Help:Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions on Wikipedia

This page captures the best practices for creating lists of frequently asked questions on Saintapedia.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) or Questions and Answers (Q&A), are listed questions and answers, all supposed to be commonly asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. The format is commonly used on email mailing lists and other online forums, where certain common questions tend to recur.

"FAQ" is pronounced as either an initialism (F-A-Q) or an acronym. Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual media, its pronunciation varies; "F-A-Q", "fack", "faak", "fax", and "facts" are commonly heard. Depending on usage, the term may refer specifically to a single frequently asked question, or to an assembled list of many questions and their answers. Web page designers often label a single list of questions as a "FAQ," such as on Google.com, while using "FAQs," to denote multiple lists of questions such as on United States Treasury sites.

Category

If your page contains frequently asked questions, please add Category:Frequently Asked Questions to the end of the page.

• VisualEditor - Help:Visual editor#Categories
• Enhanced Editor - Use the following syntax to add the category: [[Category:Frequently Asked Questions]]

FAQ style best practices

1. Each question should be placed inside a section head. See Cheat sheet.
   • Each question should be as short as possible to keep the table of contents, which is automatically generated from text within section heads, from overwhelming the page.
   • Do not include "Q:" or "Question:" -- that is understood and adding it just clutters the table of contents and makes the page visually heavier.
2. Start the answer immediately following the section head. Do not preface with "Answer:" as that is obvious.
3. Make sure to add the Category:Frequently Asked Questions as the last item in the edit window.
4. Optional: you may want to add an extra space between the end of one question and the next section head to add a little more visual separation between the questions items.

Section and Semicolon

There are two simple ways to format FAQs.

1. You can use section headings
2. You can put a semicolon before the question and a colon before the answer. The Q text won't appear in the table of contents.

Argument of their use

Users have questions. Your content and website navigation can help them find answers, or potentially cause frustration. One tool for answering questions is up for debate: are FAQ sections still relevant, or are they a relic of bygone days?

See discussion at:

• FAQs Still Deliver Great Value and An FAQs User Experience vs
• FAQs Are the Dinosaurs of Web Navigation
• FAQs: why we don’t have them - UK government
• Are FAQs Still Relevant? - DigitalGov University

Arguments for	Arguments against
* Way to respond to routine phone calls, emails, and online chats	* How do visitors know if their question is a FAQ
* Most people are not skilled at forming effective search queries	* Can be a dumping ground of any questions that comes to mind
* Offer more content that quick links for those not familiar with where to go to find the information they need	* Answer should be instead be on the related topic page
* Can show that the organization is listening and addressing people’s concerns	* Poor form of navigation
* Grouping by topic improves scan-ability	* Not easily scan-able (list of questions beginning “How do I” or “What are the”)
* Familiar format to readers	* Put hard work on readers
* Can show respect towards readers	* Can be organizational driven
* Reduce the burden on those answering reader questions	* Lead to duplication
* Route Visitors to Other Key Content	* Often created once and not maintained/updated regularly
* Updating the FAQs can point the updates to ways the site overall can be improved	* May indicate that the organization behind the FAQs has not thought about their content

Related

• Wikipedia:Template:FAQ

External links

• FAQs done right