Disambiguation

Topics referred to by the same term

__DISAMBIG__

Disambiguation in Wikipedia refers to the process of resolving the conflicts that occur when articles about two or more different topics could have the same "natural" title. Disambiguation helps readers find the article they are looking for when they search for a topic that can be associated with multiple subjects. This is typically handled by creating a disambiguation page—a non-article page that contains no content itself but directs the reader to other pages.

Purpose

The main purpose of disambiguation is to make article titles unique so that each title clearly refers to a single subject. This clarity helps readers navigate Wikipedia more efficiently and reduces confusion. For example, the word "Mercury" can refer to a planet, an element, a Roman god, or many other things. A disambiguation page allows a user to choose from a list of possible meanings or related articles.

Common types of disambiguation pages

• Simple disambiguation pages—List articles associated with the same title.
• Primary topic disambiguation—When one topic is significantly more commonly searched for or known than other topics, it may be given the primary title. Other uses are listed on a separate disambiguation page.
• Set index articles—These are lists of articles associated with the same name but are not strictly disambiguation pages because the name in question is not ambiguous.

Formatting

Disambiguation pages are formatted in a specific way:

• The page starts with a description of what the disambiguation is for.
• A bulleted list follows, with links to articles for each use of the ambiguous title.
• Each entry on a disambiguation page typically contains a blue link to an article.
• Disambiguation pages do not contain red links or external links.

Examples

• Mercury (disambiguation)
• Java (disambiguation)
• Jordan (disambiguation)

See also

• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Disambiguation pages
• Wikipedia:Disambiguation