About → Policies and guidelines → Establish context

	This page documents one of Memory Alpha's guidelines.
	Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus.

Just about every article in Memory Alpha needs to begin with one or two sentences that state the basics and establish the context of the article. Because each page can be viewed separately, almost at random, it's important to let the reader know what exactly the article is about. An example:

• The USS Hood (NCC-42296) was an Excelsior-class Federation starship...

Additionally, it's important to use links to help establish the context of the article. For example:

• The USS Hood (NCC-42296) was an Excelsior-class Federation starship...

You might think that you sound silly when you write a sentence to establish context – after all, everyone knows who James T. Kirk is, right? Well, maybe not – and that's what Memory Alpha is for. So even if it sounds strange to you, be sure to state the obvious when beginning your new article. (But be creative.)

For real-world terms, be sure that you have a proper grasp of their dictionary definitions before using them. The in-universe meaning of a term always takes precedence over whatever contradictory or additional information exists in the real world, but in cases where no meaning is given, defer to the simplest explanation possible to avoid adding too much irrelevant-to-MA information.

It is also important to note that some pages have similar names and different meanings, so be certain that the instance of a word, name, or phrase you are citing is referring to the subject of the page you are adding information to.