Wikipedia:Lead section TT first sentence content
First sentence content
The article should begin with a short declarative sentence, answering two questions for the nonspecialist reader: "What (or who) is the subject?" and "Why is this subject notable?"
- If possible, the page title should be the subject of the first sentence: However, if the article title is merely descriptive—such as Electrical characteristics of dynamic loudspeakers—the title does not need to appear verbatim in the main text. Similarly, where an article title is of the type "List of ...", a clearer and more informative introduction to the list is better than verbatim repetition of the title.
- When the page title is used as the subject of the first sentence, it may appear in a slightly different form, and it may include variations. Similarly, if the title has a parenthetical disambiguator, the disambiguator should be omitted in the text.
- If its subject is amenable to definition, then the first sentence should give a concise definition: where possible, one that puts the article in context for the nonspecialist. Similarly, if the subject is a term of art, provide the context as early as possible.
- If the article is about a fictional character or place, make sure to say so.
Usage
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This page contains the first-sentence content guidelines for insertion into project ("Wikipedia:" namespace) pages where such guidelines are appropriate, primarily WP:Writing better articles.
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Edit with care
Any edit you make to the following text should be consistent with WP:Manual of Style/Lead section, the main guideline covering this topic. Also, take care that the edit is appropriate for all of the other articles into which the text is transcluded (a list of such articles is provided below).
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Notes
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