Wikipedia:Outlines

"WP:OUTLINE" redirects here. For Outline WikiProject, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Outline of knowledge.

An outline article is a list of a subject's topics arranged hierarchically to show the relationships between the topics, thereby showing the structure of the subject. Each outline is intended to help the reader become familiar with the subject it presents, and also serves as a table of contents or site map to that subject's coverage on Wikipedia.

Outlines are core pages to their subjects. However, unlike portals, they are a type of article, meant for readers. And as a type of article, outlines are encyclopedic content, presented in the main namespace.

For examples of well-developed outlines, see Outline of anarchism, Outline of cell biology, Outline of forestry, and Outline of Japan.

What are outlines?

Further information: [[:Outline (summary)]]

Outlines on Wikipedia are hierarchically structured list articles that present the essential points of a subject. The listed points may be in the form of topics (terms) or sentences. Each outline is a form of stand-alone list, a type of article on Wikipedia. Outlines are usually named "Outline of x", where "x" is the name of the subject being covered.

Wikipedia's Outline of knowledge is comprised of many subject outlines, referred to simply as "outlines".

Pertaining to outlines, Wikipedia's guideline on lists leads back here. Just like other articles and other stand-alone lists, outlines are subject to the five pillars of Wikipedia, and must comply with Wikipedia's core content policies Wikipedia:Neutral point of view, Wikipedia:No original research, Wikipedia:Verifiability and Wikipedia:Notability.

The idea of an outline is to break a subject down into its component parts, and organize those components to show the structure of the subject and how its parts are related to each other - to provide a logical framework. That logical framework is the hierarchy, which displays parentage between entries - it shows what belongs to what. Parentage is shown with heading levels or with list indentation.

And because topics are typically linkified, like other lists, outlines also serve as tables of contents to subject coverage on Wikipedia, and are useful navigation aids. The Outline of knowledge is one of Wikipedia's navigation systems, and assists browsing.

Why do we have outlines in addition to...?

Main page: Wikipedia:Why do we have outlines in addition to...?

Occasionally, an editor will notice that outlines overlap in scope and function with another type of page, and wonder why we have both. In general, it is because outlines are indices optimized for browsing and for showing a subject's structure. As such, they are part of Wikipedia:Contents, not Wikipedia articles, and thus not subject to Wikipedia content policies such as WP:CFORK. Some outlines have been placed in article namespace in spite of this. This is an unresolved issue, and outlines found in article namespace should be moved into Portal:Contents namespace where they can reside without offending Wikipedia content policies.

Because readers vary in their learning styles: some readers find outlines more convenient for exploring and for review than other forms of knowledge access and presentation. For more information about redundancy between Wikipedia's info navigation systems, and its benefits, see WP:CLN.

What is an outline of knowledge?

An outline of knowledge is a hierarchical list of the subject "knowledge". Its scope is everything known by humankind. Outlines of knowledge are typically large, though some are more in-depth than others.

Wikipedia's Outline of knowledge has been under construction (under various names) since October 2001.

Another example is Encyclopaedia Britannica's Outline of Knowledge, presented in its Propædia volume.

Comparison of Wikipedia's and Britannica's outlines of knowledge

Main page: Wikipedia:Comparison of Wikipedia's and Britannica's outlines of knowledge

Britannica's Outline of Knowledge is currently broader (covering the spectrum of subjects more evenly) and more refined. The original took a large team 8 years to complete, and has 517 pages (including suggested reading lists, which aren't part of the subject classification outline itself). Wikipedia's Outline of knowledge has been under development as part of the encyclopedia proper (in article space) since 2005, with the bulk of the development being done by a small team of contributors, and so far it has grown to about 500 pages (as of April 2009). Wikipedia's outline goes into more depth on some subjects, but has many blatant gaps Britannica's does not have.

The Britannica's outline uses outline numbering, Wikipedia's does not (except in outline pages' auto-generated tables of contents - these are displayed in the decimal outline format, and only show those topics/branches that are presented as headings). As manual numbering is infeasible and renders the auto-generated TOC unreadable, a new software feature would be needed to enable automatic outline numbering in Wikipedia.

How to find outlines

Main page: Portal:Contents/Outline of knowledge

See the top page of Wikipedia's Outline of knowledge - the main subjects are presented there, and in turn lead to more refined topics. The top page can be accessed from Portal:Contents which has a link on Wikipedia's sidebar in the navigation menu ("Contents" is the second link on the menu, right below "Main page").

You can see a list of most outlines in Wikipedia's alphabetical index. See also Special:PrefixIndex/Historical outline of.

Outlines are also listed at Category:Outlines.

Outlines under development are usually listed at Wikipedia:WikiProject Outline of knowledge. Outlines with empty heading skeletons tend to get deleted from article space. Therefore it is best to create new outlines in the WP:WPOOK's draft collection.

Naming outlines

The titles of outlines on Wikipedia usually start with "Outline of".

The word "outline" in the title is never plural ("Outlines of" or "X-related outlines", or "List of x outlines" or "List of outlines of"), since all outlines are components of an overall single outline (the top-most page of which is Portal:Contents/Outline of knowledge) and should be integrated into it (connected like the branches of a tree). That is, if one or more outlines are branches of the same subject, links to them should be included on the outline for that subject.

Subjects should be plural when it is grammatically correct. For example: Outline of ants, Outline of sharks, etc.

Why not other name forms?

A title with "topic outline" is inappropriate because outline pages on Wikipedia can at any time take on aspects that detract from that model and render the title false. That is, a "topic outline" is an outline composed of topics only, so as soon as an editor comes along and adds an annotation or sentence or descriptive lead or section lead, it ceases to be a topic outline and then has an erroneous title.

"Sentence outlines" are outlines composed of sentences (each summarizing a point) - so we don't use this in the title either, because most outlines on Wikipedia include topic entries, or may have them added at any time, which immediately renders that title false. Also, people tend to associate the term "outline" with sentence outlines, which makes "sentence outline" redundant.

Wikipedia outlines tend to include elements found in both of these types of outline and additional wiki-elements as well, such as descriptive lead sections. This mixture of elements, and the potential for them being added at any time by editors, makes the general term "Outline" more appropriate to describe Wikipedia's outlines.

Standardizing outlines to a single name also helps to prevent the need to merge redundant outlines with similar titles ("topic outline of x", "subject outline of x", "outline of x topics", "sentence outline of x", etc.) - the simple form "Outline of x" will do.

How to create an outline page

Important: Please don't create outline stubs in article space. Outlines that are bare skeletons and sparsely populated outlines are likely to get AfD'd, even while you are working on them. It's better to create each new outline as a draft in the draft collection of the Outline of knowledge WikiProject, and move the draft to article space after it has plenty of meat on it. Before creating an outline draft, be sure to check that no outline or draft already exists for that subject. Outline drafts are included in the planned and ongoing expansion presented at at Wikipedia:WikiProject Outline of knowledge#Projected outline.

General outlines are created using the {{Outline generator}} template, like this:

{{subst:Outline generator|topic uncapitalized|topic capitalized}}

Outlines on countries are created using the {{Outline generator}} template, like this:

{{subst:Template:Outline country|country name}}

If you see a gap in the Outline of knowledge, and the gap is also in the projected future outline of knowledge on the OOK WikiProject page, feel free to create a redlink for the subject in the projected outline. Then you can click on it and create the page, or leave it for others to create. (As mentioned above, please don't create new outlines directly in article space - they need to be developed first as drafts and then moved there).

How to develop a good outline

For advice on country outlines, see Country outline development (below)

Outline format

Formatting of Wikipedia's outlines differs somewhat from that employed in conventional alphanumeric outlining, due to the strengths and limitations of the MediaWiki software.

Hierarchical structure

A list without a hierarchical structure isn't an outline, it's just a plain list.

The hierarchy in Wikipedia outlines is represented by headings, and is further extended below those headings by embedded indented lists. The use of headings in this way, where the headings are part of the outline itself, takes advantage of the MediaWiki software's automatic TOC feature and makes long outlines easier to navigate because its headings are displayed in a contents box at the beginning of the article. See WP:TOC.

Embedded lists in outlines are typically bulleted, and indented to show levels, like this:

• Cats
  • Abyssinian
  • Korat
  • Siamese
• Dogs
  • Hounds
    • Bloodhound
    • Irish Wolfhound
  • Gun dogs
    • Retrievers
      • Labrador Retriever
      • Golden Retriever
    • Flushing spaniels
    • Pointing breeds

Items on the same level may be presented in columns or in blocks to conserve space.

Lead section

The purpose of the lead section in outlines is to present just enough description to uniquely identify and recognize the subject. A bloated lead detracts from the content of the outline.

The lead should differentiate the subject from similar subjects. For example, "Oklahoma is a state of the United States" doesn't help much, because there are 50 states. To help the reader distinguish it from the others, include a few key elements that define Oklahoma's character, setting it apart from the other states.

Section leads

[these are lists, not conventional articles]

Do not linkify headings

[these are lists, not conventional articles]

No "outline numbering"

While outlines in general usually have alphanumeric indexing at the beginning of each entry, outlines on Wikipedia do not, because the MediaWiki software does not yet support automatic outline numbering. Manually numbering the items (including headings) in an outline is not practical or advisable, as it wreaks havoc with the article Contents box feature of MediaWiki, is error prone, and makes outline pages exceedingly tedious to revise - every time an item were to be inserted into a branch, that level of that branch would have to be renumbered. Therefore, Wikipedia outlines are plain, without "outline numbering".

Note that "outline numbering" does not refer to numbered bullets. Numbered bullets can be used to number the items within a section. They are useful for when the number of items is identified in the section lead, like the number of counties in a state. The numbers help show that the list is complete.

Priority of link types

Being a part of an overall outline which itself is one huge list, the various pages of this system link together. The Outline of knowledge is first and foremost an outline, secondarily a list, and finally an article.

[When an outline of a topic exists, link to that. If there isn't one, and there's a list, link to that. Failing that, link to an article. If none of the types exists, leave it as an article redlink (as those are most likely to turn blue first).]

[Outline generator templates provide article links, because these are more likely to exist. When outlines or lists become available, these should replace the article links).

Navboxes

For sets of subjects, in the form "subject of x", such as when x is a country, use of existing navigation templates (navboxes) is encouraged. Using a template means any changes are automatically propagated, prevents redundancy and missed items, and helps focus discussions in a suitable place. See the outline of geography for an example of navbox usage to display the links of subject sets.

External links

Because outlines on Wikipedia serve as tables of contents and site maps of Wikipedia, external links should be presented in an outline page's External links section only.

Standard ordering of topics

[for ease of comparison]

[for ease of navigation]

Country outline development

To create a new country outline, see How to create an outline page (above).

Most countries already have outlines created for them, but they need further development...

Major problems:

• bloated lead section
• incorrectly named and/or empty Administrative divisions section
• incorrect data in Government branches sections

There is some awkward stuff in the incomplete outlines:

• redlinks
• empty brackets
• apparently irrelevant entries (e.g., "fjords" for a landlocked country)
• blank entries

When encountered in article space, many editors tend to delete the awkward stuff instead of complete it. You need to be on the look out for this. One way to check for this is to compare the outline against the template:Outline country. Comparing with that will show you what standard items have been removed.

Here's a good basic order by which to complete an outline in:

Lead section

For most country outlines, as a convenient starting point the lead section was copied from the corresponding country article. This raises issues not only of GFDL concerns but also of WP:CFORK because it essentially turns the mere list "outline" into a partial duplication of the encyclopedic article. Especially in difficult cases, as in disputed territories like Kosovo, the article's lead section is often the result of a long and painful process of dispute and compromise seeking. Just copy-pasting a paragraph in such a precarious balance and dumping it on top of a list article, where it will not receive further maintenance, is highly problematic.

These lead sections should be condensed down to a single paragraph including just enough for good solid country identification. Unfortunately, we haven't developed a standard for this yet (perhaps general location, main distinguishing characteristics, and something the country is famous for) - more thought is needed on this. It was never intended to leave the full article leads in these outlines. We simply copied and pasted the leads from the articles to provide an easy starting point for editing. Some of the leads are monstrous - these pages are supposed to be outlines, not articles or article forks. Any topics in the lead that are essential to the country as a subject should be converted to outline entries and included in the body of the outline (if they are not already there).

Administrative divisions

The administrative divisions sections for many countries are incorrect on the drafts, and the sections are empty. These need to be corrected and filled.

If there are way too many divisions to list, provide a link instead.

Provide a map if you can find one (for each admin div section).

Government branches sections

These too start out in error for many countries. They must be corrected before the outline can be moved to article space.

Maps!

Each country outline should include:

1. Location map
2. General map (with roads, rivers, cities, etc.) - usually placed next to or below the table of contents
3. Satellite photo or topological map - usually placed in the Geography section
4. Map(s) showing administrative divisions - one for each administrative division section, if available
5. Population density map (or some other demographics-related map) - in the demographics section
6. Etc.

Look for these at Wikimedia Commons. A faster way to get to what you need is to click on the atlas link in the country outline.  ;)

Sometimes the selection to choose from is pitiful. Do the best with what you have to work with.

The best examples of map support so far are Outline of the Isle of Man and Outline of Japan.

Fill-ins

All blank entries and empty link brackets need to be filled in.

Bluelink the redlinks

Generally, either move a page to the name of the redlink, or click on the redlink and create a redirect to the article and section where the information is.

Entries in the natural geographic features section that don't seem like they belong, we still keep for comparison purposes. These outlines serve as profiles, and the standard entries and the standard order they are in let you compare country profiles easily. So rather than remove "Glaciers" for countries that have none, instead add a colon and type in "none". This also helps remove ambiguity. If the glacier item is missing, the reader may not know whether it means that there are no glaciers, or if the outline just isn't complete yet. We're trying to make these outlines as unambiguous as possible.

Finish the coverage

These outlines were created using a template that had all the links most likely to be found for most of the countries of the world. But countries are highly individualized, and there are lots of non-standard topics on Wikipedia about them. We need to find them for each country. Here are some searching tips:

When a section grows too large

These outlines are not indexes, and they shouldn't include every article related to the country. We have alphabetical indexes and specialized lists for that. For example, in the outline of the United States, don't include the name of every municipality in the country, because there are thousands of them. That's too much data!

But small countries might only have a handful of cities, towns, and villages. Sure, add them in.

If a section grows too large and Wikipedia doesn't yet have a list that includes those items, split the section off. If the section is too large and there is a list with those items, merge the section with the list. In both cases, apply the summary style on the section (using list content instead of paragraphs).

Google

Use Google to do title searches of Wikipedia (yes you can use Google to search specific websites - Google is actually much more useful for searching Wikipedia than Wikipedia's own search box is.)

Basically, in Google you type in "of" "x" (including the quotes!). (Where "x" is a country name). Then click on Advanced search, and configure it to "title only" and add Wikipedia's URL to the domain field. As you get up to speed with this technique, you'll probably start editing the url directly in the url field at the top of your browser, but you could skip to an advanced method and make an url list of google searches on a user page and load them with Linky (this technique speeds up multi-Google searches immensely).

Here are some examples:

• "of" and "Austria"

• "in" and "Austria"

• "for" and "Austria"

• with "Austria" not at the end

(You can use the wikicode for the links above as the basis for new searches - just replace "Austria" with any other country or region name).

In the results, you'll recognize a lot of the article names on there (guess how the standard article names were found for the region outlines in the first place!) Look over the results, keeping an eye out for article names that are not already included in the country outline you are working on.

(Using "-subject", where "subject" is the name of a subject, you can eliminate a lot of the standard subjects already in use, to make it easier to spot new ones in your results).

Then repeat for "in x", and look them over as above.

Other search terms that may be useful include the country's name (without "of" or "in"), the country's adjectival(s) (e.g. "German", "Germanic"), the country's demonym(s), etc.

Check the country's categories

You can usually find blatantly missing topics in Wikipedia's category system.

Browse the subject's articles on Wikipedia

By this point the outline itself is already a powerful research tool. Click on its links to find more links for the outline. For example, History of Russia is a great place to look for links for the history section. And don't forget to read the main article on the country!

Images

Images are best saved for last, because once you've added all the links and maps to the outline, then you know how much room you need to fill with images. But it's OK to add them sooner or as you go - pictures are worth a thousand words and they liven up the page. Just keep in mind that as more links are added, so is more space which needs to be filled with images.

For images, the standard size we've been using is 300px. If the image can't be seen at that size, make it bigger. Placement is usually to the right, but large images usually work best centered at the top or bottom of a section. Be creative, but make it look good.

Try to find pictures that are not already in use in the main country-related articles. You can usually find some at Commons, and in more-specific articles (like place articles, or animal type, etc.). Go a few clicks deep.  ;)

The best examples of image placement are Outline of France, Outline of Gibraltar, Outline of Iceland, Outline of Japan, Outline of Taiwan, Outline of Thailand, and Outline of Vatican City.

How to get involved

Main page: Wikipedia:WikiProject Outline of knowledge

Just as with any article on Wikipedia, outlines can be created and edited by anyone, so the easiest way to get involved is find an outline, click "edit", and start typing away. Please keep in mind that outlines have standard formats (by type) to make it easy to compare subjects. This is especially so for outlines on countries.

The Outline of knowledge WikiProject was founded to coordinate outline activity. Its main objectives are to build the Outline of knowledge by creating new outlines for it, expand existing outlines, develop standards for outlines, and maintain them all.

Because many subjects have similar structures, their outlines have similar formats and share elements. The development and maintenance of these can often be automated. There is a team of editors dedicated to the use of advanced wikitools to improve Wikipedia's outlines. If you are interested, they can be reached via the Outline of knowledge WikiProject's talk page, or simply drop a note to The Transhumanist.

Important: Outlines of countries need immediate attention to their government branches sections. These need to be corrected and completed as soon as possible.

See also

• Portal:Contents/Outline of knowledge (the top page of the Outline of knowledge)
• Wikipedia:Move navigational lists to portal namespace page for the discussion of the wider dispute about namespace isues