Misplaced Pages

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It has been suggested that this page be merged into Misplaced Pages:Words to watch. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2010.

This page documents an English Misplaced Pages style guideline. 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 WP:APT WP:SUPER WP:PCK WP:PEA WP:PEACOCK

This page in a nutshell: Instead of telling the reader that a subject is important, use facts to show the subject's importance.

In Misplaced Pages articles, forgo unsourced or unexplained peacock terms that merely promote the subject of the article without imparting verifiable information. Examples include describing people as "important", "main", or "among the greatest" in their field, without explaining why. When using these terms, make sure you have sources to support them, and that the reader understands why the person or subject is so regarded.

Examples

Consider the following examples.

Peacock term:

• William Peckenridge, 1st Duke of Omnium (1602 – May 8, 1671) is the most important man ever to carry that title.

Better:

• William Peckenridge, 1st Duke of Omnium (1602 – May 8, 1671) was personal counselor to King Charles I, royalist general in the English Civil War, a chemist, poet, and the director of the secret society known as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. He expanded his family's possessions to include the proprietorship of the Province of New Hampshire and the hereditary Lord High Bailiffship of Guernsey and Sark.

The first example simply tells the reader that the Duke of Omnium was important. The second example shows the reader how he was important, without directly saying so. Show, don't tell. Remember, "Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember."

Peacock term:

• Brazil has a vigorous economy.

Better:

• According to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Brazil has the ninth-largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity (PPP).

The first example simply tells the reader that the Brazilian economy is vigorous. The second example shows the reader that it is. Show, don't tell by asserting facts, not opinions, and substantiating facts about opinions.

Peacock term:

• Jonny Doe (1970-2009) was a legendary, award-winning rock guitarist whose versatile and virtuosic solo playing made him a highly respected musician.

Better:

• Jonny Doe (1970-2009) was a rock guitarist who played lead guitar in the heavy metal bands Icon and Icarus Stone in the 1990s and in the hard rock band Stoolie in the 2000s. He won a Grammy Award in 2003 for Stoolie's self-titled CD and a Guitar Magazine soloist award in 2008. The Penguin Encyclopedia of Rock Guitar called Doe a "fast-fingered guitar wizard", a comment that was echoed by his Guitar World obituary, which called him "a man with Formula 1 fingers on the fretboard". The Paragon History of Rock Guitar states that "Doe's re-interpretation of classic rock soloing, and the way he blended metal and grunge styles had a major influence on late-1990s rock guitar".

Words and phrases to watch for

Deciding whether a particular wording is suitable on any given occasion is a matter of common sense and good editorial judgment. The following is a list of words that may be misused. Inclusion in this list does not mean a word should be avoided, but rather that it must be used appropriately.

Do not hide the important facts

This does not mean one should underplay the legitimate importance of a topic. It is appropriate to write "The Pacific Ocean is Earth's largest ocean" and "World War II involved the mobilization of over 100 million military personnel, making it the most widespread war in history." Peacock terms can be avoided when dealing with the third-longest river in Rhode Island, but when it comes to the Amazon River, Misplaced Pages readers should be told just how long it really is. When a person or event is in fact important, the reader must be shown how important, and why.

In some contexts, the fame or reputation of a subject may be an objective and relevant question, better supported by a direct source than by drawing inferences indirectly based on other facts (which would constitute original research or synthesis). A sourced statement that the subject is "famous", "well known", "important", "influential", or the like may be appropriate, particularly to establish a subject's notability in an introductory sentence or paragraph.

Inappropriate subjects

Conversely, if you are trying to dress up something that does not belong in Misplaced Pages—your non-notable band, Web site, or company's product—think twice about it. Misplaced Pages is not an advertising medium or home page service. (See also Misplaced Pages:Conflict of interest.) Wikipedians are experienced in recognizing inappropriate pages, and if an article is for personal promotion or blatant advertising, it will be speedily deleted or subjected to the articles for deletion or proposed deletion processes.

Don't peacock your facts

Avoid drumming up interest in facts or trivia by tagging them with editorial remarks. For example, it is generally unhelpful to prefix a fact or development with comments like "interestingly", "ironically", "surprisingly", "it should be noted", and the like. Stick to the facts and report them without the commentary; allow the reader to decide what is interesting, ironic, surprising, or noteworthy.

Exception for quotations

Do not impose Misplaced Pages style guidelines on sources that are cited or quoted. It is proper to say, "Music critic Ann Bond wrote that Mozart was a great composer," or "Smith said, 'Senator Jones's acceptance of this contribution is a major scandal.'" Such indirect or direct quotations may be useful in presenting important perspectives, especially on contentious subjects, or in exemplifying a widely held view.

See also

• Template:Peacock
• Template:Peacock term
• Misplaced Pages:Avoid weasel words
• Misplaced Pages:Words to avoid
• Misplaced Pages:Writing better articles
• Misplaced Pages:Wikipuffery

Notes

1. "World Economic Outlook Database". International Monetary Fund. 2007-04-01. Retrieved 2007-08-15. Gross domestic product based on purchasing-power-parity (PPP) valuation of country GDP
2. "World Development Indicators database" (PDF). World Bank. 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2007-08-15. PPP GDP 2006

• Misplaced Pages style guidelines