 | This is anexplanatory essay about theWikipedia:Manual of Style. This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not beenthoroughly vetted by the community. |
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ThisSimplified Manual of Style is an overview of commonly used style guidelines taken from theWikipedia Manual of Style and itssubpages (together called theMoS). When a MoS guideline offers a choice of styles, choose one and use it consistently throughout an article, and do not unreasonably alter a choice that has already been made. The MoS has too many suggestions to memorize, or even to consult regularly, but because they are based on consensual discussion, they often settle time-wasting arguments. Wikipedia hasno firm rules, but these suggestions help create consistent articles. For a descriptive directory of the pages which make up the Manual of Style, seeWikipedia:Manual of Style/Contents.
Usesentence case for article titles and section headings –Early life and education, notEarly Life and Education.read more ...
Capitalize names of scriptures likeBible andQur'an, but notbiblical. Always capitalizeGod when it refers to a primary or only deity, but not pronouns that refer to deities:he notHe.read more ...
Avoid capitalizing names of plants and animals. Among the exceptions are scientific names (Felis catus) andproper nouns occurring as part of a name (Norway rat).read more ...
The seasons (summer,winter,spring, andfall/autumn) are not capitalized.read more ... Similarly, the compass points (north,southwest) are not capitalized.read more ...
When in doubt about whether to capitalize something, the general rule is that Wikipedia only capitalizes that which is capitalized in the vast majority of source material. If sources veer between upper- and lower-case for something, then default to lower-case.read more ...
To indicateapproximately, the non-italicized abbreviationc. (followed by a space) is preferred overcirca,ca., orapprox.read more ...
WriteUS orU.S., but notUSA. UseUS, notU.S., in an article usingUK,PRC, etc.read more ...
Use "and" instead of the "&" sign, except in tables, infoboxes, and official names likeAT&T.read more ...
Use straight quote marks" and apostrophes' as available from the keyboard, and not alternatives such as“ ” and‘ ’.read more ...
Italicize names of books, films, TV series, music albums, paintings, and ships—but not short works like songs or poems, which should be in quotation marks.read more ...
WriteJames's house, notJames' house.read more ...
Place afull stop (a period) or a commabefore a closing quotation mark if it belongs as part of the quoted material; otherwise put it after:The wordcarefree means "happy". But:She said, "I'm feeling carefree." (Please do so irrespective of any rules associated with the variety of English in use.)read more ...
Anellipsis should be written as three separate dots (...): not spaced (. . .), and not using the single-character option (…).read more ...
Theserial comma (for example the comma beforeand in "ham, chips, and eggs") is optional; be sensitive to possible ambiguity from thoughtless use or thoughtless avoidance.read more ...
Avoidcomma splices.read more ...
Picture captions should not end in a full stop (a period) unless they are complete sentences.read more ...
Avoid using a hyphen after a standard -ly adverb (a newly available home).read more ...
A hyphen is not adash. Hyphens are used within words or to join words, but not in punctuating the parts of a sentence. Use an en dash (–) with before and a space after; or use an em dash (—) without spaces. SeeWikipedia:How to make dashes. Avoid using two hyphens(--) to make a dash; and avoid using a hyphen for a minus sign.read more ...
Use an en dash, not a hyphen, between numbers:pp. 14–21;1953–2008. An en dash is also to connect parallel terms:red–green colorblind;a New York–London flight. Use spaces around the en dash only if the connected terms are multi-unit dates:January 1999 – December 2000.read more ...
Writenumber 1 orNo. 1, but not#1. Comic books are an exception. Do not use the symbol№.read more ...
Write12,000 for twelve thousand, not12.000.read more ...
Both10 June 1921 andJune 10, 1921, are correct, but should be consistent within an article. A comma is not used if only the month is given, such asJune 1921.read more ...
400 AD (orAD 400) and400 BC are correct; but so are400 CE and400 BCE. As always, use one style consistently in an article.read more ...
Useone, two, three, ..., eight, nine in most cases, not1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (exceptions include times and dates, equations, sport scores, most measurements, and data in tables). Use digits for10 and higher (though some such numbers also may be written as words, when it helps clarity).read more ...
Instead of an ordinary space, use (anon-breaking space) to prevent a line from ending in the middle of expressions like17 kg,565 BCE,2:50 pm,£11 billion,129 million,October 2025,5° 24′ 21.12″ N, orBoeing 747; also after the number in123 Fake Street, and beforeRoman numerals inWorld War II andPope Benedict XVI. Use in the same way inside a wikilink. (An alternative: enclose the whole expression using the template{{nowrap}}.)read more ...
It does not matter how many spaces come after a period because extra spaces will not show, although blank lines will create one extra line.read more ...
Usewikilinks, but only for words and phrases that are most likely to be helpful if clicked. Make sure each link goes to an article on the intended subject, and not to a disambiguation page or incorrect destination.read more ...
There are multiplecitation styles. The most common uses<ref>...</ref> (ref tags) to create footnotes (sometimes called endnotes or notes), which will appear in the reference or endnote section. This citation should immediately follow the text to which it applies, including any punctuation (with some exceptions).read more ...
English Wikipedia prefers no major national variety of the language over any other. These varieties (e.g.,U.S. English,British English) differ in vocabulary (soccer vs.football), spelling (center vs.centre), and occasionally grammar.read more ...
Avoid words likeI,we, andyou, except in quotations and names of works.read more ...
Avoid phrases likenote that andremember that (which assume "you" for the reader); and avoid such expressions asof course andobviously.read more ...
MoS-related:
General formatting:
