Help:Name a New Article

Naming new articles is an important part of helping our users locate genealogical research guidance. Please also read about naming conventions.

What does it mean to "name" an article?
Naming an article means that you create a title for the article or page. Naming articles usually happens by searching for the combination of words you want to make up the title, and then clicking on the red link for the new article. For additional information about how to create a new article with a new name, see creating a new article. New titles may also be created for existing pages by renaming a page.

Guidelines for naming articles
Before creating a new article, take the time to think of a title that clearly explains in a few words the content of the article. Remove any unnecessary words or punctuation. The correct title for a new article can be very helpful to users.

Name a new article with the following concepts in mind:


 * 1) FamilySearch Wiki is "international" so any article with a general title such as "Surnames" should really cover the entire globe! If you are writing an article which applies to one country only, then this should be made clear in the title of the article, such as Surnames in England or Scottish surnames etc..
 * 2) Avoid descriptive adjectives
 * 3) Do not capitalize regular nouns
 * 4) Category names for topics should be singular
 * 5) Do not use abbreviations
 * 6) Titles should be gender neutral
 * 7) The first letter of proper nouns capitalized
 * 8) Do not start titles with "A", "The" or "An" if possible
 * 9) Replace "&amp;" with "and" unless it is part of a formal name
 * 10) Do not include characters such as / + { } [ ]
 * 11) Avoid the use of pronouns
 * 12) Include the locality in the title when applicable
 * 13) Make sure that the title clearly and concisely communicates what a user may find in the article

Related Content

 * Edit a page
 * Renaming pages
 * Redirecting pages