Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Organizing disambiguation pages by subject area



On helps readers find the page they want.

, by:


 * 1) Identifying the relevant section from level 2 headers, then
 * 2) Identifying the relevant subsection (if present) from level 3 (and deeper) headers, then
 * 3) Identifying the topic they want from the entries in that (sub)section

without having to descend into irrelevant sections, and. This page discusses three principles that enable that goal, and suggested headings to use.

Guidance for individual entries is at Manual of Style/Disambiguation pages.

1. Clearly defined subject areas
The title of each section must make it clear what kinds of entries it contains, and entries that fall within that subject area  be there. Also:


 * , if practical. Consistency helps readers immensely.


 * E.g., vehicles and engines would fit in "Transportation" and in "Science and technology", so if you use both sections, readers won't know where to look. If overlap can't be avoided:
 * For items that fit in multiple sections: duplicate these entries in each appropriate section.
 * For items (or a subsection): put these entries in only one section, and put a hatnote at the top of any other appropriate sections, e.g.:.
 * Biology and medicine is fine; Cosmology and medicine is not. Other uses is the exception.
 * – but not at the cost of making awkward or overly small sections (see ).
 * – but not at the cost of making awkward or overly small sections (see ).

2. Moderate section size
To minimize the reading users need to do on average, avoid both long, undivided sections, and lots of small sections:
 * Sections with should usually be divided into subsections, if practical. Use judgment based on the particular page.
 * Sections with should often (for only one entry, almost ) be combined, typically in an "Other uses" section.

3. "Other uses" below
Entries that are not fully categorized belong in an "Other uses [in topic]" section at the of the page or section (but before any "See also" section). The space above the first section on the page (or above the first subsection in a section) should have any entries ("orphans"), except for:


 * At most primary topic, if there is one, at the top of the page; and
 * A few more common meanings, if they exist;

these entries should be repeated in the appropriate sections. "Loose" entries at the top of a page or section aren't accounted for in the table of contents, so readers relying on the ToC can easily miss them.

If all the "other" entries in a section can be described by a plural noun, the words "uses in" should be avoided, e.g.: Other people, not Other uses in people; Other media, not Other uses in media.

Also:

 * Use, not bold text or semicolon markup, for headings (see WP:PSEUDOHEAD).
 * Put the table of contents before the first heading with.
 * Use the "See also" section for entries whose titles are, but , the page title.
 * Order sections alphabetically unless there is a clear reason not to. (This is the easiest order to recognize – importance, for example, is usually too subjective.)

Schemes to avoid
Organizing schemes based on subject area can be confusing. Avoid organizing entries by etymology, pronunciation, or whether the terms are acronyms or not – these schemes assume knowledge that the reader may not have.

Certain variations on the ambiguous term may be used to sort entries sections, such as:


 * Formatting, such as capitalization
 * Plural vs. singular forms of a term
 * The presence of "A(n)" or "The" (or their equivalent in a foreign language) at the start of a proper title

but these should not be the basis for section divisions, particularly when a subject area scheme can be used instead. For more on sorting within sections, see MOS:DABORDER.

=Example scheme=

This scheme, or any part of it, may be used to organize disambiguation pages. Braces ("{}") suggest alternative terms, which may be split up and recombined in keeping with the principles above. Common pitfalls that may make dab pages harder to navigate are.

NOTE! These headings are an ; most disambiguation pages will only use a few of these headings. They should be liberally modified, supplemented, and promoted or demoted to different header levels to best suit each particular page. Disambiguation pages are enormously varied, and another scheme may better suit a given page.

[Title] may refer to:

{Arts|Entertainment|Media}

 * [If or  in the arts are listed elsewhere, note this in a hatnote, e.g.: For people in arts and entertainment, see .]
 * [It may be helpful to separate items with proper names (e.g. The Noise (band)) from generic terms (e.g. noise music).]
 * [If or  in the arts are listed elsewhere, note this in a hatnote, e.g.: For people in arts and entertainment, see .]
 * [It may be helpful to separate items with proper names (e.g. The Noise (band)) from generic terms (e.g. noise music).]
 * [It may be helpful to separate items with proper names (e.g. The Noise (band)) from generic terms (e.g. noise music).]

Fictional {characters|elements}

 * [Useful for characters or elements that appear in multiple types of media; otherwise, sort by medium as follows.]

Other media

 * [Such as painting or sculpture]

{Businesses|Organizations}

 * [An "organization" is generally accepted to mean any group of people formally organized for a purpose. If "Organizations" is used, and businesses, schools, sports teams, etc. are listed elsewhere, hatnote(s) are needed here.]

{Government|Military|Political} organizations

 * [Break down geographically if needed]

{Schools|Universities}

 * [Break down geographically or by academic level if needed]

Sports {teams|organizations}

 * [If listed in a separate "Sport" section, note this in a hatnote]

Other {businesses|organizations}

 * [Break down by industry if needed]

{Economics|Finance|Law}

 * [For topics in economic science, a subsection of "Science" may be more appropriate.]

People

 * [List (such as ethnic groups),  as such, and  shared by several people  from individuals.]
 * [List (such as ethnic groups),  as such, and  shared by several people  from individuals.]

In {arts|entertainment|media}

 * [Break down by type of media if needed, but beware of overlap with an "Arts and media" section]

Places

 * [Break down geographically, or into buildings/facilities, populated areas (like cities and states), and natural formations, if needed]

{Religion|Mythology|Philosophy}

 * [If people in these fields are listed in a separate "People" section, note this in a hatnote.]

{Science|Technology|Mathematics}

 * [If people in these fields are listed in a separate "People" section, note this in a hatnote.]
 * [If people in these fields are listed in a separate "People" section, note this in a hatnote.]

Mathematics

 * [Some consider mathematics to be a science, some don't. If there are math topics here, it is advisable to include "mathematics" in the parent section title.]

{Military technology|Weapons}

 * [May overlap with "Electronics" or "Transportation" subsections.]

{Transportation|Vehicles}

 * [If transportation technologies are listed in a separate "Transportation" section, note this in a hatnote.]

Sports

 * [Break down by sport, geographically, or separate into amateur, professional, and school sports, if needed]
 * [Break down by sport, geographically, or separate into amateur, professional, and school sports, if needed]

Vehicles

 * [Often used for individual vessels (e.g. HMS Dreadnought (1906)), with of vehicles (e.g. dreadnought) listed under "Science and technology" instead; if so, note this in a hatnote.]
 * [Often used for individual vessels (e.g. HMS Dreadnought (1906)), with of vehicles (e.g. dreadnought) listed under "Science and technology" instead; if so, note this in a hatnote.]

Other uses

 * [Ambiguous entries that do not fit into another section. Entries that fit in another section, but not in any of its subsections, should be placed in an "Other uses in [topic]" subsection there.]