First sentence content
The article should begin with a short declarative sentence, answering two questions for the nonspecialist reader: "What (or who) is the subject?" and "Why is this subject notable?"[1]
- If possible, the page title should be the subject of the first sentence:[2] However, if the article title is merely descriptive—such as Electrical characteristics of dynamic loudspeakers—the title does not need to appear verbatim in the main text. Similarly, where an article title is of the type "List of ...", a clearer and more informative introduction to the list is better than verbatim repetition of the title.
- When the page title is used as the subject of the first sentence, it may appear in a slightly different form, and it may include variations.[3] Similarly, if the title has a parenthetical disambiguator, the disambiguator should be omitted in the text.[4]
- If its subject is amenable to definition, then the first sentence should give a concise definition: where possible, one that puts the article in context for the nonspecialist.[5] Similarly, if the subject is a term of art, provide the context as early as possible.[6]
- If the article is about a fictional character or place, make sure to say so.[7]
Usage[edit]
 | This page is part of (transcluded into) Wikipedia:Writing better articles. |
This page contains the first-sentence content guidelines for insertion into project ("Wikipedia:" namespace) pages where such guidelines are appropriate, primarily WP:Writing better articles.
About transclude text[edit]
For more information about the purpose, use, and creation of transclude text go to Wikipedia:Transclude text. NOTE: If you add the transclude text in this page to an article then please add the name of that article to the list below.
Edit with care[edit]
Any edit you make to the following text should be consistent with WP:Manual of Style/Lead section, the main guideline covering this topic. Also, take care that the edit is appropriate for all of the other articles into which the text is transcluded (a list of such articles is provided below).
Pages that use this text[edit]
Notes[edit]
- These notes may be in the hidden transclude text.
- ^ For example:
Amalie Emmy Noether [ˈnøːtɐ] (23 March 1882 – 14 April 1935) was a German mathematician known for her groundbreaking contributions to abstract algebra and her contributions to theoretical physics.
This example not only tells the reader that the subject was a mathematician, it also indicates her field of expertise and work she did outside of it. The years of her birth and death provide time context. The reader who goes no further in this article already knows when she lived, what work she did, and why she is notable. (Wikipedia:Manual of Style (biographies) has more on the specific format for biography articles.)
- ^ For example:
This Manual of Style is a style guide containing ...
not
This style guide, known as the Manual of Style, contains ...
- ^ For example, in the article "United Kingdom":
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain, is a sovereign island country located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe.
- ^ Thus, the article Egg (food) should start like this:
An egg is an ovum produced by ...
Not like this:
An egg (food) is an ovum produced by ...
- ^ When writing definitional material, remember that Wikipedia is not a dictionary. We do not do one-liner entries here, and the lead section does not contain notes about whether something is a noun, etc. The purpose of an encyclopedic definition is not to just inform the reader of the basic meaning of term, but to explain the import of the subject contextually. If a reader leaves the article after reading only the lead section, they should come away with a deeper sense of the meaning than they would get from a dictionary entry.
- ^ For example, instead of:
A trusted third party is an entity that facilitates interactions between two parties who both trust the third party.
write:
In cryptography, a trusted third party is an entity that facilitates interactions between two parties who both trust the third party.
- ^ For example:
Homer Simpson is a fictional character in The Simpsons.