→What is a good article?: must within reason adhere to WP:MOS |
Worldtraveller (talk | contribs) maybe rarely exceptions might be allowed, but saying so here sort of looks like the rule is 'follow the MOS, if you feel like it' |
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** where technical terms or necessary jargon appear they are briefly explained in the article itself (or, at the very least an active link is provided); |
** where technical terms or necessary jargon appear they are briefly explained in the article itself (or, at the very least an active link is provided); |
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** it follows a logical structure, introducing the topic and then grouping together coverage of related aspects. Where appropriate (particularly for lengthier articles) it contains a succinct [[WP:LEAD|lead section]] summarising the topic, and the remaining text is segmented into a proper system of hierarchical sections; |
** it follows a logical structure, introducing the topic and then grouping together coverage of related aspects. Where appropriate (particularly for lengthier articles) it contains a succinct [[WP:LEAD|lead section]] summarising the topic, and the remaining text is segmented into a proper system of hierarchical sections; |
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** it adheres to the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Wikipedia Manual of Style]] |
** it adheres to the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Wikipedia Manual of Style]]. |
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* It is '''factually accurate''' and '''[[Wikipedia:Verifiability|verifiable]]''': |
* It is '''factually accurate''' and '''[[Wikipedia:Verifiability|verifiable]]''': |
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** it should provide references to any and all sources used for its material; |
** it should provide references to any and all sources used for its material; |
Revision as of 08:49, 5 May 2006
What is a good article?
A good article has the following attributes:
- It is well written:
- it has compelling prose, and is readily comprehensible to a non-specialist reader;
- where technical terms or necessary jargon appear they are briefly explained in the article itself (or, at the very least an active link is provided);
- it follows a logical structure, introducing the topic and then grouping together coverage of related aspects. Where appropriate (particularly for lengthier articles) it contains a succinct lead section summarising the topic, and the remaining text is segmented into a proper system of hierarchical sections;
- it adheres to the Wikipedia Manual of Style.
- It is factually accurate and verifiable:
- it should provide references to any and all sources used for its material;
- while the citation of its sources is essential, the use of inline citations is desirable but not a mandatory requirement;
- sources should be selected in accordance with reliable sources guidelines;
- it does not contain elements of original research.
- It is broad in its coverage:
- all major aspects of the topic are addressed. This requirement is slightly weaker than the comprehensiveness required by WP:FAC and allows for shorter articles and very broad overviews of large topics to be listed as a good.
- It adheres to the neutral point of view policy:
- viewpoints are represented fairly and without bias;
- all significant points of view are fairly presented, but not asserted (particularly so where there are or have been conflicting views on the topic).
- It is stable:
- it does not change significantly from day to day and is not the subject of ongoing edit wars.
- It contains images to illustrate it, where possible:
Good articles vs. Featured articles
These criteria are very similar to the criteria for featured articles. However, they are written, and the good article review process is designed, primarily with short articles in mind, for which prose is less likely to reach the 'brilliant' standards required of featured articles, and in which inline referencing is not so important.
Length of good articles
A good article may be any length, so long as it is able to properly address all the major aspects of the topic. However, for very short articles authors might consider whether it is more appropriate to merge the article into a large topic, while for articles longer than about 20Kb, the more rigorous reviewing of Wikipedia:Peer review and Wikipedia:Featured article candidates is more appropriate than the process here which works best with shorter articles.
Articles dealing with fiction
For articles dealing with fictional subjects, characters, objects, or locations, significance outside of the "fictional universe" must be established and discussed, together with its process of authorship. The focus of the article should remain on discussing the subject as fiction within the context of "our" universe, not on establishing it as a "real" topic in a fictional universe; otherwise the article may be better placed in one of the many fictional-universe specific wikis.