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Francis Schonken (talk | contribs) |
Francis Schonken (talk | contribs) undo unfolding per outcome of WT:AT#RfC: Possible restoration of guideline Wikipedia:Naming conventions (precision) |
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#REDIRECT [[Wikipedia:Article titles#Precision and disambiguation]] |
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{{Wikipedia subcat guideline|naming convention|Precision|WP:PRECISION}} |
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{{nutshell|Be precise, but not overly precise, when necessary; don't title articles ambiguously when the title has other meanings.}} |
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{{main|Wikipedia:Naming conventions}} |
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==Rationale== |
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Article titles give the reader an idea of what they can expect within an article. A reader may have found your article with a [[wikipedia:searching|search]], through [[Help:Recent changes|Recent Changes]] or in some other way that provides no context for the subject matter, so do him a favor and name your articles ''precisely''. |
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If a word or phrase is [[ambiguity|ambiguous]], and an article concerns only ''one'' of the meanings of that word or phrase, it should usually be titled with something more precise than just that word or phrase. For example, use [[Apollo program]], [[Nirvana (band)]], [[Smoking pipe]]; rather than simply [[Apollo]], [[Nirvana]], [[Pipe]]. However, if the subject of the article is the [[WP:PRIMARYTOPIC|primary meaning]] of the word or phrase, or if it is unlikely that the other meanings will have Wikipedia articles, then the article may be titled with that word or phrase alone. For more information, see [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation]]. |
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On the other hand, excessive precision should be avoided. For example, it would be inappropriate to name an article [[United States Apollo program (1961–1975)]] or [[Nirvana (Aberdeen, Washington rock band)]]. |
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==Minor spelling variations== |
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If two or more page names differ only in small details of spelling (including use of diacritics and capitalization) it may be advisable to combine the pages or provide links between the pages to reduce confusion for readers and editors. Which action is appropriate depends on whether the similarly titled pages are discussing the same or different meanings of the title. |
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===If the two titles have the same meaning=== |
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''Example'': [[chargé d'affaires]] vs. [[charge d'affaires]] |
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In this case the other [[wikipedia:naming conventions|naming conventions policies and guidelines]] should be used to determine the most appropriate spelling of the word, and make all other synonyms [[wikipedia:redirect|redirect]] to that spelling. Having multiple pages for the same topic is an undesirable [[Wikipedia:Content forking|content fork]]. |
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Note that the exact capitalization of the article's title does not affect search, so it is not necessary to create redirects from alternative capitalizations unless these are likely to be used in links. For more details, see [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (capitalization)|Naming conventions (capitalization)]]. |
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For guidelines on how to treat national spelling differences, which are also applicable to article naming, see the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style#National varieties of English|National varieties of English]] section in the Manual of Style. |
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===If the two titles usually have a different meaning=== |
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''Examples'': |
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* ''Diacritics'': [[canon]] vs. [[cañon]]; [[Vitória]] vs. [[Vitoria]] |
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* ''Capitalization'': [[WASP]] vs. [[wasp]]; [[Red Meat]] vs. [[Red meat]] |
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* ''With or without hyphen(s)'': [[Saint-Louis]] vs. [[Saint Louis]] |
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In this case, try to avoid confusion, per the general principle: ''When a reader enters this term and clicks "[[Wikipedia:Go button|Go]]", what article might they most likely be expecting to view as a result?'' If there is a reasonable chance a reader might have been looking for an''other'' meaning, use an appropriate [[wikipedia:disambiguation|disambiguation technique]]: |
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* [[Wikipedia:Hatnote|Hatnotes]]: for example [[WASP]] and [[Wasp]] both have hatnotes directing readers to the other page. |
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* [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Disambiguation pages|Disambiguation page]]: for example many [[acronym]]s (like [[PIN]] or [[FLA]]) lead to disambiguation pages. If a different capitalization is the topic of another Wikipedia article, don't forget to link that article from the disambiguation page. |
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* Adding a parenthetical (bracketed) disambiguator to the page name: for instance when both spellings are often or easily confused. Use [[Streets of London (song)]] and [[Streets Of London (computer game)]] instead of [[Streets Of London]] and [[Streets of London]]. (Common disambiguators are listed at [[User:Kevinkor2/Research into names of Wikipedia articles]].) |
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See [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation]] for guidance on which disambiguation technique would be most appropriate in which case. |
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==Conflicts over precision== |
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A conflict over the precision of a word may arise. The best way to handle such conflicts is through authoritative dictionaries (the most authoritative being ''[[The American Heritage Dictionary]]'', ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', and ''[[Merriam-Webster's]]''). A term that has fewer definitions is often the more appropriate choice. This is not a sure-fire way of judging precision, however. |
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If a consensus is impossible to reach on precision, go with the rule of thumb, and use the more popular phrase. |
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==By topic== |
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=== Philosophy === |
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Name your pages precisely. If you want to discuss a particular version of realism – for example, Platonic realism – then don't call your page [[realism]]; call it [[Platonic realism]] or even [[Platonic theories of universals]]. Notice that [[Platonism]] is also ambiguous. |
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Only a very few famous philosophers can be referred to by a single name. [[Socrates]], [[Plato]] are fine; but compare [[James Mill]] and [[John Stuart Mill]], or [[Roy W. Sellars]] and [[Wilfrid Sellars]]. Remember that there are famous ''non-''philosophers who might have the name in question, about whom we might eventually want to have articles! Best to do a [http://www.google.com/ Google] search first. |
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==See also== |
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*[[Wikipedia:Disambiguation]] |
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*[[Wikipedia:Naming conflict]] |
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[[ru:Википедия:Именование статей/Уточнения]] |
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[[uk:Вікіпедія:Іменування статей/Уточнення]] |