View source for Wiki143:Manual of Style/Lists

{{short description|Guideline on when and how to use lists appropriately}}
{{about|lists in Wikipedia articles|other information about lists|Wikipedia:Lists|"list articles"|Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists}}
{{style-guideline|MOS:LIST}}
{{nutshell|Lists present similar information in bulleted, enumerated, or definition format.|Lists may be embedded in articles or may be stand-alone articles.|Lists should have a self-explanatory title, and a lead-in description with further explanation as required.|[[Wikipedia:Categories, lists, and navigation templates|Lists, categories, and navigation templates are synergistic]].}}
{{Style}}
{{Guideline list}}

'''Lists''' are commonly used in Wikipedia to organize information. Lists may be found within the body of a prose article, in appendices such as a "Publications" or "Works" section, or as a stand-alone article. This guideline explains when and how to use lists appropriately.

== Types of lists ==
Wikipedia differentiates between articles that consist primarily of lists (generally called "lists" or "stand-alone lists") and articles that consist primarily of prose (called "articles"). Articles are intended to consist primarily of prose, though they may contain some lists.
=== Stand-alone list articles ===
{{anchor|List articles}}<!--Old section name-->
{{main|Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists}}
{{seealso|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lists of works}}

''List articles'' are encyclopedia pages consisting of [[#Introductory material|introductory material in the lead section]] followed by a list, possibly arranged in sub-sections. The items on these lists might include links to specific articles or other information, and must be supported with references like any article.  The titles of stand-alone lists typically begin with the type of list (''List of'', ''Index of'', etc.), followed by the article's subject, e.g., ''[[List of vegetable oils]]''. They can be organised alphabetically, by subject classification or by topics in a flat or hierarchical structure.

The '''title and bullet style''', or vertical style, is common for stand-alone lists. These Wikipedia articles follow the '''[[Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists]]''' style guideline.

=== Embedded lists ===
{{Redirect|WP:Embed|information on how to embed an infobox template into another|WP:IEmbed|deprecation of embedded external links|WP:CS:EMBED}}
{{shortcut|MOS:EMBED}}
''Embedded lists'' are [[List|lists]] used within articles that supplement the article's prose content. They are included in the text itself or appended, and may be in [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Tables|table format]]. Wikipedia uses several [[MOS:APPENDIX|standard appendices]], usually in list format, as well as [[WP:NAV|navigational templates]].

Embedded lists should be used only when appropriate; sometimes the information in a list is better presented as prose. Presenting too much statistical data in list format may contravene [[WP:NOT#STATS|policy]].

==== "Children" (i.e., indentation) ====
<!--This section heading is linked to from Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Bulleted and numbered lists.-->
It can be appropriate to use a list style when the items in a list are "children" of the paragraphs that precede them.  Such "children" logically qualify for indentation beneath their parent description. In this case, indenting the paragraphs in list form may make them easier to read, especially if the paragraphs are very short.  The following example works both with and without the bullets:

{| class="wikitable"
!Prose
!List
|-
|width="50%"|At the beginning of the 20th century, [[New York City]] was a center for the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts architectural]] movement, attracting the talents of such great architects as [[Stanford White]] and [[Carrere and Hastings]]. As better construction and engineering technology became available as the century progressed, New York became the focal point of the competition for the tallest building in the world.

The city's skyline has been composed of numerous and varied skyscrapers, many of which are icons of 20th-century architecture. The [[Flatiron Building]], standing 285 ft (87 meters) high, was one of the tallest buildings in the city upon its completion in 1902, made possible by its steel skeleton.  It was one of the first buildings designed with a steel framework, and to achieve this height with other construction methods of that time would have been very difficult. The [[Woolworth Building]], a neo-Gothic "Cathedral of Commerce" overlooking City Hall, was designed by [[Cass Gilbert]].  At 792 feet (241 meters), it became the world's tallest building upon its completion in 1913, an honor it retained until 1930, when it was overtaken by [[40 Wall Street]]. That same year, the [[Chrysler Building]] took the lead as the tallest building in the world, scraping the sky at 1,046 feet (319 m).  More impressive than its height is the building's design, by [[William Van Alen]].  An [[art deco]] masterpiece with an exterior crafted of brick, the Chrysler Building continues to be a favorite of New Yorkers to this day.
|width="50%"|At the beginning of the 20th century, [[New York City]] was a center for the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts architectural]] movement, attracting the talents of such great architects as [[Stanford White]] and [[Carrere and Hastings]]. As better construction and engineering technology became available as the century progressed, New York became the focal point of the competition for the tallest building in the world.  The city's striking skyline has been composed of numerous and varied skyscrapers, many of which are icons of 20th-century architecture:

* The [[Flatiron Building]], standing 285 ft (87 meters) high, was one of the tallest buildings in the city upon its completion in 1902, made possible by its steel skeleton.  It was one of the first buildings designed with a steel framework, and to achieve this height with other construction methods of that time would have been very difficult.
* The [[Woolworth Building]], a neo-Gothic "Cathedral of Commerce" overlooking City Hall, was designed by [[Cass Gilbert]].  At 792 feet (241 meters), it became the world's tallest building upon its completion in 1913, an honor it retained until 1930, when it was overtaken by [[40 Wall Street]].
* That same year, the [[Chrysler Building]] took the lead as the tallest building in the world, scraping the sky at 1,046 feet (319 m).  More impressive than its height is the building's design, by [[William Van Alen]].  An [[art deco]] masterpiece with an exterior crafted of brick, the Chrysler Building continues to be a favorite of New Yorkers to this day.
|}

==== Lists of works and timelines ====
{{See also|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lists of works|Wikipedia:Timeline}}
{{shortcut|MOS:TIMELINE}}
Lists of works of individuals or groups, such as bibliographies, discographies, filmographies, album personnel and track listings are typically presented in simple list format, though it is expected that the information will be supported elsewhere in the article by prose analysis of the main points, and that if the lists become unwieldy, they are split off into stand-alone lists per [[WP:Summary style]]. Timelines and chronologies can be useful supplements to prose descriptions of real-world histories. The [[WP:NLISTITEM|content of a list]] is governed by the same [[:Category:Wikipedia content policies|content policies]] as prose, including principles of [[WP:DUE|due weight]] and [[Wikipedia:No original research|avoiding original research]]. Ensure that list items have the same importance to the subject as would be required for the item to be included in the text of the article, according to Wikipedia policies and guidelines (including [[WP:Trivia sections]]). Consider whether prose is more appropriate. Specific advice regarding timelines is given in [[Wikipedia:Timeline standards]].

==== Related topics (navigational lists) ====
{{anchor|See also lists}}
{{Shortcut|MOS:NAVLIST}}
{{see also|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#"See also" section|Wikipedia:Navigation template}}

"[[MOS:SEEALSO|See also]]" lists and "Related topics" lists are valuable navigational tools that assist users in finding related Wikipedia articles. When deciding what articles and lists of articles to append to any given entry, it is useful to try to put yourself inside the mind of readers: Ask yourself where would a reader likely want to go after reading the article. Typically this will include three types of links:

* Links to related topics – topics similar to that discussed in the article
* Higher order (i.e., more general) articles and lists – this might include [[lists of people]], [[list of countries]], etc. For example, [[list of Indian language poets]] should link to both [[list of Indians]] and [[list of poets]].
* Lower order (i.e., more specific) articles and lists – for example, the [[Business]] page navigational list contains links to [[small business]], [[list of accounting topics]], etc.

There is some controversy over how many links to articles and links to lists that should be put in any article. Some people separate the "links to articles" (put in the "See also" section) from the "links to lists" (put in the "Related topics" section), but this is not necessary unless there are too many links for one section alone. Some feel the optimum number of links to lists that should be included at the end of any given article is zero, one, or two. Others feel that a more comprehensive set of lists would be useful. In general, when deciding what list to include, the same criteria used to decide what articles to include in the "See also" section should be used. Editors should try to put themselves in the readers' frame of mind and ask "Where will I likely want to go after reading this article?". As a general rule, the "See also" section should ''not'' repeat links that appear in the article's body.

==== References and external links ====
'''Reference lists''' show information sources outside of Wikipedia. The two most common types are: 

* "Web hyperlinks" – lists of links to web addresses other than Wikipedia, under the heading "External links"
* "References" – lists of academic journal articles or books, under the heading "References"

Wikipedia is not a link collection and articles with only external links are [[WP:ELNO#EL20|actively discouraged]], but it is appropriate to reference more detailed material from the [[Internet]].  This is particularly the case when you have used a web site as an important source of information.

=== Special names of lists ===

{{shortcut|WP:LISTTYPES}}{{anchor|LISTTYPES}}
Most lists on Wikipedia are item lists, but not all. Specialized types of lists include:
* [[Wikipedia:Outlines|Outline]] &ndash; a Wikipedia [[outline (list)|outline]] is a hierarchically arranged list of topics belonging to a given subject. Outlines are one of the two types of general topics list on Wikipedia, the other being indices.
* [[Portal:Contents/Indices|Index]] &ndash; an [[Index (publishing)|index]] on Wikipedia is an alphabetical list of articles on a given subject. ''See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Indexes]].''
* [[Wikipedia:Timeline|Timeline]] &ndash; a [[timeline]] is a graphical representation of a chronological sequence of events.
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Academy/Writing an Order of Battle|Order of battle]] &ndash;  a representation of armed force components that shows the hierarchical organization and [[command structure]]. 
* [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lists of works|List of works]] include [[bibliographies]] and [[discographies]]. Bibliographies are a list of relevant references for a subject area, including books, journal articles, and web articles; discographies are a listing of all recordings on which a musician or singer features, or may be compiled based on genre or record label.
* [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Glossaries|Glossary]] &ndash; a [[glossary]] is a list of terms in a specific subject area, with definitions included.
*[[Wikipedia:Set index articles|Set index article]] &ndash; document a set of items that share the same (or a similar) name. They are different from [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation|disambiguation]] pages in that they are full-fledged articles meant to document multiple subjects, while disambiguation pages are for navigation purposes only. Not all set index articles are lists.
*[[:Category:Dynamic lists|Dynamic list]] &ndash; a dynamic list is any list that may never be fully complete (since it will only include [[WP:N|notable]] examples from a given category), or may require constant updates to remain current.

== Purposes of lists ==
{{see|Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists#Selection criteria}}
{{shortcut|WP:LISTPURP|WP:PURPLIST}}

Lists have three main purposes:

=== Information ===
The list may be a valuable information source. This is particularly the case for a structured list. Examples would include lists organized chronologically, grouped by theme, or annotated lists.

=== Navigation ===
{{shortcut|WP:LISTPURP-NAV}}
Lists which contain internally linked terms (i.e., [[Help:Link#Wikilinks|wikilinks]]) serve, in aggregate, as natural tables of contents and indexes of Wikipedia. If users have some general idea of what they are looking for but do not know the specific terminology, they could browse the [[lists of basic topics]] and more comprehensive [[lists of topics]], which in turn lead to most if not all of Wikipedia's lists, which in turn lead to related articles. 
Lists are also provided in portals to assist in navigating their subjects, and lists are often placed in articles via the use of series boxes and other [[Wikipedia:navigation template|navigation templates]].

=== Development ===
Some lists are useful for Wikipedia development purposes. The '''lists of related topics''' give an indication of the state of Wikipedia, the articles that have been written, and the articles that have yet to be written. However, as Wikipedia is optimized for readers over editors, any lists which exist primarily for development or maintenance purposes (such as a list that consists entirely of [[WP:RED|red links]] and does not serve an informational purpose; especially a list of missing topics) should be in either the project or user space, not the main space.

=== Lists and categories ===
{{seealso|Wikipedia:Categories, lists, and navigation templates}}

Redundancy of lists and categories is beneficial because the two formats work together; the principle is covered in the guideline ''[[Wikipedia:Categories, lists, and navigation templates]].'' Like categories, lists can be used for keeping track of changes in the listed pages, using the [[Help:Related changes|Related Changes feature]]. Unlike a category, a list also allows keeping a history of its contents; lists also permit a large number of entries to appear on a single page.

== List naming ==
{{detail|Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists#Naming conventions}}
For a [[Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists|stand-alone list]], the list's ''title'' is the page name. For an embedded list, the list's title is usually a section title (for instance, {{Section link|Latin Emperor#Latin emperors of Constantinople, 1204–1261}}), but it can be shorter. The list title should not be misleading and should normally not include abbreviations. Additionally, an overly precise list title can be less useful and can make the list difficult to find; the precise inclusion criteria for the list should be spelled out in the lead section (see below), not the title. For instance, words like ''complete'' and ''notable'' are normally excluded from list titles. Instead, the lead makes clear whether the list is complete or whether it is limited to widely-known or notable members (i.e., those that merit articles). Note that the word "famous" is considered an unnecessary  [[WP:PEACOCK|"peacock"]] embellishment and should not be used.

== Sorting a list ==
{{Shortcut|MOS:LISTSORT|MOS:SORTLIST}}
{{more|MOS:LISTOFWORKS}}
Lists may be sorted alphabetically (e.g. for people: by surname, given name, initials), chronologically (by date, usually oldest first), or occasionally by other criteria. To suggest that a list in an article or section should be sorted, use {{Template|Unsorted list}}.

== List layout ==
{{anchor|Bulleted and numbered lists|Bulleted and numbered list basics|reason=Old section name.}}{{shortcut|MOS:LISTBASICS|MOS:PROSE}}
=== Use prose where understood easily ===
{{see|Wikipedia:NOTSTATS|WP:PROSELINE}}
Prefer prose where a passage is understood easily as regular text that appears in its ordinary form, without metrical structure or line breaks. Prose is preferred in articles because it allows the presentation of detail and clarification of context in a way that a simple list may not. It is best suited to articles because their purpose is to explain.
{{Shortcut|MOS:PROSE|MOS:USEPROSE}}
{{tl|prose}} can be used to indicate a list which may be better-written as prose. Many [[Wikipedia:Stub|stub]] articles can be improved by converting unnecessary lists into encyclopedic prose. {{crossref|See also: [[WP:Manual of Style/Trivia sections]].}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Example of the difference between prose and a list
!Prose!!List with no content
|- valign="top"
| width="50%" | The '''20th-century architecture of New York City''' includes numerous icons of architecture, most notably its striking [[skyscrapers]].  In the first few decades of the century, the city became a center for the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] movement, represented by architects [[Stanford White]] and [[Carrère and Hastings]]. New York's new skyscrapers included the [[Flatiron Building]] (1902), where Fifth Avenue crosses Broadway at [[Madison Square]]; [[Cass Gilbert]]'s [[Woolworth Building]] (1913), a neo-Gothic "Cathedral of Commerce" overlooking City Hall; the [[Chrysler Building]] (1929), a pure expression of [[Art Deco]]; and the [[Empire State Building]] (1931). Modernist architect [[Raymond Hood]], and [[Lever House]] after World War&nbsp;II, began the clusters of "glass boxes" that transformed the classic skyline of the 1930s, culminating in the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] towers (1973).
| '''20th-century architecture of New York City'''
* [[Flatiron Building]] (1902)
* [[Woolworth Building]] (1913)
* [[Chrysler Building]] (1929)
* [[Empire State Building]] (1931)
* [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] (1973)
|}

=== Use good markup ===
{{main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility#Lists}}
'''Use proper markup''': Employ careful wiki markup- or template-based list code {{crossreference|(see [[Help:List]] for many pointers)}}.  Especially [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility#Lists|do not leave blank lines between items]] in a list, since this causes the [[MediaWiki]] software to misinterpret each item as beginning a new list. (There are [[Help:List#Paragraphs and other breaks|HTML techniques to insert linebreaks or additional paragraphs]] into a list item.)  Avoid misuse of list markup in articles for visual styling of non-list material.

====Images and lists====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:1em; float: right"
|-
! style="background:#bfffbf;" | A (good)
| <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" style="margin:0px; background:#cfffcf;">
 [[File:Example.jpg|thumb|Caption text]]
 * Example 1
 * Example 2
 * Example 3
 * Example 4
</syntaxhighlight>
|-
! style="background:#ffbfbf;" | B (bad)
| <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" style="margin:0px; background:#ffcfcf;">
 * Example 1
 * Example 2
 [[File:Example.jpg|thumb|Caption text]]
 * Example 3
 * Example 4
</syntaxhighlight>
|-
! style="background:#bfffbf;" | C (good)
| <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" style="margin:0px; background:#cfffcf;">
 * Example 1
 * Example 2
 * [[File:Example.jpg|thumb|Caption text]] Example 3
 * Example 4
</syntaxhighlight>
|}

To float pictures to the right of the list, one should put the image markup before the first item in most cases, see the example "A". Inserting the image markup as a separate line within the list (as in example "B") once again will split it into two half-lists.

Should the length of the list items or the topical relevance of said image discourage display at the top corner, consider placing it after the asterisk of the first list-item it illustrates (as in example "C") to avoid breaking continuity of the unordered list ({{code|<ul>}}) element.

'''Note''': When floating images to the left of a list, use the {{tl|flowlist}} template to prevent disrupting the indentation of the bullet-points.
{{clear|right}}

=== Use an unordered list by default ===
'''Use a bulleted (unordered) list by default''', especially for long lists.  Use a numbered (ordered) list only if there is a need to refer to items by number, the sequence of items is important, or the numbering exists in the real world (e.g., tracks on an album).

=== Format list items consistently ===
{{anchor|LISTCASE|List case}}{{shortcut|MOS:LISTCASE|MOS:LISTFORMAT}}
'''List items should be formatted consistently in a list.''' Unless there is a good reason to use different list types in the same page, consistency throughout an article is also desirable.

Use [[sentence case]] by default for list items, whether they are complete sentences or not. Sentence case is used for around 99% of lists on Wikipedia.  Title case (as used for book titles) is not used for list entries.  

Lowercase is best reserved for:
* lists introduced by a sentence fragment, with a short list of items, also fragments, continuing the extended sentence;
* [[WP:Manual of Style/Glossaries|glossary]] entries, where it is important to convey whether something is usually capitalized or not;
* lists of items with non-English names (that have not been assimilated into English), from a language in which their capitalization would be incorrect.

Use the same grammatical form for all items in a list – avoid mixing sentences and sentence fragments as items.
* When the items are complete sentences, each one is formatted with [[sentence case]] (i.e., the initial letter is capitalized) and a final [[full stop]] (period).
* When the items are sentence fragments, the list is usually preceded by introductory material and a colon. Items may be given with initial lowercase or in sentence case. No final punctuation is used in most cases.
** Semicolons may be used when the list is short, items are lowercase, and the entire list forms a complete sentence (typically with its introductory phrase and possibly with a closing phrase after the list to complete the sentence). Many cases of this are better rewritten as paragraphs unless it is contextually important to "listify" the items for clarity (e.g., because they correspond to sections in the rest of the article below the list).

A list item should not end with a full stop unless it consists of a complete sentence or is the end of a list that forms one.

When elements contain (or are) titles of works or other proper names, these retain their original capitalization, regardless how the rest of the list is formatted.   

A list title in a section heading provides a direct edit point, if one enables [[Wikipedia:Section editing|section editing]]. It also enables the automatic table of contents to detect the list. It is not required, however, and should not be used for a list that is not the focus of a section, or for lists in an article that uses a lot of short lists and which is better arranged by more topical headings that group related lists.

=== Introductory material ===
{{shortcut|MOS:LEADFORALIST|WP:LEADFORALIST|MOS:LISTINTRO}}
{{see|Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists#Selection criteria}}
Lists should have introductory material; for stand-alone lists, this should be the [[Wikipedia:lead section|lead section]]. This introductory material should make clear the scope of the list. It should also provide explanation for non-obvious characteristics of the list, such as the list's structure. Stand-alone lists may place non-obvious characteristics in a separate introductory section (e.g. {{Section link|List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach#Listing Bach's compositions}}).  Lists and their supporting material must comply with standard Wikipedia content policies and guidelines, including [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view]] and should not create [[Wikipedia:Content forking|content forks]]. 

Exercise caution when [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Self-references to avoid|self-referencing Wikipedia]], to ensure any self-reference is acceptable. For example, [[Wikipedia:Notability|notability]] is often a criterion used for [[Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists|stand-alone lists]] (and sometimes embedded ones), but many other self-references create problems. To include a self-reference, format it with {{tlx|Self-reference link}}.

Some information, such as "Notable people" or "Alumni", which may be read for context or scanned for content, may be formatted with a section lead and a descriptive, bulleted list, or as prose, depending on size. If the list is long, is unable to be summarised, but is not appropriate for splitting out, then a section lead, with a descriptive, bulleted list may be more appropriate than a long prose section.

=== Organization ===
{{shortcut|MOS:LISTORG}}
Although lists may be organized in different ways, they must always be organized. The most basic form of organization is [[Collation#Alphabetical order|alphabetical]] or [[Collation#Numerical sorting, sorting of single characters|numerical]] (such as [[List of Star Wars starfighters]]), though if items have specific dates a [[chronological]] format is sometimes preferable ([[List of Belarusian Prime Ministers]]). When using a more complex form of organization, (by origin, by use, by type, etc.), the criteria for categorization must be clear and consistent. Just as a reader or editor could easily assume that the headings '''A''', '''B''', '''C''' would be followed by '''D''' (rather than '''1903'''), more complex systems should be just as explicit. If a [[list of Australians in international prisons]] contains the headings '''[[Argentina]]''' and '''[[Cambodia]]''' (organization by country), it would be inappropriate for an editor to add the heading '''[[Drug trafficking]]''' (organization by offense). If a list entry logically belongs in two or more categories (e.g., an Australian in an Argentine prison for drug trafficking), this suggests that the list categorization might be flawed, and should be re-examined.

Lists should never contain "Unsorted" or "Miscellaneous" headings, as all items worthy of inclusion in the list can be sorted by ''some'' criteria, although it is entirely possible that the formatting of the list would need to be revamped to include all appropriate items. Not-yet-sorted items may be included on the list's talk page while their categorization is determined.<!--This advice should be adapted for [[MOS:TABLES]], since it also applies to table headers in poorly-organized tables.-->

=== List size ===
{{Shortcuts|MOS:LONGSEQ}}
{{See also|Wikipedia:Article size#Lists, tables and summaries}}
Keep lists and tables as short as feasible for their purpose and scope: material within a list should relate to the article topic without going into unnecessary detail; and statistical data kept to a minimum per [[WP:NOT#STATS|policy]]. 

Some material may [[Wikipedia:Page_size#Readability_issues|not be appropriate]] for reducing or summarizing using the [[WP:Summary style|summary style]] method. An embedded list may need to [[WP:SPLIT|be split off]] entirely into a list article, leaving a {{tl|See}} template which produces: {{See|Example list}}

In some cases, a list style may be preferable to a long sequence within a sentence, compare:
{| class="wikitable"
!Prose!!List
|- valign="top"
| width="50%" | [[Philosophy|Philosophers]] discuss the meaning, function, and possibility of offering definitions. It is typical (e.g., in university logic texts) to distinguish a number of different kinds and techniques of definition, including dictionary or [[lexical definition]], [[intensional definition]], [[extensional definition]], [[ostensive definition]], [[stipulative definition]], [[operational definition]], [[theoretical definition]], [[persuasive definition]], and [[definition by genus and difference]].
| width="50%" | [[Philosophy|Philosophers]] discuss the meaning, function, and possibility of offering definitions. It is typical (e.g., in university logic texts) to distinguish a number of different kinds and techniques of definition, including:
{{col-begin}}
| width="50%" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" style="border:0"|
* Dictionary or [[lexical definition]]
* [[Intensional definition]]
* [[Extensional definition]]
* [[Ostensive definition]]
* [[Stipulative definition]]
| width="50%" align="{{{align|left}}}" valign="{{{valign|top}}}" style="border:0"|
* [[Operational definition]]
* [[Theoretical definition]]
* [[Persuasive definition]]
* [[Definition by genus and difference]]
{{col-end}}
|}

=== Adding individual items to a list ===
<!-- Wikipedia:Notability (people)#Lists of people links here -->
{{shortcut|WP:SOURCELIST}}
{{See also2|{{section link|Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|Wikipedia is not a directory}}|{{section link|Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not|Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information|nopage=y}}}}
{{Further|Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists#Selection criteria}}

Lists, whether they are [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Stand-alone lists|stand-alone list]]s (also called list articles) or [[Wikipedia:Lists (embedded lists)|embedded lists]], are encyclopedic content just as paragraph-only articles or sections are. Therefore, all individual items on the list must follow Wikipedia's content policies: the [[WP:CCPOL|core content policies]] of [[WP:V|Verifiability]] (through [[WP:Identifying reliable sources|good sources]] in the item's [[WP:INTREF|one or more references]]), [[WP:NOR|No original research]], and [[WP:NPOV|Neutral point of view]], plus the other content policies as well. Content should be [[WP:BURDEN|sourced where it appears]] with [[Wikipedia:Inline citations|inline citations]] if the content contains any of the [[WP:MINREF|four kinds of material absolutely required to have citations]]. Although the format of a list might require less detail per topic, Wikipedia policies and procedures apply equally to both a list of similar things as well as to any related article to which an individual thing on the list might [[WP:LINK|be linked]].

{{Content policy list}}
It is important to [[Wikipedia:Be bold|be bold]] in adding or editing items on a list, but also to balance boldness with [[WP:CAREFUL|being thoughtful]], a balance which all content policies are aimed at helping editors achieve. Edits of uncertain quality can be [[WP:TALKPAGE|first discussed on the talk page]] for feedback from other editors. 

Besides being useful for such feedback, a talk page discussion is also a good review process for reaching [[WP:Consensus|consensus]] ''before'' adding an item that is difficult or contentious, especially those items for which the definition of the topic itself is disputed. Note that, as with other policies and processes mentioned in this section, this process can be used for any type of difficult or contentious encyclopedic content on Wikipedia. 

Reaching consensus on the talk page before editing the list itself not only saves time in the long run, but also helps make sure that each item on the list is [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|well referenced]] and that the list as a whole represents a [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|neutral point of view]]. Content should be [[WP:BURDEN|sourced where it appears]], and provide [[Wikipedia:Inline citations|inline citations]] if it contains any of the [[WP:MINREF|four kinds of material absolutely required to have citations]].

When an item meets the requirements of the [[WP:Verifiability|Verifiability]] policy, readers of the list can check an item's reference to see that the information comes from a reliable source. For information to be verifiable, it also means that Wikipedia [[WP:No original research|does not publish original research]]: its content is determined by information previously published in a good source, rather than the beliefs or experiences of its editors, or even the editor's interpretation beyond what the source actually says. Even if you're sure that an item is relevant to the list's topic, you must find a good source that verifies this knowledge before you add it to the list (although you can suggest it on the talk page), and add that source in a reference next to the item. 

In lists that involve living persons, the [[WP:BLPCAT|Biographies of living persons]] policy applies.

When reliable sources disagree, the policy of keeping a [[WP:NPOV|neutral point of view]] requires that competing views be described without endorsing any in particular. Editors should simply present what the various sources say, giving each side [[WP:WEIGHT|its due weight]] through coverage balanced according to the prominence of each viewpoint in the published reliable sources. 

When adding to a stand-alone list with [[WP:LINK|links to other articles]], [[Wikipedia:STYLEVAR|follow the established format]] when adding your item, and then see if you can link that item to an article focusing on that item's topic. If so, then consider if the list's format allows room for all the details of [[WP:NPOV|competing views]] in the list item or if those details should only be covered in the linked, main article on the topic. Either way, make sure to add them to the main article if they are not already there.

=== Categories ===
{{anchor|Category|reason=Old, inappropriately singular, section name.}}
You can add one or more suitable <em>sub</em>categories of [[:Category:Lists]] at the bottom of the page containing a list that may be of independent encyclopedic interest.  If there is a redirect for the list (e.g., from "List of Presidents of Elbonia" to "President of Elbonia#List of Elbonian Presidents") put list categories on the "List"-named redirect instead. Use a [[Wikipedia:Categorization#Sort_keys|sort key]] to sort alphabetically by topic.

== List styles ==
{{See also|Help:List|Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Bulleted and numbered lists|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility#Lists}}

There are several ways of presenting lists on Wikipedia.

=== Bulleted lists ===
{{Shortcut|WP:BULLET|WP:BULLETLIST|MOS:BULLETLIST}}
This is the most common list type on Wikipedia. Bullets are used to discern, at a glance, the individual items in a list, usually when each item in the list is a simple word, phrase or single line of text, for which numeric ordering is not appropriate, or lists that are extremely brief, where discerning the items at a glance is not an issue. They are not appropriate for large paragraphs. Simple bulleted lists are created by starting a line with <code>*</code> and adding the text of a list item, one item per <code>*</code> line.

List items should be formatted consistently.  Summary:
* Prefer [[sentence case]].
* Prefer using full sentences, and avoid mixing sentences and fragments as items in the same list.
* No terminal punctuation is used with sentence fragments.
* Do not put blank lines between list items.
{{crossref|For details, see {{section link||Bulleted and numbered lists}}, above}}.

{| class="wikitable"
|+Good example
! scope="col" | Wikitext
! scope="col" | HTML
! scope="col" | Appearance
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| class="nowrap" | <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">

== Title of list ==
* Example 1
* Example 2
* Example 3
</syntaxhighlight>
| <syntaxhighlight lang="html" style="font-size:90%">
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Title_of_list">Title of list</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Example 1</li>
<li>Example 2</li>
<li>Example 3</li>
</ul>
</syntaxhighlight>
| style="white-space:nowrap; padding:1em;" | {{fake heading|sub=2|Title of list}}
* Example 1
* Example 2
* Example 3
|}

[[Help:Lists|HTML formatting can be used]] to create rich lists, including items with internal paragraph breaks.   [[#Images and lists|Using images with lists]] requires some care.

For infoboxes, a bulleted list can be converted to [[#Unbulleted lists|unbulleted]] or [[#Horizontal lists|horizontal style]] with simple templates, to suppress both the large bullets and the indentation.

'''Do not double-space the lines of the list''' by leaving blank lines after them. Doing this breaks the list into multiple lists, defeating the purpose of using list markup. This adversely affects [[WP:Manual of Style/Accessibility|accessibility]] (screen readers will tell the visually impaired user there are multiple lists),<ref>Blank lines cause particular problems for users of [[screen reader]]s. The badly formatted example above is read out loud like this: "List of 1 items: Example 1, list end. List of 1 items: Example 2, list end. List of 1 items: Example 3, list end." Improper formatting can more than {{em|triple}} the length of time it takes to read the list.</ref> and interferes with machine-parseability of the content for [[WP:Reusing Wikipedia content|reuse]]. Moreover, in certain Web browsers, the extra white-space between one block of list output  and the next can have a visually jarring effect.

Blank lines between items of a numbered list will not only cause the same broken-list problems as in bulleted lists, but will also restart the numbering at "1". This cannot be fixed without complex markup (defeating ease-of-editing expectations), so double-spacing should always be avoided in numbered lists.
<!-- This example should merge to MOS:LISTGAPS, with just a WP:SUMMARY left behind. This is too much geeky detail for the main lists MoS page.
-->
{| class="wikitable"
|+Bad example
! scope="col" | Wikitext
! scope="col" | HTML
! scope="col" | Appearance
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| class="nowrap" | <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">
== Title of list ==
* Example 1

* Example 2

* Example 3
</syntaxhighlight>
| <syntaxhighlight lang="html" style="font-size:90%">
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Title_of_list">Title of list</span></h2>
<ul>
<li>Example 1</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Example 2</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Example 3</li>
</ul>
</syntaxhighlight>
| style="white-space:nowrap; padding:1em;" | {{fake heading|sub=2|Title of list}}
* Example 1

* Example 2

* Example 3
|}
Doing this actually produces three lists with one item each! Notice the rendered HTML in which there are as many {{tag|ul|open}} tags as {{tag|li|open}} tags.

=== Unbulleted lists ===
{{Shortcut|MOS:UBLIST|WP:UBLIST|MOS:PLAINLIST|WP:PLAINLIST}}

For lists of up to 30 items (may increase later) without bullets, use a {{Tl|Plainlist}} or {{tl|Unbulleted list}} template. Typical uses are in infobox fields, and to replace pseudo-lists of lines separated with {{Tag|br|single}}.  The templates emit the correct HTML markup, and hide the bullets with CSS {{crossref|(see {{section link|Template:Plainlist|Technical details}})}}.

{| class="wikitable"
! Wikitext
! HTML
! Appearance
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| class="nowrap" | <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" style="margin:0px;">
== Title of list ==
{{Plainlist|
* Example 1
* Example 2
* Example 3
}}
</syntaxhighlight>
| <syntaxhighlight lang="html" style="font-size:95%">
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Title_of_list">
Title of list
</span>
</h2>
<div class="plainlist">
<ul>
<li>Example 1</li>
<li>Example 2</li>
<li>Example 3</li>
</ul>
</div>
</syntaxhighlight>
| style="white-space:nowrap; padding:1em;" | {{fake heading|sub=2|Title of list}}
{{Plainlist|
* Example 1
* Example 2
* Example 3
}}
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| class="nowrap" | <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" style="margin:0px;">
== Title of list ==
{{Unbulleted list
| Example 1
| Example 2
| Example 3
}}
</syntaxhighlight>
| <syntaxhighlight lang="html" style="font-size:95%">
<h2>
<span class="mw-headline" id="Title_of_list">
Title of list
</span>
</h2>
<div class="plainlist">
<ul>
<li>Example 1</li>
<li>Example 2</li>
<li>Example 3</li>
</ul>
</div>
</syntaxhighlight>
| style="white-space:nowrap; padding:1em;" | {{fake heading|sub=2|Title of list}}
{{Unbulleted list
| Example 1
| Example 2
| Example 3
}}
|}
A benefit of {{tl|Plainlist}} is that it can be wrapped around an already-existing bullet list.  A feature of {{tl|Unbulleted list}} is that, for a short list, it can be put on a single line: {{tlx|Unbulleted list|Example 1|Example 2|Example 3}}.

=== Numbered lists ===
{{Shortcut|MOS:NUMLIST}}
Use a numbered (ordered) list only if any of the following apply:
* There is a need to refer to the elements by number.
* The sequence of the items is critical.
* The numbering has some independent meaning, for example in a listing of musical tracks on an album.

Use a <code>#</code> symbol at the start of a line to generate a numbered list item (excepted as detailed in this section, this works the same as <code>*</code> for bulleted lists, above).

List items should be formatted consistently.  Summary:
* Prefer [[sentence case]].
* Prefer using full sentences, and avoid mixing sentences and fragments as items in the same list.
* No terminal punctuation is used with sentence fragments.
* Do not put blank lines between list items.
{{crossref|For details, see {{section link||Bulleted and numbered lists}}, above}}.

'''Example:'''
{| class="wikitable"
! Wikitext
! HTML
! Appearance
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| class="nowrap" | <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">
== Title of list ==
# Example 1
# Example 2
# Example 3
</syntaxhighlight>
| <syntaxhighlight lang="html" style="font-size:90%">
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Title_of_list">Title of list</span></h2>
<ol>
<li>Example 1</li>
<li>Example 2</li>
<li>Example 3</li>
</ol>
</syntaxhighlight>
| style="white-space:nowrap; padding:1em;" | {{fake heading|sub=2|Title of list}}
# Example 1
# Example 2
# Example 3
|}
Blank lines between items of an ordered list will not only cause the same broken-list problems as in bulleted lists, but will also restart the numbering at "1". This cannot be fixed without complex markup (defeating ease-of-editing expectations), so double-spacing should always be avoided in numbered lists.

[[Help:Lists|HTML formatting can be used]] to create rich lists, including items with internal paragraph breaks; some basics are illustrated below.   [[#Images and lists|Using images with lists]] also requires some care.

==== Other cases ====
{{Shortcut|MOS:SPECIALLIST}}
Editors can use raw HTML to achieve more complex results, such as ordered lists using indexes other than numbers, and ordered lists not starting from 1.
{| class="wikitable"
! Wikitext
! Appearance
|-
| <syntaxhighlight lang="html" style="font-size:90%"><ol type="a">
<li>this</li>
<li>list</li>
<li>uses</li>
<li>letters</li>
<li>as</li>
<li>indexes</li>
</ol></syntaxhighlight>
|
<ol type="a">
<li>this</li>
<li>list</li>
<li>uses</li>
<li>letters</li>
<li>as</li>
<li>indexes</li>
</ol>
|-
| <syntaxhighlight lang="html" style="font-size:90%"><ol start="10">
<li>this</li>
<li>list</li>
<li>starts</li>
<li>from</li>
<li>10</li>
</ol></syntaxhighlight>
|
<ol start="10">
<li>this</li>
<li>list</li>
<li>starts</li>
<li>from</li>
<li>10</li>
</ol>
|-
| <syntaxhighlight lang="html" style="font-size:90%"><ol type="I" start="50">
<li>this</li>
<li>list</li>
<li>uses</li>
<li>roman</li>
<li>numerals</li>
<li>and</li>
<li>starts</li>
<li>from</li>
<li>50</li>
</ol></syntaxhighlight>
|
<ol type="I" start="50">
<li>this</li>
<li>list</li>
<li>uses</li>
<li>roman</li>
<li>numerals</li>
<li>and</li>
<li>starts</li>
<li>from</li>
<li>50</li>
</ol>
|}
Valid values for the list type are:
*1 (default, numbers)
*a (lowercase [[latin letters]])
*A (uppercase latin letters)
*i (lowercase [[roman numerals]])
*I (uppercase roman numerals)
The start value <i>can</i> be negative, but only if the list uses numbers as indexes. Otherwise, bizarre results are achieved.
{| class="wikitable"
! Wikitext
! Appearance
|-
| <syntaxhighlight lang="html" style="font-size:90%"><ol type="a" start="-2">
<li>definitely</li>
<li><b>not</b></li>
<li>a</li>
<li>good</li>
<li>idea!</li>
</ol></syntaxhighlight>
|
<ol type="a" start="-2">
<li>definitely</li>
<li><b>not</b></li>
<li>a</li>
<li>good</li>
<li>idea!</li>
</ol>
|}

=== Description (definition, association) lists ===
{{anchor|Definition lists|Association (definition) lists|DLIST|DLISTS}}
{{see|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Glossaries}}
<!-- [[Wikipedia:Definition list]] and [[Wikipedia:Semicolon]] redirect here -->
{{Shortcut|MOS:DEFLIST|MOS:DLIST}}

A description list contains groups of "... terms and definitions, metadata topics and values, questions and answers, or any other groups of name-value data."<ref>{{citation|title=HTML5: A Vocabulary and Associated APIs for HTML and XHTML – W3C Recommendation |date=28 October 2014 |publisher=[[World Wide Web Consortium]] |url= http://www.w3.org/TR/2014/REC-html5-20141028/grouping-content.html#the-dl-element |at=4.4.8 The <samp>dl</samp> element}}.</ref><ref>The description list was called a ''{{dfn|definition list}}'' in [[HTML4]] and an ''{{dfn|association list}}'' in early [[HTML5]].</ref> On Wikipedia, the most common use of a description list is for a [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Glossaries|glossary]], where it is preferable to other styles. Wikipedia has special markup for {{dfn|description lists}}:

{{markup
|
; name 1 : value 1
; name 2 : value 2
; name 3 : value 3
|
; name 1 : value 1
; name 2 : value 2
; name 3 : value 3
}}

The source can also be laid out with the descriptive value on the next line after the term, like so:

{{markup
|
; name 1
: This is the value associated with the first name and may be quite long, but must be one unbroken line in the source.
; name 2
: This is the value associated with the second name, which may also be long.
|
; name 1
: This is the value associated with the first term and may be quite long, but must be one unbroken line in the source.
; name 2
: This is the value associated with the second term, which may also be long.
}}

This still keeps the names and values within a single description list, and the alternation of typically short names and longer values makes the separate components easy to spot while editing. The resulting layout and HTML are identical to that generated by the single-line syntax. 

Both of these wikitext markup styles are functionality-limited and easily broken. A major weakness of both variants is that they are easily broken by later editors attempting to create multi-line values. These issues are most-prominent in lengthy description lists. As a solution, there are templates for producing description lists such as glossaries, in ways that provide for richer, more complex content, including multiple paragraphs, block quotations, sub-lists, etc.   {{Crossref|(For full details on the problems with colon-delimited list markup, see [[WP:Manual of Style/Glossaries/DD bug test cases]].)}}.

The basic format of a ''{{dfn|[[WP:Manual of Style/Glossaries#Template-structured|template-structured description list]]}}'' is:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Markup
!Renders as
|-
|
{{tlx|glossary}}<br />
{{tlx|term |name 1}}<br />
{{tlx|defn |value 1}}<br />
{{tnull|term&nbsp;|name 2}}<br />
{{tnull|defn&nbsp;|value 2}}<br />
{{tnull|term&nbsp;|name 3}}<br />
{{tnull|defn&nbsp;|value 3}}<br />
{{tlx|glossary end}}
|
{{glossary}}
{{term |name 1}}
{{defn |value 1}}
{{term |name 2}}
{{defn |value 2}}
{{term |name 3}}
{{defn |value 3}}
{{glossary end}}
|}

Use either wikitext or templates as above for description lists instead of other, made-up formats, as other formats may be unexpected for reader and editor alike, hamper reusability of Wikipedia content, make automated processing more difficult, and introduce usability and accessibility problems. (Other formats may take less vertical space, but will be more difficult for the reader to scan.) That said, a list of items whose descriptions contain more than one paragraph may present better [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Glossaries#Subheading-style|as sections in a stand-alone list article]], while [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Tables|tables]] are better-suited to associating content than description lists, especially when there are multiple values for each item.

As with unordered (bulleted) and ordered (numbered) lists, items in description lists [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility#Lists|should not have blank lines between them]], as it causes each entry to be its own bogus "list" in the output, obviating the point of putting the entries in list markup to begin with.

When wiki markup colons are used just for visual [[MOS:INDENT|indentation]], they too are rendered in HTML as description lists, but without <kbd>;</kbd>-delimited terms to which the <kbd>:</kbd>-indented material applies, nor with the list start and end tags, which produces broken markup {{xt|(see {{section link|WP:Manual of Style/Accessibility#Indentation}} for details)}}. More accessible indentation templates can be used, e.g., {{tlx|in5}} or one of its variants for one line, and {{tlx|block indent}} for more than one line (even if misuse of description list markup on talk pages is too ingrained to change at this point).

Many of the considerations at {{Section link|WP:Manual of Style#Section headings}} also apply to description list terms; even though description list terms are not headings, they act like headings in some ways. In at least one regard however, they are not: description list term wikitext (<kbd>;</kbd>) [[WP:PSEUDOHEAD|should not be used to subdivide large sections]]. Use a subheading instead (e.g., <kbd>=== Subheading ===</kbd>).

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Comparison of content in both prose and description list form
|-
!Prose!!List
|- valign="top"
| width="50%" |<br>
<br>
A ''disease'' is any abnormal condition that impairs normal function, especially [[infectious disease]]s, which are clinically evident diseases that result from the presence of [[pathogenic]] microbial agents. ''Illness'' or ''sickness'' are usually synonyms for ''disease'', except when used to refer specifically to the patient's personal experience of their disease.  ''Medical condition'' is a broad term that includes all diseases and disorders, but can also include [[injuries]] and normal health situations, such as [[pregnancy]], that might affect a person's health, benefit from medical assistance, or have implications for medical treatments.

| 
;Disease : Any abnormal condition that impairs normal function, especially [[infectious disease]]s, which are clinically evident diseases that result from the presence of [[pathogenic]] microbial agents.
;Illness or sickness : Synonyms for ''disease'', except when used to refer specifically to the patient's personal experience of their disease.
;Medical condition : A broad term that includes all diseases and disorders, but can also include [[injuries]] and normal health situations, such as [[pregnancy]], that might affect a person's health, benefit from medical assistance, or have implications for medical treatments.
|}

=== Tables ===
{{Main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Tables}}
Tables are a way of presenting links, data, or information in rows and columns. They are a complex form of list and are useful especially when more than 2 pieces of information are of interest to each list item. Tables require a more-complex notation, and should be scrutinized for their accessibility. Consideration may be given to [[Help:Collapsing|collapsing]] tables which [[MOS:COLLAPSE|consolidate information covered in the prose]].

Tables might be used for presenting mathematical data such as multiplication tables, comparative figures, or sporting results. They might also be used for presenting equivalent words in two or more languages, for awards by type and year, and complex discographies.

=== Horizontal lists ===
{{anchor|Comma-separated lists}}
{{shortcut|WP:FLATLIST}}
In situations such as infoboxes, horizontal lists may be useful.  Examples:

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Approach
!Output
!Code
|-
|List with commas<br>(plain text)
|{{Nobr|Entry 1, entry 2,}} entry 3
|<code>Entry 1, entry 2, entry 3</code>
|-
|List with {{tl|Hlist}}
|{{hlist |Entry 1|entry 2|entry 3}}
|{{tnull|hlist|Entry 1|entry 2|entry 3}}
|-
|List with {{tl|Flatlist}}
|{{flatlist|
* Entry 1
* entry 2
* entry 3
}}
|
<code style="padding-left: 0;"><nowiki>{{flatlist|</nowiki><br />
<nowiki />* Entry 1<br />
<nowiki />* entry 2<br />
<nowiki />* entry 3<br />
<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|}

Note the capitalization of only the first word in this list ("Entry 1 ..."), regardless of coding style.  Words that are normally capitalized, like proper names, would of course still be capitalized.

A benefit of {{tl|Flatlist}} is that it can be wrapped around an already-existing bullet list.  A feature of {{tl|Hlist}} is that, for a short list, it can be put on a single line.

=== Timelines ===
{{shortcut|WP:CHRONO|WP:DATELIST}}
{{redirect|MOS:CHRONO|order of events in biographies|MOS:CHRONOLOGICAL}}
{{seealso|Wikipedia:Timeline standards}}

For lists of dated events, or timelines, use one instance of {{Tl|Timeline-event}} per event, thus:

<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">
* {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1904|11|18|df=y}}|event=A thing happened}}
* {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1905}}|event=Not much happened}}
* {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1906|01|21}}|event=Something else happened}}
</syntaxhighlight>

to render as:
* {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1904|11|18|df=y}}|event=A thing happened}}
* {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1905}}|event=Not much happened}}
* {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1906|01|21}}|event=Something else happened}}

(note optional <code>df=y</code> (date first) parameter – date formatting should be consistent within individual articles).

Chronological lists, such as timelines, should be in earliest-to-latest chronological order. See {{section link|Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists|Chronological ordering}}.

=== Line breaks ===
{{Main|WP:Manual of Style/Accessibility#Lists}}
{{shortcut|WP:PSEUDOLIST}}
{{Automarkup|

cake<br />
cheese<br />
chocolate<br />
}}
{{em|This "pseudo-list" method is [[deprecated]]}}, as it does not meet Web standards and can cause [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility|accessibility]] problems. Instead, use one of more formatted list styles defined above.

== Boilerplate text ==
Directly before an incomplete list, insert {{tlx|incomplete list}}, which will [[WP:TRANSCLUDE|transclude]] the following onto the page:
{{incomplete list}}

Several topic-specific variations of this template are also available within {{cat|Incomplete list maintenance templates}}. Only one of {{tlx|incomplete list}} or its variations should be added, unless the topic is significantly related to more than one of the subcategories. Do not add both {{tlx|incomplete list}} AND a variation to any list. <!-- because the whole purpose of these specific templates is to diffuse the category -->

== Pro and con lists ==
{{See also|Wikipedia:Pro and con lists}}

These are lists of arguments for and against a particular contention or position. They include lists of ''Advantages and disadvantages'' of a technology or proposal (such as [[Wi-Fi]]) and lists of ''Criticisms and defenses'' of a political position or other view, such as [[libertarianism]] or [[evolution]]. Pro and con lists can encapsulate or bracket [[WP:NPOV|neutrality]] problems in an article by creating separate spaces in which different points of view can be expressed. An alternative method is to thread different points of view into running prose.

Either method needs careful judgment as to whether and how it should be used. In particular, pro and con lists can fragment the presentation of facts, create a binary structure where a more nuanced treatment of the spectrum of facts is preferable, encourage oversimplification, and require readers to jump back and forth between the two sides of the list.

== See also ==
* [[Help:Line-break handling]] – covers among other things how to properly handle the line wrapping in horizontal link lists
* [[Help:Sortable tables]] – tables on Wikipedia can be made sortable with <code>class="sortable"</code>, this page explains how
* [[Wikipedia:List dos and don'ts]] – information page summarizing the key points in this guideline
* [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Disambiguation pages]] – disambiguation pages are lists of [[homograph]]s—a word or a group of words that share the same written form but have different meanings—with their own page rules and layouts
* [[Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists]] – guideline page on content and style guidelines and naming conventions
* {{section link|Wikipedia:Template index/Cleanup#Lists}} – cleanup tags for lists
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Lists]] – project's goal is to collaboratively develop Wikipedia's list articles and embedded lists

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

{{List navbox|state=expanded}}
{{Style wide}}

[[Category:Wikipedia article elements help]]
[[Category:Wikipedia how-to]]
[[Category:Wikipedia Manual of Style (lists)| ]]
[[Category:Wikipedia lists|?]]