Wikipedia:Core article

A Core article on Simple English Wikipedia is an article that describes a topic that is of general importance. Excellent examples of Core articles can be found on the list of articles all languages should have.

Until we grow into a large encyclopedia with entries on all Core articles, we strongly encourage editors to focus on core articles, since these articles are of more general importance. This fits with the main purpose of Simple English Wikipedia, as we work towards creating high-quality articles of general interest in easy-to-read language. Simple English Wikipedia is not necessarily wanted to be as complete as the English Wikipedia or other Wikipedias, where a complete and detailed article would be more appropriate.

Some ways to help decide whether a subject is "Core" would be to consider:

• Does the subject already exist on almost all other language Wikipedias?
• Would it be taught or referenced in many schools or universities around the world?
• Does it provide a lot of important information which enhances several other articles?

As a general rule, start by adding new information to existing articles which cover the general subject area. Only move on to more specific aspects when the general article becomes too large or complicated. Many times, a non-Core article can be instead simply made into a redirect to a more general topic.

Here are some examples of likely non-Core subjects to avoid:

• Popular culture or personalities known to only a very few countries, such as television shows, sports teams, and recent news events.
• Bands, modern musicians, albums and songs.
• Small cities and other low-population areas, minor geographical features, and transportation routes (highways, subways or metros, and railroads).
• Companies that do not have a global presence.
• Computer software products and websites.
• Fictional characters or settings.