Wikipedia:Good article usage

Good article usage is intended as a large, random, careful survey of the language and style of Wikipedia editors. This is taking place at the level of Good Article nominations because that's where people are voluntarily submitting their work for review. This phase of the survey will end on April 30, and there won't be another phase unless or until we have more questions that need answering.

The language and style of Wikipedia editors varies depending on their background, the maturity level of the article, and the standards of the various wikiprojects. We are asking all the editors to tell us if they disagree with any of our suggested changes to markup, punctuation and language, and asking them a few background questions. The goal is to describe, in general terms, the range of language and style that editors prefer in Good Articles.

Survey questions

This is the survey currently being used in Good Article nomination articles through April 30. The goal is for the survey to be large, random and careful.

WP:Good article usage is a survey of the language and style of Wikipedia editors in articles being reviewed for Good article nomination. It will help make the experience of writing Good Articles as non-threatening and satisfying as possible if all the participating editors would take a moment to answer a few questions for us, in this section please. The survey will end on April 30.

• Would you like any additional feedback on the writing style in this article?

• If you write a lot outside of Wikipedia, what kind of writing do you do?

• Is your writing style influenced by any particular WikiProject or other group on Wikipedia?

At any point during this review, let us know if we recommend any edits, including markup, punctuation and language, that you feel don't fit with your writing style. Thanks for your time.

Survey results, collected May 4–5

• Talk:2006 Atlantic hurricane season
• A Yes, I always like to receive feedback on my writing of articles.
• A I don't do a large amount of writing outside of Wikipedia, and if I do, it's mostly school-related.
• A My writing style has changed greatly since I joined the Tropical Cyclone WikiProject. As I continue to read the many FAs within the project and write my own articles, I feel that my writing style is progressively improving. Juliancolton Tropical Cyclone 16:47, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Atmosphere of Venus
• o No. This article has had many contributors of varying English expertise; the path to clarity is clear. Potatoswatter (talk) 17:07, 12 April 2008 (UTC)
• (I couldn't tell what the "tone" was here, so I asked for clarification on the user's talk page. He replied: "...The main problem, I believe, is that many contributions were made by editors with a primary language other than English. I would rather nobody waste time critiquing it because the necessary changes are obvious. It just needs good old fashioned copyediting, since most of the references have been filled in....")
  • If you write a lot outside of Wikipedia, what kind of writing do you do?
• o Technical academic stuff. Potatoswatter (talk) 17:07, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Cyclone Jokwe
• I always enjoy feedback on my writing. Personally, I just write and hope it's good, so I like changes to the article, as well as recommended changes. Outside of Wikipedia, the only form of writing I do is songwriting. My writing style has developed since I joined Wikipedia back in 2006, so I'd say it has been my involvement with the tropical cyclone Wikiproject that has assisted in the development of my writing. ?? Hurricanehink (talk) 22:58, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Cygnus X-1
• Seriously Dan? Well okay. Having taken articles through FAC process before, I understand that writing stye and good grammatical techniques can be a concern. So yes I do appreciate feedback, but usually I prefer specific instances rather than generalities. My non-Wikipedia writing is part fiction and part technical; the former is a hobby while the latter is mainly for professional services. I'm certainly not a commercial writer, nor am I specially trained in that regard.
• My main concern with reviewers who edit for markup, punctuation and language is to make certain that the nuances of the scientific information don't get lost in the process. But those I will go back and address. In addition, for a page as heavily referenced as this one, the introduction of unsourced information is an issue for me, even if the details are correct. I also prefer that references use the cite templates. Otherwise, I appreciate anything that will improve the readability, flow and enjoyment of the article, and will increase the odds of it getting through a FAC. Thank you.—RJH (talk) 19:06, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Effects of Hurricane Dennis in Alabama Q
• A Yes, I always like to receive feedback on my writing of articles.
• A I don't do a large amount of writing outside of Wikipedia, and if I do, it's mostly school-related.
• A My writing style has changed greatly since I joined the Tropical Cyclone WikiProject. As I continue to read the many FAs within the project and write my own articles, I feel that my writing style is progressively improving. Juliancolton Tropical Cyclone 16:47, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Effects of Hurricane Dennis in Mississippi Q
• A Yes, I always like to receive feedback on my writing of articles.
• A I don't do a large amount of writing outside of Wikipedia, and if I do, it's mostly school-related.
• A My writing style has changed greatly since I joined the Tropical Cyclone WikiProject. As I continue to read the many FAs within the project and write my own articles, I feel that my writing style is progressively improving. Juliancolton Tropical Cyclone 16:49, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Fleiss' kappa
• Sure!
• Essays and papers mostly.
• Nope, mostly from articles I've read in conference proceedings, journals etc.
• Thanks for taking the time to ask :) - Francis Tyers · 20:16, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Geyser
• Indianescence:
• Ans. 1 Yes, i will always welcome additional feedbacks as they help in improving the article.
• Ans. 2 Well, i am a student and i currently study English as a subject, therefore there is a lot of writing practice done by me in the form of Essays, reports etc.
• Ans. 3 I have learnt a lot about writing through wikipedia. I had initially started with Gwen Stefani related articles and the language used in them has influenced me a little bit. But overall, i still write with the language style i usually use.
• I am still not comfortable with the use of &nbsp but i do put in the essential punctuations.
  • I'm hoping we'll have some good news for you there soon; there's a current proposal in front of the software developers (at bugzilla) to have the software handle many of those line-break issues so that we don't have to. - Dan Dank55 (talk) 13:08, 12 April 2008 (UTC)
    • I hope so too. Things like these (&nbsp and others) become a reason for people to oppose during FAC and GAC etc., which i feel is not correct. If such things are made mandatory then the real matter in the article remains ignored. And many a times it is not easy to give special attention to such line-break things. Indianescence (talk) 17:31, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Henoch-Schönlein purpura
• This article has already been promoted. Your advice is obviously welcome. JFW | T@lk 18:17, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:History of aspirin
• I'm happy with the GA reviews this article has generated; comments about prose, content and sources have been on point and helpful. (This has been my experience with previous GA reviews on other articles as well.) I object slightly to the series of delinking edits Dr. Cash made with the explanation that the red links were "mostly to some rather obscure individuals that probably won't have wiki articles for some time, or if at all, for that matter". Most if not all probably do merit articles (I'd venture that all are "notable" by current standards), and red links are one of the ways to increase the likelihood that such articles will be created sooner rather than later. However, it's not a big deal (not even a big enough deal to revert the delinking). I write a lot outside of Wikipedia, primarily as a graduate student in history (and secondarily as a blogger).--ragesoss (talk) 22:29, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Tropical Storm Fay (2002)
• Response
• Sure, I always like to improve and learn.
• Mostly essays for school and such. I also write weather blogs on the wunderground.com .
• I'm a member of Wikiproject Tropical Cyclones. I don't know if that counts.
• TheNobleSith (talk) 16:31, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Mirth & Girth
• Yes - I want to know if all the topics that "Mirth & Girth" covers a treated equally and fairly. It's difficult to do with as many hot-button topics there are, but I still want to know. :-) —Rob (talk) 01:15, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• I do not write too much outside of Wikipedia, but when I do (blogs, etc.) I like to use complete sentences and have things make sense. —Rob (talk) 01:15, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• Not... really? Maybe the ones I'm most active with, notably WP:USRD but writing about roads and writing about inflammatory issues are two completely different things. —Rob (talk) 01:15, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Peak uranium
• yes Kgrr (talk) 16:16, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
• I am a Systems Engineer. As such, I write specifications, RFP responses, system designs, etc. Kgrr (talk) 16:16, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
• It could be. I hang in three areas technology/energy/environment. Kgrr (talk) 16:16, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
  • At any point during this review, let us know if we recommend any edits, including markup, punctuation and language, that you feel don't fit with your writing style.
    • Dan, I do not like the old reference style. <ref>[http://link nameofarticle]</ref> I prefer the new style <ref>{{cite web |url=http://link |title=nameofarticle }}</ref> I don't like the way the reference numbers look inconsistent when both are used together. Kgrr (talk) 16:16, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Stanley Marcus
• Speaking for myself, I won't know if I'd like additional feedback until there's some preliminary feedback.Lawikitejana (talk) 11:46, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
• As you've said the survey is trying to find out a little about writing influences and trends that may affect writing on Wikipedia ... I am an educator and have to write a lot of simple expository prose for that context, and also have a Ph.D., which involved writing a dissertation and using APA citation format. I also have a background in journalism and copy editing, FWIW.Lawikitejana (talk) 11:46, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
• There's an essay by an editor that's on How to Write a Featured Article -- or similar title -- that's I've read repeatedly in the past, and also I've read a lot of material from the biography WikiProject.Lawikitejana (talk) 11:46, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Burger King legal issues
• o Absolutely.
• o For my web page/blog, Jeremy's Saab Site
• o WikiProject Food and drink.

• Talk:Dravidian parties
• Yes, it would be nice to get critical feedback. Wiki San Roze †αLҝ 19:28, 20 April 2008 (UTC)
• Yes again, but not to general public. I write research papers for specialised personnels, which obviously takes for granted that the reader has limited knowledge of the subject area. This may not be very relevant here, but people like me are too used to ENDNOTE and it gets too hard with the inline citation templates. Wiki San Roze †αLҝ 19:28, 20 April 2008 (UTC)
• Not that am aware of! Wiki San Roze †αLҝ 19:28, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:María del Luján Telpuk
• The feedback has been sufficient.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTD) 14:32, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• N/A--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTD) 14:32, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• No.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTD) 14:32, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Benazir Bhutto
• Always useful, in particular, is it evident to a new reader where one contributor stops and another starts? WWGB (talk) 00:39, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
  • If you write a lot outside of Wikipedia, what kind of writing do you do?
• I write a lot for students, parents and teachers, so the information must be technically correct but accessible to a diverse audience. WWGB (talk) 00:39, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:George H. W. Bush
• No, not really. Happyme22 (talk) 04:04, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• I don't usually. Happyme22 (talk) 04:04, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• I'm not a member of very many WikiProjects, so not particularly. Happyme22 (talk) 04:04, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
  • At any point during this review, let us know if we recommend any edits, including markup, punctuation and language, that you feel don't fit with your writing style. Thanks for your time. - Dan Dank55 (talk)(mistakes) 03:34, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
    • I have contributed my two cents. I'm not sure if my answers are very helpful to you, though. Thanks for doing this! Best, Happyme22 (talk) 04:04, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Mary Meader
• Of course; that's why I am nominating this for good article.
• I write for school projects and the like.
• No, not really. My biggest influence is the sources, but I always try to rewrite so that it is not a copyright violation.

• Talk:Blackburn
  • Would you like any additional feedback on the writing style in this article?
• Not especially. Beejaypii (talk) 23:32, 23 April 2008 (UTC)
• [Adding these comments from Beejaypii's talk page in response to a question: "What I really meant was that I'm pretty confident when it comes to things like grammar, vocabulary, paragraph structure and general writing style. These are aspects of Wikipedia editing which I feel I don't really need much help with. On the other hand, I find the kinds of recommendations made by Jza84 as part of the GA review for the Blackburn article very useful. Beejaypii (talk) 18:00, 24 April 2008 (UTC)]
  • If you write a lot outside of Wikipedia, what kind of writing do you do?
• I don't write a lot outside of Wikipedia. Beejaypii (talk) 23:32, 23 April 2008 (UTC)
  • Is your writing style influenced by any particular WikiProject or other group on Wikipedia?
• Not consciously. Beejaypii (talk) 23:32, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Assassination of Benazir Bhutto
• I am not sure I totally follow the aims of this project or what exactly everything you just said meant or even if you wanted the responses on this page, but I am willing to give my answers as:
• 1. No, I don't really think such is necessary. It only need be brought up if there are problems with the prose.
• 2. As a student, I primarily write essays. I almost never write creatively.
• 3. No, no part of Wikipedia influences my writing style.
• I hope that helps. Let me know if you need any further information, SorryGuy Talk 03:37, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Hendrik Pieter Nicolaas Muller
  • Yes please.
  • Academic writing, short (articles) and long texts (books) on history and international relations, lecture notes and presentations, etc., etc.
  • In format and somewhat in style by WikiProject Biography.

• Talk:Catherine de' Medici's court festivals
• Just the normal review will be fine. qp10qp (talk) 14:12, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• I don't, really. qp10qp (talk) 14:12, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• No. qp10qp (talk) 14:12, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
  • At any point during this review, let us know if we recommend any edits, including markup, punctuation and language, that you feel don't fit with your writing style. Thanks for your time. - Dan Dank55 (talk)(mistakes) 03:49, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
    • No problem. qp10qp (talk) 14:12, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Augustus Jones
  • Yes. In this case, the lack of information on the guy will probably prevent a push for FA status (I think almost everything know about him is in the article), but usually it'd be useful. WilyD 13:25, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
  • I do a bit of scientific/technical writing WilyD 13:25, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
  • Err, by reading articles - I'm not sure how WikiProjects or (what?) other groups could influence your writing style. WilyD 13:25, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Battle of Verrières Ridge
  • Would you like any additional feedback on the writing style in this article?
• Personally, I've been fortunate enough to be working with a GA reviewer with whom i've worked with previously. I find that if the article receives a "quick fail", then you really don't get a lot of feedback from the reviewer. However, if the GA is placed "On hold", then the editor is sort of required to give you a second opinion, so as to justify the "On Hold". as you can probably see if you scroll through the "on hold", Eyeserene & I have been conversing back and forth almost continuously, resolving issues & bandying ideas & questions back and forth. I find it all depends upon the reviewer. During the first GA Review this article went under, I would have loved more feedback. During this one, I think we sort of "overkilled" on feedback. If you get an editor who REALLY knows MoS, it's all good.Cheers! Cam (Chat) 04:54, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
  • If you write a lot outside of Wikipedia, what kind of writing do you do?
• Outside of Wikipedia, I do a lot of essay & letter writing (as in the highly opinionated letters you see appearing in your newspaper at the back of Section A). I've been published (as of March 5) 14 times (12 letters, 2 essays).Cheers! Cam (Chat) 04:54, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
  • Is your writing style influenced by any particular WikiProject or other group on Wikipedia?
• My writing style outside of Wikipedia isn't influenced by wikipedia. Within Wikipedia, I base my writing style off of that of the editors from the Military History Project. I find that we tend to come up with some damn good articles (speaking from a slightly biased viewpoint). When I have to write stuff for academics (school and such), I base me stuff off of the layout & style of the Military History Wikiproject Articles.Cheers! Cam (Chat) 04:54, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Byzantine-Arab Wars (780–1180)
• Hell yes
• None
• Me. So none. Tourskin (talk) 06:36, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Battle of Glasgow
• Any additional feedback would be appreciated, although I do feel that I have been given good guidance regarding my writing style in Wikipedia in general.
• Writing good articles is the only significant writing that I do outside of my commitments to school.
• My writing style is influenced by the MoS regarding military history. EasyPeasy21 (talk) 09:52, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Microsoft Visual Studio
• Sure, constructive feedback is always welcome. --soum talk 04:48, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• Mainly academic technical writing, aka, research papers. --soum talk 04:48, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• Not anything particular. I just try to maintain a key things: short sentences, third person constructs, and not mixing active/passive voice. --soum talk 04:48, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Federal Bridge Gross Weight Formula
  • Of course, I'm always looking for more feedback about my writing style. Pretty much all of the articles I have created (as new, original articles) have been solely edited by myself, save for a few minor copyedits by other editors. I've already listed this article for peer review, however only one other editor gave any recommendations. A lot of my articles are of special interest, and not many people have the knowledge to give proper criticism outside of Wikipedia policies and guidelines.
  • I don't write a lot outside of Wikipedia.
  • Not really, I just try to follow the Manual of Style and other guidelines as much as I can. --ErgoSum88 (talk) 05:58, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:M54 motorway
  • Would you like any additional feedback on the writing style in this article?
  • If you write a lot outside of Wikipedia, what kind of writing do you do?
  • Is your writing style influenced by any particular WikiProject or other group on Wikipedia?
• Mainly other experienced Wikipedia editors who write Geography-related articles. I generally look at a featured article on the same subject, in this case the M62, and aspire to make this article as good as that. Asdfasdf1231234 (talk) 11:55, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Group (mathematics)
• Sure, this is appreciated. I wrote a considerable amount of the current version of the article, I'm personally not a native speaker, so style issues are good to know.Jakob.scholbach (talk) 07:42, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• I'm sometimes writing mathematical papers.Jakob.scholbach (talk) 07:42, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• Well, I'm hanging around in the Wikiproject Mathematics, but I think it does not influence my style very much. Jakob.scholbach (talk) 07:42, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Thoroughbred
• Feedback: No, amount provided seems OK, particularly as "sparkling prose" is kind of a fuzzy concept. Write a lot outside wikipedia: Yes, but I try to keep my profession anonymous on wiki and thus details here would disclose it, but I do write a considerable amount of essentially technical, non-fiction (though considerably creativity is often required - grin) work requiring extensive citation to authority as part of my profession. Unrelated to my day job, I have also published a few articles on horse-related topics in assorted regional horse magazines and in one nationally-distributed periodical. Influences within wiki: Not really, though the Military History WikiProject members raked me over the coals pretty good when I started and helped make me what I am today.
• What doesn't fit with my writing style: Sometimes the feedback on articles is a little bit too "term paper 101" in terms of mechanistic insistence on a footnote for every paragraph, (when some paragraphs may need one every sentence and at other times the same source may be used for an entire subsection). The concept that the lead needs to mechanically touch on each article section as opposed to being a catchy summary to draw in the reader is also a bit too "SAT essay" for my tastes. But those are mostly just whines.
• Hope this helps. Montanabw(talk) 22:51, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Hurricane Cosme (2007)
• Yes, I always look for feedback and suggestions on the articles I write. I know my writing may not be the best, so any help is appreciated. I don't do that much writing outside of Wikipedia, and if I do it's mostly for school-related projects. And yes, I really think that my writing has improved because of having to keep up with the standards of the WikiProject Tropical cyclones. Juliancolton Tropical Cyclone 13:49, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Effects of Hurricane Dennis in Georgia
• Yes, I always look for feedback and suggestions on the articles I write. I know my writing may not be the best, so any help is appreciated. I don't do that much writing outside of Wikipedia, and if I do it's mostly for school-related projects. And yes, I really think that my writing has improved because of having to keep up with the standards of the WikiProject Tropical cyclones. Juliancolton Tropical Cyclone 13:50, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Nabulsi soap
• Sure. Tiamuttalk 12:13, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• Political analysis, fiction (in my spare time), copy-editing and linguistic reviews for academic publishers. Tiamuttalk 12:13, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• Not the style, but definitely the choice of what subjects to write about is influenced by my involvement in Wikiprojects. Tiamuttalk 12:13, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

• Talk:Achaemenid Assyria
• Absolutalamenta. Yes. Tourskin (talk) 04:52, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• Not really Tourskin (talk) 04:52, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
• Nope. Tourskin (talk) 04:52, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
  • At any point during this review, let us know if we recommend any edits, including markup, punctuation and language, that you feel don't fit with your writing style. Thanks for your time. - Dan Dank55 (talk)(mistakes) 04:15, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
    • Its always good to get feedback from other Wiki communities. Chaldean (talk) 22:40, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

Conclusions

Feel free to suggest here any conclusions about the survey results that you believe have or could get consensus. If you're not sure, use the talk page to discuss first.