Why categories?
Categories exist on Vicipaedia to present readers and editors with sets of pages that deal with similar or related topics. Readers can reach categories via the foot of any encyclopedia page, or by navigating the category structure, or via interwiki links from categories on other Wikipedias.
Categories also indicate to editors pages that are currently lacking. For example, the category Categoria:Auctores Anglici (on 2 Novembris 2010) has no member Iohannes Masefield. So (unless there already is a page on Masefield that is not properly categorised) that page could now be created.
For these reasons, existing categories need to be fully and correctly added in encyclopedia pages. This will bring more readers to Vicipaedia pages and will encourage the creation of pages that are currently lacking.
How to add categories to a page
See Vicipaedia:Structura paginae. Categories are added, after all other sections of the page but before the interwiki links, using this format [[Categoria:Antarctica]], one on each line.
- Find a Vicipaedia page on a similar subject, copy the categories and paste all those that are appropriate on to the new page; or
- Navigate existing categories to find those that are appropriate; or, if these don't yet exist,
- Devise category names on the exact model of existing ones, add them to the page, and then create the categories (see below); or
- Temporarily add categories more generalised than the ideal; or
- Devise entirely new category names, add them to the page and then create the categories (see below); or
- Add the template ((Dubcat)) at the foot of the page
Rules for choosing categories
- A category and its immediate supercategory should not be added to the same page: thus, if you add Categoria:Urbes Vietnamiae, do not add Categoria:Urbes Asiae
- In biography pages ...
- ... for living persons, add Categoria:Homines vivi
- ... for women, add Categoria:Mulieres (unless there is a suitable subcategory, e.g. Categoria:Cantrices)
- ... for authors, add categories both for the language(s) they write, e.g. Categoria:Auctores Theodisci ("German authors"), and for the country or countries where they have lived, e.g. Categoria:Scriptores Helvetiae (see these * * listings)
- ... for university teachers, add the appropriate subcategory of Categoria:Professores
- ... for those who have studied at university, add the appropriate subcategory of Categoria:Alumni universitatum NB: it is not necessary to add such a category in the case of honorary degrees, or brief attendance at a university, or attendance without the award of a degree
- ... for ancient Romans, add the appropriate subcategory of Categoria:Gentes Romanae
- ... for any person, add birth and death categories, e.g. Categoria:Nati saeculo 4 a.C.n. and Categoria:Mortui 1978, using the century if the year is not known; a category (or more than one) for where the subject has lived, e.g. Categoria:Incolae Franciae or a subcategory such as Categoria:Physici Franciae ("physical scientists from France"); and one or more other categories relating to the subject's notability
- In pages about places and regions, add one or more subcategories of Categoria:Loci terrestres
- In pages about works created by humans, add the appropriate annal, e.g. Categoria:Incepta 2007 (choose the appropriate type via this listing)
- In pages about events, add the simple year category, e.g. Categoria:1914
How to find existing categories
- Look at the categories at the foot of any relevant page; if necessary, click on them and navigate through their supercategories and subcategories
- Find specialised categories by starting from a more general one that you happen to know -- e.g. "Categoria:Plantae", "Categoria:Italia" -- and navigating its subcategories
- Start from the top of the category tree by clicking "Categoriae" at the left side of the Vicipaedia window
How to create categories
When you add the name of a not-yet-existing category to a page [[Categoria:Flumina Antarcticae]] it will appear as a redlink. It can then be created:
- Click on the redlink
- In the edit window add the names of existing supercategories: e.g. for your new category Categoria:Flumina Antarcticae you would add [[Categoria:Flumina]] and [[Categoria:Res geographicae Antarcticae]]
- Save the new category page. Links to it will now be blue
- Find a similar category in any other-language Wikipedia if you can, e.g. [[en:Category:Rivers of Antarctica]]. Go to the Wikidata page, and add a link to your newly-created Vicipaedia category page
How to decide and formulate category names
- Categories precisely analogous to existing ones can always be created: e.g. working from Categoria:Auctores Graeci and Categoria:Mortui 323 a.C.n. you can create [[Categoria:Auctores Hetthaei]] and [[Categoria:Mortui 1452 a.C.n.]] (as soon as you have written a relevant page)
- You can create entirely new categories, but:
- For any such new category, at least three "members" (pages or subcategories) should be found, or else should be newly written
- If you want to start a new series of categories (e.g. Categoria:Scholae comitatus Bedfordiensis, when there are no similar categories already in existence), before creating it start a discussion and explain why the new series will be useful
- If you are in doubt about the correct Latin name or about the usefulness of a category, before creating it start a discussion
- Category names are plural if the plural makes sense: e.g. Categoria:Scriptores scaenici, Categoria:Reptilia; exceptions include states (Categoria:Germania), places (Categoria:Londinium), persons (Categoria:Albertus Einstein), biological genera (Categoria:Triticum), parts of the body that are normally singular (Categoria:Cor)
- Discussions before creating categories can be started on the Talk page of the relevant encyclopedia page, or on the page author's talk page, or on the Taberna. A link to the discussion can be added below
- Once categories are created it is not possible to move them in the way that pages are moved; they have to be deleted and recreated (for help with this see Vicipaedia:Automata/Category move requests)
Special types of categories
- The whole tree of subcategories of Categoria:Homines should contain only biographical articles (i.e. those about single individuals)
- We often create categories for individual persons. These categories can and should be created when we have articles about several different topics related to that person (e.g. biography, works, family, activities). N.B. If you want to create a subcategory about a specific aspect of a person's life and work (e.g. Works of Johann Sebastian Bach; Followers of Antigonus Monophthalmus; The Lord of the Rings) you should initially create a simple category for the person (e.g. Categoria:Ioannes Sebastianus Bach, Categoria:Antigonus Monophthalmus, Categoria:I. R. R. Tolkien. Categories for persons should be placed:
- always in the supercategory Categories named for persons or a suitable subcategory, e.g. Categories named for artists
- in at least one general category expressing the person's main significance (e.g. Painting; History of Russia)
- but not in any subcategories of Categoria:Homines (not in, e.g.
People from Russia): the article about this person should be placed in those categories, the category for this person should not
- Categories for families, tribes and peoples can and should be created when we have articles about several different topics related to that group, the group itself, its members, etc. Such categories should not be placed in any subcategory of "Categoria:Homines" (pages about the individual members of the group belong there) but:
- in "Categoria:Familiae" or its subcategories where suitable, or
- in "Categoria:Gentes" or its subcategories where suitable
- We often create categories for cities/towns. These can and should be created when we have articles about topics related to that city/town (e.g. the place itself, its bishops, universities, buildings, etc.) Categories for cities/towns should be placed:
- always in a category for cities of the relevant country (e.g. Cities of Wales)
- in a category for the relevant province/region if there is one (e.g. Monmouthshire)
- but not in miscellaneous and incidental categories (e.g.
Cities on the Silk Road): the article about the city can be placed in such categories but the category should not
- We often create categories related to people's curriculum vitae, especially ministers and heads of government, bishops, students and teachers at university level. These can and should be created as soon as we have one relevant biography page: they will be subcategories of the relevant universities, schools of art, architecture, music and acting, cathedral cities (for bishops) and national politicians (for heads of government and ministers). We rarely create categories for students of schools below university level: if you want to create such categories, you will need to add relevant pages to them systematically
- We have categories for inhabitants of countries and of each US state. We often create categories for inhabitants of islands (for an example see inhabitants of Sicily). We rarely create categories for inhabitants of cities or other smaller areas within a country. If you want to create such categories, you will need to add relevant pages to them systematically
Category maintenance
- The "((Inops))" template may be placed on a category that is not part of a regular series and that has only one or two "members"; if more members are not added and if there is no consensus to keep it, the category may be deleted seven days later
- Categories created against consensus, or not following agreed structure, may be deleted and their "members" added to other, more suitable categories
See also
Discussions on the choice and naming of categories
Series of categories
Single category names
Creating and using categories
External links