Wikipedia:Article title dos and don'ts

Titles tell readers what an article is about.

Article titles should be precise, recognizable, and neutral. Generally:

DO: File:Green check.png Use the most common name in English for the subject File:Green check.png Follow the pattern of similar articles File:Green check.png Use sentence case, and prefer singular nouns File:Green check.png Create redirects from other plausible titles File:Green check.png Check for special naming conventions for certain article types File:Green check.png If necessary, disambiguate as naturally as possible File:Green check.png If the title is ambiguous, use a hatnote or disambiguation page

DON'T: File:Red x.svg Don't make titles longer than necessary File:Red x.svg Don't use judgmental words in descriptive titles File:Red x.svg Don't start with "A", "An", or "The" unless part of a proper name File:Red x.svg Don't put titles in quotes; use formatting templates instead File:Red x.svg Don't use special characters if avoidable File:Red x.svg Don't disambiguate more than necessary File:Red x.svg Don't create subsidiary titles that look like subpages

See also

• Simple rule set
• Simple style manual
• Style tips