User talk:Niteowlneils/Guide outline/Content of your article

Once you have created a new article using Wikipedia naming conventions, it is time to start adding content to your article. Content refers to the formatted text, and any images or sounds that may help describe the subject.

It is standard practice to include a sentence or two to introduce the topic. Try to think like a journalist; who or what is this article about? What is this person or thing noted for? When did this happen? Where is this most applicable? Why did it happen, or, why is it important?

The first sentence should try to cover as much of this as possible. The subject of the article should appear very near the beginning, in bold text. The intro should also make it clear what makes the subject important, and where. Some examples of how to do this are Mahatma Gandhi, John Wayne, and hydrogen, whose first sentence is "Hydrogen (Latin: hydrogenium) is the chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol H and atomic number 1.", which is formatted in the edit window as "'''Hydrogen''' (Latin: ''hydrogenium'') is the [[chemical element]] in the [[periodic table]] that has the symbol '''H''' and [[atomic number]] 1.".

If you just want to start with a small article, hit the highlights, mark it a stub (using {{stub}}), and move on. Others are likely to flesh it out, or you may return to do so later. Regardless, the primary content should be flowing text prose; not just a series of bullet points, or a <label:> <fact> table or list. Summarize the key points early, then you can start getting into the details. For example, here is an early, but good, short version of our Mother Teresa article, which, close to 1,000 edits later, became Mother Teresa.

For a more detailed description, see Wikipedia:Guide to Layout

More than an encylopedia

Wikipedia includes two types of content not usually found in print encyclopedias. First, it includes some fictional content. However, this is generally limited to classic fiction, such as Star Trek or the fantasy world of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, or the ubiquitous, such as Pokémon. However, it is important to make it clear that it is fictional content, right up front. The Gollum article is a good example of this.

If fiction, identify spoilers

The Gollum article is also a good example of the "spoiler" warning that should be given if an article, whether entirely about a fictional character or object, or about a fictional work, such as a movie or book, gives plot details, or other information, that might ruin a person's enjoyment of reading/viewing the work. It is generally accepted that broad information, such as the fact that Gollum's name comes from the noise he makes, is not a spoiler. However, his exact actions in any given novel are. It other words, saying things like "[[actor x]] plays the villinous character y" doesn't need a spoiler warning. On the other hand, "in episode n, <character x> does <action y> to <character z>" should have a spoiler warning. This is done by inserting {{tld|spoiler}} just before you start giving such details. The message appears like this: {{spoiler}}

Lists, the other information not usually found in an encyclopedia

The other category is information more often associated with an annual almanac. Thus you will find articles such as 108th United States Congress, and List of Internet TLDs.