Wikipedia:Germane
 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article or a Wikipedia policy, as it has not been reviewed by the community. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Edits and content not reasonably germane to the article title and scope should be avoided assiduously. |
In order to produce a rationally divided encyclopedia, each article bears a title. The idea is that material found under that title has a substantial relationship to that title – else the title becomes ineffective for the use of users of Wikipedia.
Articles filled with "interesting facts" which are not reasonably related to the subject of the article are not actually very useful at all. One example cited would be inclusion of a section about Santa Claus in an article about Whales unless a truly creative connection has been made by reliable sources, and then only to the extent the reliable sources connect the topics.
Trickier still
[edit]Sometimes an editor adds content which is related to the topic. However, it does not relate specifically to the topic. For example, in Art film, at one point an editor added a summary of the key points of film theory. Film theory is related to art film, as film scholars use film theory to describe what makes a movie qualify as an "art film". However, generalities about film theory are not needed in the art film article. If there is going to be film theory content added, it should be "film theory about art film". See WP:PROPORTION for more information.
See also
[edit]Related guidelines
- Wikipedia:Not an indiscriminate collection of information
- Wikipedia:Verifiability does not guarantee inclusion
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