Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography: Difference between revisions
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See [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (names and titles)]] for their use in article titles. |
See [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (names and titles)]] for their use in article titles. |
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=== Academic titles === |
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Academic and professional titles (such as "Doctor" or "Professor") should not be used before the name in the initial sentence or in subsequent uses of the person's name. Verifiable facts about how the person attained such titles should be included in the article text instead. In cases where the person is widely known by a pseudonym or stage name containing such a title (whether earned or not), it may be included as described [[#Pseudonyms, stage names and common names|above]]. |
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For example: |
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*'''Isaac Asimov''' (c. [[January 2]], [[1920]] – [[April 6]], [[1992]], [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: {{IPA| /ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmˌɔf/}}, originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into [[Russian language|Russian]] as Айзек Азимов) was a [[Russia]]n-born [[United States|American]] [[Jewish]] [[author]] and [[biochemistry|biochemist]],... He graduated from [[Columbia University]] in 1939 and earned a [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] in [[biochemistry]] there in 1948.... |
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*'''Stephen William Hawking''', [[Order of the Companions of Honour|CH]], [[Commander of the British Empire|CBE]], [[Fellow of the Royal Society|FRS]], (born [[January 8]], [[1942]]) is considered one of the world's leading [[theoretical physics|theoretical physicists]]. Hawking is the [[Lucasian Professor]] of [[mathematics]] at the [[University of Cambridge]]... |
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*'''David Drew Pinsky''', (born [[September 4]], [[1958]]) nicknamed "'''Dr. Drew'''", is a board-certified [[physician]] and [[addiction]] medicine specialist. [...] Pinsky...earned his [[M.D.]] at the [[University of Southern California]] School of Medicine in 1984.... |
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==Subsequent uses of names== |
==Subsequent uses of names== |
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Nobility may be referred to by their title if that form of address would have been the normal way to refer to them, for example [[Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester]] may become "the Earl of Leicester" or just "Leicester" in subsequent mentions. Be careful not to give someone a title too soon, for example use "Robert Dudley" or "Dudley" until his elevation to the peerage in 1563. |
Nobility may be referred to by their title if that form of address would have been the normal way to refer to them, for example [[Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester]] may become "the Earl of Leicester" or just "Leicester" in subsequent mentions. Be careful not to give someone a title too soon, for example use "Robert Dudley" or "Dudley" until his elevation to the peerage in 1563. |
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For people with academic or professional titles, subsequent uses of names should omit them. For example, use ''Asimov'', ''Hawking'', and ''Pinsky''; '''not''' ''Dr. Asimov'', ''Professor Hawking'' (or ''Prof Hawking'' or ''Dr Hawking'')<!-- Note: mixed American/Commonwealth "Dr." and "Dr" was intentional, do not fix! -->, or ''Dr. Pinksy'' (or ''Dr. Drew''). |
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To disambiguate between siblings or other well-known relatives with the same surname, use the surname of the article header to indicate that person, and use first names or complete names to indicate siblings or others. |
To disambiguate between siblings or other well-known relatives with the same surname, use the surname of the article header to indicate that person, and use first names or complete names to indicate siblings or others. |
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Revision as of 09:24, 29 March 2006
 | 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 it is best treated with common sense, and occasional exceptions may apply. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page. |
The objective of this Manual of Style (or style guide) is to provide guidelines for maintaining visual and textual consistency. Adherence to the following guidelines is not required; however, usage of these guidelines is recommended. By maintaining consistency, Wikipedia will be read, written, edited, navigated, and used more easily by readers and editors alike.
New contributors are reminded that clear, informative, and unbiased writing is more important than presentation and formatting. Writers are not expected or required to follow all or any of these rules: the joy of wiki editing is that perfection is not required.
See also: Wikipedia:WikiProject Biography
Opening paragraph
The opening paragraph should give:
- Name(s) and title(s), if any (see, for instance, also Wikipedia:Naming conventions (names and titles))
- Dates of birth and death, if known (see Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers)#Dates of birth and death)
- Nationality (In the normal case this will mean the country of which the person is a citizen or national, or was a citizen when the person became notable.)
- What they did
- Why they are significant.
For example:
- Cleopatra VII Philopator (December 70 BC/January 69 BC – c. August 12, 30 BC) was a queen of ancient Egypt. She was the last member of the Macedonian Ptolemaic dynasty to rule Egypt…
- Francesco Petrarca or Petrarch (1304 – 1374) was an Italian scholar, poet, and humanist, who is credited with having given the Renaissance its name and inventing the concept of the Dark Ages…
Names
While the article title should generally be the name by which the subject is most commonly known, the subject's full name should be given in the lead paragraph, if known. Many cultures have a tradition of not using the full name of a person in everyday reference, but the article should start with the complete version. For example:
- (from Fidel Castro): Fidel Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) …
- (from François Mitterrand): François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (October 26, 1916 – January 8, 1996) …
In some cases, subjects have changed their names at some point after birth. In these cases the birth name should be given as well:
- (from Bill Clinton): William Jefferson Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) …
Maiden names
It is common to give the maiden surname of women better known under their married name, for example:
- Lucy Washington (nee Payne) (1772?–1846) was the wife of Thomas Todd. She was the first woman married in the White House, in 1812.
Pseudonyms, stage names and common names
For people who are best known by a pseudonym, the birth name should usually appear first in the article, followed closely by the pseudonym. Follow this practice even if the article itself is titled with the pseudonym:
- Louis Bert Lindley, Jr. (June 29, 1929 – December 8, 1983), better known by the stage name Slim Pickens…
Alternatively, the birth name can appear in apposition to the pseudonym:
- Boris Karloff (November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969), born William Henry Pratt, was an actor best known for his roles in horror films. He was initially billed as "Karloff" and sometimes as "Karloff the Uncanny".
- E. B. White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985), born Elwyn Brooks White, was an American author, essayist, and noted prose stylist…
It is not always necessary to spell out why the article title and lead paragraph give a different name. In some cases of subjects using a familiar form of their name it may be so; however, care must be taken to avoid implying that a person who uses a familiar form of their name has therefore changed it. Therefore: "Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10, 1953) …" is preferable to saying that John Edwards was born with the name Johnny Reid Edwards.
Honorific prefixes
The inclusion of some honorific prefixes and styles has proved controversial on Wikipedia. Wikipedia currently distinguishes between three groups: nobles, government officials, and members of royal families and popes.
- (1) Styles and honorifics which are derived from noble title, including The Most Noble, The Most Honourable, The Right Honourable, and The Honourable, shall not be included in the text inline but may be legitimately discussed in the article proper.
- (2) Styles and honorifics which are derived from political activities, including but not limited to The Right Honourable for being a Member of the Privy Council, shall not be included in the text inline but may be legitimately discussed in the article proper.
- (3) Styles shall not be used to open articles on royalty and popes. Thus the article on Pope Benedict XVI shall not begin "His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI . . . " nor the article on Queen Victoria begin "Her Majesty Queen Victoria . . ." They should, however, be discussed in the article proper.
- (4) The honorifics Sir and Dame shall be included in the text inline for baronets, knights bachelor, and members of knightly orders whose rank grants them that dignity, provided that they do not hold a higher dignity, such as a peerage, which trumps that usage.
An example of such discussion would be the inclusion of a special graphic known as an infobox, giving the official, spoken and alternative versions of a style for a member of a royal family or pope, would be included in the article. (ex. Template:Infobox UKkingstyles)
See Wikipedia:Naming conventions (names and titles) for their use in article titles.
Academic titles
Academic and professional titles (such as "Doctor" or "Professor") should not be used before the name in the initial sentence or in subsequent uses of the person's name. Verifiable facts about how the person attained such titles should be included in the article text instead. In cases where the person is widely known by a pseudonym or stage name containing such a title (whether earned or not), it may be included as described above.
For example:
- Isaac Asimov (c. January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992, IPA: /ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmˌɔf/, originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as Айзек Азимов) was a Russian-born American Jewish author and biochemist,... He graduated from Columbia University in 1939 and earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry there in 1948....
- Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, (born January 8, 1942) is considered one of the world's leading theoretical physicists. Hawking is the Lucasian Professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge...
- David Drew Pinsky, (born September 4, 1958) nicknamed "Dr. Drew", is a board-certified physician and addiction medicine specialist. [...] Pinsky...earned his M.D. at the University of Southern California School of Medicine in 1984....
Subsequent uses of names
After the initial mention of any name, the person may be referred to by surname only. For example:
- Fred Smith was a cubist painter in the 15th century. He moved to Genoa, where he met John Doe. Smith later commented: "D'oh!"
The person may be referred to by their first name in the case of royalty, or as "Prince/ss John/Jane," or "The Duke," "The Earl," "The Duchess," "The Countess," etc. Similarly, if someone has been knighted they may be referred to as, eg. "Sir Steven" (for Sir Steven Redgrave) or "Dame Judi" (for Dame Judi Dench) - but never as "Sir Redgrave" or "Dame Dench". For other subjects, it is better to refer to the person by their surname and not their first name, even if the subject is not controversial. The use of the first name gives the impression that the writer knows the subject personally, which, even if true, is not relevant.
Nobility may be referred to by their title if that form of address would have been the normal way to refer to them, for example Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester may become "the Earl of Leicester" or just "Leicester" in subsequent mentions. Be careful not to give someone a title too soon, for example use "Robert Dudley" or "Dudley" until his elevation to the peerage in 1563.
For people with academic or professional titles, subsequent uses of names should omit them. For example, use Asimov, Hawking, and Pinsky; not Dr. Asimov, Professor Hawking (or Prof Hawking or Dr Hawking), or Dr. Pinksy (or Dr. Drew).
To disambiguate between siblings or other well-known relatives with the same surname, use the surname of the article header to indicate that person, and use first names or complete names to indicate siblings or others.
Past tense
Biographies of dead people should be written in the past tense to be consistent. Read through the biography after completion and make sure you kept each fact in the past tense from birth to burial.