Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Trivia sections: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 21:04, 22 July 2007

This guideline is a part of the English Wikipedia's Manual of Style.

Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page.

Shortcuts

This page in a nutshell: Sections with lists of miscellaneous information (such as "trivia" sections) should be avoided as an article develops. Such information is better presented in an organized way.

Avoid creating lists of loosely related information. A number of articles contain lists of isolated facts, often grouped into their own section labelled "Trivia", "Notes" (not to be confused with "Notes" sections which store footnotes), "Facts", "Miscellanea", "Cultural references", "Cultural depictions", "Subject in popular culture", "Other information", etc. This style guideline deals with the way in which these facts are represented in an article.

Rationale

Lists of miscellaneous information can be useful for developing a new article, as it sets a low bar for novice contributors to add information without having to keep in mind article organization or presentation — they can just add a new fact to the list. However, as articles grow, these lists become increasingly disorganized and difficult to read. A better way to organize an article is to provide a logical grouping and ordering of facts that gives an integrated presentation, providing context and smooth transitions.

Guidance

See also Wikipedia:Handling trivia#Practical steps (essay)

Do not simply remove such sections; instead, find ways to improve the article so that this form of organization is no longer necessary. It may be possible to integrate some items into the article text. Some facts may belong in existing sections; others can be grouped into a new section of related material. Convert bullet points to prose or narrowly-focused lists (such as "Cameos" or "Continuity errors"), as seems most appropriate.

It may be necessary to perform research to give each fact some context, or to add references where appropriate. Some entries may be speculative, or factually incorrect, and should be removed; others, such as "how-to" material, may fall outside Wikipedia's content scope policies. Some entries may be more specific to other subjects, and should be moved into articles covering those subjects. Some trivia is especially tangential or irrelevant, and may not warrant inclusion at all.

Other policies apply

Keep in mind, however, that no content provided for WP articles can be exempt from our rules and style guidelines. Wikipedia is not supposed to be a dumping ground for speculation, rumor, invented "facts", or libel — continue to follow Wikipedia:Neutral point of view, Wikipedia:No original research, Wikipedia:Cite your sources, Wikipedia:Biographies of living people and Wikipedia:Copyrights Template:Fn. If you have doubts about whether a particular item of information is suitable for inclusion, place it on the talk page instead where other interested contributors can help consider its inclusion and locate suitable references.

Notes

Template:Fnb Note that IMDB trivia pages are copyrighted, and should not be copied into articles.

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 ==Rationale==
-Lists of miscellaneous information can be useful for developing a new article, as it sets a low bar for novice contributors to add information without having to keep in mind article organization or presentation — they can just add a new fact to the list. However, as articles grow, these lists become increasingly disorganized and difficult to read.  This is a poor way, ultimately, to organize an article: it is ideal to provide a logical grouping and ordering of facts that gives an integrated presentation providing context and smooth transitions.
+Lists of miscellaneous information can be useful for developing a new article, as it sets a low bar for novice contributors to add information without having to keep in mind article organization or presentation — they can just add a new fact to the list. However, as articles grow, these lists become increasingly disorganized and difficult to read.  A better way to organize an article is to provide a logical grouping and ordering of facts that gives an integrated presentation, providing context and smooth transitions.
 ==Guidance==