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

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

It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though occasional exceptions may apply. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page.

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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 or adding to lists of miscellaneous facts. A number of articles contain lists of isolated facts, which are often grouped into their own section, labeled "Trivia", "Facts", "Miscellanea", "Notes" (not to be confused with "Notes" sections which store footnotes), "Other information", etc. These lists are discouraged, but if they must exist, they should in most cases be considered temporary, until a better method of presentation can be determined.

This style guideline does not attempt to address the issues of wither trivia should be allowed on Wikipedia or what information should be included in articles — it only gives style and presentation recommendations. This guideline does not suggest the inclusion or exclusion of particular pieces of information, nor does it suggest removing trivia sections altogether, or moving them to the talk page; issues of inclusion are addressed by content policies.

Trivia sections

Trivia sections usually appear on Wikipedia as bulleted lists of miscellaneous information. The overinclusion of an exhaustive list of unnecessary details detracts from the goal of presenting a subject in a straightforward but well-organized way, and refering the reader to other articles or outside resources where more details can be found.

These disorganized and unselective lists are in need of cleanup; 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, whether in text, list, or table. A selectively populated list with a narrow theme is not necessarily trivia, and can be the best way to present some types of information within the article.

Trivia articles

As an article grows, these lists may become increasingly disorganized and difficult to read. Sometimes these articles are forked off into their own article, see Wikipedia:"In popular culture" articles. These articles solve the problem of trivia cluttering up the parent article, but this solution creates other problems, and trivia articles should be avoided. Unlike trivia sections, trivia articles are not especially useful as repositories of information to be integrated elsewhere. This is because trivia articles keep such information away from the main page on a subject. This presents an inherent challenge, because there is usually no text in a trivia article to absorb the disconnected items.

Compounding this, when an article is split up, it may be hard to get other users involved in discussion or efforts to make improvements: the talk page of the trivia article is often very low-activity, but on the talk page of the main article, editors may not care to address the trivia article. Trivia articles are often abandoned by editors in a way that trivia sections are not: in order to stem the tide of constant trivia additions, editors may simply fork the trivia section out to another page, and let it exist there. Additionally, whereas ordinary editors can delete sections of articles, they can't delete articles. Editors can move articles, but most editors will not be as bold in moving articles as they would in restructuring within an article.

Some articles may, with their title, imply that they are good places to put unimportant information; for instance an article called Three's Company trivia would be a bad idea in the first place. In addition to the likely problems with the content of such an article, the title may also need to be addressed, just as a "trivia" section in the Three's Company article may need to be renamed to achieve some selectivity and context.

Guidance

See also Wikipedia:Handling trivia#Practical steps

Trivia sections should not simply be categorically removed; it is not reasonable to disallow all information that some editors feel is unimportant, because that information could be important to some readers. More importantly, some items in trivia sections meet the criteria set out in Wikipedia's content policies and are suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia.

If information is otherwise suitable, it is better that it be poorly presented than not presented at all. It may be possible to integrate some items into the article text, in accordance with editing policy. Some facts may belong in existing sections; others can be grouped into a new section of related material. Items that duplicate material already contained elsewhere in the article can simply be deleted.

This guideline does not suggest always avoiding lists in favor of prose. If the prose is effectively a list of disconnected items that isn't bulleted, it is not an improvement over a list — actually, it may be worse. On the other hand, if the prose actually relates the trivia to the rest of the article in a coherent way, it is a significant improvement over a bare list. For further information concerning the use of lists in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Lists (embedded lists)

It may be necessary to perform research to give each fact some context, or to add references when needed. 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 that no content provided for WP articles can be exempt from our rules and style guidelines. Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information; Wikipedia should not contain speculation, rumor, invented "facts", or libel — continue to follow Wikipedia:Verifiability, Wikipedia:Neutral point of view, and Wikipedia:No original research. It is best practice to cite your sources. Both Wikipedia:Biographies of living people and Wikipedia:Copyrights also apply and should be considered. If there are doubts about whether a particular item of information is suitable for inclusion, it can be placed on the talk page instead where other interested contributors can help in considering the item's inclusion and locate suitable references.

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 {{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 miscellaneous facts.''' A number of articles contain lists of isolated facts, which are often grouped into their own section, labeled "Trivia", "Notes" (not to be confused with "Notes" sections which store [[Wikipedia:Footnotes|footnotes]]), "Facts", "Miscellanea", "Other information", etc. This [[WP:Manual of Style|style guideline]] deals with the way in which these facts are represented in an article, not with whether the information contained within them is actually trivia, or whether trivia belong in Wikipedia.
+'''Avoid creating or adding to lists of miscellaneous facts.''' A number of articles contain lists of isolated facts, which are often grouped into their own section, labeled "Trivia", "Facts", "Miscellanea", "Notes" (not to be confused with "Notes" sections which store [[Wikipedia:Footnotes|footnotes]]), "Other information", etc. These lists are discouraged, but if they must exist, they should in most cases be considered temporary, until a better method of presentation can be determined.
+This [[WP:Manual of Style|style guideline]] does not attempt to address the issues of wither trivia should be allowed on Wikipedia or what information should be included in articles — it only gives style and presentation recommendations. This guideline does not suggest the inclusion or exclusion of particular pieces of information, nor does it suggest removing trivia sections altogether, or moving them to the talk page; issues of inclusion are addressed by [[Wikipedia:List of policies#Content and style|content policies]].
-Trivia sections should be avoided. If they must exist, they should in most cases be considered temporary, until a better method of presentation can be determined. Lists of miscellaneous information can be useful for developing a new article, as they represent an easy way 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 may become increasingly disorganized and difficult to read.  A better way to [[Wikipedia:Article development|organize an article]] is to provide a logical grouping and ordering of facts that gives an integrated presentation, providing context and smooth transitions, whether in text, list, or table.
-==Guidance==
+==Trivia sections==
-:''See also [[Wikipedia:Handling trivia#Practical steps]] ''
-Trivia sections should not be categorically removed. It may be possible to integrate some items into the article text, in accordance with [[WP:EP|editing policy]]. 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. Items that duplicate material already contained elsewhere in the article can simply be deleted.
+Trivia sections usually appear on Wikipedia as bulleted lists of miscellaneous information. The overinclusion of an exhaustive list of unnecessary details detracts from the goal of presenting a subject in a straightforward but well-organized way, and refering the reader to other articles or outside resources where more details can be found.
-It may be necessary to perform research to give each fact some context, or to add [[WP:CITE|references]] when needed. Some entries may be speculative, or factually incorrect, and should be removed; others, such as "how-to" material, may fall outside Wikipedia's [[WP:NOT|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.
+These disorganized and unselective lists are in need of cleanup; a better way to [[Wikipedia:Article development|organize an article]] is to provide a logical grouping and ordering of facts that gives an integrated presentation, providing context and smooth transitions, whether in text, list, or table. A selectively populated list with a narrow theme is not necessarily trivia, and can be the best way to present some types of information within the article.
-==What this guideline is not==
-There are a number of pervasive misunderstandings about this guideline and the course of action it suggests:
+===Trivia articles===
-* This guideline does not suggest removing trivia sections, or moving them to the talk page. If information is otherwise suitable, it is better that it be poorly presented than not presented at all.
-* This guideline does not suggest always avoiding lists in favor of prose. Some information is better presented in a list format.
-* This guideline does not suggest the inclusion or exclusion of any information. This guideline does not attempt to address the issue of what information should be included in articles — it only gives style recommendations. Issues of inclusion are addressed by [[Wikipedia:List of policies#Content and style|content policies]].
+As an article grows, these lists may become increasingly disorganized and difficult to read. Sometimes these articles are forked off into their own article, see [[Wikipedia:"In popular culture" articles]]. These articles solve the problem of trivia cluttering up the parent article, but this solution creates other problems, and trivia articles should be avoided. Unlike trivia sections, trivia articles are not especially useful as repositories of information to be integrated elsewhere. This is because trivia articles keep such information away from the main page on a subject. This presents an inherent challenge, because there is usually no text in a trivia article to absorb the disconnected items.
-===Not all embedded lists are trivia sections===
+Compounding this, when an article is split up, it may be hard to get other users involved in discussion or efforts to make improvements: the talk page of the trivia article is often very low-activity, but on the talk page of the main article, editors may not care to address the trivia article.  Trivia articles are often abandoned by editors in a way that trivia sections are not: in order to stem the tide of constant trivia additions, editors may simply fork the trivia section out to another page, and let it exist there. Additionally, whereas ordinary editors can delete sections of articles, they can't delete articles.  Editors can move articles, but most editors will not be as bold in moving articles as they would in restructuring within an article.
-:''For further information concerning the use of lists in Wikipedia, see [[Wikipedia:Lists (embedded lists)]]''
+Some articles may, with their title, imply that they are good places to put unimportant information; for instance an article called [[Three's Company trivia]] would be a bad idea in the first place.  In addition to the likely problems with the content of such an article, the title may also need to be addressed, just as a "trivia" section in the [[Three's Company]] article may need to be renamed to achieve some selectivity and context.
-In this guideline, the term "trivia section" refers to a section's ''content'', not its name. A trivia section is one that contains a ''disorganized'' and ''unselective'' list. These disorganized items are in need of cleanup, either by incorporating them into the prose of another section, or by filtering the list to be more selective. A selectively populated list with a narrow theme is not necessarily trivia, and can be the best way to present some types of information within the article.
+==Guidance==
+:''See also [[Wikipedia:Handling trivia#Practical steps]] ''
+Trivia sections should not simply be categorically removed; it is not reasonable to disallow all information that some editors feel is unimportant, because that information could be important to some readers. More importantly, some items in trivia sections meet the criteria set out in Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:List of policies#Content and style|content policies]] and are suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia.
+If information is otherwise suitable, it is better that it be poorly presented than not presented at all. It may be possible to integrate some items into the article text, in accordance with [[WP:EP|editing policy]]. Some facts may belong in existing sections; others can be grouped into a new section of related material. Items that duplicate material already contained elsewhere in the article can simply be deleted.
+This guideline does not suggest always avoiding lists in favor of prose. If the prose is effectively a list of disconnected items that isn't bulleted, it is not an improvement over a list — actually, it may be worse.  On the other hand, if the prose actually relates the trivia to the rest of the article in a coherent way, it is a significant improvement over a bare list. For further information concerning the use of lists in Wikipedia, see [[Wikipedia:Lists (embedded lists)]]
+It may be necessary to perform research to give each fact some context, or to add [[WP:CITE|references]] when needed. Some entries may be speculative, or factually incorrect, and should be removed; others, such as "how-to" material, may fall outside Wikipedia's [[WP:NOT|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 that no content provided for WP articles can be exempt from our rules and style guidelines. Wikipedia should not contain speculation, rumor, invented "facts", or libel &mdash; continue to follow [[Wikipedia:Verifiability]], [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]], and [[Wikipedia:No original research]]. It is best practice to [[Wikipedia:cite your sources|cite your sources]].  Both [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living people]] and [[Wikipedia:Copyrights]] also apply and should be considered. If there are doubts about whether a particular item of information is suitable for inclusion, it can be placed on the talk page instead where other interested contributors can help in considering the item's inclusion and locate suitable [[WP:RS|reference]]s.
+Keep in mind that no content provided for WP articles can be exempt from our rules and style guidelines. [[WP:NOT#IINFO|Wikipedia is not]] an indiscriminate collection of information; Wikipedia should not contain speculation, rumor, invented "facts", or libel &mdash; continue to follow [[Wikipedia:Verifiability]], [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]], and [[Wikipedia:No original research]]. It is best practice to [[Wikipedia:cite your sources|cite your sources]].  Both [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living people]] and [[Wikipedia:Copyrights]] also apply and should be considered. If there are doubts about whether a particular item of information is suitable for inclusion, it can be placed on the talk page instead where other interested contributors can help in considering the item's inclusion and locate suitable [[WP:RS|reference]]s.
 ==See also==