This guideline is a part of the English Wikipedia's Manual of Style.

Editors should generally follow it, though it is best treated with common sense, and exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus.

On large disambiguation pages, organizing by subject area helps readers find the page they want quickly. Readers should be able to find their target with minimal reading, by:

Identifying the relevant section (and then subsection if needed) from headers alone, then
Identifying the topic they want from the entries in that (sub)section only

without having to descend into irrelevant sections, and without having to read anything twice. This page discusses principles that enable that goal, and suggested headings to use.

Guidance for individual entries is at Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Disambiguation pages.

Principles

Shortcut

MOS:NOSURPRISEMOS:NOSURPRISE

1. Minimize surprise

Choose clear subject areas. The title of each section must make it obvious what kinds of entries it contains (and doesn't contain).
- Use the same section names as similar dab pages, if practical.
- Only combine closely related subject areas.^{[note 1]} (Other uses is the exception.)
- Separate fictional items from real ones.
- Avoid schemes not based on subject area.

Shortcut

MOS:DABOVERLAPMOS:DABOVERLAP

Minimize and handle all overlaps. Choose subject areas that result in minimal overlap for the entries on a given page.^{[note 2]} If overlap can't reasonably be avoided:
- For one or two overlapping items per (sub)section, duplicate these entries in each appropriate (sub)section.
- For several items (or a subsection), put these entries in only one place, and put a hatnote (e.g.: {{for|<topic>|#<Section>}}) at the top of any other appropriate (sub)sections, at the lowest applicable header level.^{[note 3]}

If readers look in a section that logically should contain their target but doesn't, and also doesn't indicate where it can be found, they may assume it is missing, and give up.

Order sections alphabetically unless there is a clear reason not to.^{[note 4]} (This is the easiest order to recognize – importance, for example, is usually too subjective.)

2. Moderate section size

Shortcut

MOS:DABGROUPSIZEMOS:DABGROUPSIZE

To minimize the reading users need to do on average, avoid both long, undivided sections, and lots of small sections:

Sections with more than ten to twelve entries should usually be divided into subsections, if practical. Use judgment based on the particular page.
Sections with less than three entries should often be merged into "Other uses", unless that section is already too long. Sections with only one entry should almost always be merged into "Other uses".
Minimize "other uses" entries – but not at the cost of creating lots of tiny sections, or violating the principles of minimal surprise.

3. "Other uses" below

Shortcuts

Entries that are not fully categorized belong in an "Other uses [in topic]" section at the end of the page or section (but before any "See also" section). The space above the first section on the page (or above the first subsection in a section) should not have any entries ("orphans"), except for:

At most one primary topic, if there is one, at the top of the page; and
A few significantly more common meanings, if they exist;

And these entries should be repeated in the appropriate sections. "Loose" entries at the top of a page or section aren't accounted for in the table of contents, so readers relying on the ToC can easily miss them.

If all the "other" entries in a section can be described by a plural noun, the words "uses in" should be avoided, e.g., Other people, not Other uses in people; Other media, not Other uses in media (unless some entries are, in fact, not media themselves).

Also:

Use ==Wiki headings==, not bold text or semicolon markup, for headings (see WP:PSEUDOHEAD).
Put the table of contents before the first heading with {{TOC right}}.^{[note 5]}
Use the "See also" section for entries whose titles are related to, but not strictly ambiguous with, the page title, such as similarly-named disambiguation pages.
After organizing, it is typically helpful to shrink descriptions in entries by removing information that is given in headers; see MOS:DABSHORT.

Schemes to avoid

Shortcut

MOS:BADSCHEMEMOS:BADSCHEME

Organizing schemes not based on subject area can be confusing. Avoid grouping entries by etymology, pronunciation, or whether the terms are acronyms or not – these schemes assume knowledge that the reader may not have.

Certain variations on the ambiguous term may be used to sort entries within sections, such as:

Formatting, such as capitalization
Plural vs. singular forms of a term
The presence of "A(n)" or "The" (or their equivalent in another language) at the start of a proper title

but these should not usually be the basis for sorting between sections. For more on sorting within sections, see MOS:DABORDER.

Example scheme

This scheme, or any part of it, may be used to organize disambiguation pages. Braces ("{}") suggest alternative terms, which may be used singly or combined. Common pitfalls that may make dab pages harder to navigate are marked in red. Remember to remove visible braces ("{ }") and pipes ("|") before saving a dab page.

NOTE! These headings are examples only; most disambiguation pages will only use a few of these headings. They should be liberally modified, supplemented, split up, combined, and promoted or demoted to different header levels in keeping with the principles above, to best suit each particular page. Disambiguation pages are enormously varied, and a different set of headings may better suit a given page.

[Title] may refer to:

{Arts|Entertainment|Media}

[Avoid words like "(popular) culture" and "society"; they are too vague.]

[Sports-related entries are typically listed in "People", "Organizations", and/or "Sport", not here.]

[Technologies used for media and entertainment are typically listed in "Science and technology", not here.]

[If people or organizations in the arts are listed elsewhere, note this in a hatnote, e.g.: For people in arts and entertainment, see § People.]

[It may be helpful to separate items with proper names (e.g. The Noise (band)) from generic terms (e.g. noise music).]

Fictional {characters|elements}

[Can be useful if characters/elements appear in several media types, but will likely overlap with subsections by medium, as below.^{[note 6]}]

{Film|Radio|Television|Theater}

Gaming

{Literature|Writing}

[Avoid the word "Print", which excludes digital written media.]

{Books|Novels}

{Comics|Magazines|Newspapers|Periodicals}

{Short stories|Poems}

Music

{Artists|Bands|Performers}

{Albums|Symphonies|Extended compositions}

{Songs|Pieces|Tracks}

Other {arts|entertainment|media}

[Such as painting or sculpture]

[If amusement park rides are listed, include "entertainment" in the headers]

{Businesses|Organizations}

[An "organization" is generally accepted to mean any group of people formally organized for a purpose. If "Organizations" is used, and businesses, schools, sports teams, etc. are listed elsewhere, hatnote(s) are needed here, using e.g. {{for}} or {{for-multi}}. An exception is musical bands, which are typically only listed in "Arts and media".]

{Government|Military|Political} organizations

[Break down geographically if needed]

{Schools|Universities}

[Break down geographically or by academic level if needed]

Sports {teams|organizations}

[If listed in a separate "Sport" section, note this in a hatnote]

Other {businesses|organizations}

[Break down by industry if needed]

{Economics|Finance}

[For topics in economic science, a subsection of "Science" may be more appropriate.]

{Government|Law}

[May overlap with "Economics and finance" or "Organizations"]

Language(s)

[Do not list dictionary definitions; these should be handled with the {{wiktionary}} template at the top of the page.]

[Typically contains languages, dialects, letters and other characters, and sometimes function words. Topics in linguistics may overlap with "Science and technology"]

Military

[Caution: This section may have significant overlap with "Organizations" and "Technology" sections; consider using them instead.]

People

[People with the page title as part of their common name should typically be listed on an anthroponymy page, such as Bob (given name), not a disambiguation page, unless there are only a few such people.]

[Fictional characters belong in "Arts and media", not here.^{[note 7]}]

[Do not group people by gender unless relevant to their field, e.g. sportspeople.^{[note 8]}]

[Groups of people (such as ethnic groups), names as such, and shared titles should be listed separately from individuals.]

In {academia|research|science}

["Academia" includes institutions of higher education and research; primary/secondary school educators are not considered academics.]

In {arts|entertainment|media}

[Break down by type of media if needed, but beware of overlap with an "Arts and media" section]

In business

In {government|military|politics}

In religion

Sportspeople

Other people

Places

[Break down geographically, or into buildings/facilities, populated areas (like cities and states), and natural formations, if needed]

[If facilities – like train stations, airports, or sports venues – are listed elsewhere, note this in a hatnote]

{Religion|Mythology|Philosophy}

[If people in these fields are listed in a separate "People" section, note this in a hatnote.]

{Science|Technology|Mathematics}

[Avoid separating these topics, as they often have significant overlap.]

[If people in these fields are listed in a separate "People" section, note this in a hatnote.]

Mathematics

[Some consider mathematics to be a science, some don't. If there are math topics here, it is advisable to include "mathematics" in the parent section title.]

Natural sciences

{Astronomy|Cosmology}

{Physics|Chemistry}

{Geology|Earth science}

{Biology|Medicine|Biochemistry|Life sciences}

{Psychology|Sociology}

{Computing|Electronics|Telecommunication}

[Games and digital content belong under "Arts and media", not here, unless they deal with these topics specifically.]

{Military technology|Weapons}

[May overlap with "Electronics" or "Transportation" subsections.]

{Transportation|Vehicles}

[If transportation technologies are listed in a separate "Transportation" section, note this in a hatnote.]

Other uses in {science|technology|mathematics}

Sports

[Caution: This section may have significant overlap with "People" and "Organizations" sections; consider using them instead.]

[Break down by sport, geographically, or into amateur, professional, and school sports, if needed]

Transportation

[Caution: This section may have significant overlap with other sections as noted below. If used, handle overlap as described above.]

{Airports|Stations|Transportation facilities}

[Overlaps with "Places".]

{Transit systems|Transport operators}

[Overlaps with "Businesses and organizations".]

{Vehicles|Vessels}

[May overlap with "Science and technology".]

{Aircraft|Spacecraft}

{Land vehicles|Cars}

{Rail vehicles|Trains}

{Ships|Watercraft}

Other uses

[Ambiguously-named items that do not belong in any other section. Entries that fit in another section, but not in any of its subsections, should be placed in an "Other uses in [topic]" subsection there.]

Notes

↑ For example, within a "Science and technology" section, Biology and medicine is fine; Cosmology and medicine is not. Having overlapping entries does not make two areas closely related.
↑ For example, vehicles and engines would fit in both "Transportation" and "Science and technology".
↑ For example, if "Science and technology" has an "Other uses" subsection, but vehicles are in a separate "Transport" section, put the hatnote at the top of the "Other uses" subsection, where readers of the table of contents will look if they expect those entries to be in "Science and technology".
↑ Note that this differs from the guidance for ordering entries within sections.
↑ The {{TOC right}} template has no effect in the Vector 2022 skin, but affects users of older skins.
↑ This overlap can also be avoided by making headers specify a type, e.g. "Television series" and/or "Television episodes" rather than just "Television".
↑ Except as covered by name disambiguation or anthroponymy pages that list both real and fictional people.
↑ And basically no one else.