Wikipedia:Disambiguation dos and don'ts

Disambiguation pages are not encyclopedia articles – they are navigation aids!

Users arrive at these pages with a specific article in mind. So when you edit these pages:

DO: File:Green check.png Put the target link at the start of each entry. File:Green check.png Keep descriptions short. File:Green check.png Sort entries; if sectioning, put "Other uses" last. File:Green check.png Put the primary topic at the top, if one exists. File:Green check.png Use {{Wiktionary}} for dictionary definitions. File:Green check.png Fix incoming links to point to the intended page. File:Green check.png Tag pages that need work with {{dab cleanup}}.

DON'T: File:Red x.svg Don't include entries without a blue link. File:Red x.svg Don't pipe links unless formatting requires it. File:Red x.svg Don't include red links unless used in articles. File:Red x.svg Don't include multiple blue links within an entry. File:Red x.svg Don't include dictionary definitions as entries. File:Red x.svg Don't include every article containing the title. File:Red x.svg Don't include references or external links.

Also: Do consider joining WikiProject Disambiguation.

1.^ Unless the target article is not the ambiguous item itself.

2.^ To see if a red link is used in existing articles, click the red link, then click "What links here" in the toolbox on the left. An entry with a redlink must also include a blue link that mentions the ambiguous term.

3.^ Put the wiktionary template at the top of the page to provide a link to dictionary definitions.

See also

• Guideline
• Manual of Style
• Reader help