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Articles should be written in encyclopedic style, but this differs from the technically dense style found in scholarly writing aimed at specialists. Articles should address the topic without twisting the truth or telling "[[Lie-to-children|lies-to-children]]", but should also minimise (unexplained) [[jargon]] and not take prior knowledge for granted. Articles should be self-contained as much as possible, rather than relying on excessive links to explain unfamiliar concepts.
== Audience ==
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Wikipedia has a varied audience who can be graded in three ways:
* On familiarity with the subject.
** The ''general reader'' has no advanced education in the topic's field, is largely unfamiliar with the topic itself, and may even be unsure what the topic is.
** The ''knowledgeable reader'' has an education in the topic's field but wants to learn about the topic itself.
** The ''expert reader'' knows the topic but wants to learn more or be reminded about some fact, or is curious about Wikipedia's coverage.
* On reading ability.
* By motivation to learn about the topic.
A highly educated, knowledgeable, motivated reader may comfortably read a 8,000-word featured article to the end. Another reader may struggle through the lead and look at the pictures. A good article will grab the interest of all readers and allow them to learn as much about the subject as they are able and motivated to do. An article may disappoint because it is written well above the reading ability of the reader, because it wrongly assumes the reader is familiar with the subject or field, or because it covers the topic at too basic a level or is not comprehensive.
While a member of any of the audience groups may stumble upon an article and decide to read it (for example, by clicking on [[Special:Random]]), some subjects naturally attract a more limited audience. A topic that requires many years of specialist education or training prior to being studied or discussed is in general likely to have a more limited audience. For example, a topic in advanced mathematics, specialist law, or industrial engineering may contain material that only knowledgeable readers can appreciate or even understand. On the other hand, many subjects studied at an academically advanced level remain of interest to a wider audience. For example, the [[Sun]] is of interest to more than just astronomers, and [[Alzheimer's disease]] will interest more than just physicians.
==Technical content==
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