answered 2015-10-02 15:08:46 -0500

Ian (Wiki Ed)

updated 2017-07-24 18:27:35 -0500

Samantha (Wiki Ed)

Wikipedia editors use a classification system to judge quality for articles, ranging from stubs (very short articles, usually with just one section) to Featured Articles (peer reviewed articles providing comprehensive and quality coverage of a subject). These ratings are visible only on the article's talk page, listed at the top by relevant volunteer projects associated with the article. For example, ggplot2, a software library, is rated as start class for the Statistics, Computing and Free Software projects.

The classification levels are stub, start, C, B, ,GA (Good Article), A, and FA (Featured Article). The criteria may vary from project to project a bit but will usually fall along these lines (see this table for a more comprehensive breakdown):

• Stub articles are short articles, usually without a lot of internal structure. Stub doesn't mean bad! It just means that the article is just beginning or there may not be enough content to make a larger article.
• Start class articles have some structure--an introduction section followed by different sections in the body. An article that covers a topic in a rudimentary fashion or has some big sections missing or incomplete might be start class.
• C class articles are a step above start class. The content is substantial, but there may still be some things missing that could make it a great article.
• B class articles are considered just below the threshold of Good Article status. Many projects have specific checklists for B class articles, usually listed on the project template itself when you view the talk page or on the project page itself.
• A class, Good and Featured Articles are assessed by peer reviewers through specific nomination and review processes.

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