User:Hemlock Martinis/Vital

This page provides answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Vital articles list.

This page should summarize the current consensus surrounding the questions' answers.

Please:
 * DO help us answer frequently asked questions about the article.
 * DO use edit summaries to describe your changes on this page.
 * DO NOT sign your edits on this page.
 * DO NOT discuss anything on this page. Conduct discussions on the Wikipedia talk:Vital articles page.

What is this list?
WP:VITAL consists of exactly 1000 articles considered vital to the encyclopedia. These articles span the breadth of human knowledge and are divided into 12 subjects: People, History, Geography, Arts, Philosophy and religion, Everyday life, Society and social sciences, Health and medicine, Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Measurement. The articles listed consist of the most important and fundamental articles to any encyclopedia within those topics.

Why does the list exist?
WP:VITAL serves a number of useful functions for the community:
 * It gives Wikipedia a direction in which to work to enhance the quality of the encyclopedia in the most essential areas.
 * It provides a barometer of Wikipedia's quality, allowing the community to determine what areas are lacking in high-quality articles and what areas is Wikipedia excelling in.
 * It serves as a centralized watchlist for Wikipedia's most important articles, giving editors the chance to see which fields need the most help.

Who created the list?
WP:VITAL was originally created in August 2004 by David Gerard as an adaptation of the metawiki "List of articles every Wikipedia should have". Since then WP:VITAL has undergone numerous revisions by multiple editors, creating a collection of the 1000 essential articles that represents the consensus of the Wikipedia community.

What makes an article "vital"?
A vital article is one considered essential to the subjects listed. For example, it would be difficult to discuss Science without the scientific method, History without World War II, Language without Grammar, Earth science without Geology, or Civics without Democracy. Individuals within the People section represent the pinnacles of their field, such as Albert Einstein in "Inventors and scientists" or William Shakespeare in "Authors". In sections such as those pertaining to People, History or Geography, weight is given to some articles to produce a more diverse, worldly list.

How are articles selected?
There are no "set in stone" guidelines for WP:VITAL. Since it encompasses so many topics, a single overarching criterion for inclusion would be irresponsible. Over time, however, certain commonly held notions have become prevalent.

Special considerations for the People section
The most frequently revised area of WP:VITAL is the People section. In those sections, determining who gets in and who is left out is a difficult task, and one overarching criterion is unreasonable given the breadth of the topic. There are, however, certain factors that editors should keep in mind when proposing changes.


 * Geographic diversity
 * Especially in the People and Geography sections, maintaining a diverse set of articles can be difficult. Since Wikipedia is an English language encyclopedia, the majority of editors come from either the United States or the Commonwealth. This trend can create a systemic bias towards topics more well-known in the Western world. To counter this, WP:VITAL includes a number of articles about people who may not be as well-known to the average American or Brit, such as Avicenna or Qin Shi Huang, but are important nonetheless.


 * Chronological diversity
 * WP:VITAL represents the most core topics of Wikipedia. As such, the individuals listed represent the entirety of human history.


 * Recentism
 * Of the 120 individuals currently in the People section, only Nelson Mandela and The Beatles are still living. While the mark on current events that living individuals such as Osama bin Laden, Vladimir Putin, George W. Bush, Tony Blair or even Queen Elizabeth II is indelible, their greater place in history is far more difficult to ascertain. WP:VITAL avoids such individuals because their roles in history are still in flux despite their more immediate notability.


 * Politicians and leaders
 * This section is, by consensus, fixed at 25 individuals.

How do I update an article's status?
Updating the article's status can be done using four symbols. The edit summary should mention both the article and the promotion. No links to the promotion are needed. (Example: Julius Caesar has been promoted to FA-status.)
 * produces, the gold star in the upper right corner of all Featured articles. The official featured article log can be used to keep up to date. As the apex of Wikipedia's assessment system, the FA icon should stand alone.
 * produces, the symbol for Good articles. A bot-maintained log updates both promotions and demotions.
 * produces, the symbol for former featured articles. The Wikipedia Signpost's "Features and admins" sections updates on a weekly basis with de-featured articles.
 * produces, the symbol for . Delisted good articles can also be tracked in the bot-maintained GA log.

How do I add articles to the list/remove articles from WP:VITAL?
To add or subtract articles, please propose your article(s) under a new section on the WP:VITAL talk page. Since there are only 1000 slots, additions should also include which article(s) would be replaced. Be sure to clearly explain your reasons for the replacement. Please do not propose replacing articles across subjects (i.e. replacing Yoga with Tamerlane) lightly and without lengthy explanation.