Wikipedia:WikiProject Outlines/Archive/Helpful tips: Difference between revisions

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=== Outline creation ===

'''Templates'''

This project's main procedure is the creation of outline articles. There Theare creationvarious templatetemplates isthat calledprovide a good "skeleton" off which the outline can be expanded. The default is [[Template:Topic outline]]. Instructions on how to use it is included with it. Additionally, (Anothera template exists called [[Template:Topic outline country]] which was used to create a topic outline for [[:Category:Outlines of countries|every country]] of the World (unless we missed some). The country topic outlines are all listed below, further down this page.

IfWhen youstarting create a topican outline list in article space, beit sureis advisable to placefirst create a {{tl|draft under construction}}the templatename at"Wikipedia:WikiProject theOutline topof Knowledge/Drafts/Outline of it''subject''". There Otherwise,have youbeen runinstances in the riskpast thatwhere someonerudimentary willoutlines comecreated alongin andarticle nominatespace thehave pagebeen proposed for deletion afterat you[[WP:AFD]], barelyas getwas started.the case For example,for the [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of basic Canada topics|''Outline of Canada'']], wasas nominatedwell as for deletionthe at[[Outline AfDof mining]]. whenIf itworking only includedon a fewsparse links.outline Someonethat hadalready exists in article space, be sure to jumpplace ina and{{tl|under developconstruction}} ittemplate fastat inthe ordertop of it to saveavoid itthe risk of deletion. TheThis sameis thingalso happenedadvisable if one is completely revamping an outline over a series of edits. Also take care to assure that incomplete outlines have the [[Outline:Category:Incomplete outlines]] instead of mining[[:Category:Outlines]] at the bottom, especially when starting out with the general template.

The complete list of established, draft, and prospective outlines is at [[WP:PROL]].

A safer approach is to create new topic outlines in this WikiProject's space, starting the page title with "Wikipedia:WikiProject Topic outline/Drafts/Outline of ". One must have a compelling reason to delete a draft, since it is by definition under development, which means all problems are subject to being discussed on its talk page before it gets moved to article space. There are lists of drafts under development, below.

'''Determining scope'''

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One of the more challenging aspects of developing an outline is determining an appropriate [[wikt:scope|scope]], or depth, of the topic. By making too narrow of an outline one runs the risk of failing to define the true extent of the topic, but by making too broad of an outline there is the chance of the topic's basic core being obscured. Either way, the topic's relevance will be lost to the average reader.

For example, the majority of [[applied science]]s are interdisciplinary and apply principles from a wide variety of scientific fields. Including links to articles for all (if not most) of the principles would not only be an exhaustive task but could also cause the average reader to incorrectly assume the linked articlesarticle's exclusivity to the topic. In [[forestry]], genetic [[cultivar]]s are often used in [[Plantation#Forestry|plantations]] in attempt to assure adequate tree growth. Despite this, it would be illogical to include cultivars in the [[outline of forestry]], on the basis that it is a [[horticulture|horticultural]] aspect (which is itself an example of [[applied genetics]]), relatively of very minor importance to the topic, and covered in an [[Tree breeding|article]] that is included in the outline.

Here are some questions one could ask thyself when deciding whether or not to include an article link in an outline:

* ''Is this article directly relevant to the topic? Would it make more sense in a different outline linked to in the "allied sciences/fields" or "see also" section(s)?''

* ''If I included this article, would I need to include subsidiary articles to explain its relevance that are defnitely no related to the subject?''

Finally, whether in doubt or throughout, [[WP:COMMON|use common sense]].

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'''Assembling an hierarchy'''

A good way to start determining the hierarchy of outline article is by studying the topic's categories and subcategories. If done correctly per [[WP:CAT]], categories can provide a logical structure after which the outlines can be modeled, and is especially helpful is one is not overly familiar with the topic.

=== Outline maintenance ===

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===Sciences===

{{seealso|Wikipedia:Scientific citation guidelines}}

Scientific outlines can be particularly hard to develop, given their (usually) highly technical nature and interrelated basis of shared knowledge. For this reason, extra care must be taken to ensure a balance between comprehensiveness and clarity.

A science can be defined as one that is able to be verified via the [[scientific method]], which entails verification of natural phenomena through repeated experimentation. Most modern sciences are based on a set of "core" principles that are practically considered fact in the given scientific community. These can range from mathematic equations (for example the [[Avogadro constant]] is constantly used in [[molecular chemistry]]) to scientific theories (the principles of [[evolution]]/[[natural selection]] are a basis for all [[ecology|ecological]] sciences). These should be included in the outline to illustrate the basis for the science's development.

'''Layout'''

Examples of some sections and subsections that could be included are:

* ''Measurement tools'' – physical tools that are often used in the field to quantify a measurement

* ''Modeling'' – useful if the science is one that uses or is studied by models, could be further divided by the type of phenomena being studied or the type of equation, for example