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Chalo Chatu:Writing better articles: Difference between revisions
From Chalo Chatu, Zambia online encyclopedia
Chalo Chatu:Writing better articles (view source)
Revision as of 15:40, 8 January 2018
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* Use as few links as possible before and in the bolded title. Thereafter, words used in a title may be linked to provide more detail: | * Use as few links as possible before and in the bolded title. Thereafter, words used in a title may be linked to provide more detail: | ||
<blockquote>{{xt| '''Kalulushi District''' is a [[Districts of Zambia|district]] of [[Zambia]], located in [[Copperbelt Province]]. The capital lies at [[Kalulushi]].}}</blockquote> | <blockquote>{{xt| '''Kalulushi District''' is a [[Districts of Zambia|district]] of [[Zambia]], located in [[Copperbelt Province]]. The capital lies at [[Kalulushi]].}}</blockquote> | ||
=== The rest of the opening paragraph === | |||
Then proceed with a description. Remember, the basic significance of a topic may not be obvious to nonspecialist readers, even if they understand the basic characterization or definition. Tell them. For instance: | |||
:'''Peer review''', known as ''refereeing'' in some academic fields, is a scholarly process used in the publication of manuscripts and in the awarding of money for research. Publishers and agencies use peer review to select and to screen submissions. At the same time, the process assists authors in meeting the standards of their discipline. Publications and awards that have not undergone peer review are liable to be regarded with suspicion by scholars and professionals in many fields. | |||
=== The rest of the lead section === | |||
If the article is long enough for the lead section to contain several paragraphs, then the first paragraph should be short and to the point, with a clear explanation of what the subject of the page is. The following paragraphs should give a summary of the article. They should provide an overview of the main points the article will make, summarizing the primary reasons the subject matter is interesting or notable, including its more important controversies, if there are any. | |||
The appropriate length of the lead section depends on the total length of the article. As a general guideline: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
! Article Length | |||
! Lead Length | |||
|- | |||
| Fewer than 15,000 characters | |||
| One or two paragraphs | |||
|- | |||
| 15,000–30,000 characters | |||
| Two or three paragraphs | |||
|- | |||
| More than 30,000 characters | |||
| Three or four paragraphs | |||
|} | |||
=== "Lead follows body" === | |||
The sequence in which you edit should usually be: first change the body, then update the lead to summarize the body. Several editors might add or improve some information in the body of the article, and then another editor might update the lead once the new information has stabilized. Don't try to update the lead first, hoping to provide direction for future changes to the body. There are three reasons why editing the body first and then making the lead reflect it tends to lead to better articles. | |||
First, it keeps the lead in sync with the body. The lead, being a summary of the article, promises that the body will deliver fuller treatment of each point. Generally, wiki pages are imperfect at all times, but they should be complete, useful articles at all times. They should not contain "under construction" sections or refer to features and information that editors hope they will contain in the future. It's much worse for the lead to promise information that the body does not deliver than for the body to deliver information that the lead does not promise. | |||
Second, good ways to summarize material usually only become clear after that material has been written. If you add a new point to the lead before it's covered in the body, you only think you know what the body ''will'' eventually contain. When the material is actually covered in the body, and checked and improved, usually by multiple editors, then you ''know.'' (If having a rough, tentative summary helps you write the body, keep your own private summary, either on your computer or in your User space.) | |||
Third, on contentious pages, people often get into edit wars over the lead because the lead is the most prominent part of the article. It's much harder to argue constructively over high-level statements when you don't share common understanding of the lower-level information that they summarize. Space is scarce in the lead, so people are tempted to cram too much into one sentence, or pile on lots of references, in order to fully state and prove their case—resulting in an unreadable lead. In the body, you have all the space you need to cover subtleties and to cover opposing ideas fairly and in depth, separately, one at a time. Once the opposing ideas have been shaken out and covered well in the body, editing the lead without warring often becomes much easier. Instead of arguing about what is true or what all the competing sources say, now you are just arguing over whether the lead fairly summarizes what's currently in the body. | |||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
