Overview

In Wikipedia, the format of dates in Wikipedia articles is governed by Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers) (MOS:DATE). Two formats are deemed acceptable for running prose (and often elsewhere):

1. American (or US) format/Month before day is written as February 14, 1990 (comma required), or February 14 when year is omitted.
2. International (or universal) format/Day before month is written as 14 February 1990, or 14 February when year is omitted.

The first style is generally identified as US format.^[1][2][3]

The second style is sometimes referred to as universal or European format.^[1] However, its use is adopted by most international-scope bodies (see below), and is also found as a standard in various regions outside Europe e.g. Australia^[4][5] or New Zealand.^[6]

MOS:DATE indicates which format is preferable in many cases, but leaves the question open in most cases, particularly for articles without ties to an English-speaking nation.

In an international project such as Wikipedia, there is a need to consider what formatting is most suitable on a global scale.

Advantages and disadvantages of each Wikipedia's two date formats

Although both formats are equally comprehensible to all codes of English, where the 'month' in the date string is not numerical, the pros and cons of each are:-

Advantages of International format:

• More compact, omitting comma for complete dates
• Logical ordering (day then month then year)
• Has significant level of usage in many world regions, and in certain sectors or segments in the USA
• Not subject to a particular national bias, there is no WP:NPOV issue
• Generally the English format of choice for international bodies e.g. UN, EU, NATO

Advantages of American format:

• Has significant level of usage, such as news media (including some British press)

Disadvantages of International format:

• None (WP:IDONTLIKEIT doesn't count)

Disadvantages of American format:

• Extra punctuation
• possible confusion when writing out serial dates or date ranges, especially when the year is represented by two digits.
• 'Illogical' sequence order
• Generally considered an American format, therefore associated with that bias and fails WP:NPOV
• Not preferred by most international bodies

The International format is therefore the superior choice for a global project such as Wikipedia. Its use should be strongly encouraged in cases where the choice of date formatting is open, at least for new articles or articles in which a date format is not yet established. Its adoption should be encouraged by default on new articles, at least other than for U.S. non-military topics.

The issue of retrofitting articles to International format, of course, is a longer-term issue which requires a clearer consensus according to current MOS:DATE policy.

International format overview

The following items demonstrate usage of international date format by multi-national bodies:

• United Nations - particularly see UN Correspondence Manual
• European Union - English Style Guide - see §3.16
• World Health Organization - see page 7
• Secretariat of the Pacific Community
• Eurocontrol
• World Meterological Association
• International Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies
• International Paralympic Committee
• International AIDS Society
• IEEE

One international institution uses US format:

• World Bank (clearly identifies its style as "American practice")

Summary of the existing MOS:DATE standard

For reference, the existing standard generally indicates:

• Articles with strong U.S. ties should use American format; exceptions apply to military articles and possibly other specialty topics
• Articles with strong ties to most other English-speaking nations should use International format
• All other articles may use either format consistently; this includes articles with strong Canadian ties, as a clearly stipulated case
• Date formatting should be consistent within an article