Help:Index/Style/Introduction

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This is a Citizendium help page
This help page is meant for help and guidance only. It can be edited by any Citizen and, whilst we try to ensure it is accurate, it may not fully represent current policy.
Further guidance can be found at the Article Mechanics Complete page.

The opening section should always be introductory, so the heading "Introduction" is unnecessary. The first paragraph usually begins with a definition of the topic, and we bold the title of the article in the first sentence, e.g.: "Philosophy is an abstract, intellectual discourse..." The first paragraph should contain a concise and neutral answer to "Why is this topic important (or interesting)?" If the topic is a person, say what the person is best known for; if an event, summarize its impact; if a place, describe things that make it notable. The rest of the opening section should give the background needed for understanding the rest of the article. The opening section can be a ‘’summary’’ of the article, but this may not be the best use of the space. A brief outline of the article structure is preferable to a summary when the article is very long.

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