{{Unreferenced, date=November 2014
A boxout is an approximately
square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length adj ...
-shaped design element that contains text or graphics separate from the main body of text or graphics on the page. Unlike a sidebar, a boxout does not need to be a vertical
rectangle
In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles. It can also be defined as: an equiangular quadrilateral, since equiangular means that all of its angles are equal (360°/4 = 90°); or a parallelogram containi ...
along one edge of the page.
Boxouts are very commonly used in magazines, but may also be seen in books and on web pages. The function of a boxout is primarily to hold related information separate from the main essay while retaining some degree of connection. As such, boxouts will often be seen containing things like glossaries and author
biographies
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
. On web pages they frequently contain
hyperlink
In computing, a hyperlink, or simply a link, is a digital reference to data that the user can follow or be guided by clicking or tapping. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text wit ...
s to related articles. In terms of design, boxouts help to break up the page and make it more visually interesting.