An article with a table of contents block and an image near the start, then several sections
Sample article layout (click on image for larger view)
This guide presents the typical layout of Wikipedia articles, including the sections an article usually has, ordering of sections, and formatting styles for various elements of an article. For advice on the use of wiki markup, see Help:Editing; for guidance on writing style, see Manual of Style.
Contents
1 Order of article elements
2 Body sections
2.1 Headings and sections
2.2 Names and orders for section headings
2.3 Section templates and summary style
2.4 Paragraphs
3 Standard appendices and footers
3.1 Headings
3.2 Works or publications
3.3 "See also" section
3.4 Notes and references
3.5 Further reading
3.6 External links
3.6.1 Links to sister projects
3.7 Navigation templates
4 Specialized layout
5 Formatting
5.1 Images
5.2 Horizontal rule
5.3 Collapsible content
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
A simple article should have, at least, (a) a lead section and (b) references. The following list includes additional standardized sections in an article. A complete article need not have all, or even most, of these elements.
The same article, with the central left highlighted: it contains just text in sections.
Body sections appear after the lead and table of contents (click on image for larger view).
Articles longer than a stub are generally divided into sections, and sections over a certain length are generally divided into paragraphs; these divisions enhance the readability of the article. The names and orders of section headings are often determined by the relevant WikiProject, although articles should still follow good organizational and writing principles regarding sections and paragraphs.
