Wikipedia:Simple Introduction
 | This page is a guideline on the Simple English Wikipedia. Many editors agree with the ideas on this page. It is a good idea to follow it, but it is not policy. You can change the page as needed, but please use the talk page to make sure that other editors agree with any big changes. |
 | This page in a nutshell: In a nutshell this guideline states that the introduction section of an article must be able to be understood by lay people (non experts) using language aimed at US grades 7-9 |
The Simple English Wikipedia is written using simpler language than the regular English Wikipedia. To make this possible, we tend to focus on using the approved wordlists: Basic English 850, VOA Special English and Basic English 1500. When describing certain topics, such as scientific, engineering, medical and other topics, the main portion of an article will sometimes become too complex over time. In order to address this, per this guideline, the introduction section of all articles must be able to be understood by a non-expert in the subject. Where possible, it should use words in the approved wordlists above or words linked to articles that explain the term properly. While the introduction should be as simple as possible at the very least the introduction must be fit for US grade 7-9 (ages 12 to 14) to read and it should be able to be understood by a non-expert in the subject. Using this method, complex material can be removed from the main body of the article because it should be contained in a simple version in the introduction.
Tools for measuring textual difficulty (long words, long sentences, etc.) include: