Naming conventions (categories)

is a list of guidelines for how to appropriately name , as well as at any related pages.

=General naming conventions=

*For a pre-existing category, the article of the same or similar name and (rarely, or) on the same topic should be added to that category. When creating an article one should, only if appropriate (especially horizontally), create a category of the same or similar name on the same topic . *Articles should be placed in the most specific categories possible. Categories should be more or equally as broad as the articles they contain; articles should be more or equally specific as the categories they are in. *Avoid abbreviations. Example: World War II equipment , not WW2 equipment . *Don t hard-code the category structure into names. Example: Monarchs , not People - Monarchs . *Choose category names that are able to stand alone, independent of the way a category is connected to other categories. Example: Wikipedia policy precedents and examples , not Precedents and examples (a subcategory of Wikipedia policies and guidelines ). *Topical category names should be singular. Examples: . *As with lists avoid descriptive adjectives such as famous , important , or notable in category titles.

=Special conventions for lists of items=

*Category names for lists of items should be plural. Examples: . *In instances where a list page simply contains an alphabetical list of items with no other information (for example List of Beatles songs ) it could be replaced by a category (such as ). *If the list contains extra information (in this example that could include writing credits, date of release, etc.), or is non-alphabetical (for example sorted by date) it should remain as a list page, rather than a category. *Categories can only list articles that exist and have been assigned to the category. Therefore, comprehensive lists, (such as List of British Prime Ministers ), which must include all items regardless of whether an article already exists for them, should not be replaced by categories. Similarly, in an area that is not yet well-covered, lists can effectively indicate articles that still need to be written; categories cannot do this. *If there are a lot of lists regarding a particular subject area, it might be useful to have a category to hold them, (such as , or all properly named lists will appear under the letter L .

See also: .

Note that there are a growing number of instances where both the singular category (listing topics relating to) and plural category (listing instances of) exist, for example, . Be careful to choose the right one when categorizing articles.

*When including the United States in a list of countries, do not abbreviate the United States. (for example France and the United States , not France and the U.S. ).

=Special conventions for categorization of people=

*People are categorized by their nationality and occupation, such as . The template is used to provide navigation on each category page. *Please note that this template may need to be modified for some categories, because some nationalities are listed as People of Foo instead of Fooian , such as . *As a general recommendation for categories on people, have the category names as gender-neutral as possible (unless, of course, there is a distinct reason to otherwise; please mention that reason on the category page in that case). : Example: instead of a category for Kings and a different category for Queens , use . *Some categories can be used in a stigmatizing way; always try to find the most neutral or generic name. : Example: Prostitutes is a better name for a category than whores . Sex workers might work even better for a category name, while more gender-neutral and better approaching Business Card style. *Avoid names that are too long or too short. Short, clear names are preferred for categories. It is possible to deviate from this principle for neutrality and clarity reasons, but don t exaggerate on length or complexity of category names. Avoid abbreviations.

See also

=Categories by country=

All categories whose subcategories are categories by country (roughly all categories that are members of or publicized there.

==Man-made objects==

Categories of permanently located man-made objects by country are named ... in country . This guideline applies to:

- - - - - (mostly named athletics as per non-U.S. usage) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (or shopping centres, based on local usage) - - - - (by-country subcats are Railway stations in ... ) - - ( Universities categories are also legitimate in countries where universities and colleges are distinct, ie. most countries, and are often a subcategory) - - -

Current exceptions to this guidleline include

).

==Natural features==

Categories of natural features by country are named ... of country . This guideline applies to:

- - - - - - - - -

==Miscellaneous of country ==

Subcategories of these categories are named ... of country .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

==Miscellaneous in country ==

Subcategories of these categories are named ... in country .

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (or transport if that is local usage)

==Miscellaneous nationality x ==

Subcategories of these categories are named nationality ... . Considerable discussion has already occurred on this naming convention.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (or sports as per local usage) -

==Miscellaneous Country-related ==

A couple of technical categories are in the form X-related :

-

==How to name the country==

For of country and in country categories, the name of the country should appear as it does in the name of of the article about that country, with a lowercase the if needed for grammatical purposes. Non-sovereign, disputed, supranational, and historical countries and geographic equivalents may be included if the articles to be categorized require it. For reference, see List of sovereign states, List of dependent territories, and the following list.

In category naming, country names should not be abbreviated.

(Note: Links to articles are shown only for reference; links obviously cannot appear in the actual title of a category.)

Supranational:

of Serbia and Montenegro

of the European Union

of Ireland (island-wide)

etc., on a case-by-case basis

Historical:

of the Irish Free State (historical material only)

of the Soviet Union (former country only)

of Yugoslavia (former country only)

etc., on a case-by-case basis

==Dealing with overlaps==

When historical and political complexities (such as mergers and splits) create articles that belong to two countries, do not create a Foo of X and Y . Instead, list articles in both Foo of X and Foo of Y . For example, Foo of Russia and Foo of the Soviet Union , not Foo of Russia and the Soviet Union .

==Undecided by country==

The convention for these categories is yet to be decided. See the talk page for details. These will be moved up as consensus develops.

- - - - - (currently a mix of in foo , of foo , and fooish x ) - - (a mess with major duplication) - -

=Categories by nationality=

All categories whose subcategories are categories by nationality(roughly all categories that are members of or publicized there.

== nationality x ==

Subcategories of these categories are named nationality ... .

- - - - - (75 subcats) - - -

==How to name a nationality==

A list of adjectival forms of place names is available on Wikipedia. In situations where multiple adjectives are possible, please note that no official policy exists as to which one is favoured. Note that the singular-form demonym and adjective for many nationalities are not interchangeable. (i.e. Icelander vs. Icelandic)

Some states do not posess unambiguous (i.e. .