
| * explains how the subject came to public attention. | |||
| ⚫ | * |
||
| ⚫ | * |
||
| The effect of contextual information on the subject should be evident in the article. | |||
| ;Example | |||
| In a mature article on the moon, the above example provides excessive, irrelevant context that does not merit repetition in articles for every celestial body. The relevant information might be simply this: | |||
| {{quote|] flattens the moon by less than a kilometer.}}<!-- Even this overstates it. It's just an example. --> | |||
| ... where context is outsourced to the article ], from which the reader can find details if they so choose. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| In many cases, a fact that connects two subjects may be important to one of the subjects, but not the other. | |||
| Non-notable mentions of a well known subject do not merit inclusion in that subject's article simply for the mention. This is commonly the case with creative works that make references to other subjects; see ] for details. | |||
| ⚫ | == Keep articles focused == | ||
| ⚫ | == Connections between subjects == | ||
| ⚫ | ], |
||
| In many cases, a fact that connects two subjects may be important to one of the subjects, but not the other. This is commonly the case with creative works that make use of other subjects: while the original subject often has importance to the referring work, only very famous references will register an impact on the original subject. Incidental connections between subjects — with no demonstrable impact on either — do not need to be documented anywhere on Misplaced Pages. | |||
| === Article length contraints === | |||
| Where a large amount of important material can be written on a subject, the bar for inclusion is raised for the article. | |||
| Sometimes, when an article contains a large section listing connections between its subject and others, an editor may choose to split that section off into a new article. The acceptance of such articles on Misplaced Pages is uncertain; see ]. | |||
| ;Example | |||
| The Rwandan genocide is relevant to ], an enormous topic. Article length contraints limit the genocide to a single concise sentence in ''History of Africa''. However, it is accorded several paragraphs in ], and a comprehensive treatment under ]. In turn, several topics under ''Rwandan genocide'' have their own detailed articles. | |||
| == Relevance of biographical details == | |||
| === Summary style === | |||
| {{details|Misplaced Pages:Summary style|summary style}} | |||
| If coverage of a subtopic grows to the point where it overshadows the main subject (or digresses too far from it), it may be appropriate to ] into its own article. | |||
| Biographical subjects warrant special attention. Some people are famous due to their connection to ] events, without having any fame beyond the event. As such, they are not ]s, and details of their personal lives may be relevant to them as ''individuals'', but not to what has made them of encyclopedic interest. The amount of ] coverage of personal details an individual has received is a good indication of what Misplaced Pages should include on that individual. ] specifies additional limitations that should be followed when writing about living indviduals. | |||
| In this situation, the main article provides a concise overview of the subject. Where it touches on related topics or subtopics, details not directly relevant to the overall topic are expanded upon in linked articles. | |||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 08:29, 23 July 2007
 | 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. | Shortcut
|
 | This page in a nutshell: Material in an article should be directly relevant to its subject. |
This guideline pertains to the relevance of content within articles. For guidelines regarding the relevance of articles or subjects as a whole, see Misplaced Pages:Notability. For guidance on the relevance of links to outside websites, see Misplaced Pages:External links. For guidance on certain types of content in general, see Misplaced Pages:What Misplaced Pages is not.
Keep articles focused
Although there is little limit to Misplaced Pages's size, the depth of Misplaced Pages's coverage must be balanced against the readability of its articles. An article that is dense with information only tenuously connected to the subject does little to inform the reader about the subject.
Misplaced Pages articles should be written in summary style, providing an overview of their subject. This overview may touch upon several related topics or subtopics, but any details not directly relevant to the primary topic should be moved into other articles, linking to them if appropriate. If coverage of a subtopic grows to the point where it overshadows the main subject (or digresses too far from it), it may be appropriate to split it out into its own article.
The subject of an article
The subject of an article should match the article's title. An article titled Internet should be about the global computer network, not about networking, software, or computers in general. When several concepts share the same name, such as "jet", disambiguation pages or templates should be used. The lead paragraph(s) of an article should further specify the subject through a concise description.
Establishing relevance
Ordinarily, material is relevant if it is simply "about the subject of the article". However, even when information is verifiable and specific to an article's subject, it may still fail to offer a broader understanding of the subject.
When adding material to an article, consider the following questions:
- What impact has this had on the subject of the article?
- Is it a fundamental property?
- Is it a distinguishing trait?
Try to phrase the material in a way that answers one of these questions. If needed, provide additional context; even some highly-relevant information can seem irrelevant when it is not clear how it has affected the subject. This is especially true when disparate facts are grouped together, such as in "Trivia" lists, which should be avoided.
Impact
Impact can take many forms — including, but not limited to:
- Causing the subject to come to public attention (i.e., increasing its notability).
- Changing the subject's form or history (in particular, any of its fundamental or distinguishing traits).
- Changing how the public perceives the subject.
Fundamental information
Facts that are needed to provide a fundamental description of the subject are always relevant. These facts explain what the subject is, what it does (or did), and what it is notable for. Such facts should be placed in the lead paragraphs (or in an infobox), or in the first lines of the section to which they are most relevant.
Distinguishing traits
Some traits are not necessarily part of a basic description of the subject, but serve to distinguish it from other, similar subjects. These traits should be unusual for that type of subject, along the lines of "first", "most common", "one of the few", or similar distinctive claims.
Connections between subjects
In many cases, a fact that connects two subjects may be important to one of the subjects, but not the other. This is commonly the case with creative works that make use of other subjects: while the original subject often has importance to the referring work, only very famous references will register an impact on the original subject. Incidental connections between subjects — with no demonstrable impact on either — do not need to be documented anywhere on Misplaced Pages.
Sometimes, when an article contains a large section listing connections between its subject and others, an editor may choose to split that section off into a new article. The acceptance of such articles on Misplaced Pages is uncertain; see Misplaced Pages:"In popular culture" articles.
Relevance of biographical details
Biographical subjects warrant special attention. Some people are famous due to their connection to notable events, without having any fame beyond the event. As such, they are not public figures, and details of their personal lives may be relevant to them as individuals, but not to what has made them of encyclopedic interest. The amount of reliable coverage of personal details an individual has received is a good indication of what Misplaced Pages should include on that individual. Misplaced Pages:Biographies of living persons specifies additional limitations that should be followed when writing about living indviduals.
See also
- Misplaced Pages:Handling trivia
- Misplaced Pages:Only make links that are relevant to the context
- Misplaced Pages:Coatrack