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{{redirect|WP:D|information about deletion on Wikipedia|Wikipedia:Deletion policy}}
{{redirect|WP:D|information about deletion on Wikipedia|Wikipedia:Deletion policy}}
{{subcat guideline|content guideline|Disambiguation|[[WP:D]]<br/>[[WP:DAB]]<br/>[[WP:DISAM]]<br/>[[WP:DISAMBIG]]}}
{{subcat guideline|editing guideline|Disambiguation|WP:D|WP:DAB|WP:DISAMBIG}}
{{nutshell|When an [[Wikipedia:article title|article title]] could refer to several things, a disambiguation page is needed. When the title usually means one thing but also has other meanings, add disambiguation links to the primary topic's article.}}
{{nutshell|When an [[Wikipedia:article title|article title]] could refer to several things, it is necessary to provide links or a disambiguation page so that readers typing in that title can quickly navigate to the article that interests them.}}
{{Guideline list}}
{{Dabnav}}


'''Disambiguation''' in Wikipedia is the process of resolving conflicts in [[Wikipedia:article title|article title]]s that occur when a single term can be associated with more than one topic, making that term likely to be the natural choice of title for more than one article. In other words, [[wiktionary:disambiguation|disambiguation]]s are paths leading to the different article pages that could use essentially the same term as their title.
'''Disambiguation''' in Wikipedia is the process of resolving conflicts in [[Wikipedia:article title|Wikipedia article title]]s that occur when a single term can be associated with more than one topic, making that term likely to be the natural title for more than one article. In other words, [[Word sense disambiguation|disambiguation]]s are paths leading to different articles which could, in principle, have the same title.


For example, the word "Mercury" can refer to several different things, including: an element, a planet, an automobile brand, a record label, a NASA manned-spaceflight project, a plant, and a Roman god. Since only one Wikipedia page can have the generic name "Mercury", ''unambiguous'' article titles must be used for each of these topics: [[Mercury (element)]], [[Mercury (planet)]], [[Mercury (automobile)]], [[Mercury Records]], [[Project Mercury]], [[Mercury (plant)]], [[Mercury (mythology)]]. There must then be a way to direct the reader to the correct specific article when an ambiguous term is referenced by linking, browsing or searching; this is what is known as ''disambiguation''.
For example, the word "Mercury" can refer to several different things, including an element, a planet, an automobile brand, a record label, a NASA manned-spaceflight project, a plant, and a Roman god. Since only one Wikipedia page can have the generic name "Mercury", ''unambiguous'' article titles are used for each of these topics: [[Mercury (element)]], [[Mercury (planet)]], [[Mercury (automobile)]], [[Mercury Records]], [[Project Mercury]], [[Mercury (plant)]], [[Mercury (mythology)]]. There must then be a way to direct the reader to the correct specific article when an ambiguous term is referenced by linking, browsing or searching; this is what is known as ''disambiguation''. In this case it is achieved using [[Mercury]] as a ''disambiguation page''.


Two different methods of disambiguating are discussed here:
Two methods of disambiguating are discussed here:
* '''disambiguation links''' &mdash; at the top of an article, a note that links the reader to Wikipedia articles with similar titles or concepts that the reader may have been seeking instead of the article in which the links appear.
* '''disambiguation links''': links at the top of an article (''hatnotes''), that refer the reader to other Wikipedia articles with similar titles or concepts.
* '''disambiguation pages''' &mdash; non-article pages that contain no content and only refer users to other Wikipedia pages.
* '''disambiguation pages''': non-article pages that refer readers to other Wikipedia articles.
<br />


==Deciding to disambiguate==
{{Guideline list}}
Disambiguation is required whenever, for a given word or phrase on which a reader might use the "[[Help:Go button|Go button]]", there is more than one existing Wikipedia article to which that word or phrase might be expected to lead. In this situation there must be a way for the reader to navigate quickly from the page that appears on hitting "Go" to any of the other possible desired articles.
{{Dabnav}}


There are three principal disambiguation scenarios, of which the following are examples:
== Deciding to disambiguate ==
* The page at '''[[Joker]]''' is a ''disambiguation page'', leading to all the alternative uses of "Joker".
Ask yourself: When a reader enters a given term in the Wikipedia search box and pushes "[[Wikipedia:Go button|Go]]", what article would they most likely be expecting to view as a result? For example, when someone looks up [[Joker]], would they expect to find information on comedians? On a card? On [[Batman]]'s nemesis? On the hit song or album by The Steve Miller Band? When there is risk of confusion, the page for an ambiguous term should have a way to take the reader to any of the reasonable possibilities for that term; either the top of the page should have one or more disambiguation links, or the page itself should be a disambiguation page.
* The page at '''[[Rice]]''' is about one usage, called the ''primary topic'', and there is a [[Wikipedia:Hatnote|hatnote]] guiding readers to '''[[Rice (disambiguation)]]''' to find the other uses.
* The page at '''[[Michael Dobbs]]''' is about the primary topic, and there is only one other use. The other use is linked directly using a hatnote; no disambiguation page is needed.


==<span id="Primary topic" /> Is there a primary topic?==
==Disambiguation links==
{{main|Wikipedia:Hatnotes}}
{{redirect|WP:PRIME|WikiProject Primates|Wikipedia:WikiProject Primates}}
{{shortcut|WP:PT|WP:PRIMARYTOPIC}}
Users searching for what turns out to be an ambiguous term may not reach the article they expected. Therefore, any article with an ambiguous title should contain helpful links to alternative Wikipedia articles placed at the top of the article by using one of the [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Template examples|templates]] shown below. Their parameters are described in [[Template talk:Otheruses4]] and illustrated at [[Wikipedia:Otheruses templates (example usage)]].
Although a term may potentially refer to more than one topic, it is often the case that one of these topics is highly likely – much more likely than any other, and more likely than all the others combined – to be the subject being sought when a reader clicks the "Go" button for that term. If there is such a topic, then it is called the '''primary topic''' for that term. If a primary topic exists, the term should be the title of (or redirect to) the article on that topic. If there is no primary topic, the term should be the title of a disambiguation page (or redirect to a different disambiguation page, if more than one term is combined on one page).


There are no absolute rules for determining primary topics; decisions are made by discussion between editors, often as a result of a [[WP:RM|requested move]]. If there is extended discussion about which article truly is the primary topic, that ''may'' be a sign that there is in fact no primary topic.
For example, the article about [[Alexander the Great]] contains a disambiguation link to the 1956 film ''[[Alexander the Great (1956 film)|Alexander the Great]]'':


Tools that ''may'' help to support the determination of a primary topic in a discussion, but are not determining factors, include:
{{For|the film of the same name|Alexander the Great (1956 film)}}
*Incoming wikilinks from [[Special:WhatLinksHere]]
*Wikipedia [http://stats.grok.se/ article traffic statistics]
*[[Google]] web, news, scholar, or book [http://www.google.com/ searches]


For some terms with primary topics the title of the primary topic article may differ from the term itself (as when the article covers a wider topical scope, or is titled differently according to the [[WP:NC|naming conventions]]). In this case the term should [[WP:redirect|redirect]] to the article (or a section of it). For example, the primary topic for "Danzig" is the former German city of that name, but the article on that city is titled [[Gdańsk]]. Therefore [[Danzig]] redirects to [[Gdańsk]], and the latter page contains a hatnote linking to [[Danzig (disambiguation)]].
This is generated by entering: {{tlx|For|the film of the same name|Alexander the Great (1956 film)}}.
(Note that the link is generated automatically, so double square brackets should not be used within this template.)


==Disambiguation page or disambiguation links?==
When there are several articles associated with the same ambiguous term, include a link to a separate [[#Disambiguation pages|disambiguation page]]. If there is a disambiguation page for the topic and its name consists of the generic topic name with "&nbsp;(disambiguation)" added to it, use the {{tl|Otheruses}} template. For example, if {{tlx|otheruses}} is used on a page titled [[Topic]], then the following text is generated:
If there are three or more topics associated with the same term, then a disambiguation page should normally be created for that term (in which case disambiguation links may or may not be desirable on the specific topic articles – see below). If only a primary topic and one other topic require disambiguation, then disambiguation links are sufficient, and a disambiguation page is unnecessary. However if there are two topics for a term but neither is considered the primary topic, then a disambiguation page is used.


For more about disambiguation links, see [[#Disambiguation links|Disambiguation links]] below. For rules about naming disambiguation pages and combining similar terms on a single page, see [[#Disambiguation pages|Disambiguation pages]].
{{Otheruses4|||Topic (disambiguation)}}


==Naming the specific topic articles==
Note that in this case the disambiguation page ''does not'' exist. If this happens when you try to use the template, either use another variant, as described below, or create the disambiguation page yourself.
{{naming conventions}}
{{Shortcut|WP:NCDAB}}
For disambiguating specific topic pages by using an unambiguous article title, several options are available:
#When there is another term or more complete name (such as [[Delta rocket]] instead of [[Delta]]) that is equally clear and unambiguous, that may be used.
#A disambiguating word or phrase can be added in parentheses. The word or phrase in parentheses should be:
#*the generic ''class'' (avoiding [[proper nouns]], as much as possible) that includes the topic, as in [[Mercury (element)]], [[Seal (mammal)]]; or
#*the ''subject'' or ''context'' to which the topic applies, as in [[Union (set theory)]], [[Inflation (economics)]].
#Rarely, an adjective describing the topic can be used, but it is usually better to rephrase such a title to avoid parentheses.
#With place-names, if the disambiguating term is a higher-level administrative division, it is often separated using a comma instead of parentheses, as in [[Windsor, Berkshire]]. See [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (geographic names)|Naming conventions (geographic names)]].


If there are several possible choices for disambiguating with a class or context, use the same disambiguating phrase already commonly used for other topics within the same class and context, if any. Otherwise, choose whichever is simpler. For example, use "(mythology)" rather than "(mythological figure)".
A number of variations on this template have been created to ensure the uniform appearance of disambiguation links.

If there is a choice between using a short phrase and word with context, such as [[Mathematical analysis]] and [[Analysis (mathematics)]], there is no hard rule about which is preferred. Both may be created, with one redirecting to the other.

Naming conventions applicable to certain subject areas are listed in the box to the right; these often contain detailed guidance about how to disambiguate. In particular, for articles about people, see the [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (people)#Disambiguating|Disambiguating]] section in the [[WP:NCP|people naming convention]].

===Format===
To conform to the [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions|naming conventions]], the phrase in parentheses should be treated just as any other word in a title: normally lowercase, unless it is a proper noun (like a book title) that would appear capitalized even in running text.

For common disambiguation words, see [[User:Jarry1250/Findings]].

==Disambiguation links==
{{shortcut|WP:DLINKS}}
{{main|Wikipedia:Hatnote}}
{{For|a complete listing of disambiguation hatnote templates|Wikipedia:Template messages/General#Disambiguation and redirection}}
Users searching for what turns out to be an ambiguous term may not reach the article they expected. Therefore any article with an ambiguous title should contain helpful links to alternative Wikipedia articles or disambiguation pages, placed at the top of the article using one of the templates shown below. (Notice that the links are generated automatically, so double square brackets should not be used within the templates.)


In some cases there are different templates available, including or omitting information about the topic of the article. The shorter hatnote may be chosen if omitting the information is not likely to confuse the reader.
; {{tlx|Otheruses}}
: This template automatically uses the current article title and appends "&nbsp;(disambiguation)" to it. Not only does this make it easy to use, the template message will automatically change if the page containing it is renamed (moved). Since the page you're now reading is named "Disambiguation", if the template were used on this page it would read:
{{Otheruses}}
; {{tlx|Otheruses2|''Article title''}}
: This template requires an article title to be specified as a parameter, and adds "&nbsp;(disambiguation)" to it. For example, if you specify the article title "Derivative" it would read:
{{Otheruses2|Derivative}}
; {{tlx|Otheruses3|''Article title''}}
: Similar to {{tl|Otheruses2}}, but does not add "&nbsp;(disambiguation)" after the article title:
{{Otheruses3|Derivative}}
; {{tlx|Otheruses4|''this topic''|''another topic''|''Article title''}}
: Used to describe and distinguish other topics from that of the current page. For example, if the parameter names above are used as-is in the template call, the result would be:
{{Otheruses4|this topic|another topic|Article title}}
; {{tlx|Otheruses-number}}
: In an article about a year, this template provides a link to the corresponding article about the number. For example, when placed in the article about the year [[1000]], this template call would result in:
{{Otheruses4|the year 1000|other uses|1000 (number)}}<!-- based on wording of {{Otheruses-number}} as of 2007-10-02 -->
; {{tlx|Otherplaces}}
: Analogous to {{tl|Otheruses}}, but for place names. When used on this page, it results in:
{{Otherplaces}}
; {{tlx|Otherplaces2|''Article title''}}
: Analogous to {{tl|Otheruses2}}, but for place names. When the article title "Derby" is specified, for example, it results in:
{{Otherplaces2|Derby}}
; {{tlx|Otherpersons}}
: Analogous to {{tl|Otheruses}}, but for names of people. When used on this page, it results in:
{{Otherpersons}}
; {{tlx|Redirect|''Redirected page title''}}
: Used when an article is the target of a redirect having a relatively common name. For example, the template call {{tlx|Redirect|Bach}} may be used in the article on [[Johann Sebastian Bach]], resulting in:
{{Redirect|Bach}}


'''On a primary topic page for a term that has one secondary topic only (no disambiguation page):'''
A longer, but incomplete list of disambiguation templates is found at [[Wikipedia:Template messages/General#Disambiguation and redirection]]; further style information is given at [[Wikipedia:Hatnotes#Templates]]. Many more templates are listed in [[:Category:Disambiguation and redirection templates]].
*Type {{tlx|about|TOPIC|TOPIC 2|ARTICLE (2)}} to produce:
{{about|TOPIC|TOPIC 2|ARTICLE (2)}}
*Type {{tlx|for|TOPIC 2|ARTICLE (2)}} to produce:
{{for|TOPIC 2|ARTICLE (2)}}
*Type {{tlx|see also|ARTICLE (2)}} to produce:
{{see also|ARTICLE (2)}}


'''On a secondary topic page for a term that has one other topic only (no disambiguation page):'''
=== Usage guidelines ===
*As above, but consider whether the hatnote is really necessary (see the first of the [[#Usage guidelines|usage guidelines]] below).


'''On a primary topic page that has an associated disambiguation page:'''
*Type {{tlx|about|TOPIC}} to produce:
{{about|TOPIC||ARTICLE NAME (disambiguation)}}
*Type {{tlx|otheruses}} to produce:
{{otheruses|ARTICLE NAME (disambiguation)}}
*or, if the disambiguation page is not in the default location, type {{tlx|otheruses|NAME}} to produce:
{{otheruses|NAME}}

'''When the primary topic redirects to another page:'''
*If there is only one secondary topic, type {{tlx|redirect|TERM|TOPIC 2|ARTICLE (2)}} on the target page to produce:
{{redirect|TERM|TOPIC 2|ARTICLE (2)}}
*If there is a disambiguation page, type {{tlx|redirect|TERM}} to produce:
{{redirect|TERM}}

Other variations on these templates are available, including templates for specific subjects such as places, numbers, etc. Templates are listed and illustrated at [[Template talk:About]] and [[Wikipedia:Otheruses templates (example usage)]]. A longer list of disambiguation templates is found at [[Wikipedia:Template messages/General#Disambiguation and redirection]]; further style information is given at [[Wikipedia:Hatnotes#Templates]]. Many more templates are listed in [[:Category:Disambiguation and redirection templates]].

===Usage guidelines===
* There is no need to add disambiguation links to a page whose name already clearly distinguishes itself from the generic term. For example, [[Solaris (1972 film)]] is clearly about one specific movie and not about any of the many other meanings of "Solaris". It is very unlikely that someone arriving there from within Wikipedia would have been looking for any other "Solaris", so it is unnecessary to add a link pointing to the [[Solaris]] disambiguation page. However, it would be perfectly appropriate to add a link to [[Solaris (novel)]] (but not, say, [[Solaris (operating system)]]) to its "See also" section.
* As noted above, disambiguation links should be placed at the top of an article, where they are most visible. For alternatives that are related to the article but are not a source of ambiguity, the "See also" [[Help:Section|section]] at the end of the article is more appropriate.
* Do not [[Wikipedia:Piped link|pipe]] disambiguation links. Showing the entire linked article title avoids confusion, which is the reason for the link in the first place.
* Do not [[Wikipedia:Piped link|pipe]] disambiguation links. Showing the entire linked article title avoids confusion, which is the reason for the link in the first place.
* See [[Wikipedia:Hatnote]] for other guidelines on the proper use of disambiguation links.
* As noted above, disambiguation links should be placed at the top of an article. Bottom links are deprecated, since they are harder to find and easily missed. For alternatives that are related to the article but not a source of ambiguity, the "See also" [[Wikipedia:Section|section]] is more appropriate.
* While there is no specific prohibition against it, adding disambiguation links to a page with a name that clearly distinguishes itself from the generic term is discouraged. For example, [[Solaris (1972 film)]] is clearly about one specific movie and not about any of the many other meanings of "Solaris". It is very unlikely that someone arriving there would have been looking for any other "Solaris", so it is unnecessary to add a link pointing to the [[Solaris]] disambiguation page. However, it would be perfectly appropriate to add a link to [[Solaris (novel)]] (but not, say, [[Solaris (operating system)]]) to its "See also" section.
* See [[Wikipedia:Hatnotes]] for other guidelines on improper disambiguation links.


==Disambiguation pages==
==Disambiguation pages==
{{shortcut|WP:DPAGES}}
{{main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)}}
===Combining terms on disambiguation pages===
A single disambiguation page may be used to disambiguate a number of similar terms. Sets of terms which are commonly so combined include:
*Terms which differ only in capitalization, punctuation and diacritic marks. For example, the terms ''Oe'', ''Ōe'', ''OE'' and ''O.E.'' are disambiguated on a single page ([[Oe]]).
*Corresponding singular, plural and possessive forms, or compound words. For example, the terms ''Eaglenest'', ''Eagle Nest'', ''Eagle's Nest'' and ''Eagle Nests'' all appear at [[Eagle's Nest]].
*Variant spellings. For example, ''Honor'' and ''Honour'' both appear at [[Honor (disambiguation)]].
*Variant forms of names. For example, [[Fred Smith]] also includes persons named ''Frederick Smith''.
*Terms which differ by the presence or absence of an article. For example, [[Cure (disambiguation)]] also contains instances of ''The Cure''.


Editorial judgement should be used in deciding whether to combine terms in the ways described above. If a combined disambiguation page would be inconveniently long, it may be better to split the different spellings into separate pages.
Each of these pages in Wikipedia comprises a list (or multiple lists, for multiple senses of the term in question) of similarly-titled links.

When a combined disambiguation page is used, redirects to it (or hatnotes, as appropriate) should be set up from all the terms involved.

===<span id="NAME" /> Naming the disambiguation page ===
{{shortcut|WP:DABNAME}}
{{See also|WP:Article titles}}
The title of a disambiguation page is the ambiguous term itself, provided there is no primary topic for that term. If there is a primary topic, then the tag "(disambiguation)" is added to the name of the disambiguation page, as in [[Jupiter (disambiguation)]]. It is also acceptable to create a page at "Term ABC (disambiguation)" that redirects to a disambiguation page at "Term ABC". This type of redirect can be used to indicate deliberate links to the disambiguation page.

When a disambiguation page combines several similar terms, one of them must be selected as the title for the page (with the "(disambiguation)" tag added if a primary topic exists for that term); the choice should be made in line with the following principles:
*A word is preferred to an abbreviation, for example [[Arm (disambiguation)]] over [[ARM]].
*When no word can be formed all capitals is preferred. For example, the disambiguation page for "ddb" is [[DDB]] not "Ddb".
*English spelling is preferred to that of non-English languages.
*Singulars are preferred to plurals.
*The simplest form of the term is preferred to those containing punctuation, [[diacritic]]s and articles; for example [[SA]] is preferred to [[S.A.]], and [[Shadow (disambiguation)]] is preferred to ''The Shadow (disambiguation)''.
*The spelling that reflects the majority of items on the page is preferred to less common alternatives.

===Page style===
{{shortcut|WP:DABSTYLE}}
{{main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)}}
Each disambiguation page comprises a list (or multiple lists, for multiple senses of the term in question) of similarly-titled links.
*Link to the primary topic (if there is one):
*Link to the primary topic (if there is one):
::A '''[[school]]''' is an institution for learning.
::A '''[[school]]''' is an institution for learning.
Line 83: Line 141:
*Try to start each entry in the list with a link to the target page.
*Try to start each entry in the list with a link to the target page.
*Each bulleted entry should, in almost every case, have exactly one navigable (blue) link; including more than one link can confuse the reader.
*Each bulleted entry should, in almost every case, have exactly one navigable (blue) link; including more than one link can confuse the reader.
*Do not pipe the name of the links to the articles being listed. (See [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)#Piping|exceptions]])
*Do not [[Wikipedia:Piped link|pipe]] the name of the links to the articles being listed. (See [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)#Piping and redirects|exceptions]])
*Only include related subject articles if the term in question is actually described on the target article. (For example, the [[Canton]] disambiguation page legitimately has an entry for [[Flag terminology]].)
*Only include related subject articles if the term in question is actually described on the target article. (For example, the [[Canton]] disambiguation page legitimately has an entry for [[Flag terminology]].)


Include the template {{tl|disambig}} (or other disambiguation template, such as {{tl|Geodis}} or {{tl|Hndis}}) at the bottom as an indicator of the page's status. Following the template, include any of the standard categories as appropriate.
Include the template {{tl|disambig}} (or other disambiguation template, such as {{tl|Geodis}} or {{tl|Hndis}}) at the bottom as an indicator of the page's status. For more information, see the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)#The disambig notice and categorization|relevant style guide section]].


For a prime example of an actual disambiguation page, see [[Lift]].
For a prime example of an actual disambiguation page, see [[Lift]].


===What not to include===
===What not to include===
{{shortcut|WP:DABNOT}}
====Dictionary definitions====
====Dictionary definitions====
A disambiguation page is not a list of dictionary definitions. A short description of the common general meaning of a word can be appropriate for helping the reader determine context. Otherwise, there are templates for linking the reader to [[Wiktionary]], the wiki dictionary; see [[Wikipedia:Wikimedia sister projects#Wiktionary]].
A disambiguation page is not a list of dictionary definitions. A short description of the common general meaning of a word can be appropriate for helping the reader determine context. Otherwise, there are templates for linking the reader to [[Wiktionary]], the wiki dictionary; see [[Wikipedia:Wikimedia sister projects#Wiktionary]].

====Duplicate topics====
Disambiguation should not be confused with the [[Wikipedia:Merge|merging]] of [[Wikipedia:Duplicate articles|duplicate articles]] (articles with different titles, but regarding the very same topic, for example "[[gas turbine]]" and "combustion turbine", or "[[restroom]]" and "washroom"). These are handled with [[Wikipedia:Redirect]]s.


====<span id="Lists" />Partial title matches====
====<span id="Lists" />Partial title matches====
A disambiguation page is not a search index. Do not add a link that merely contains part of the page title, or a link that includes the page title in a longer proper name, where there is no significant risk of confusion. For example, [[Baltimore Zoo]] is not included at [[Zoo (disambiguation)]] because people outside [[Baltimore]] would not readily identify it as ''the'' "Zoo", and including all zoos in the world in the disambiguation page is impractical. Add a link only if the article's subject (or the relevant subtopic thereof) could plausibly be referred to by essentially the ''same'' name as the disambiguated term in a sufficiently generic context. For instance, the [[Mississippi River]] article could not feasibly be titled [[Mississippi]], but it is included at [[Mississippi (disambiguation)]] because its subject is often called "the Mississippi".
Do not add links that merely contain part of the page title (where there is no significant risk of confusion). Only add links to articles that could use essentially the same title as the disambiguated term. Disambiguation pages are not search indices.

====Set index articles====
{{shortcut|[[WP:SETINDEX]]}}
A set index article is a list article about a set of items that share the same (or similar) name. It is different from a disambiguation navigation page, and should not share the same formatting nor be considered a true disambiguation page:
*A disambiguation page has links to a heterogeneous set of concepts. It is purely for navigation, not information, and should have minimal formatting and follow the strict set of rules at [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)]].
*A set index article describes a single set of concepts. For example, [[Dodge Charger]] describes a set of cars, [[List of peaks named Signal Mountain]] describes a set of mountain peaks, or [[USS Enterprise]] describes a set of ships. A set index article is both for information and for navigation: just like a normal list article, it can have metadata and extra information about each entry. A set index article can be entertaining and informative by itself, can help editors find redlinks to create articles on notable entries, and finally can also help readers navigate between articles that have similar names. A set index article should not be restricted by [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)]] as it currently stands, but instead should follow the relevant style described in [[Wikipedia:Lists (stand-alone lists)]].
*Sometimes, there will be a disambiguation navigation page and a set index article with a similar name. For example, there is some topic "Like this one" that consists of "Concepts of this type" plus other meanings. In this case, the disambiguation navigation page should be named [[Like this one]] and the set index article [[List of Concepts of this type named Like this one]]. Alternatively, if the the "concepts of this type" are dominant, then the set index article should be named [[Like this one]] and the disambiguation page [[Like this one (disambiguation)]]. Whether to use this alternative follows the [[#Page naming conventions|guidelines for naming disambiguation articles]].

For more information specifically about set index articles for ships, see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Ships/Guidelines#Index pages]].


====Sister projects====
====Sister projects====
Disambiguation descriptions should not be created for subjects whose only articles are on pages of sister projects, even if the disambiguation page already exists (e.g., the [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation/Sep11|poll on 9/11 victims]]). Subjects that have articles on both Wikipedia and sister projects are, of course, fine.
Disambiguation descriptions should not be created for subjects whose only articles are on pages of sister projects, even if the disambiguation page already exists.

====Summary or multi-stub pages====
Several small topics of just a paragraph or so each can co-exist on a single page, separated by headings. Although this is similar to a disambiguation page, the disambiguation notice '''should not''' be put here, as the page doesn't link to other articles closely associated with a specific term.

As each [[Wikipedia:section|section]] grows, there may come a time when a subject should have a page of its own. (See [[Wikipedia:Article size]] and [[Wikipedia:Summary style]].)

Although many pages rely on this principle, it has become more common for each subject to have a separate page for its own stub.


====References====
Always use {{tl|split}} or {{tl|splitsection}}, and reach consensus before attempting the split. [[Wikipedia:Be bold in updating pages]] doesn't apply, as it is very difficult to revert a split, often requiring extensive assistance by administrators.
Do not include references in disambiguation pages; disambiguation pages are not articles. Incorporate references into the disambiguated articles as needed.


===Preparation===
===Preparation===
Before constructing a new disambiguation page, determine a [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Specific topic|Specific topic]] name for any and all existing pages, and a generic name for the disambiguation page.
Before constructing a new disambiguation page, determine a [[#Naming the specific topic articles|specific topic]] name for all existing pages, and the [[#Page naming conventions|name for the disambiguation page]]. [[Help:Moving a page|Move]] any page with a conflicting title (i.e., the same exact title) to its more specific name. Use the [[Help:What links here|What links here]] list for the moved page to update pages that [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Links to disambiguated topics|link to that page]].
Move any page with a conflicting title (i.e. the same exact title) to its more specific name.
Use the [[Help:What links here|What links here]] list for the moved page to update all of the pages that [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Links to disambiguated topics|link to that page]] (more likely than not, a link in Wikipedia will point to your new disambiguation page unnecessarily, and this should be resolved on a case-by-case basis).


===Construction===
===Construction===
If an article has been moved to make way for the disambiguation page, use the <u>What links here</u> list of the moved page to access the redirect page created by the move, and replace that redirect page with the new disambiguation page.
Assuming a [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Generic topic|Generic topic]] page,
use the <u>What links here</u> list of the moved page to access the redirect page created by the move, and replace that redirect page with the new disambiguation page.


Use the new disambiguation page to find and replace any old [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Disambiguation links|disambiguation links]] in existing pages with a link to the new disambiguation page.
Use the new disambiguation page to find and replace any old [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Disambiguation links|disambiguation links]] in existing pages with a link to the new disambiguation page.


Note that the standard link templates will actually point to a ''[[Term XYZ (disambiguation)]]'' version of the new name.
Note that the standard link templates will actually point to a ''[[Term XYZ (disambiguation)]]'' version of the new name.
Use the [[Wikipedia:Red link|red-link]] on an existing page to create a [[Wikipedia:redirect|redirect]] page marked with the {{tl|R to disambiguation page}} template. For example, ''[[Term XYZ (disambiguation)]]'' could be redirected to the new disambiguation page ''[[Term XYZ]]'' as follows:
Use the [[Wikipedia:Red link|red-link]] on an existing page to create a [[Wikipedia:redirect|redirect]] page marked with the {{tl|R to disambiguation page}} template.
<code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Term XYZ]] {{R to disambiguation page}}</nowiki></code>


For example, ''[[Term XYZ (disambiguation)]]'' could be redirected to the new disambiguation page ''[[Term XYZ]]'' as follows:
===<span id="NAME" /> Page naming conventions ===
{{shortcut|WP:DAB#NAME}}
<code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Term XYZ]]{{R to disambiguation page}}</nowiki></code>
A disambiguation page is usually [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions|named]] after the generic topic (e.g. "[[Term ABC]]"). "[[Term ABC (disambiguation)]]" is not the mandatory name for a disambiguation page, and is only used when there is a primary topic for the title "Term ABC". It is acceptable, on the other hand, to create a page at "Term ABC (disambiguation)" that redirects to the disambiguation page at "Term ABC". This type of redirect can be used to indicate deliberate links to the disambiguation page.


==Set index articles==<!--[[Wikipedia:Multi-stub]] redirects here-->
There should be just one disambiguation page for all [[Letter case|case]]s (upper- or lower-case), variant punctuation and diacritic marks.
{{shortcut|WP:SETINDEX}}
A set index article is a list article about a set of items ''of a specific type'' that share the same (or similar) name. For example, [[Dodge Charger]] describes a set of cars, [[List of peaks named Signal Mountain]] describes a set of mountain peaks, and [[USS Enterprise]] describes a set of ships. A set index article is not a disambiguation page, and need not follow the formatting rules for disambiguation pages. A set index article is meant for information as well as navigation: just like a normal list article, it can have metadata and extra information about each entry. It may contain redlinks to help editors create articles on notable entries. Set index articles should follow the style described in [[Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists]]. Use the tag {{tl|SIA}}.


Sometimes there will be a disambiguation page and a set index article for the same term. If the disambiguation page carries the name of the term (as with [[Signal Mountain]]), then the set index article should be named "List of XXXs named YYY" (as in [[List of peaks named Signal Mountain]]). Alternatively, if the set index article is considered the [[#Is there a primary topic?|primary topic]], it may be named with just the term itself, the disambiguation page being called "YYY (disambiguation)".
:For example, "[[Term abc]]", "[[Term Abc]]", "[[Term Ábç]]", "[[Term A-B-C]]", and "[[Term A.B.C.]]" should all [[Wikipedia:redirect|redirect]] to one page.


For more information about set index articles for ships, see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Ships/Guidelines#Index pages]].
====Generic topic====
In most cases, the generic term or phrase should be the [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions|title]] of the actual disambiguation page. This permits an editor to visually determine whether a disambiguating page is generic in [[:Category:Disambiguation]].


Another similar type of page is the '''multi-stub''' article. This is a page containing brief, [[WP:STUB|stub]]-like information about a number of similarly-named topics, such as saints with the same name (e.g. [[Abundantius]]). Like set index articles, these pages are not subject to the disambiguation style guidelines.
Links that deliberately point to generic topic disambiguation pages should use an unambiguous "(disambiguation)" link instead, to assist in distinguishing accidental links. In turn, the "(disambiguation)" page will [[Wikipedia:redirect|redirect]] to the generic topic page.

:For example, the specific topic [[Tables (board game)]] links to [[Table (disambiguation)]], a redirect to [[Table]] with the template {{tl|R to disambiguation page}}. [[Table]] is a generic topic disambiguation page.

====Primary topic====
{{shortcut|WP:PRIMARYUSAGE}}
When there is a well known '''primary meaning''' for a term or phrase, much more used than any other (this may be indicated by a majority of links in existing articles or by consensus of the editors of those articles that it will be significantly more commonly searched for and read than other meanings), then that topic may be used for the title of the main article, with a [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Disambiguation links|disambiguation link]] at the top. If there's a disambiguation page, it should [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)#Linking to a primary topic|link back to the primary topic]].

If there is extended discussion about which article truly is the primary topic, that '''may''' be a sign that there is in fact no primary topic, and that the disambiguation page should be located at the plain title with no "(disambiguation)".

====Specific topic====
For disambiguating specific topic pages, several options are available:
#When there is another term (such as [[Pocket billiards]] instead of [[Pool]]) or more complete name that is equally clear (such as [[Delta rocket]] instead of [[Delta]]), that should be used.
#A disambiguating word or phrase can be added in parentheses. The word or phrase in parentheses should be:
#*the generic ''class'' that includes the topic (for example, [[Mercury (element)]], [[Seal (mammal)]]); or
#*the ''subject'' or ''context'' to which the topic applies (for example, [[Union (set theory)]], [[Inflation (economics)]]).
#Rarely, an adjective describing the topic can be used, but it's usually better to rephrase the title to avoid parentheses.

;Simplicity:
If there is a choice between disambiguating with a generic class or with a context, choose whichever is simpler. Use the same disambiguating phrase for other topics within the same context.

:For example, "(mythology)" rather than "(mythological figure)".

If there is a choice between using a short phrase and word with context, there is no hard rule about which is preferred. Both may be created, with one redirecting to the other.

:For example, [[Mathematical analysis]] and [[Analysis (mathematics)]].

;Biographies:
For biographies, it is ''generally'' preferred to use a formal disambiguating noun that describes the person, rather than an activity, profession, genre, or affiliation. Do not use a date or range of dates (odds are that readers will be seeking this information far more often than they already know it).

:For example, '''[[Sam Biguation (guitarist)]]''', not [[Sam Biguation (rocker)]], [[Sam Biguation (music)]], [[Sam Biguation (rock music)]], [[Sam Biguation (the Southwest Spice Band)]], [[Sam Biguation (1974–2006)]], nor (per the simplicity principle above) [[Sam Biguation (rock guitarist)]], unless [[Sam Biguation (guitarist)]] itself needs to be disambiguated between [[Sam Biguation (classical guitarist)]] and [[Sam Biguation (rock guitarist)]].

By Wikipedia consensus, there are limited exceptions in a few areas, the most common one being the use of the informal "(footballer)" for players of [[football (soccer)]] (and never for [[rugby]], [[American football]], etc.). If in doubt, use the existing convention for disambiguated biographical articles of the same general type as the article you are disambiguating ([[WP:POINT|even if you disagree with it]]).

;Fiction:
When the context is a novel or other creative work, such as with articles about fictional characters, avoid lots of little stubs about fictional characters: [[Wikipedia:Guide to writing better articles#Check your fiction|check your fiction]].

====Format====
To conform to the [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions|naming conventions]], the phrase in parentheses should be treated just as any other word in a title: normally lowercase, unless (like a book title) it is a proper noun that ''always'' appears capitalized even in running text.

For more on which word or phrase to insert in the parentheses, see [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions]] and [[Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions]]. For common disambiguation words, see [[User:Kevinkor2/Research into names of Wikipedia articles]].


==Links==
==Links==
===Double disambiguation===
===Double disambiguation===
{{shortcut|WP:DDAB}}
A double disambiguation is a link to a disambiguation page from another disambiguation page. This kind of disambiguation is typically more specific than one with a simplified name. This kind of disambiguation is relatively rare on [[Wikipedia]].
A double disambiguation is a link to a disambiguation page from another disambiguation page. This kind of disambiguation is typically more specific than one with a simplified name. This kind of disambiguation is relatively rare on Wikipedia.


:For example, [[Montgomery]] is a disambiguation page that leads to [[Montgomery County]], a secondary disambiguation page.
:For example, [[Montgomery]] is a disambiguation page that leads to [[Montgomery County]], a secondary disambiguation page.


=== Incomplete disambiguation ===
===Incomplete disambiguation===

When a more specific title is still ambiguous, but not enough so to call for double disambiguation, it should [[Wikipedia:Redirect|redirect]] back to the main disambiguation page (or a section of it). This aids navigation, and helps editors to avoid creating new articles under the ambiguous title by accident.
When a more specific title is still ambiguous, but not enough so to call for double disambiguation, it should [[Wikipedia:Redirect|redirect]] back to the main disambiguation page (or a section of it). This aids navigation, and helps editors to avoid creating new articles under the ambiguous title by accident.


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<pre>
<pre>
#REDIRECT [[Aurora#Music]] {{R from incomplete disambiguation}}
#REDIRECT [[Aurora#Music]]{{R from incomplete disambiguation}}
</pre>
</pre>


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'''A code of honor for creating disambiguation pages is to fix all resulting mis-directed links.'''
'''A code of honor for creating disambiguation pages is to fix all resulting mis-directed links.'''


Before creating a disambiguation page, click on <u>What links here</u> to find all of the pages that link to the page that is about to change. Make sure that those pages are fixed and that they won't be adversely affected when performing the {{tl|split}} or {{tl|splitsection}}.
Before moving an article to a qualified name (in order to create a disambiguation page at the base name), click on <u>What links here</u> to find all of the incoming links. Repair all of those incoming links to use the new article name.


When repairing a link, use [[Wikipedia:Piped link|pipe syntax]] so that the link does not contain the new qualifier.
When repairing a link, use [[Wikipedia:Piped link|pipe syntax]] so that the link does not show the new qualifier. For example, when renaming ''Topic Name'' to ''Topic Name (qualifier)'', <nowiki>[[Topic Name (qualifier)|Topic Name]]</nowiki> will render as ''Topic Name'' just like the original.


:For example, when renaming ''Topic Name'' to ''Topic Name (qualifier)'', <nowiki>[[Topic Name (qualifier)|Topic Name]]</nowiki> will render as ''Topic Name'' just like the original.
A shorter alternative is to use empty pipe syntax, also known as the [[Help:Pipe trick|pipe trick]]. This allows editors to leave out the piped alternative when editing. For example, typing "<nowiki>[[Topic Name (qualifier)|]]</nowiki>" will automatically produce "<nowiki>[[Topic Name (qualifier)|Topic Name]]</nowiki>". Read [[Help:Pipe trick]] for more information.


[[Wikipedia:Disambiguation pages with links|Ambiguous links]] are periodically checked and repaired, but even if some ambiguous links remain, one of the primary reasons for making a disambiguation page is so that following such links will still be useful to the reader.
A shorter alternative is to use empty pipe syntax, also known as the [[Help:Pipe trick|pipe trick]]. This allows editors to leave out the piped alternative when editing.


There is a tool to facilitate ambiguous link repair in the [[SourceForge:projects/pywikipediabot/|Python Wikipedia Robot]]. The [[Wikipedia:bot|bot]] offers to update links to choices listed on the disambiguation page. Don't forget to seek approval on the [[Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval]] page if doing extensive or fast runs.
:For example, typing "<nowiki>[[Topic Name (qualifier)|]]</nowiki>" will automatically produce "<nowiki>[[Topic Name (qualifier)|Topic Name]]</nowiki>". Read [[Help:Pipe trick]] for more information.


===Links to disambiguation pages===
[[Wikipedia:Disambiguation pages with links|Ambiguous links]] are periodically checked and repaired, but
With '''very''' few exceptions, creating links to disambiguation pages is erroneous. Links should instead point to a relevant article. The purpose of a disambiguation page is to give a user who has typed an ambiguous term into the ''search box'' a list of articles that are likely to be what he or she is looking for. The exceptions to this are:
even if some ambiguous links remain, one of the primary reasons for making a disambiguation page is so that following such links will still be useful to the reader.
* Disambiguation hatnotes – [[Watergate]] redirects to [[Watergate scandal]], which carries a hatnote linking to [[Watergate (disambiguation)]] for other uses.
* {{shortcut|WP:FURTHERDAB}}<span id="FurtherDab"/><!-- This bullet point is linked as a shortcut and thus from summaries of edits that it justifies -->Links from one disambiguation page to another for further disambiguation – [[British]] has a link to [[Britain (disambiguation)]] for further disambiguation.
* Redirects from misspellings – [[Britian]] redirects to the "Britain" disambiguation page.
* Redirects from page names that have "(disambiguation)" in their titles – [[Britain (disambiguation)]] redirects to the "Britain" disambiguation page.
* Certain pages that contain lists of words or names – [[Britten (surname)]] contains a link to [[Britain (disambiguation)]].


{{shortcut|WP:INTDABLINK}}<span id="IntDabLk"/><!-- This paragraph is linked as a shortcut and thus from summaries of edits that it justifies -->To link to a disambiguation page (rather than to a page whose topic is a specific meaning), link to the title that includes the text "(disambiguation)", even if that's a redirect – for example, link to the redirect [[America (disambiguation)]] rather than the target page at "America". (If the redirect does not yet exist, create it and tag it with {{tl|R to disambiguation page}}.) This helps distinguish accidental links to the disambiguation page from intentional ones.
:There is a tool to facilitate ambiguous link repair in the [http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywikipediabot/ Python Wikipedia Robot]. The [[Wikipedia:bot|bot]] offers to update links to choices listed on the disambiguation page. Don't forget to post a notice on the [[Wikipedia talk:Bots]] page.


This does not apply to redirects with other reasons: do not create a double redirect, but make a redirect to the disambiguation page directly (thus [[Ann Hathaway]], a redirect from alternative name, redirects to the disambiguation page [[Anne Hathaway]] and does not go via the redirect at [[Anne Hathaway (disambiguation)]]).
===Links to disambiguation pages===<!-- This section is linked from [[Use of the word American]] -->
With '''very''' few exceptions, creating links to disambiguation pages is erroneous. Links should instead point to a relevant article. The purpose of a disambiguation page is to give a user who has typed an ambiguous term into the ''search box'' a list of articles that are likely to be what he's looking for. The exceptions to this are:
* Disambiguation hatnotes — E.g., [[Watergate]] redirects to [[Watergate scandal]] which carries a hatnote linking to [[Watergate (disambiguation)]] for other uses.
* Redirects from misspellings — E.g., [[Britian]] redirects to [[Britain]].
* Redirects from page names that have "(disambiguation)" in their titles — E.g., [[Britain (disambiguation)]] redirects to [[Britain]].
* Links from one disambiguation page to another for further disambiguation — E.g., [[British]] (a disambiguation page) has a link to [[Britain (disambiguation)]] (a redirect as described below) for further disambiguation.
* Certain pages that contain lists of words or names— E.g. [[Britten (surname)]] contains a link to [[Britain (disambiguation)]].


See [[:Category:Redirects to disambiguation pages]].
To link to a disambiguation page (instead of a specific meaning), link to the redirect to the disambiguation page that includes the text "(disambiguation)" in the title (such as, [[America (disambiguation)]] rather than [[America]]). This helps distinguish accidental links to the disambiguation page from intentional ones. See [[:Category:Redirects to disambiguation pages]].

The Wikipedia software has a feature that lists "[[Special:Lonelypages|orphan]]" pages; that is, no other page links to them. But for disambiguation pages, that's perfectly correct: we usually want pages to link to the more specific pages.

In order to make the orphans list more useful by not cluttering it with intentional orphans, disambiguation pages are linked from:
*[[Wikipedia:Links to disambiguating pages]],
*[[Wikipedia:Links to (disambiguation) pages]],
*[[Wikipedia:Multiple-place names]], and
*[[Wikipedia:Non-unique personal name]].

When you create a disambiguation page, add a link to it in one of those pages as appropriate.

[[:Category:Disambiguation]] provides a complete list of disambiguation pages.

==Disambiguation of CJKV character names==
Common [[CJK characters|CJKV character]] ([[Chinese character]]) names should redirect to their corresponding acceptable article name per [[WP:ENGLISH]] as much as possible. However, if a CJKV name maps to multiple Wikipedia articles, disambiguation is required, and all the normal rules for [[WP:DAB]] apply.


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)]]
* [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation and abbreviations]]
* [[Wikipedia:Contributing FAQ]]
* [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines]]
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Disambiguation]]
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Disambiguation]]
* [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation do's and don'ts]]
* [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation pages with links]], WikiProject Disambiguation project page
* [[MediaWiki:Disambiguationspage]]
* [[MediaWiki:Disambiguationspage]]
* [[tools:~dispenser/view/Dablinks|Dablinks]], a [[m:Toolserver|Toolserver]] [[Wikipedia:Tools|tool]] that lists ambiguous internal links


===System pages===
* [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation pages with links]], an active Wiki fixup project
{{Wikipedia policies and guidelines}}
{{Wikipedia policies and guidelines}}

[[Category:Disambiguation | ]]
[[Category:Disambiguation| ]]
[[Category:Wikipedia article title help]]


[[af:Wikipedia:Dubbelsinnigheid]]
[[af:Wikipedia:Dubbelsinnigheid]]
[[als:Wikipedia:Begriffsklärung]]
[[als:Wikipedia:Begriffsklärung]]
[[ar:ويكيبيديا:توضيح]]
[[an:Wikipedia:Pachina de desambigazión]]
[[an:Wikipedia:Pachina de desambigación]]
[[ast:Uiquipedia:Páxina de dixebra]]
[[ast:Uiquipedia:Páxina de dixebra]]
[[az:Vikipediya:Dəqiqləşdirmə]]
[[az:Vikipediya:Dəqiqləşdirmə]]
[[bn:উইকিপেডিয়া:দ্ব্যর্থতা নিরসন]]
[[map-bms:Wikipedia:Disambiguasi]]
[[map-bms:Wikipedia:Disambiguasi]]
[[bar:Wikipedia:Begriffsklärung]]
[[bar:Wikipedia:Begriffsklärung]]
[[br:Wikipedia:Digejañ]]
[[br:Wikipedia:Disheñvelout]]
[[bg:Уикипедия:Пояснителна страница]]
[[bg:Уикипедия:Пояснителна страница]]
[[ca:Ajuda:Pàgina de desambiguació]]
[[ca:Ajuda:Pàgina de desambiguació]]
[[ceb:Wikipedia:Mga pulong nga may labaw pa sa usa ka kahulogan]]
[[cs:Wikipedie:Rozcestníky]]
[[cs:Wikipedie:Rozcestníky]]
[[cy:Wicipedia:Gwahaniaethu]]
[[cy:Wicipedia:Gwahaniaethu]]
[[da:Wikipedia:Stilmanual#Flertydige artikler]]
[[de:Wikipedia:Begriffsklärung]]
[[de:Wikipedia:Begriffsklärung]]
[[et:Vikipeedia:Täpsustuslehekülg]]
[[et:Vikipeedia:Täpsustuslehekülg]]
[[el:Βικιπαίδεια:Αποσαφήνιση]]
[[el:Βικιπαίδεια:Αποσαφήνιση]]
[[es:Wikipedia:Página de desambiguación]]
[[es:Wikipedia:Ambigüedad en títulos]]
[[eo:Vikipedio:Apartigiloj]]
[[eo:Vikipedio:Apartigiloj]]
[[eu:Wikipedia:Argipen orri]]
[[eu:Wikipedia:Argipen orri]]
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[[gl:Wikipedia:Homónimos]]
[[gl:Wikipedia:Homónimos]]
[[ko:위키백과:동음이의어 문서]]
[[ko:위키백과:동음이의어 문서]]
[[hy:Վիքիփեդիա:Երկիմաստության փարատում]]
[[hi:बहुविकल्पी शब्द]]
[[hi:बहुविकल्पी शब्द]]
[[hr:Wikipedija:Razdvojba]]
[[hr:Wikipedija:Razdvojba]]
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[[kn:ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ:ದ್ವಂದ್ವ ನಿವಾರಣೆ]]
[[kn:ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯ:ದ್ವಂದ್ವ ನಿವಾರಣೆ]]
[[la:Vicipaedia:Discretiva]]
[[la:Vicipaedia:Discretiva]]
[[lv:Wikipedia:Nozīmju atdalīšana]]
[[lv:Vikipēdija:Nozīmju atdalīšana]]
[[lt:Wikipedia:Nuorodiniai]]
[[lb:Wikipedia:Homonymie]]
[[lt:Vikipedija:Nuorodiniai]]
[[li:Wikipedia:Verdudelikingspazjena]]
[[li:Wikipedia:Verdudelikingspazjena]]
[[hu:Wikipédia:Egyértelműsítő lapok]]
[[hu:Wikipédia:Egyértelműsítő lapok]]
[[ml:വിക്കിപീഡിയ:നാനാര്‍ത്ഥങ്ങള്‍]]
[[mzn:Wikipedia:گجگجي بايتن]]
[[mzn:Wikipedia:گجگجي بايتن]]
[[ms:Wikipedia:Nyahkekaburan]]
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[[ro:Wikipedia:Dezambiguizare]]
[[rmy:Vikipidya:Dudalipen]]
[[rmy:Vikipidya:Dudalipen]]
[[ru:Википедия:Страницы разрешения неоднозначностей]]
[[ru:Википедия:Неоднозначность]]
[[stq:Wikipedia:Begriepskläärenge]]
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[[te:వికీపీడియా:అయోమయ నివృత్తి]]
[[th:วิกิพีเดีย:การแก้ความกำกวม]]
[[th:วิกิพีเดีย:การแก้ความกำกวม]]
[[tr:Vikipedi:Anlam ayrımı]]
[[uk:Вікіпедія:Неоднозначність]]
[[vi:Wikipedia:Định hướng]]
[[vi:Wikipedia:Định hướng]]
[[tr:Vikipedi:Anlam ayrım]]
[[uk:Вікіпедія:Багатозначність]]
[[vo:Vükiped:Telplänov]]
[[vo:Vükiped:Telplänov]]
[[wa:Wikipedia:Omonimeye]]
[[wa:Wikipedia:Omonimeye]]
[[yi:װיקיפּעדיע:באדייטן]]
[[yi:װיקיפּעדיע:באדייטן]]
[[zea:Wikipedia:Deurverwiespagina]]
[[zh:Wikipedia:消歧义]]
[[zh:Wikipedia:消歧义]]

Revision as of 10:04, 9 April 2010

Disambiguation in Wikipedia is the process of resolving conflicts in Wikipedia article titles that occur when a single term can be associated with more than one topic, making that term likely to be the natural title for more than one article. In other words, disambiguations are paths leading to different articles which could, in principle, have the same title.

For example, the word "Mercury" can refer to several different things, including an element, a planet, an automobile brand, a record label, a NASA manned-spaceflight project, a plant, and a Roman god. Since only one Wikipedia page can have the generic name "Mercury", unambiguous article titles are used for each of these topics: Mercury (element), Mercury (planet), Mercury (automobile), Mercury Records, Project Mercury, Mercury (plant), Mercury (mythology). There must then be a way to direct the reader to the correct specific article when an ambiguous term is referenced by linking, browsing or searching; this is what is known as disambiguation. In this case it is achieved using Mercury as a disambiguation page.

Two methods of disambiguating are discussed here:

  • disambiguation links: links at the top of an article (hatnotes), that refer the reader to other Wikipedia articles with similar titles or concepts.
  • disambiguation pages: non-article pages that refer readers to other Wikipedia articles.


Deciding to disambiguate

Disambiguation is required whenever, for a given word or phrase on which a reader might use the "Go button", there is more than one existing Wikipedia article to which that word or phrase might be expected to lead. In this situation there must be a way for the reader to navigate quickly from the page that appears on hitting "Go" to any of the other possible desired articles.

There are three principal disambiguation scenarios, of which the following are examples:

  • The page at Joker is a disambiguation page, leading to all the alternative uses of "Joker".
  • The page at Rice is about one usage, called the primary topic, and there is a hatnote guiding readers to Rice (disambiguation) to find the other uses.
  • The page at Michael Dobbs is about the primary topic, and there is only one other use. The other use is linked directly using a hatnote; no disambiguation page is needed.

Is there a primary topic?

Although a term may potentially refer to more than one topic, it is often the case that one of these topics is highly likely – much more likely than any other, and more likely than all the others combined – to be the subject being sought when a reader clicks the "Go" button for that term. If there is such a topic, then it is called the primary topic for that term. If a primary topic exists, the term should be the title of (or redirect to) the article on that topic. If there is no primary topic, the term should be the title of a disambiguation page (or redirect to a different disambiguation page, if more than one term is combined on one page).

There are no absolute rules for determining primary topics; decisions are made by discussion between editors, often as a result of a requested move. If there is extended discussion about which article truly is the primary topic, that may be a sign that there is in fact no primary topic.

Tools that may help to support the determination of a primary topic in a discussion, but are not determining factors, include:

For some terms with primary topics the title of the primary topic article may differ from the term itself (as when the article covers a wider topical scope, or is titled differently according to the naming conventions). In this case the term should redirect to the article (or a section of it). For example, the primary topic for "Danzig" is the former German city of that name, but the article on that city is titled Gdańsk. Therefore Danzig redirects to Gdańsk, and the latter page contains a hatnote linking to Danzig (disambiguation).

Disambiguation page or disambiguation links?

If there are three or more topics associated with the same term, then a disambiguation page should normally be created for that term (in which case disambiguation links may or may not be desirable on the specific topic articles – see below). If only a primary topic and one other topic require disambiguation, then disambiguation links are sufficient, and a disambiguation page is unnecessary. However if there are two topics for a term but neither is considered the primary topic, then a disambiguation page is used.

For more about disambiguation links, see Disambiguation links below. For rules about naming disambiguation pages and combining similar terms on a single page, see Disambiguation pages.

Naming the specific topic articles

For disambiguating specific topic pages by using an unambiguous article title, several options are available:

  1. When there is another term or more complete name (such as Delta rocket instead of Delta) that is equally clear and unambiguous, that may be used.
  2. A disambiguating word or phrase can be added in parentheses. The word or phrase in parentheses should be:
  3. Rarely, an adjective describing the topic can be used, but it is usually better to rephrase such a title to avoid parentheses.
  4. With place-names, if the disambiguating term is a higher-level administrative division, it is often separated using a comma instead of parentheses, as in Windsor, Berkshire. See Naming conventions (geographic names).

If there are several possible choices for disambiguating with a class or context, use the same disambiguating phrase already commonly used for other topics within the same class and context, if any. Otherwise, choose whichever is simpler. For example, use "(mythology)" rather than "(mythological figure)".

If there is a choice between using a short phrase and word with context, such as Mathematical analysis and Analysis (mathematics), there is no hard rule about which is preferred. Both may be created, with one redirecting to the other.

Naming conventions applicable to certain subject areas are listed in the box to the right; these often contain detailed guidance about how to disambiguate. In particular, for articles about people, see the Disambiguating section in the people naming convention.

Format

To conform to the naming conventions, the phrase in parentheses should be treated just as any other word in a title: normally lowercase, unless it is a proper noun (like a book title) that would appear capitalized even in running text.

For common disambiguation words, see User:Jarry1250/Findings.

Disambiguation links

Users searching for what turns out to be an ambiguous term may not reach the article they expected. Therefore any article with an ambiguous title should contain helpful links to alternative Wikipedia articles or disambiguation pages, placed at the top of the article using one of the templates shown below. (Notice that the links are generated automatically, so double square brackets should not be used within the templates.)

In some cases there are different templates available, including or omitting information about the topic of the article. The shorter hatnote may be chosen if omitting the information is not likely to confuse the reader.

On a primary topic page for a term that has one secondary topic only (no disambiguation page):

  • Type {{about|TOPIC|TOPIC 2|ARTICLE (2)}} to produce:
  • Type {{for|TOPIC 2|ARTICLE (2)}} to produce:
  • Type {{see also|ARTICLE (2)}} to produce:

On a secondary topic page for a term that has one other topic only (no disambiguation page):

  • As above, but consider whether the hatnote is really necessary (see the first of the usage guidelines below).

On a primary topic page that has an associated disambiguation page:

  • Type {{about|TOPIC}} to produce:
  • or, if the disambiguation page is not in the default location, type {{otheruses|NAME}} to produce:

When the primary topic redirects to another page:

  • If there is only one secondary topic, type {{redirect|TERM|TOPIC 2|ARTICLE (2)}} on the target page to produce:
  • If there is a disambiguation page, type {{redirect|TERM}} to produce:

Other variations on these templates are available, including templates for specific subjects such as places, numbers, etc. Templates are listed and illustrated at Template talk:About and Wikipedia:Otheruses templates (example usage). A longer list of disambiguation templates is found at Wikipedia:Template messages/General#Disambiguation and redirection; further style information is given at Wikipedia:Hatnotes#Templates. Many more templates are listed in Category:Disambiguation and redirection templates.

Usage guidelines

  • There is no need to add disambiguation links to a page whose name already clearly distinguishes itself from the generic term. For example, Solaris (1972 film) is clearly about one specific movie and not about any of the many other meanings of "Solaris". It is very unlikely that someone arriving there from within Wikipedia would have been looking for any other "Solaris", so it is unnecessary to add a link pointing to the Solaris disambiguation page. However, it would be perfectly appropriate to add a link to Solaris (novel) (but not, say, Solaris (operating system)) to its "See also" section.
  • As noted above, disambiguation links should be placed at the top of an article, where they are most visible. For alternatives that are related to the article but are not a source of ambiguity, the "See also" section at the end of the article is more appropriate.
  • Do not pipe disambiguation links. Showing the entire linked article title avoids confusion, which is the reason for the link in the first place.
  • See Wikipedia:Hatnote for other guidelines on the proper use of disambiguation links.

Disambiguation pages

Combining terms on disambiguation pages

A single disambiguation page may be used to disambiguate a number of similar terms. Sets of terms which are commonly so combined include:

  • Terms which differ only in capitalization, punctuation and diacritic marks. For example, the terms Oe, Ōe, OE and O.E. are disambiguated on a single page (Oe).
  • Corresponding singular, plural and possessive forms, or compound words. For example, the terms Eaglenest, Eagle Nest, Eagle's Nest and Eagle Nests all appear at Eagle's Nest.
  • Variant spellings. For example, Honor and Honour both appear at Honor (disambiguation).
  • Variant forms of names. For example, Fred Smith also includes persons named Frederick Smith.
  • Terms which differ by the presence or absence of an article. For example, Cure (disambiguation) also contains instances of The Cure.

Editorial judgement should be used in deciding whether to combine terms in the ways described above. If a combined disambiguation page would be inconveniently long, it may be better to split the different spellings into separate pages.

When a combined disambiguation page is used, redirects to it (or hatnotes, as appropriate) should be set up from all the terms involved.

Naming the disambiguation page

The title of a disambiguation page is the ambiguous term itself, provided there is no primary topic for that term. If there is a primary topic, then the tag "(disambiguation)" is added to the name of the disambiguation page, as in Jupiter (disambiguation). It is also acceptable to create a page at "Term ABC (disambiguation)" that redirects to a disambiguation page at "Term ABC". This type of redirect can be used to indicate deliberate links to the disambiguation page.

When a disambiguation page combines several similar terms, one of them must be selected as the title for the page (with the "(disambiguation)" tag added if a primary topic exists for that term); the choice should be made in line with the following principles:

  • A word is preferred to an abbreviation, for example Arm (disambiguation) over ARM.
  • When no word can be formed all capitals is preferred. For example, the disambiguation page for "ddb" is DDB not "Ddb".
  • English spelling is preferred to that of non-English languages.
  • Singulars are preferred to plurals.
  • The simplest form of the term is preferred to those containing punctuation, diacritics and articles; for example SA is preferred to S.A., and Shadow (disambiguation) is preferred to The Shadow (disambiguation).
  • The spelling that reflects the majority of items on the page is preferred to less common alternatives.

Page style

Each disambiguation page comprises a list (or multiple lists, for multiple senses of the term in question) of similarly-titled links.

  • Link to the primary topic (if there is one):
A school is an institution for learning.
  • Start each list with a short introductory sentence fragment with the title in bold, and ending with a colon. For example:
Blockbuster may refer to:
  • Try to start each entry in the list with a link to the target page.
  • Each bulleted entry should, in almost every case, have exactly one navigable (blue) link; including more than one link can confuse the reader.
  • Do not pipe the name of the links to the articles being listed. (See exceptions)
  • Only include related subject articles if the term in question is actually described on the target article. (For example, the Canton disambiguation page legitimately has an entry for Flag terminology.)

Include the template {{disambig}} (or other disambiguation template, such as {{Geodis}} or {{Hndis}}) at the bottom as an indicator of the page's status. For more information, see the relevant style guide section.

For a prime example of an actual disambiguation page, see Lift.

What not to include

Dictionary definitions

A disambiguation page is not a list of dictionary definitions. A short description of the common general meaning of a word can be appropriate for helping the reader determine context. Otherwise, there are templates for linking the reader to Wiktionary, the wiki dictionary; see Wikipedia:Wikimedia sister projects#Wiktionary.

Partial title matches

A disambiguation page is not a search index. Do not add a link that merely contains part of the page title, or a link that includes the page title in a longer proper name, where there is no significant risk of confusion. For example, Baltimore Zoo is not included at Zoo (disambiguation) because people outside Baltimore would not readily identify it as the "Zoo", and including all zoos in the world in the disambiguation page is impractical. Add a link only if the article's subject (or the relevant subtopic thereof) could plausibly be referred to by essentially the same name as the disambiguated term in a sufficiently generic context. For instance, the Mississippi River article could not feasibly be titled Mississippi, but it is included at Mississippi (disambiguation) because its subject is often called "the Mississippi".

Sister projects

Disambiguation descriptions should not be created for subjects whose only articles are on pages of sister projects, even if the disambiguation page already exists.

References

Do not include references in disambiguation pages; disambiguation pages are not articles. Incorporate references into the disambiguated articles as needed.

Preparation

Before constructing a new disambiguation page, determine a specific topic name for all existing pages, and the name for the disambiguation page. Move any page with a conflicting title (i.e., the same exact title) to its more specific name. Use the What links here list for the moved page to update pages that link to that page.

Construction

If an article has been moved to make way for the disambiguation page, use the What links here list of the moved page to access the redirect page created by the move, and replace that redirect page with the new disambiguation page.

Use the new disambiguation page to find and replace any old disambiguation links in existing pages with a link to the new disambiguation page.

Note that the standard link templates will actually point to a Term XYZ (disambiguation) version of the new name. Use the red-link on an existing page to create a redirect page marked with the {{R to disambiguation page}} template.

For example, Term XYZ (disambiguation) could be redirected to the new disambiguation page Term XYZ as follows:

#REDIRECT [[Term XYZ]]{{R to disambiguation page}}

Set index articles

A set index article is a list article about a set of items of a specific type that share the same (or similar) name. For example, Dodge Charger describes a set of cars, List of peaks named Signal Mountain describes a set of mountain peaks, and USS Enterprise describes a set of ships. A set index article is not a disambiguation page, and need not follow the formatting rules for disambiguation pages. A set index article is meant for information as well as navigation: just like a normal list article, it can have metadata and extra information about each entry. It may contain redlinks to help editors create articles on notable entries. Set index articles should follow the style described in Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists. Use the tag {{SIA}}.

Sometimes there will be a disambiguation page and a set index article for the same term. If the disambiguation page carries the name of the term (as with Signal Mountain), then the set index article should be named "List of XXXs named YYY" (as in List of peaks named Signal Mountain). Alternatively, if the set index article is considered the primary topic, it may be named with just the term itself, the disambiguation page being called "YYY (disambiguation)".

For more information about set index articles for ships, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Ships/Guidelines#Index pages.

Another similar type of page is the multi-stub article. This is a page containing brief, stub-like information about a number of similarly-named topics, such as saints with the same name (e.g. Abundantius). Like set index articles, these pages are not subject to the disambiguation style guidelines.

Links

Double disambiguation

A double disambiguation is a link to a disambiguation page from another disambiguation page. This kind of disambiguation is typically more specific than one with a simplified name. This kind of disambiguation is relatively rare on Wikipedia.

For example, Montgomery is a disambiguation page that leads to Montgomery County, a secondary disambiguation page.

Incomplete disambiguation

When a more specific title is still ambiguous, but not enough so to call for double disambiguation, it should redirect back to the main disambiguation page (or a section of it). This aids navigation, and helps editors to avoid creating new articles under the ambiguous title by accident.

Such redirects should be marked with {{R from incomplete disambiguation}} (which places them under Category:Redirects from incomplete disambiguations). For example, Aurora (album) could redirect as follows:

#REDIRECT [[Aurora#Music]]{{R from incomplete disambiguation}}

Interlanguage links

Pure disambiguation pages should contain interlanguage links only where a similar problem of disambiguation exists in the target language; that is, they should not point to a single meaning from the list of meanings, but to another disambiguation page.

Links to disambiguated topics

A code of honor for creating disambiguation pages is to fix all resulting mis-directed links.

Before moving an article to a qualified name (in order to create a disambiguation page at the base name), click on What links here to find all of the incoming links. Repair all of those incoming links to use the new article name.

When repairing a link, use pipe syntax so that the link does not show the new qualifier. For example, when renaming Topic Name to Topic Name (qualifier), [[Topic Name (qualifier)|Topic Name]] will render as Topic Name just like the original.

A shorter alternative is to use empty pipe syntax, also known as the pipe trick. This allows editors to leave out the piped alternative when editing. For example, typing "[[Topic Name (qualifier)|]]" will automatically produce "[[Topic Name (qualifier)|Topic Name]]". Read Help:Pipe trick for more information.

Ambiguous links are periodically checked and repaired, but even if some ambiguous links remain, one of the primary reasons for making a disambiguation page is so that following such links will still be useful to the reader.

There is a tool to facilitate ambiguous link repair in the Python Wikipedia Robot. The bot offers to update links to choices listed on the disambiguation page. Don't forget to seek approval on the Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval page if doing extensive or fast runs.

Links to disambiguation pages

With very few exceptions, creating links to disambiguation pages is erroneous. Links should instead point to a relevant article. The purpose of a disambiguation page is to give a user who has typed an ambiguous term into the search box a list of articles that are likely to be what he or she is looking for. The exceptions to this are:

To link to a disambiguation page (rather than to a page whose topic is a specific meaning), link to the title that includes the text "(disambiguation)", even if that's a redirect – for example, link to the redirect America (disambiguation) rather than the target page at "America". (If the redirect does not yet exist, create it and tag it with {{R to disambiguation page}}.) This helps distinguish accidental links to the disambiguation page from intentional ones.

This does not apply to redirects with other reasons: do not create a double redirect, but make a redirect to the disambiguation page directly (thus Ann Hathaway, a redirect from alternative name, redirects to the disambiguation page Anne Hathaway and does not go via the redirect at Anne Hathaway (disambiguation)).

See Category:Redirects to disambiguation pages.

See also