Wikipedia:Shortcut

A shortcut is a specialized type of redirect page that provides an abbreviated to a project page or one of its sections, usually from the and Help namespace. They are commonly used on community pages and talk pages, but should not be used in articles themselves. If there is a shortcut for a page or section, it is usually displayed in an information box labelled Shortcuts:, as can be seen at the top of this page.

Shortcuts are created for the convenience of editors. It is possible to create a shortcut for any page at all. The existence of a shortcut does not imply or prove that the linked page is a policy or guideline.

Lists of available shortcuts can be found at:

Alternatively, you can use a shortcut in the URL in your browser's address bar. For example, you are currently viewing the page. The URL for this page is

Shortcuts are presented in all capital letters (ALL CAPS); however, the search box is case-insensitive. For example, in the search box, you can type wp:r, instead of WP:R. However, when using the URL method (or when making links) it is necessary to match the capitalization of the shortcut itself.

Shortcuts are often used on talk pages in their abbreviated form, decreasing readability for the general reader. For example, some editors are familiar with the bulk of the , recognizing what they stand for on sight. Others, however, are faced with pages full of incomprehensible jargon, the meaning of which is not immediately clear. Shortcuts also are sometimes (ab)used to make a WP:POINT, best described by WP:WOTTA.

To avoid these problems, a good practice when creating shortcuts is to choose common English words that are easily identifiable and memorable. Another good practice is to be mindful of the general reader and use meaningful terms when citing an obscure shortcut. For example, the piped link [[WP:SHC|shortcuts]] gives readers an idea of the subject of the target page, while the bare abbreviation [[WP:SHC]] is unintelligible to those unfamiliar with the term.

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