Help:Page naming

GCTools Help Centre

Home

GCpedia

GCconnex

GCpedia Help
Help Main
Getting started Browsing GCpedia Editing GCpedia Links and references Images and media Policies and guidelines Communities on GCpedia Keeping track of changes Resources and lists Account settings & maintenance Help master document Category:GCPEDIA Help
Get help
Frequently Asked Questions GCpedia peer helpers
Contact GCpedia admin
admin.GCpedia@tbs-sct.gc.ca

When naming a new page, remember that the idea is to try to make it as easy as possible for others to find what you have written. GCpedia has 3,142 articles. The page you're thinking of may already be covered under an alternate spelling, capitalisation, or simply under an alternative name or expression. To avoid duplicating effort needlessly, make sure you've searched thoroughly for alternate titles. (If you find your subject is already covered under another title, your proposed page title might usefully be redirected there - see Help:Redirect.

Please:

1. Search to ensure that your proposed page name does not duplicate the name of an already existing page. (Tip: try a few variations on your title just to be sure.)
2. Avoid generic names such as "Plan", "Framework", "Protocol" or "Document" unless your article is meant to define the generic meaning of the term. If you are posting a specific plan, framework, etc., make your page name descriptive to reflect that (e.g. GCPEDIA Database Management Plan 2013-2014). Alternatively, you can use a generic page name as a subpage under your main article page (e.g. GCPEDIA/Database Management/Plan).
3. Use simple, everyday language in the title; name the page so the average person can find it easily; for example, Why the sky is blue rather than Diffuse sky radiation and its impact on colour perception.
4. Capitalize the first word only, unless the title is a proper noun such as a name; for example, Sidney Crosby is correct, but System Error isn't (it should be System error).
5. Use singular nouns in titles, unless the noun is always in the plural form (such as scissors or trousers) or the plural form is conveniently bilingual (such as the Biographies category).
6. Do not start a title with an article (a, an, or the), unless the article is part of a name or title; for example, The Hague or A Brief History of Time are acceptable as titles, while A new approach to electronic government should be New approach to electronic government.
7. Always use Canadian spelling in article and category titles. This includes words such as colour, sulphur, neighbour and cheque. (The exception is cases where the article or category word is itself a foreign spelling)
8. Please only use letters and numbers when naming a page. Don’t use special characters as they confuse the GCpedia software.
9. Avoid using acronyms and abbreviations in titles. We live in an "alphabet soup" in the federal government. For example, SOA means "special operating agency" as well as "service oriented architecture". If the term is known almost exclusively by its acronym, then spell it out and follow it with the acronym; i.e., Secure Applications and Key Management Service (SAKMS). To make the page easier to find create Redirect pages for the abbreviation.
10. Focus on the topic not the organization Unless the page is about an organization or to be used exclusively in support of a particular committee or group, keep the name out of the page title. If you wish to group a number of pages try using categories.
11. Avoid titles with bias. The title should not create a bias or negative perception of the article topic. It would be inappropriate to create an article with a title like Mismanagement at the Department of Solar Affairs. If you wish to make well-referenced additions of information about purported issues in the Department of Solar Affairs, this should be done on the main article, rather than by creating a "content fork" (also known as a "POV fork") (Point of View fork).

Associated templates and categories

• {{Cleanup-articletitle}}: Use this template on any pages that are named poorly. It allows users to discuss name changes and page moves.

• {{Renaming}}: Use this template for suggesting a new name for a poorly named page.

• Category:Subject to renaming: You can also put poorly named pages into this category.

Page naming flowchart

A little complex? Just follow this flowchart.