Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section

The lead section (or lead paragraph also known as lede) of an article is the introduction of an article's topic, which establishes context, defines the terms, gives the most general meanings, and relates, links, and disambiguates the topic from similar or related terms. The lead section should provide (in basic order):

1. Context(s), describing the category or field in which the topic belongs.
2. A clear and concise definition of what the term means or refers to.
3. An explanation of the term's meaning as it is used in the given context.
4. Related, similar, or opposite terms, and explain their relationship to the topic.
5. Give an broader overview of the topic and its context as they relate to other topics.

The lead section should be capable of standing alone as a concise overview of the article, be written in a clear and accessible style, and should first offer the topic's most interesting points, including a mention of the topic's most prominent controversies. All of the various points should be expanded upon later in the article, and the appropriate references provided at that point, rather than in the lead section. The length should be one to three paragraphs, depending on the length of the entire article, and should never be limited to one or two short sentences.

Requirements

The subject of the article should be mentioned in bold face at the first natural place that it occurs in the prose, preferably in first sentence, almost always before the close of the first paragraph. The name of the subject is normally identical to the page title, although it may appear in a slightly different form from that used as the title, and it may include variations and acronyms that also must appear in bold face.

For example,

"The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to the United Kingdom, or the UK) occupies part of the British Isles in northwestern Europe, ...."

Establish context

The first paragraph needs to establish the context in which the topic of the article is being considered. For example:

• Introduction (essay): "In an essay or article, an introduction is..." or,
• Introduction (music): "The introduction to a piece of music is..."

Provide an accessible overview

The lead section should briefly summarize the most important points covered in an article in such a way that it could stand on its own as a concise version of the article. It is even more important here than for the rest of the article that the text be accessible, and some consideration should be given to creating interest in reading the whole article (see news style and summary style). The first sentence in the lead section should be a concise definition of the topic unless that definition is implied by the title (such as 'History of …' and similar titles).

In general, specialized terminology should be avoided in an introduction. Where uncommon terms are essential to describing the subject, they should be placed in context, briefly defined, and linked. According to the perfect article guideline, a lede:

"Begins with a definition or clear description of the subject at hand. This is made as absolutely clear to the nonspecialist as the subject matter itself will allow. The purpose of an encyclopedia is to codify human knowledge in a way that is most accessible to the most people, and this demands clear descriptions of what the subject matter is about. So we aren't just dropped into the middle of the subject from the first word—we are eased into it."

Things to avoid

Some things to avoid:

• The length should be one to three paragraphs, depending on the length of the entire article.
• Lead sections should never be limited to one or two short sentences.
• Do not use external links in the lede, unless from an extremely reputable source. Usage of less reputable sources violates WP:NPOV and perhaps also WP:SPAM.
• Avoid using extended quotes in the lede, unless from an extremely reputable source. Usage of less reputable sources violates NPOV and perhaps also WP:SPAM.

Technical details

The title should be early in the first sentence, and be in bold with tildes, like:'''title'''. The appropriate length of the lead section depends on the total length of the article. As a general guideline, the lead should be no longer than three to four paragraphs. Note that for the Wikipedia 1.0 (printed version), one recommendation is that the paper version of articles will be the lead section of the web version. Summary style and news style can help create a concise introduction that works well enough as a stand-alone article. The following specific suggestions have been proposed:

< 15,000 characters	medium size	> 30,000 characters
one or two paragraphs	two or three paragraphs	three or four paragraphs

Although the lead section is considered a section, it has no section heading, and should begin with the title in bold ('''title'''). When displayed, the optional table of contents generally appears between the lead section and the first section heading (though this can be changed, see WP:TOC).

Because editing the lead section can be cumbersome in huge articles, (because there's no edit link for this section), a trick allows editing the lead section separate from the rest of the article: Click "edit" for any section, in the resulting URL, and replace the trailing &section=n with &section=0.

See also

• Wikipedia:Guide to writing better articles.
• Wikipedia:Accessibility
• wikt:lede