Wikipedia:Set index articles

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"WP:SIA" redirects here. For the WikiProject about the Australian singer-songwriter, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Sia.

A set index article (SIA) is a list article about a set of items of a specific type that also share the same (or similar) name. For example, Dodge Charger describes a set of cars, List of peaks named Signal describes a set of mountain peaks, and List of ships of the United States Navy named Enterprise describes a set of ships.

Being a set of a specific type means that the members of the set have some characteristic in common, in addition to their similarity of name. A list is an SIA only if both criteria for inclusion of an item in the list are met. For example, every entry in a list of earthquakes might include the word "earthquake", but that alone does not mean that the list is an SIA. If earthquakes were assigned names similar to how tropical storms are named, then List of earthquakes named X could be a set index (assuming of course that there are multiple earthquakes with the same name).

Fundamentally, a set index article is a type of list article. The criteria for creating, adding to, or deleting a set index article should be the same as for a stand-alone list. The style of a set index article should follow the style guidelines at Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists. A set index article can be tagged with {{Set index article}}.

Set indexes and disambiguation[edit]

Shortcuts

A set index article is not a disambiguation page:

  • A disambiguation page is a list of things, possibly of different types, that share the same (or similar) name. It is formatted for best navigating the reader to the sought topic.
  • A set index article (or SIA) lists things of only one type and is meant to provide information as well as navigation. Just like a normal list article, it can have metadata and extra information about each entry.

An SIA need not follow the formatting rules for disambiguation pages. Unlike disambiguation page guidelines, an SIA is allowed to contain red links to help editors create articles on notable entries. Also, unlike a disambiguation page, an SIA can contain references.

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 can be named "List of XXXs named YYY" (as in List of peaks named Signal).

Normally, if there is a choice between pointing the term at the set index page or the disambiguation page, the term should point to the disambiguation page (the broader category). In the rare case where 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)".

A disambiguation page should not be reclassified as a SIA merely because its entries all happen to be of the same type. For example, Western State Hospital is correctly categorized as a disambiguation page, even though all of its entries are hospitals.

Common selection criteria[edit]

A set index article, a list of items of a specific type that share the same (or similar) name, may be one or more of the following:

  • Notable list: the list topic has been discussed as a group or set by independent reliable sources. The individual entries do not have to be notable in themselves. See WP:LISTN.
  • List of notable items: the list topic may not be notable in itself, but all the items are notable. Red-linked entries are acceptable if the entry is verifiably a member of the listed group and it is reasonable to expect an article could be forthcoming in the future. See Wikipedia:CSC.
  • Short, complete list: includes every item that is verifiably a member of the group. It is reasonably short and could be useful or interesting to readers. Inclusion of items must be supported by reliable sources. Lists where no entry is notable are rarely appropriate. See Wikipedia:CSC.

Refer to the relevant guidelines for further details.

Typical information[edit]

1. The information given by a set index article will depend on the specific type of items listed. For example:
  • For mountains, that information may include latitude and longitude, height, range and political subdivisions.
  • For ships it could include type of ship, country, various dates (commission/decommission, ordered, laid down, launched), notable battles or events the ship is associated with.
  • For a common name shared by several plants, information could include geographic range, taxonomic family, flower color or photos.
2. Refer to the categories listed below (e.g. Category:Set indices on storms) for examples of the type of information that may be appropriate.
3. Link to the article or article section on the subject of each entry, if there is one, and to related articles, e.g. political subdivisions, battles, taxonomic families. E.g
4. Information need not be repeated if it is the same for all entries. There is no point in stating that ships are frigates or plants have white flowers if that is clearly true of all the entries.
5. There should be enough information on each item to differentiate it from the other items.
6. The information should have the potential to help a reader with a passing familiarity with an item to identify the one they are interested in. Such a reader might know that a ship served in World War II, or that a plant grows near where they live, but will not know the ship's pennant number or the scientific name of the plant.
7. As discussed in Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not#Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information, data should be put in context and explained with references to independent sources. The set index should not contain a mass of minute and unexplained detail.
8. As discussed in Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists#Common selection criteria, if the list includes every member of the group, it should be less than 32K in length.
9. Long lists should be structured so that a reader can readily find the item they are interested in. Alphabetical sequence, subheadings and sortable tables may be useful
10. The introduction to a list that contains every member of the group should identify the source(s) for the complete list, which may be online databases, gazetteers, etc. Results of a general web search are not adequate.
11. List items do not require citations if they only give information provided by the source(s) cited in the introduction to the list. If an item gives more information, that should be backed up by citations.

Tagging and categorizing an article as an SIA[edit]

See also: Category:Set index article templates.

Place one of the following templates at the bottom of the page, using the most specific template available. If there is no specific template, you can, as {{Set index article}} explains, use the most generic template with certain sort keys to more specifically categorize articles; the template's page also explains that you can use it to place pages into child categories of Category:Set indices.

Generic[edit]

Geographic features[edit]

Vehicles[edit]

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

Other types of SIAs[edit]

Related policies and guidelines[edit]

A summary of related policies and guidelines is given below. Editors should ensure that any set index article is compatible with these policies and guidelines. Refer to the current versions of the policies and guidelines for details.

Disambiguation
WP:DAB Wikipedia:Disambiguation How to give articles unique names, link to the right article, ensure readers can quickly find what they are looking for
WP:PRIMARYTOPIC Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Is there a primary topic? How to choose whether a term should be the title of an article or of a disambiguation page
WP:MULTIDABS Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Disambiguation page or hatnotes? When to use a disambiguation page versus a hatnote in the article on the primary topic
Lists
WP:LISTPURP Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lists#Purposes of lists Lists may provide information, support navigation or support Wikipedia development
WP:SAL Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists Guidelines for content, style and names of list articles
WP:SALAT Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists#Appropriate topics for lists Lists should not be too general, too broad, too specific, or contain only trivial, non-encyclopedic content.
Notability
WP:GNG Wikipedia:Notability#General notability guideline If a topic has received significant coverage in reliable independent sources it is suitable for an article or list.
WP:LISTN Wikipedia:Notability#Stand-alone lists A list is notable if it has been discussed as a group by reliable sources. Lists that provide information or help navigation are also often kept.
WP:CSC Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists#Common selection criteria Common criteria are that every entry is notable, or the list is short and lists every member of the group. Lists where no entry is notable are rarely appropriate.
WP:NGEO Wikipedia:Notability (geographic features) Gives guidance on notability and holding information about geographic features in Wikipedia.
General
WP:5P1 Wikipedia:Five pillars 1. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia Wikipedia combines features of encyclopedias, almanacs, and gazetteers.
WP:INDISCRIMINATE Wikipedia:What_Wikipedia is not#Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information Data should be put in context and explained with references to independent sources. Gives examples of inappropriate articles.
WP:MOSLINK Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Linking Guidelines as to when links should and should not be used, and how to format links.
WP:RS Wikipedia:Reliable sources Articles should be based on reliable, published sources.

See also[edit]

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