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 is appropriately structured with a lead section and a proper system of hierarchical headings.
- 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:
Length of good articles
A good article may be any length. However, for very short articles authors might consider whether it is more appropriate to merge the article into a large topic, while for substantial articles (20Kb+), the more rigorous reviewing of Wikipedia:Featured article candidates is probably 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.
Peer review
Peer reviews help to speed up the nomination process as it tells us that the article has already had a thorough review. This is usually important for larger articles that meet the criteria.