Wikipedia:CREATELEAD

Here are some tips that can help editors create and manage a good lead section. This method has produced some very nice leads, and is especially useful when dealing with long and controversial articles which are hard to scrutinize, especially if there are many references. It also prevents one from omitting significant content found in the article and/or including content which is missing in the article.

Just as with an article, a lead must adhere to neutral point of view (NPOV), which does not mean "neutral", or that there should be a false balance between opposing POV. All opinions are not equal.^# Use extreme caution when revamping or updating an existing lead. Any changes to the lead should be based on content in the body. Always seek a consensus version.^# Think about what types of definitions to include, and don't hesitate to create a uniquely comprehensive definition based on all the content.^#

Try to keep the number of references to a minimum, if used at all. Use the short "name" format for any references in the lead. There should not be any references in the lead which have not first been used in the body.^# The lead in this essay uses clickable "section references". Click them to jump to the relevant section from which wording in the lead is derived.^# If an editor leaves a maintenance template on an article, it may be intended to give a heads up to improve the article's lead.^# The lead from a spinoff sub-article can be used as a section in the main article.^# The included table is easy to use and can be tweaked. It ensures that nothing is missed and provides precise documentation.^#

The importance of the lead is evident when one sees the statistics for sections opened by mobile phone users (see image). 60% only read the lead. The lead should prepare the reader for whatever is in the body of the article, should get them interested in the content, and inspire them to read the whole article. When they read the article they should not be surprised by encountering any significant information that was not alluded to in the lead. If they are surprised, then that item should probably be mentioned in the lead.

The length of a lead will depend on the length and complexity of the article, and should usually comprise one to four paragraphs.

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