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| {{subcat guideline|naming convention|common names|WP:UCN|WP:NC(CN)}} | |||
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| {{guideline in a nutshell|Except where other accepted ] give a different indication, title an article using the most common name of the person or thing in question.}} | |||
| {{main|Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions}} | |||
| '''Convention:''' Title an article using the most common English language name of a person or thing that is the subject of the article, except where other specific conventions provide otherwise. Some important exceptions are described at ]; others are discussed under "]" below. | |||
| Determine the most common name<ref>This guideline uses "common name" to mean a commonly used name, the word "common" being used in the sense of "in general use; of frequent occurrence; usual, ordinary, prevalent, frequent." (Oxford English Dictionary, common:10a). In some scientific disciplines, however, a '']'' is any name that is not a '']''. In such disciplines, the most commonly used name may be the ''scientific name'' or one of many ]s.</ref> by verifying what ] in English call the subject. When choosing a name for a page, as a rule of thumb ask yourself: What word would the average user of Misplaced Pages put into the search engine? | |||
| Page names should be as simple as possible without being too general or ambiguous. Remember that a link is the page name, not necessarily the topic, of the linked page. For example, the article about jazz music has the page name ] rather than ] (a redirect); the simple page name makes linking easier. In contrast, the article about country music has the page name ] because "country" has too many meanings in addition to the music genre. If we ignore potential ambiguity, the ideal of simplicity can be at odds with the ideal of ]. | |||
| ==Rationale== | |||
| Names of articles should be the most commonly used name for the following reasons: | |||
| * We want to maximize the likelihood of being listed in external search engines, thereby attracting more people to Misplaced Pages. For example, one pagename is ] and not "James Earl Carter, Jr."; the string "Jimmy Carter" in the page title makes it easier to find: search engines will often give greater weight to the contents of the title than to the body of the page. Since "Jimmy Carter" is the most common form of the name, it will be searched on more often, and having that exact string in our page title will often mean our page shows up higher in other search engines. | |||
| * We want to maximize the incidence that people who make a link guessing the article name, guess correctly; people guessing a different name may think there is no article yet, which may cause duplication. | |||
| * Using a full formal name requires people to know that name, ''and'' to type more. | |||
| * We respect our readers and name our articles as they do, just formulating their collective needs. | |||
| Redirects help, but give a slightly unattractive "redirected from" announcement at the top of the page. On the other hand, if someone reads or hears "]", and wonders who might be meant by that, the "(Redirected from Elizabeth II)" at the top of the page describing the monarch in question puts the reader at ease that this was the intended queen: the "redirect" message indicates that the system hasn't been playing tricks, and that this was the page to which you were supposed to be led. | |||
| ==Examples== | |||
| Examples of common names that Misplaced Pages uses instead of a more elaborate, more formal or more scientifically precise version include (note that the latter is a redirect to the former): | |||
| *] (not ]) | |||
| *] (not ]) | |||
| *] (not ]) | |||
| *] (not ]) | |||
| *] (not ]) <!-- A contested example. I'd like to see it go unless we make a point of including other contested examples. --> | |||
| *] (not ]) | |||
| *] (not '']'') | |||
| *] (not '']'') | |||
| <!--*] (not <nowiki>]</nowiki>)> //I see no reason to remove this one - I do!--> | |||
| ==Do not overdo it== | |||
| In cases where the common name of a subject is misleading, then it is sometimes reasonable to fall back on a well-accepted alternative. For example a "common" name for a ] is "tidal wave" (this term being less often used for the tides-related ]). For this reason, the ] page is a ], with links to the two other pages, and not a page giving details about either tsunami or tidal bore. | |||
| Also, some terms are in common usage but are regarded as offensive (Mormon Church, for example). In those cases use widely known alternatives (]). When in doubt, check a mainstream reference work. A term can only be considered offensive if a verifiable, authoritative source can be quoted as citing it as such. | |||
| This does not mean that we should avoid using widely known pseudonyms like ], ], ], or widely known common names of ]s and other things. But it does mean that we need to temper common usage when the commonly used term is unreasonably misleading or commonly regarded as offensive to one or more groups of people. | |||
| ===Not sure if you are overdoing it?=== | |||
| If there is no agreement over whether a page title is "overdoing it", apply the guidelines at ]. | |||
| ==Exceptions== | |||
| ''Many Misplaced Pages naming conventions guidelines contain implicit or explicit exceptions to the "common names" principle.'' Some of these exceptions are due to technical limitations, for example "]", as "C#" is technically not possible as a page name. | |||
| Some of these exceptions follow from guidelines that give recommendations for enhanced ], cleaner ] and/or solution of ]s, which might lead to article names that are rather "the most obvious" than strictly spoken "the most used". For example: ] and ] while ] could indicate either of these two ]s. | |||
| Other exceptions are contained in the ]; for example the ] section in that guideline leads to ] being used instead of ] or ], in order not to give precedence to either British or American spelling. | |||
| Some questions about the use of diacritics in article titles are discussed at ]. | |||
| Several guidelines try to systematise certain ''types of article titles'', for example article titles using abbreviations: | |||
| *]: ] (not ] or ]) | |||
| *]: ] (not ] or ]) | |||
| Other guidelines rather systematise titles of articles grouped ''by topic'', for example ] and not ], according to ]. | |||
| For articles on people some minor practical exceptions are contained in ] - these are however hardly sufficient to cover the complexities for naming royals and other nobility: hence ], and several other nobility-related Naming Conventions guidelines, contain many detailed exceptions. | |||
| Where common names might conflict with other uses, the ] guideline is useful in determining a name to use. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| Apart from the main ] page and the ] there are also: | |||
| * ] - The '''non-guideline''' category of articles about naming conventions; | |||
| * ] - Search engine testing might in some cases assist in discerning which of two alternative versions of a name is ''more common''. | |||
| * ] - Poll (2004) regarding the applicability of the ''common names'' principle to geographical entries. | |||
| * ]s | |||
| ⚫ | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 22:05, 9 November 2009
 | This guideline documents an English Misplaced Pages naming convention. Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page. | Shortcuts |
 | This page in a nutshell: Except where other accepted Misplaced Pages naming conventions give a different indication, title an article using the most common name of the person or thing in question. |
Convention: Title an article using the most common English language name of a person or thing that is the subject of the article, except where other specific conventions provide otherwise. Some important exceptions are described at Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (names and titles); others are discussed under "Exceptions" below.
Determine the most common name by verifying what reliable sources in English call the subject. When choosing a name for a page, as a rule of thumb ask yourself: What word would the average user of Misplaced Pages put into the search engine?
Page names should be as simple as possible without being too general or ambiguous. Remember that a link is the page name, not necessarily the topic, of the linked page. For example, the article about jazz music has the page name Jazz rather than Jazz music (a redirect); the simple page name makes linking easier. In contrast, the article about country music has the page name Country music because "country" has too many meanings in addition to the music genre. If we ignore potential ambiguity, the ideal of simplicity can be at odds with the ideal of precision.
Rationale
Names of articles should be the most commonly used name for the following reasons:
- We want to maximize the likelihood of being listed in external search engines, thereby attracting more people to Misplaced Pages. For example, one pagename is Jimmy Carter and not "James Earl Carter, Jr."; the string "Jimmy Carter" in the page title makes it easier to find: search engines will often give greater weight to the contents of the title than to the body of the page. Since "Jimmy Carter" is the most common form of the name, it will be searched on more often, and having that exact string in our page title will often mean our page shows up higher in other search engines.
- We want to maximize the incidence that people who make a link guessing the article name, guess correctly; people guessing a different name may think there is no article yet, which may cause duplication.
- Using a full formal name requires people to know that name, and to type more.
- We respect our readers and name our articles as they do, just formulating their collective needs.
Redirects help, but give a slightly unattractive "redirected from" announcement at the top of the page. On the other hand, if someone reads or hears "Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom", and wonders who might be meant by that, the "(Redirected from Elizabeth II)" at the top of the page describing the monarch in question puts the reader at ease that this was the intended queen: the "redirect" message indicates that the system hasn't been playing tricks, and that this was the page to which you were supposed to be led.
Examples
Examples of common names that Misplaced Pages uses instead of a more elaborate, more formal or more scientifically precise version include (note that the latter is a redirect to the former):
- Bill Clinton (not William Jefferson Clinton)
- Bill Gates (not William Henry Gates III)
- Julius Caesar (not Imperator Gaius Iulius Caesar Divus)
- Pelé (not Edson Arantes do Nascimento)
- Occam's Razor (not Ockham's Razor)
- Venus de Milo (not Aphrodite of Melos)
- Dog (not Canis lupus familiaris)
- Guinea pig (not Cavia porcellus)
Do not overdo it
In cases where the common name of a subject is misleading, then it is sometimes reasonable to fall back on a well-accepted alternative. For example a "common" name for a tsunami is "tidal wave" (this term being less often used for the tides-related tidal bore). For this reason, the Tidal wave page is a disambiguation page, with links to the two other pages, and not a page giving details about either tsunami or tidal bore.
Also, some terms are in common usage but are regarded as offensive (Mormon Church, for example). In those cases use widely known alternatives (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). When in doubt, check a mainstream reference work. A term can only be considered offensive if a verifiable, authoritative source can be quoted as citing it as such.
This does not mean that we should avoid using widely known pseudonyms like Mark Twain, Marilyn Monroe, Billy the Kid, or widely known common names of animals and other things. But it does mean that we need to temper common usage when the commonly used term is unreasonably misleading or commonly regarded as offensive to one or more groups of people.
Not sure if you are overdoing it?
If there is no agreement over whether a page title is "overdoing it", apply the guidelines at Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (precision).
Exceptions
Many Misplaced Pages naming conventions guidelines contain implicit or explicit exceptions to the "common names" principle. Some of these exceptions are due to technical limitations, for example "C Sharp (programming language)", as "C#" is technically not possible as a page name.
Some of these exceptions follow from guidelines that give recommendations for enhanced precision, cleaner disambiguation and/or solution of naming conflicts, which might lead to article names that are rather "the most obvious" than strictly spoken "the most used". For example: Roger Andrew Taylor and Roger Meddows-Taylor while Roger Taylor (drummer) could indicate either of these two Roger Taylors.
Other exceptions are contained in the Manual of Style; for example the National varieties of English section in that guideline leads to fixed-wing aircraft being used instead of aeroplane or airplane, in order not to give precedence to either British or American spelling.
Some questions about the use of diacritics in article titles are discussed at Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (use English)#Modified letters.
Several guidelines try to systematise certain types of article titles, for example article titles using abbreviations:
- Acronyms: NASA (not N.A.S.A. or N. A. S. A.)
- Abbreviating names of people: H. G. Wells (not H.G. Wells or HG Wells)
Other guidelines rather systematise titles of articles grouped by topic, for example MS Herald of Free Enterprise and not Herald of Free Enterprise, according to Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (ships).
For articles on people some minor practical exceptions are contained in Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (people) - these are however hardly sufficient to cover the complexities for naming royals and other nobility: hence Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (names and titles), and several other nobility-related Naming Conventions guidelines, contain many detailed exceptions.
Where common names might conflict with other uses, the disambiguation guideline is useful in determining a name to use.
See also
Apart from the main Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions page and the Misplaced Pages naming conventions category there are also:
- Category:Naming conventions - The non-guideline category of articles about naming conventions;
- Misplaced Pages:Search engine test - Search engine testing might in some cases assist in discerning which of two alternative versions of a name is more common.
- Misplaced Pages:Naming policy poll - Poll (2004) regarding the applicability of the common names principle to geographical entries.
- Exonyms
- Misplaced Pages:Naming conventions (use English)
- Misplaced Pages:Manual of style (trademarks)
Notes
- This guideline uses "common name" to mean a commonly used name, the word "common" being used in the sense of "in general use; of frequent occurrence; usual, ordinary, prevalent, frequent." (Oxford English Dictionary, common:10a). In some scientific disciplines, however, a common name is any name that is not a scientific name. In such disciplines, the most commonly used name may be the scientific name or one of many common names.