This is an
essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been
thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
This page in a nutshell: Embedded-list format is a good way to present some kinds of information, but can also be misused. |
Lists within articles are lists of facts or lists of links included in an article or appended to the end of an article.
Wikipedia has a set of guidelines for stand alone lists. There are also guidelines for embedded lists within articles.
Example of a list. Lists make one exception to policies and guidelines applicable to all main or article namespace pages: lists are self-referential by their very nature (the word "list" or "lists" in their titles refers to an entity on Wikipedia, not in the world-at-large), and therefore they are an exception to the Wikipedia:Avoid self-references guideline.
Most Wikipedia articles should consist of prose, and not just a list of links. Prose allows the presentation of detail and clarification of context, while a list of links does not. Prose flows, like one person speaking to another, and is best suited to articles, because their purpose is to explain. Therefore, lists of links, which are most useful for browsing subject areas, should usually have their own entries: see Wikipedia:Lists (stand-alone lists) for detail. In an article, significant items should be mentioned naturally within the text rather than merely listed.
[[Talk:Omphalology|<!--empty link to include talk page in "related changes"-->]]
).Adding external links to another website, like a news article, homepage, or user profile for the purpose of promoting an entity, service, or product is not allowed, and is considered to be spam. Although specific links may be allowed under some circumstances (e.g., an article about a company or celebrity may link, once, to that subject's official website in both the article's infobox and its "See also" section), repeatedly adding links will in most cases result in all of them being removed. The primary purpose of external links from Wikipedia articles is to provide users with sources of additional reliable information about the topic, not web forum to argue about it, companies selling something related to it, or self-published punditry about it.
Adding links to online free videos that promote a site or product is not allowed
. Often these videos have been uploaded in violation of their copyright which adds an additional reason for not linking to them. A video is a spamming video if:It is also important to avoid giving an opportunity to spammers. Sometimes, the way an article is phrased attracts conflict-of-interest spam, and other point-of-view pushing. For example:
Remember that it is far easier to add a link to the end of such a sentence than to add encyclopedic content. Our readers do not need a general of such things in the articles on these sorts of topics. It is much more encyclopedic to write a well-sourced paragraph that ties mention of specific trademarks to specific reliable sources providing specific information about those brands that we want to present to our readers. As an example, no one can add another brandname to a sentence of the form "A 2015 review by Consumer Reports[12] rated Brand Foo as the safest whatever in its class."
This is an
essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been
thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
This page in a nutshell: Embedded-list format is a good way to present some kinds of information, but can also be misused. |
Lists within articles are lists of facts or lists of links included in an article or appended to the end of an article.
Wikipedia has a set of guidelines for stand alone lists. There are also guidelines for embedded lists within articles.
Example of a list. Lists make one exception to policies and guidelines applicable to all main or article namespace pages: lists are self-referential by their very nature (the word "list" or "lists" in their titles refers to an entity on Wikipedia, not in the world-at-large), and therefore they are an exception to the Wikipedia:Avoid self-references guideline.
Most Wikipedia articles should consist of prose, and not just a list of links. Prose allows the presentation of detail and clarification of context, while a list of links does not. Prose flows, like one person speaking to another, and is best suited to articles, because their purpose is to explain. Therefore, lists of links, which are most useful for browsing subject areas, should usually have their own entries: see Wikipedia:Lists (stand-alone lists) for detail. In an article, significant items should be mentioned naturally within the text rather than merely listed.
[[Talk:Omphalology|<!--empty link to include talk page in "related changes"-->]]
).Adding external links to another website, like a news article, homepage, or user profile for the purpose of promoting an entity, service, or product is not allowed, and is considered to be spam. Although specific links may be allowed under some circumstances (e.g., an article about a company or celebrity may link, once, to that subject's official website in both the article's infobox and its "See also" section), repeatedly adding links will in most cases result in all of them being removed. The primary purpose of external links from Wikipedia articles is to provide users with sources of additional reliable information about the topic, not web forum to argue about it, companies selling something related to it, or self-published punditry about it.
Adding links to online free videos that promote a site or product is not allowed
. Often these videos have been uploaded in violation of their copyright which adds an additional reason for not linking to them. A video is a spamming video if:It is also important to avoid giving an opportunity to spammers. Sometimes, the way an article is phrased attracts conflict-of-interest spam, and other point-of-view pushing. For example:
Remember that it is far easier to add a link to the end of such a sentence than to add encyclopedic content. Our readers do not need a general of such things in the articles on these sorts of topics. It is much more encyclopedic to write a well-sourced paragraph that ties mention of specific trademarks to specific reliable sources providing specific information about those brands that we want to present to our readers. As an example, no one can add another brandname to a sentence of the form "A 2015 review by Consumer Reports[12] rated Brand Foo as the safest whatever in its class."