Misplaced Pages

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This guideline is a part of the English Misplaced Pages's Manual of Style. It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though occasional exceptions may apply. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page.

Shortcut WP:LINK

Linking is one of the most important features of Misplaced Pages. Linking through hyperlinks is an important advantage of an online encyclopedia, with internal links binding the project together into an interconnected whole. External links, on the other hand, help link Misplaced Pages into the external World Wide Web.

Links are intended to provide instant pathways to locations both within and outside the project that are likely to increase our readers' understanding of the topic at hand. When writing an article, it is important to consider not only what to put in the article itself, but also what links should be included to help the reader find related information, as well as which other pages should carry links to the article. Care should however be taken to avoid overlinking, as described below.

This page contains guidelines as to when links should and should not be used, and how to format them. Detailed information about the syntax used to create links can be found at Help:Link. The rules on linking applicable to disambiguation pages can be found at the disambiguation style guide.

General principles

• WP:BTW
• WP:BUILD

Misplaced Pages is based on hypertext, and aims to "build the web" to enable readers to find relevant information on other pages with just a click of the mouse. Therefore in adding or removing links, consider an article's place in the knowledge tree. Internal links add to the cohesion and utility of Misplaced Pages by allowing readers to deepen their understanding of a topic by conveniently accessing other articles. These links should be included where it is most likely that readers might want to use them; for example, in article leads, the beginnings of new sections, table cells, and image captions.

General linking style points:

• As explained in more detail at Help:Links#Wikilinks, linking can be done directly ("]", which results in "Riverside, California"), or through a piped link ("]", which results in "Riverside" in the text, but still links to the article "Riverside, California").
• Section headings should not themselves contain links (see WP:ACCESS for why not) - instead a {{main}} or {{seealso}} template should be placed immediately after the heading.
• Links should not be placed in the bold reiteration of the title in the article's lead sentence.
• Generally items within quotations should not be linked; instead, the relevant links should wherever possible be placed in the surrounding text of the article.

Internal links: overlinking and underlinking

• WP:OVERLINK
• WP:UNDERLINK

Provide links that aid navigation and understanding, but avoid cluttering the page with obvious, redundant and useless links. An article is said to be underlinked if subjects are not linked that are helpful to the understanding of the article or its context. However, overlinking is also something to be avoided, as it can make it harder for the reader to identify and follow those links which are likely to be of value.

• Avoid linking to a page that redirects back to the page the link is on.
• Think carefully before you remove a link altogether—what may seem like an irrelevant link to you may be useful to other readers.
• Do not be afraid to create links to potential articles that do not yet exist (see Red links below).
• If you feel that a certain link does not belong in the body of the text, consider moving it to a "See also" section at the bottom of the article. (Remember that links can also be useful when applying the "What links here" feature from the target page.)

What generally should be linked

In general, do create links to:

• relevant connections to the subject of another article that will help readers to understand the current article more fully (see the example below). This can include people, events and topics that already have an article or that clearly deserve one, as long as the link is relevant to the article in question.
• articles with relevant information, through references (Example: "see Fourier series for relevant background"). Linking items in a list of examples makes them easier to reference as well.
• technical terms, unless they are fully defined in the article and do not have their own separate article. Sometimes the most appropriate link is an interwiki link to Wiktionary. Consider instead defining technical terms immediately, if this can be worked into the sentence neatly and concisely.
• explicit articles when word usage may be confusing to a non-native speaker (or users of other varieties of English). If the word would not be translated in context with an ordinary foreign-language dictionary, consider linking to an article or Wiktionary entry to help foreign language readers, especially translators. Check the link for disambiguation, and link to the specific item.
• articles of geographic places that are likely to be unfamiliar to readers or that in the context may be confused with places that have a similar or identical name.

What generally should not be linked

Unless they are particularly relevant to the topic of the article, it is generally inappropriate to link:

• plain English words;
• terms whose meaning would be understood by almost all readers;
• items that would be familiar to most readers, such as the names of major geographic features and locations, religions, languages, common professions and common units of measurement (particularly if a conversion is provided);
• dates (but see Chronological items below).

Link density

Aim for a sensible link density. Do not link eight words in one sentence and then none in the rest of the article. In general, link only the first occurrence of an item. This is a rule of thumb that has many exceptions, including the following:

• If a later occurrence of a link is separated by a long way from the first. Avoiding duplicate links in the same section of an article is generally a safe rule of thumb.
• If the first link was in an infobox or a navbox, or some similar meta-content. The main text of the article should link relevant terms.
• Table entries are another exception; each row of a table should be able to stand on its own.

Some editors feel that the introduction is a special case, with fewer links preferred than in the body text. This is because numerous links in the summary of an article may cause users to jump elsewhere rather than read the whole summary, and because whilst some links make it easier to scan a longer introduction by highlighting key terms, too many make it harder. For technical articles, where terms in the summary may be uncommon or unusual, and linking is necessary to facilitate understanding, a higher-than-usual link density in the introduction may be necessary.

Link specificity

Link to a more specific topic if it has its own article; for example, link to "the flag of Tokelau" instead of "the flag of Tokelau"; link to a section within an article if that brings the reader immediately to the information of specific relevance.

If possible, avoid placing two links next to each other in the text so they look like a single link, as in ] ] (film actress). Consider rephrasing the sentence, omitting one of the links, or using a single more specific link instead.

For example, in the article on supply and demand:

• almost certainly link microeconomic theory and general equilibrium as these are technical terms that many readers are unlikely to understand at first sight;
• consider linking price and goods only if these common words have technical dimensions that are specifically relevant to the topic (a section-link is generally preferable in this case);
• do not link to the "United States", because that is a very large article with no explicit connection to supply and demand.
• definitely do not link "potato", because it is a common term with no particular relationship to the article on supply and demand, beyond its arbitrary use as an example of traded goods in that article.

Techniques

Piped links

It is possible to link words that are not exactly the same as the linked article title—for example, ]. However, make sure that it is still clear what the link refers to without having to follow the link.

• Plurals and possessives. When forming plurals, do so thus: ]s. This is clearer to read in wiki form than ]—and easier to type. This syntax is also applicable to adjective constructs such as ]n and the like. Hyphens and apostrophes must be included in the link to show as part of the same word. For example, ] or ]. Keeping possessive apostrophes inside the link, where possible, makes for more readable text and source, though either form is acceptable for possessive forms of links such as ]'s or ].

• Case sensitivity. Links are not sensitive to initial capitalization, so there is no need to use piping where the only difference between the text and the target is the case of the initial letter (Misplaced Pages article titles almost always begin with a capital, whereas the linked words in context often do not). However, links are case-sensitive for all but the initial character.

• Piping and redirects. Do not use a piped link where it is possible to use a redirected term that fits well within the scope of the text. This assists in determining when a significant number of references to redirected links warrant more detailed articles. Automated processes should not convert links to redirects into piped links; the link should always be examined in context. For more information, see Do not "fix" links to redirects that are not broken and Redirects with possibilities.

• Intuitiveness.Shortcut
  • WP:EGG
  Keep piped links as intuitive as possible. Do not use them to create "easter egg links", that require the reader to follow them to understand the term. Misplaced Pages's articles are sometimes read in hard copy, where the option of following a link is not available. For example, do not write this:

... and by mid-century the puns and sexual humor were back to stay (with a few ]).

The readers will not see the hidden reference to Thomas Bowdler unless they click on or hover over the piped exceptions link; in hard copy, the reference to Bowdler is completely lost. Instead, reference the article with an explicit "see also" or by rephrasing:

... and by mid-century the puns and sexual humor were back to stay (with only a few exceptions; see ]).

... and by mid-century the puns and sexual humor were back to stay, aside from a few exceptions such as the writings of ].

Similarly, use:

After an earlier disaster (see Bombay Explosion (1944)),... or

After an earlier disaster (Bombay Explosion (1944)),... or

After the earlier explosion in Bombay,...

rather than:

After an earlier disaster,...

Piped links should never be used to introduce tendentious subtext, as in "He denied the ]." (See also: Misplaced Pages:Principle of least astonishment)

Linking to sections of articles

Linking to particular sections of articles can be useful, since it can take the reader immediately to the information that is most focused on the original topic. The format for a subsection link is ]. For example, to link to the "Culture" subsection of the Oman article, type ]. When naming a piped link, think about what the reader will believe the link is about; in this example, the piped section-link should not be named "Oman", because the reader will think that link goes to the general article on Oman.

Although it is common to used piped links when linking to sections, e.g.:

]

(Geography of Baden-Württemberg)

this often becomes unwieldy in the main prose, so it may be preferable to create and link to a redirect, e.g.:

]

(Geography of Baden-Württemberg)

which points to a section within the main Baden-Württemberg article, and may also become a separate article in the future (see also WP:REDIRECT#NOTBROKEN). In addition, Special:Whatlinkshere currently provides no way to determine which pages link to which section(s) of a given article, so creating redirects offers a way to filter incoming links and identify related articles.

Red links

An internal link that displays in red points to a page that does not exist by that name. Some red links come about due to errors (misspelling, or failure to check the exact name of the target article); these should be fixed by correcting the spelling, using a piped link or, if appropriate, creating a redirect. However many red links are perfectly legitimate, serving to point to an article which may exist in the future, and indeed encouraging editors to create such an article.

Legitimate red links should not be resolved by simply removing the bracket. If a red link is within the context of the article, and it is a topic with the potential to eventually be a neutral, verifiable and encyclopedic article, then the link should be kept. Such links do not have an expiration date, beyond which they must be "fixed". Red links should be removed only if they point to articles that are unlikely ever to be created, such as the names of book chapters, or if they would have little significance in the context of the present article even if they were created.

Red is only the default color for these links for logged-in users, who can change their preferences to select another color.

To make a link more useful to readers when no article currently exists, it may be useful to create a redirect to a relevant existing article or section, or to create a stub for the new article (check similar articles for conventions on naming and categorization).

Checking links as they are created

One of the most common errors in linking occurs when editors do not check to see whether a link they have created goes to the intended location. This is especially true when a mistake is not obvious to the reader or to other editors. The text of links needs to be exact, and many Misplaced Pages destinations have a number of similar titles. To avoid such problems, which can be irritating for readers, the following procedure is recommended, especially for editors who are new to creating links.

1. Carefully key in the link.
2. Click on "Show preview".
3. In the display-mode, click on the links to check they go where you intend; if they do not, fix them. If a destination page does not appear to exist, do a quick search to determine whether the article has a differently worded title or the subject is treated in a section of another article. Adjust the link accordingly, or leave it as a red link.
4. Return to the "Show preview" page using your browser's return button.
5. Click on "Save page".

By following naming conventions, an internal link will be much more likely to lead to an existing article. When there is not yet an article about the subject, a good link will make the creation of a correctly named article much easier for subsequent writers.

Specific cases

Chronological items

Month-day linking

Month-day articles (February 24 and 10 July) should not be linked unless their content is germane and topical to the subject. Such links should share an important connection with that subject other than that the events occurred on the same date. For example, editors should not link the date (or year) in a sentence such as (from Sydney Opera House): "The Sydney Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007", because little, if any, of the contents of either June 28 or 2007 are germane to either UNESCO, a World Heritage Site, or the Sydney Opera House.

References to commemorative days (Saint Patrick's Day) are treated as for any other link. Intrinsically chronological articles (1789, January, and 1940s) may themselves contain linked chronological items.

Year linking

Year articles (1795, 1955, 2007) should not be linked unless they contain information that is germane and topical to the subject matter—that is, the events in the year article should share an important connection other than merely that they occurred in the same year. For instance, Timeline of World War II (1942) may be linked to from another article about WWII, and so too may 1787 in science when writing about a particular development on the metric system in that year. However, the years of birth and death of architect Philip C. Johnson should not be linked, because little, if any, of the contents of 1906 and 2005 are germane to either Johnson or to architecture.

External links

Misplaced Pages is not a link collection and an article comprising only links is contrary to the "what Misplaced Pages is not" policy.

Syntax

The syntax for referencing a URL is simple. Just enclose it in single brackets:

The URL must begin with http:// or another common protocol, such as ftp:// or news://.

In addition, putting URLs in plain text with no markup automatically produces a link, for example http://www.example.org/. However, this feature may disappear in a future release. Therefore, in cases where you wish to display the URL because it is intrinsically valuable information, it is better to use the short form of the URL (host name) as the optional text: produces www.example.org.

Link titles

You should not add a descriptive title to an embedded HTML link within an article. Instead, when giving an embedded link as a source within an article, simply enclose the URL in square brackets, like this: . However, you should add a descriptive title when an external link is offered in the References, Further reading, or External links section. This is done by supplying descriptive text after the URL, separated by a space and enclosing it all in square brackets.

For example, to add a title to a bare URL such as http://en.wikipedia.org/ (this is rendered as "http://en.wikipedia.org/"), use the following syntax: (this is rendered as "an open-content encyclopedia").

Generally, URLs are ugly and uninformative; it is better for a meaningful title to be displayed rather than the URL itself. For example, "European Space Agency website" is much more reader-friendly than "http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/index.html". There may be exceptions where the URL is well known or is the company name. In this case, putting both the url and a valid title will be more informative: for example, "European Space Agency website, www.esa.int".

If the URL is displayed, make it as simple as possible; for example, if the index.html is superfluous, remove it (but be sure to check in preview mode first).

The "printable version" of a page displays all URLs in full, including those given a title, so no information is lost.

URLs as embedded (numbered) links

Without the optional text, external references appear as automatically numbered links: For example,

is displayed like this:

When an embedded HTML link is used to provide an inline source in an article, a numbered link should be used after the punctuation, like this, with a full citation given in the References section. See Misplaced Pages:Cite sources and Misplaced Pages:Verifiability for more information.

When placed in the References and External links sections, these links should be expanded with link text, and preferably a full citation, including the name of the article, the author, the journal or newspaper the article appeared in, the date it was published, and the date retrieved.

Position in article

Embedded links are positioned after the sentence or paragraph they are being used as a source for, and after the punctuation, like this.

A full citation should then be added to the References section. Links not used as sources can be listed in the External links section:

== External links ==

* [http://

* [http://

As with other top-level headings, two equal signs should be used to mark up the external links heading (see Headings elsewhere in the article).

If there is a dispute on the position of an embedded link, consider organizing alphabetically.

See Misplaced Pages:Citing sources#Embedded links for how to format these, and Misplaced Pages:Verifiability, which is policy.

Non-English-language sites

Webpages in English are highly preferred. Linking to non-English pages may still be useful for readers in the following cases:

• when the website is the subject of the article
• when linking to pages with maps, diagrams, photos, tables (explain the key terms with the link, so that people who do not know the language can interpret them)
• when the webpage contains key or authoritative information found on no English-language site and is used as a citation (or when translations on English-language sites are not authoritative).

In such cases, indicate what language the site is in. For example:

• El País, a Spanish-language newspaper from Madrid

You can also indicate the language by putting a language icon after the link. This is done using Template:Languageicon by typing {{Languageicon|<language code>|<language name>}}. For example, {{Languageicon|es}} displays as: Template:Languageicon. Alternatively, type {{xx icon}}, where xx is the language code. For example, {{pl icon}} gives: Template:Pl icon. See Category:Language icon templates for a list of these templates and the list of ISO 639 codes.

File type and size

If the link is not to an HTML or PDF file (the latter is identified automatically by the software with an icon like this ), identify the file type. Useful templates are available: {{DOClink}}, {{RTFlink}}. If a browser plugin is required to view the file, mention that as well.

If the link is to a large file (in the case of HTML, consider the size of the entire page, including the images), a note about that is useful too. Someone with a slow connection may decide not to use it.

Interwiki links

Links to articles in other Wikimedia Foundation projects such as Wiktionary and Wikiquote can be done with special link templates such as Template:Wikiquote. These will display as a blue box with a logo. Similar templates exist for some free content resources that are not run by the Wikimedia Foundation. These boxes are formatted in light green to distinguish them from Misplaced Pages's official sister projects. A list of such templates can be found at Misplaced Pages:List of templates linking to other free content projects.

Link maintenance

Linking and continual change are both central features of Misplaced Pages; however, continual change makes linking vulnerable to acquired technical faults and the provision of different information from that which was originally intended. This is true of both "outgoing" links (from an article) and "incoming" links (to an article).

• Outgoing links: These should be checked from time to time for unintended changes that are undesirable; if the opportunity arises to improve their formatting, appropriateness and focus, this should be done.
• Incoming links: Creating an article will turn blue any existing red links to its title (redlinks are usually created in the hope that an article will eventually be written). Therefore, when creating an article, it is wise to check "What links here" to identify such redlinks, if any, and that they are appropriate.

Notes

1. Many, but not all, articles repeat the article title in bold in the first line of the article. While linking the article to itself produces bold-face text without a link, this practice is discouraged as page moves will result in a useless circular link through a redirect. Linking part of the bolded text is also avoided because it changes the visual effect of bolding; some readers will miss the visual cue which is the purpose of using bold in the first place.
2. Dvorak, John C. (April 2002). "Missing Links". PC Magazine.
3. Examples of common measurements include:
   • units of time (millisecond, second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year)
   • metric units of mass (milligram, gram, kilogram), length (millimetre, centimetre, metre, kilometre), area (mm², etc.) and volume (millilitre, litre, mm³)
   • imperial and US units (inch, foot, yard, mile)
   • composite units (m/s, ft/s)
   Links may sometimes be helpful where there is ambiguity in the measurement system (such as Troy weight vs Avoirdupois weight) but only if the distinction is relevant. In an article specifically on units of measurement or measurement, such links can be useful.
4. Academic research has suggested that red links may be a driving force in Misplaced Pages growth; see Diomidis Spinellis and Panagiotis Louridas (2008): The collaborative organization of knowledge. In Communications of the ACM, August 2008, 51(8), 68–73. DOI:10.1145/1378704.1378720. Quote: "Most new articles are created shortly after a corresponding reference to them is entered into the system". See also inflationary hypothesis of Misplaced Pages growth

See also

• Help:Contents/Links
• Misplaced Pages:External links
• Misplaced Pages:Interlanguage links
• Misplaced Pages:Interwikimedia links
• Misplaced Pages:Red link
• Misplaced Pages:Walled garden
• Misplaced Pages:Dead-end pages, pages without internal links
• Misplaced Pages:Orphaned articles, pages without incoming links
• Misplaced Pages:Wikiproject Orphanage
• Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Integration
• Template:Deadend
• Template:Wikify
• Misplaced Pages is not an indiscriminate collection of information
• Misplaced Pages:Allwiki, the idea that every single word should be a link (historical)

• Misplaced Pages style guidelines
• General style guidelines