Wikipedia:List dos and don'ts

The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

This is an information page.

It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lists. It may reflect differing levels of consensus and vetting.

Shortcut

WP:LISTDD

Lists are sometimes the best way to present information.

When working with lists:

DO:
Be sure a list is the best way to organize the data.
Follow the core content policies.
Provide context and criteria in a lead.
Organize entries as appropriate.
Tag with template messages as appropriate.

DON'T:
Don't use a list where prose would work better.
Don't create lists based on trivial criteria.
Don't leave blank lines between list items.
Don't use a numbered list unless the numbers are meaningful.
Don't mix different grammatical forms among list items.

Also:

Do consider joining WikiProject Lists.

v t e Lists in Wikipedia
Style	Lists Lists of works Stand-alone lists Set index articles Naming conventions (lists) Accessibility/Lists Pro and con lists List dos and don'ts (information page)
Content	Wikipedia:Contents/Lists Featured list criteria WikiProject Lists
Rationale	Categories, lists, and navigation templates Categories vs. lists Lists in Wikipedia Lists within articles Listcruft Write the article first
Existing lists	Featured lists List of lists Lists of lists List of lists of lists
Templates	Template index/Lists Category:List templates
Assistance	Help:List

v t e Wikipedia dos and don'ts
Encyclopedia content	Accessibility Biographies Living Categorization Disambiguation Long dabs Images Leads Links Lists References Tables Titles of articles
Collaboration	Consensus Talk
Simple rule set - Simple style manual - Style tips - Wikitext cheatsheet

See also