Hatnote templates

Hatnotes are short notes placed at the very top of an article or a section. As an example, see the notes in italics immediately preceding the boxes above. The name comes from their placement, as a hat is placed on top of one's head. The purpose of a hatnote is to help readers locate a different article if the one they are at is not the one they're looking for. Readers may have arrived at the article containing the hatnote because:
* They were redirected.
* They may be seeking an article that uses a more specific, disambiguated title.
* They may be seeking an article with a similar name to, or that otherwise might be confused with, the article with the hatnote.

Hatnotes provide links to the possibly sought article or to a disambiguation page.

The five basic rules of hatnotes are:

# Link directly to other articles; do not pipe non-disambiguation links. Linking to redirects is typically not preferred, although of course exceptions can occur. Links to disambiguation pages should always end in "(disambiguation)", even when that version of the title is a redirect.
# Keep explanations to a minimum; explain vital information only, letting the lead section and body of the article to clarify things for the reader.
# Mention other topics and articles only if there is a reasonable possibility of a reader arriving at the article either by mistake or with another topic in mind.
# However, if a notable topic X is commonly referred to as "Foo", but the article " Foo" is not about X, there ''must'' be a hatnote linking to the article on X ''or'' linking to a disambiguation page that contains a link to the article on X.
# Ideally, limit hatnotes to just one at the top of the page or section. Multiple hatnotes may be appropriate when they serve different purposes, such as disambiguating topics with similar names and explaining redirects. (In such cases, consider using .)

For more information about methods of disambiguating articles, see Wikipedia:Disambiguation.

Placement

Place hatnotes at the top of the article or section. When used at the top of an article, hatnotes go immediately below a short description template, but strictly above anything else including protection icons or maintenance tags. Text-based web browsers and screen readers present the page sequentially. If a reader has reached the wrong page, they should find that out first.

In the Wikipedia iOS app, there is a known bug whereby hatnotes fail to appear anywhere on the page.

Format

In most cases, hatnotes should be created using a standard hatnote template, as illustrated in below. This permits the form and structure of hatnotes to be changed uniformly across the encyclopedia as needed, and the templates to be excluded in print.

Current style on the English Wikipedia is to italicize and to indent each note, without a bullet before the item. A horizontal dividing line should not be placed either under a note or after the final item in a list. Links to articles should follow the naming conventions for capitalization – typically sentence case, not all lower case.

When determining the content of the hatnote, keep in mind that it forms part of the user interface rather than the article content. Two applicable user interface design principles are clarity and conciseness. The hatnote should not overload the user with extraneous information, and the content should be imparted quickly and accurately. These design goals are conveyed succinctly in the principle ''less is more''.

Length and number

As hatnotes separate the reader from the content they are looking for, hatnotes should generally be as concise as possible. Long explanations are generally discouraged; the article's lead text, not the hatnote, should explain what the article is about. In almost all cases, the hatnote is intended only to direct readers to other articles in case they were actually looking for something they will not find in the article containing the hatnote.

If a disambiguation page exists for a given term, then linking to it should be enough. For example, if the article is X then its hatnote will link to X (disambiguation); it should not have entries for other topics known as ''X'', like ''X'' (Grafton novel) or X (charge), because they are already listed in the disambiguation page. However, such an article may be linked if it could be expected by a significant number of readers to be at the title in question: for instance, Turkey is about the country, but many readers expect to find the article about the bird at that title; therefore, the hatnote there correctly reads

which renders

There should be as few hatnotes as possible. One single hatnote, which can accommodate several links, is greatly preferable to two or more. Multiple hatnotes may however be appropriate when each serves a different purpose, such as disambiguating the title or distinguishing similar terms.The acceptability of multiple hatnotes was clarified in a 2016 discussion.

Summarize or not?

Some hatnote disambiguation templates include a brief summary of the present article's topic; others do not have a summary. For instance, in the article Honey, one might use the template to produce:

Alternatively, one might use to produce:

Either of these two styles is acceptable. The choice of style in a given article is based on editors' preferences and on what is likely to be clearer and easier for the reader. (In this particular instance, most English speakers will know what honey is, and the second, more concise hatnote is preferable.) Where an article already has a hatnote in one of these styles, editors should not change it to the other style without good reason.

Examples of proper use

Two articles with similar titles

Dunwich () is a town in the county of Suffolk in England, the remnant of what was once a prosperous seaport and centre of the wool trade during the early middle ages, with a natural harbour formed by the mouths of the River Blyth. ...

When two articles share the same title, except that one is disambiguated and the other not, the undisambiguated article should include a hatnote with a link to the other article. It is not necessary to create a separate disambiguation page. may be used for this. In this case, the parameterization was .

Terms that can cause confusion with another topic

Perl is a family of high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming languages. ...

or a related template can be used when there can be confusion with a similar term. They are typically used when readers have misspelled their desired title, and the error would be apparent by simply displaying the alternative term without further explanation. These hatnotes should only be used when the ambiguity exists for a significant portion of the readership.

However, they are not suitable when the difference is not readily apparent without additional details. In those cases, use , or instead, as the differences in the suggested article are explained upfront without requiring the reader to click through and differentiate the terms on their own.

Linking to a disambiguation page

A monolith is a monument or natural feature, such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock. Erosion usually exposes these formations. ...

When a term has a primary meaning and two or more additional meanings, the hatnote on the primary topic page should link to a disambiguation page. may be used for this.

In many cases, the hatnote also includes a brief description of the subject of the present article, for readers' convenience:

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate maze-like structure constructed for King Minos of Crete and designed by the legendary artificer Daedalus to hold the Minotaur. ...

The template may be used for this. In this case the parameterization was .

Ambiguous term that redirects to an unambiguously named article

, or a related template, can be used when an ambiguous title is redirected to an unambiguous title or a primary topic article:

Johann Sebastian Bach
----

(Redirected from )

Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ...

Hatnotes above maintenance tags

Always place a hatnote above maintenance tags, but below short description templates. See above for specific details regarding the placement of hatnotes.

''The Giver'' is a 1993 American young-adult dystopian novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a society which at first appears as utopian, but is later revealed to be a dystopian one as the story progresses. The novel follows a boy named Jonas. ...

Hatnotes with italics in the links

''Caprona agama'', the spotted angle, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. ...

Words or phrases that are italicized within a normal sentence should be unitalicized within a hatnote. Since all words in a hatnote are italicized, the specific text will not stand out if the italics are not disabled.

Italics are cancelled by the parameterization:

Many hatnote templates found below section headers, such as , , , and others have label parameters to customize the italicization of the output text:

Examples of improper use

Trivial information, dictionary definitions, and slang

When notes feature a trivial detail or use of a term, or links to overly specific and tendentious

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