Editing Incubator escapee wiki:Writing better articles (section)

== Structure of the article ==
{{main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout}}
Good articles start with introductions, continue with a clear structure, and end with standard appendices such as references and related articles.

===Introductory material / Lead===
{{More|#Lead section|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section}}

Articles start with a [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section|lead section]] ([[WP:CREATELEAD]]) summarising the most important points of the topic. The lead section is the first part of the article; it comes above the first header, and may contain a [[MOS:LEADIMAGE|lead image]] which is representative of the topic, and/or an [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Infoboxes|infobox]] that provides a few key facts, often statistical, such as dates and measurements.

The lead should stand on its own as a concise overview of the article's topic, identifying the topic, establishing context, and explaining why the topic is [[Wikipedia:Notability|notable]]. The first few sentences should mention the most notable features of the article's subject – the essential facts that every reader should know. Significant information should not appear in the lead if it is not covered in the remainder of the article; the article should provide further details on all the things mentioned in the lead. Each major section in the article should be represented with an appropriate summary in the lead, including any prominent controversies; but be careful not to violate [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|WP:Neutral point of view]] by giving undue attention to less important controversies, information, or praise in the lead section. As in the body of the article itself, the emphasis given to material in the lead should roughly [[WP:DUE|reflect its importance to the topic]], according to [[Wikipedia:Verifiability#Reliable sources|reliable, published sources]].

Lead sections generally contain no more than about 400 words. Citations are usually but not always optional; see [[WP:CITELEAD]].

=== Paragraphs ===
{{shortcut|WP:PARAGRAPH}}
{{seealso|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#Paragraphs}}

Paragraphs should be short enough to be readable, but long enough to develop an idea. Paragraphs should deal with a particular point or idea, and all the sentences within that paragraph should revolve around the same topic. When the topic changes, a new paragraph should be started. Overly long paragraphs should usually be split up.

Some paragraphs are really [[Help:table|tables]] or [[Help:List|lists]] in disguise. They should be rewritten as prose or converted to their unmasked form. [[Wikipedia:When to use tables]] and [[Wikipedia:Embedded list]] offer guidance on the proper use of these elements.

=== Headings ===
Headings help clarify articles and create a structure shown in the table of contents. To learn about how the MediaWiki software uses sections, see [[Help:Section]].

Headings are hierarchical. The article's title uses a level 1 heading, so you should start with a level 2 heading (<code><nowiki>==Heading==</nowiki></code>) and follow it with lower levels: <code><nowiki>===Subheading===</nowiki></code>, <code><nowiki>====Subsubheading====</nowiki></code>, and so forth. Whether extensive subtopics should be kept on one page or moved to individual pages is a matter of personal judgment. See also below under [[#Summary style|§&nbsp;Summary style]].

Headings should not contain [[help:link#Wikilinks|links]]. This is because headings in themselves introduce information and let the reader know what subtopics will be presented; links to other articles should be incorporated in the text of the section.

=== Images ===
If the article can be illustrated with pictures, find an appropriate place to position these images, where they relate closely to text they illustrate. For more information on using pictures, see {{section link|Wikipedia:Layout|Images}} and [[Wikipedia:Picture tutorial]].

=== Standard appendices ===
<!-- The following language tracks the language at [[wp:layout]], the main article covering this subject. If you change this language you should be sure that your change reflects the text at Layout. -->
As explained in more detail at {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout|Standard appendices and footers}}, optional appendix sections containing the following information may appear after the body of the article in the following order:
# A list of books or other works created by the subject of the article ([[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#works|works]])
# A list of internal "[[wp:wikilinks#Internal links|wikilinks]]" to related Wikipedia articles ([[Wikipedia:Layout#See also section|see also]])
# Notes and references ([[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#Notes and references|notes, footnotes, or references]])
# A list of recommended relevant books, articles, or other publications that have not been used as sources ([[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#Further reading|further reading]])
# A list of recommended relevant websites that have not been used as sources ([[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#External links|external links]]).
With some exceptions, any [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#Links to sister projects|links to sister projects]] appear in further reading or external links sections. [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#Navigation templates|Succession boxes and navigational footers]] go at the end of the article, following the last appendix section, but preceding the category and interwiki templates.