Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section

In Wikipedia, thelead sectionis an introduction to an article and a summary of its most important contents. It is located at the beginning of the article, before thetable of contentsand the firstheading.It isnota news-stylelead or "lede" paragraph.

The average Wikipedia visit is a few minutes long.The lead is the first thing most people read upon arriving at an article, and may be the only portion of the article that they read.It gives the basics in a nutshell and cultivates interest in reading on—though not by teasing the reader or hinting at what follows. It should be written in a clear, accessible style with aneutral point of view.

The lead should stand on its own as a concise overview of the article's topic. It should identify the topic, establish context, explain why the topic isnotable,and summarize the most important points, including any prominent controversies.The notability of the article's subject is usually established in the first few sentences. As in the body of the article itself, the emphasis given to material in the lead should roughlyreflect its importance to the topic,according toreliable, published sources.Apart from basic facts, significant information should not appear in the lead if it is not covered in the remainder of the article.

A lead section should be carefully sourced as appropriate, although it is common for citations to appear in the body and not the lead.

Elements

See also:Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout § Order of article elements

The lead section may contain optional elements presented in the following order: short description, disambiguation links (dablinks/hatnotes), maintenance tags, infoboxes, special character warning box, images, navigational boxes (navigational templates), introductory text, and table of contents, moving to the heading of the first section.

Structure of lead section:

{{Short description}}
{{Hatnote}}

{{Article for deletion}}
{{Copy edit}}

{{Use American English}}
{{Use mdy dates}}

{{Infobox rocket|name=...}}

{{Contains special characters}}

[[File:TypicalRocket.gif|...|A typical rocket]]
{{Rocket Navigation}}

A'''rocket'''is a...

==First section==

• Short descriptionis a concise explanation of the scope of the page. SeeWikipedia:Short descriptionandWikipedia:WikiProject Short descriptionsfor more information.
• Disambiguation linksshould be the first visible elements of the page, before any maintenance tags, infobox, or image; if a reader has reached the wrong page, they would want to know that first. Text-only browsers andscreen readerspresent the page sequentially. A "for topics of the same name..." disambiguation link is sometimes put at the beginning of an article to link to another article discussing another meaning of the article title. In such cases, the line should be italicized and indented usinghatnote templates.Do not make this initial link a section.See alsoWP:Hatnote.
• Deletion tags(speedy deletion,proposed deletion,andarticles for deletionnotices).
• Maintenance tagsshould be below the disambiguation links. These tags inform the reader about the general quality of the article and should be presented to the user before the article itself.
• English varietyanddate styletags help editors maintain consistency in articles as they are developed.
• Infoboxescontain summary information or an overview relating to the subject of the article, and therefore should be put before any text (though, in actuality, they generally appear to the side of the text of the lead). The primary difference between an infobox and anavigational boxis the presence of parameters: a navigational box is exactly the same in all articles of the same topic, while an infobox has different contents in each article.
• {{Contains special characters}}alerts readers that the article contains special characters which may not be supported by their platform. If required, the warning should be sufficiently near any text using the special characters that scrolling is not required to see the warning. This is generally after short infoboxes, but before long ones.
• Images.As with all images, but particularly the lead, the image used should be relevant and technically well-produced. It is also common for the lead image to be representative because it provides a visual association for the topic, and allow readers to quickly assess if they have arrived at the right page. Image captions are part of the article text. If the article has disambiguation links (dablinks), then the introductory image should appear just before the introductory text. Otherwise a screen reader would first read the image's caption, which is part of the article's contents, then "jump" outside the article to read the dablink, and then return to the lead section, which is an illogical sequence.See alsoWikipedia:Manual of Style/Images § Images for the lead.
• Sidebarsare a cohesive collection of links used in multiple related articles to facilitate navigation between those articles.
  The placement of a sidebar in the lead is generally discouraged;it may be included on a case-by-case basis, placed preferablyafterthe lead-section image and infobox. Outside the lead, sidebars are often placed at the top or bottom of any section of an article.
• All but the shortest articles should start withintroductory text(the "lead" ), which establishes significance, includes mention of significant criticism or controversies, and make readers want to learn more.The lead has no heading.See alsoWikipedia:Writing better articles § Lead section.
• Thetable of contents(ToC) automatically appears on pages with at least four headings. Avoidfloating the ToCif possible, as it breaks the standard look of pages. If you must use a floated TOC, put it below the lead section in the wiki markup for consistency. Users ofscreen readersexpect the table of contents to follow the introductory text; they also miss text placed between the TOC and the first heading.

Citations

Further information:Wikipedia:VerifiabilityandWikipedia:Citing sources

For instructions on how to "bundle" citations, seeHelp:Citation merging.

See also:Help:Transclusion § Drawbacks

The lead section must conform toverifiability,biographies of living persons,and other policies. The verifiability policy states thatall quotations, and any material whose verifiability has been challenged or is likely to be challenged, must include aninline citationto a reliable source that directly supports it.

Because the lead usually repeats information that is in the body, editors should balance the desire to avoid redundant citations in the lead with the desire to aid readers in locating sources for challengeable material. Although the presence of citations in the lead is neither required in every article nor prohibited in any article, there is no exception to citation requirements specific to leads. The necessity for citations in a lead should be determined on a case-by-case basis by editorialconsensus.Complex, current, or controversial subjects may require many citations; others, few or none.

As editors are often unaware of this guideline, good faith should be assumed when{{citation needed}}tags are added to lead sections sometimes erroneously.{{Leadcite comment}}can be added to article leads that often attract unwarranted{{citation needed}}tags.

Content

Provide an accessible overview

See also:Wikipedia:Summary style

The lead section should briefly summarize the most important points covered in an article, in such a way that it can stand on its own as a concise version of the article. The reason for a topic's noteworthiness should be established, or at least introduced, in the lead (but not by using subjectivepeacock termssuch as "acclaimed" or "award-winning" or "hit" ). It is even more important here than in the rest of the article that the text be accessible. Editors should avoid lengthy paragraphs and overly specific descriptions – greater detail is saved for the body of the article. Consideration should be given to creating interest in the article, butdo not hintat startling facts without describing them.

Make the lead section accessible to as broad an audience as possible. Where possible, avoid difficult-to-understandterminology,symbols, mathematical equations and formulas. Where uncommon terms are essential, they should be placed in context, linked, and briefly defined. The subject should be placed in a context familiar to a normal reader. For example, it is better to describe the location of a town with reference to an area or larger place than with coordinates. Readers should not be dropped into the middle of the subject from the first word; they should be eased into it.

Relative emphasis

According tothe policy on due weight,emphasis given to material should reflect its relative importance to the subject, according to publishedreliable sources.This is true for both the lead section and the body of the article. If there is a difference in emphasis between the two, editors should seek to resolve the discrepancy.

Significant information should not appear in the lead, apart from basic facts, if it is not covered in the remainder of the article, although not everything in the lead must be repeated in the body of the text. Exceptions include specific facts such as quotations, examples, birth dates, taxonomic names, case numbers, and titles. This admonition should not be taken as a reason to exclude information from the lead, but rather to harmonize coverage in the lead with material in the body of the article.

Opening paragraph

The first paragraph shoulddefineor identify the topic with aneutral point of view,but without being too specific. It should establish the context in which the topic is being considered by supplying the set of circumstances or facts that surround it. If appropriate, it should give the location and time. It should also establish the boundaries of the topic; for example, the lead for the articleList of environmental issuessuccinctly states that the list covers "harmful aspects of human activity on the biophysical environment".

First sentence

"MOS:FIRST" redirects here. For the guideline on ordinals, seeMOS:1ST.

See also:Wikipedia:Writing better articles § Use of "refers to",andWikipedia:Wikipedia is not a dictionary § Fi xing the introductory sentence: removing "refers to"

The first sentence should introduce the topic, and tell the nonspecialist readerwhatorwhothe subject is, and oftenwhenorwhere.It should be inplain English.

Do not overload the first sentence by describing everything notable about the subject. Instead, spread the relevant information out over the entire lead. Avoid cluttering the first sentence with a long parenthetical containing items like alternative spellings and pronunciations: these can make the sentence difficult to read. This information should be placed elsewhere.

• If possible, thepage titleshould be thesubjectof the first sentence,although there are exceptions:
  • If the article title is merely descriptive—such asElectrical characteristics of dynamic loudspeakers—the title does not need to appear verbatim in the main text.
  • Similarly, if the page is alist,donotintroduce the list as "This is alist of X"or" Thislist of Xs... ". A clearer and more informative introduction to the list is better than verbatim repetition of the title. A good example of this is theList of Benet Academy alumni.(See alsoFormat of the first sentencebelow.)
• 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, including plural forms (particularly if they are unusual or confusing) orsynonyms.
• If the title has aparenthetical disambiguator,such asMercury (planet),the parenthetical should be omitted in the text.
• Dates and locations should be included in the first sentence if they help the reader to quickly determine if they're reading the right article. For instance, in the articleSpanish–American War,the text of the lead begins:
  TheSpanish–American War(April 21 – August 13, 1898) was anarmed conflictbetweenSpainand theUnited States.
• If its subject is definable, then the first sentence should give a concise definition: where possible, one that puts the article in context for the nonspecialist. Similarly, if the title is aspecialized term,provide the context as early as possible.
• Avoid constructions like "[Subject]refers to... "or"...is a word for... "– the article is about the subject, not a termforthe subject.For articles that are actually about terms,italicize the termto indicate theuse–mention distinction.
• For topicsnotablefor only one reason, this reason should usually be given in the first sentence.
• If the article is about a fictional character or place, make this clear.

Format of the first sentence

See also:Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Text formatting § Boldface,andWikipedia:Superfluous bolding explained

If anarticle's titleis a formal or widely accepted name for the subject, display it in bold as early as possible in the first sentence:

Theelectronis asubatomic particlewith a negativeelementaryelectric charge.(Electron)

Otherwise, include the title if it can be accommodated in a natural way:

TheUnited States presidential line of successionis the order in which officials of the United States... (United States presidential line of succession)

Bolding of title and alternative names

See also:Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography § Text formatting

Only the first occurrence of the title andsignificantalternative names(which should usually alsoredirectto the article)are placed in bold:

Mumbai,also known asBombay,is the capital of theIndianstate ofMaharashtra.(Mumbai)

Common abbreviations (in parentheses after the corresponding title) are considered significant alternative names in this sense:

TheInternational Music Score Library Project(IMSLP), also known as thePetrucci Music Libraryafter publisherOttaviano Petrucci,is a... (International Music Score Library Project)

If an article is about an event involving a subject about which there is no main article, especially if the article is thetarget of a redirect,the subject should be in bold:

Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain(11 June – 17 August 1980) was an Australian baby girl who was killed by a dingo on the night of 17 August 1980... (Death of Azaria Chamberlain,redirected from Azaria Chamberlain)

Avoid redundancy

"WP:REDUNDANCY" redirects here. For redundant articles, seeWP:REDUNDANT.

Keepredundancyto a minimum in the first sentence. Use the first sentence of the article to provide relevant information that isnotalready given by the title of the article. The title need not appear verbatim in the lead if it is descriptive. For example:

Iraq–Pakistan relationsare the relations betweenIraqandPakistan.

IraqandPakistanestablisheddiplomatic relationsin 1947.

The statementrelations are the relationsdoes not help a reader who does not know the meaning ofdiplomatic relations.The second version sensibly includes new information (that relations were established in 1947) in the first sentence, rather than repeating the title.

If the article's title does not lend itself to being used easily and naturally in the first sentence, the wording should not be distorted in an effort to include it. Instead, simply describe the subject in normal English, avoiding unnecessary redundancy.

The2011 Mississippi River floodswere a series offloodsaffecting theMississippi Riverin April and May 2011, which were among the largest and most damaging recorded along theU.S.waterway in the past century.

Majorfloodsalong theMississippi Riverin April and May 2011 were among the largest and most damaging recorded along theU.S.waterway in the past century.

Sometimes a little redundancy is unavoidable. For example, theOxford English Dictionary(OED) has to be called by its proper name in its article, and cannot be called anything other than adictionaryin the first sentence. Even in these cases, the first sentence should provide information not given in the title. But try to rephrase whenever possible. Instead of:

TheOxford English Dictionaryis adictionaryof theEnglish language.

consider:

TheOxford English Dictionaryis the principal historicaldictionaryof theEnglish language.

Both contain some redundancy, but the second is better because it tells us that the OED is the world'smost respecteddictionary of English.

Avoid these other common mistakes

Links should not be placed in theboldfacereiteration of the title in the first sentence of a lead:

TheBabe RuthAwardis given annually to theMajor League Baseball(MLB) player with the best performance in thepostseason.

TheBabe Ruth Awardis given annually to theMajor League Baseball(MLB) player with the best performance in thepostseason.The award, created in honor ofBabe Ruth,was first awarded in 1949 to the MVP of theWorld Series,one year after Ruth's death.

As an exception, disambiguation pages may use bolding forthe link to the primary topic,if there is one.

In general, if the article's title (or a significant alternative title) is absent from the first sentence, do not apply the bold style to related text thatdoesappear (example from1999 Nepalese general election):

General electionswere held inNepalon May 3 and May 17, 1999.

General elections were held inNepalon May 3 and May 17, 1999.

Proper names and titles

If the title of the page is normallyitalicized(for example, a work of art, literature, album, or ship) then its first mention should be both bold and italic text:

Las Meninas(Spanish forThe Maids of Honour) is a 1656 painting byDiego Velázquez,...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly(Italian:Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo) is a 1966 Italianepicspaghetti Westernfilm...

If the mention of the article's title is surrounded by quotation marks, the title should be bold but the quotation marks should not be:

"Yesterday"is a song originally recorded bythe Beatlesfor their 1965 albumHelp!

Pronunciation

Further information on the formatting of pronunciation in the first sentence:Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation

If the name of the article has a pronunciation that is not apparent from its spelling, include itspronunciationin parentheses after the first occurrence of the name. Most such terms are non-English words or phrases (mate,coup d'état), proper nouns (Ralph Fiennes,Tuolumne River,Tao Te Ching), or very unusual English words (synecdoche,atlatl). It is preferable to move pronunciation guides to a footnote or elsewhere in the article if they would otherwise clutter the first sentence. Do not include pronunciation guides for non-English translations of the article title in the text of the lead sentence, as this clutters the lead sentence and impairs readability.

Do not include in the text of the lead sentence pronunciations for names of locations that are associated with non-English languages but whose pronunciations are well known in English (e.g.,Poland,Paris). Do not include them for common English words, even if their pronunciations are counterintuitive for learners (laughter,sword). If the name of the article is more than one word, include pronunciation only for the words that need it unless all are in other languages (all ofJean van Heijenoortbut onlyCholmondeleyinThomas P. G. Cholmondeley). A fuller discussion of pronunciation can come later in the article.

Contextual links

The first sentence should provide links to the broader or more elementary topics that are important to the article's topic or place it into thecontextwhere it isnotable.

For example, an article about a building or location should include a link to the broader geographical area of which it is a part.

Arugam Bayis abayon theIndian Oceanin the dry zone ofSri Lanka's southeast coast.

In an article about a technical or jargon term, the first sentence or paragraph should normally contain a link to thefield of studythat the term comes from.

Inheraldry,tincturesare the colours used toemblazonacoat of arms.

Thefirst sentence of an article about a personshould link to the page or pages about the topic where the person achieved prominence.

Harvey Lavan"Van"Cliburn Jr.(July 12, 1934 – February 27, 2013) was an Americanpianistwho achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at age 23, when he won the first quadrennialInternational Tchaikovsky Piano Competitionin Moscow, at the height of theCold War.

Exactly what provides the context needed to understand a given topic varies greatly from topic to topic.

TheGemarais the component of theTalmudcomprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on theMishnah.

Do not, however, add contextual links that don't relate directly to the topic's definition or reason for notability. For example,Van Cliburn'sfirst sentence links toCold Warbecause his fame came partly from his Tchaikovsky Competition victory being used as a Cold War symbol. The first sentence of a page about someone who rose to fame in the 1950s for reasons unrelated to the Cold War should not mention the Cold War at all, even though the Cold War is part of the broader historical context of that person's life. By the same token,do not link to yearsunless the year has some special salience to the topic.

Most Featured Articles contain about 12 to 25 links in the lead, with an average of about 1.5 links per sentence or one link for every 16 words.

Links appearing ahead of the bolded term distract from the topic if not necessary to establish context, and should be omitted even if they might be appropriate elsewhere in the text. For example, a person's title or office, such as colonel, naturally appears ahead of their name, but the word "Colonel" should not have a link, since it doesn't establish context. (Do not, however, reword a sentence awkwardly just to keep a needed contextual link from getting ahead of the bolded term.)

ColonelCharles Hotham(died 1738) was a specialBritish envoyentrusted byGeorge IIwith the task of negotiating a double marriage between theHanoverandHohenzollerndynasties.

Organisms

See alsoWikipedia:Manual of Style § Animals, plants, and other organismsfor capitalization rules; andWikipedia:Naming conventions (fauna)andWikipedia:Naming conventions (flora)for article title guidelines.

When a common (vernacular) name is used as the article title, the boldfaced common name is followed by the italic boldfaced scientific name in round parentheses in the first sentence of the lead. Alternative names should be mentioned and reliably sourced in the text where applicable, with bold type in the lead if they are in wide use, or elsewhere in the article (with or without the bold type, per editorial discretion) if they are less used. It is not necessary to include non-English common names, unless they are also commonly used in English, e.g. regionally; if included, they should be italicized as non-English.

Thomson's gazelle(Eudorcas thomsonii) is the most common gazelle ofEast Africa...

When the article title is the scientific name, reverse the order of the scientific and common name(s) (if any of the latter are given), and boldface as well as italicize the scientific name. Avoid putting the most common name in parentheses (this suppresses its display in some views of Wikipedia, includingWikipedia:Pop-upsandGoogle Knowledge Graph).

Vitis vinifera,thecommon grape vine,is a species ofVitis,native to theMediterranean region,central Europe, and southwestern Asia...

Brassica oleraceais thespeciesof plant that includes many common foods ascultivars,includingcabbage,broccoli,cauliflower,kale,Brussels sprouts,savoy,andChinese kale...

Scope of article

In some cases the definition of the article topic in the opening paragraph may be insufficient to fully constrain the scope of the article. In particular, it may be necessary to identify material that isnotwithin scope. For instance, the article onfevernotes that an elevated core body temperature due tohyperthermiais not within scope. These explanations may best be done at the end of the lead section to avoid cluttering and confusing the first paragraph. This information and other meta material in the lead is not expected to appear in the body of the article.

Biographies

Main pages:Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography § Lead section,andWikipedia:Biographies of living persons

A summary of the key points inthe main guidelineon this:

• Reliably sourced material about encyclopedically relevant controversies is neither suppressed in the lead nor allowed to overwhelm; the lead must correctly summarize the article as a whole.
• Recent events affecting a subject are kept in historical perspective; most recent is not necessarily most notable. Balance new information with old, giving all informationdue weight.
• Wikipedia is not a memorial site;when a subject dies, the lead should not radically change, nor dwell on the death.
• Do not use primary sourcesfor private details about living persons, including birth dates.

For more information on biographical leads in general, see the main guideline:Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography

Biographies' first sentence

Further information:Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography § Opening paragraph

Underthe main guidelineon this, the opening paragraph of a biographical article should neutrally describe the person, provide context, establishnotabilityand explain why the person is notable, and reflect the balance of reliable sources.

The first sentence should usually state:

1. Name(s) andtitle(s), if any(see alsoWP:NCNOB).Handling of the subject's name is covered underMOS:NAMES.
2. Dates of birth and death (if found insecondary sources– do not useprimary sources for birth dates of living personsor other private details about them). If specific day–month–year dates for birth/death are given elsewhere in the article, then a simple year–year range may be sufficient to provide context.
3. Context (location, nationality, etc.) for the activities that made the person notable.
4. One, or possibly more,noteworthypositions, activities, or roles that the person held, avoidingsubjectiveorcontentiousterms.
5. The main reason the person isnotable(key accomplishment, record, etc.)

However, try to not overload the first sentence by describing everything notable about the subject; instead, spread relevant information over the lead section.

Examples:

Cleopatra VII Philopator(‹See Tfd›Greek:Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ;69 – August 12, 30 BC), was queen of thePtolemaic Kingdomof Egypt, and its last active ruler.

Francesco Petrarca(Italian:[franˈtʃeskopeˈtrarka];July 20, 1304 – July 19, 1374), commonlyanglicizedasPetrarch(/ˈpiːtrɑːrk,ˈpɛ-/), was a scholar andpoetofRenaissance Italy,who was one of the earliesthumanists.

Cesar Estrada Chavez(March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, withDolores Huerta,co-founded theNational Farm Workers Association,which later became theUnited Farm Workers(UFW)...

François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand(26 October 1916 – 8 January 1996) wasPresident of Francefrom 1981 to 1995,...

Alternative biographical names

Main page:Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biographies § Names

The basic instructions for biographical names are summarized below;the main guidelineon this provides additional detail.

• While acommonly recognizableform of name is used as the title of abiographical article,fuller forms of name may be used in the introduction to the lead. For instance, in the articlePaul McCartney,the text of the lead begins: "Sir James Paul McCartney... ".
• The name of a person is presented in full if known, including any given names that were abbreviated or omitted in the article's title. For example, the article onCalvin Coolidgegives his name asJohn Calvin Coolidge Jr.
• If a person changed their full name at some point after birth, the birth name may be given as well, if relevant. For example, a lead may mention a woman's birth name when there are relevant matters before she became notable under her married name; also the lead of the article onCaitlyn Jennerincludes her birth nameWilliam Bruce Jennerbecause she was also notable under that name.
• If ahypocorism(diminutive) that is common in English is often used for the subject in lieu of a given name, it isnotinserted into the name or given after it, e.g.,Tom Hopperhas simplyThomas Edward Hopper.
  • Also acceptable are formulations likeAlessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi,known asSandro Botticelli,when applicable. Hypocorisms arenotput in quotation marks.
• If a person is commonly known by anickname(other than a hypocorism), it is presented between quote marks following the last given name or initial, as forBunny Berigan,which hasRoland Bernard"Bunny"Berigan.The quotation marks are not boldfaced.

Alternative names

See also:Wikipedia:Article titles § Treatment of alternative names,Wikipedia:Naming conventions (geographic names),andWikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography § Names

Thearticle titleappears at the top of a reader's browser window and as a large level 1 heading above the editable text of an article, circled here in dark red. The name or names given in the first sentence does not always match the article title. This page gives advice on the contents of the first sentence, not the article title.

By the design of Wikipedia's software, an article can have only one title. When this title is a name, significant alternative names for the topic should be mentioned in the article. These may include alternative spellings, longer or shorter forms, historical names, and significant names in other languages. Indeed, alternative names can be used in article text in contexts where they are more appropriate than the name used as the title of the article. For example, the city now called "Gdańsk"can be referred to as" Danzig "in suitable historical contexts.

The editor needs to balance the desire to maximize the information available to the reader with the need to maintain readability. Use this principle to decide whether mentioning alternative names in the first sentence, elsewhere in the article, or not at all.

The title can be followed in the first sentence by one or two alternative names inparentheses.

Separate section usage

If there are three or more alternative names, they should not be included in the first sentence as this creates clutter. Instead, the names may be footnoted, or moved elsewhere in the article such as in a "Names" or "Etymology" section. As an exception, a local official name different from a widely accepted English name should be retained in the lead.

Archaic names,including names used before thestandardization of English orthographyshould be clearly marked as such, i.e., (archaic:name), and should not be placed in the first sentence.

Other languages

See also:Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Non-English names

Wikipedia's naming conventionsrecommend the use of English.However, where the subject of an article is best known in English-language sources by its non-English name (e.g.,Taj Mahal,Champs-Élysées), the non-English title may be appropriate for the article.Relevantnon-English names, such as those of people who do not write their names in English, are encouraged.

If the subject of the article is closely associated with a non-English language, a single equivalent name in another language may be included in the lead sentence, usually in parentheses. For example, an article about a location in a non-English-speaking country typically includes the local-language equivalent:

Chernivtsi Oblast(Ukrainian:Чернівецька область,Chernivetska oblast) is anoblast(province) in westernUkraine,bordering onRomaniaandMoldova.

Do not include non-English equivalents in the text of the lead sentence for alternative names or for particularly lengthy names, as this clutters the lead sentence and impairs readability. Do not include non-English equivalents in the lead sentence just to show etymology. Non-English names should be moved to a footnote or elsewhere in the article if they would otherwise clutter the first sentence.

Separate languages should be divided bysemicolons;romanizationsof non-Latin scripts, bycommas.Do not boldface non-English names not normally used in English. Some non-English terms should be italicized. These cases are described in theManual of Style for text formatting.

TheInuit(plural; pronounced/ˈɪnjuɪt/;Inuktitut:ᐃᓄᐃᑦ'the people') are a group of culturally similarindigenous peoplesinhabiting theArcticregions ofGreenland,Canada andAlaska...

Stubs

See also:WP:OVERSECTION

Where the article is astuband has no section headings, a lead section may not be necessary. Although Wikipedia encourages expanding stubs, this may be impossible if reliably sourced information is not available. Once an article has been sufficiently expanded, generally to around 400 or 500 words, editors should consider introducing section headings and removing the stub classification. Articles that are shorter than a well-written lead usually do not need a lead.

Length

The appropriate length of the lead section depends on the complexity of the subject and development of the article. Too short leaves the reader unsatisfied; too long is intimidating, difficult to read, and may cause the reader to lose interest halfway. These suggestions may be useful:

• The length should conform to readers' expectations of a short, but useful and complete, summary of the topic.
• Few well-written leads will be shorter than about 100 words. The leads in mostfeatured articlescontain about 250 to 400 words.

Lead sections that reflect or expand on sections in other articles are discussed atSummary style.Journalistic conventions for lead sections are discussed in the articleNews style.

Editing the lead section

All users can edit the lead by clicking the edit link of the whole article. By default, there is no edit link just for the lead section, but registered users can get it by enabling one or both of the followingpreferences(both require JavaScript):

• Preferences→Gadgets→Appearance→Add an [edit] link for the lead section of a page
• Preferences→Editing→General options→Enable section editing by right clicking on section titles

Comparison to the news-style lead

Wikipedia lead sections are not written innews style.Although there are some similarities, such as putting the most important information first and making it possible for any reader to understand the subject even if they only read the lead, there are some differences. Thelead paragraph(sometimes spelled "lede")of newspaper journalism is a compressed summary of only the most important facts about a story. These basic facts are sometimes referred to as the "five Ws":who,what,when,where,andwhy.Journalistic leads normally are only one or two sentences long. By contrast, in Wikipedia articles, the first sentence is usually a definition, the lead is longer, and it ultimately provides more information, as its purpose is to summarize the article, not just introduce it.

Comparison of journalistic and encyclopedic leads for theBhopal disaster

Journalistic lead

Encyclopedic lead

Toxic gas leaking from an American-owned insecticide plant in central India killed at least 410 people overnight, many as they slept, officials said today. At least 12,000 were reported injured in the disaster in the city of Bhopal, 2,000 of whom were hospitalized. —Hazarika, Sanjoy (3 December 1984)"Gas leak in city kills at least 410 in city of Bhopal"The New York Times

TheBhopal disasterorBhopal gas tragedywas achemical accidenton the night of 2–3 December 1984 at theUnion Carbide India Limited(UCIL)pesticideplant inBhopal,Madhya Pradesh, India. In what is considered theworld's worst industrial disaster,over 500,000 people in the small towns around the plant were exposed to the highlytoxicgasmethyl isocyanate(MIC). Estimates vary on the death toll, with the official number of immediate deaths being 2,259. In 2008, theGovernment of Madhya Pradeshpaid compensation to the family members of 3,787 victims killed in the gas release, and to 574,366 injured victims. A government affidavit in 2006 stated that the leak caused 558,125 injuries, including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries. Others estimate that 8,000 died within two weeks, and another 8,000 or more have since died from gas-related diseases.

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