Wikipedia:Captions

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A caption to an image on Wikipedia is a short description that appears below the image. Most captions are a few words mentioning something important about the image that is not obvious simply by looking at the image, such as its relevance to the text. For complex images or images whose relationship to the text is unclear, the caption can be one or two short sentences, rarely three. Writing good captions is difficult, and the examples below may be helpful. Along with the title, the lead, and section headings, captions are the most commonly read words in an article, so they should be succinct and informative.

This caption for the billboard article describes the sign's ad campaign and provides relevance to the topic.
This caption for the billboard article describes the sign's ad campaign and provides relevance to the topic.

Not every Wikipedia image needs a caption; some images are simply decorative. A very few may be genuinely self-explanatory. If you decide that an image does not need a caption, then please follow the advice at Wikipedia:Alternative text for images to specify appropriate "alt" text.

Contents

[edit] Some criteria for a good caption

There are several criteria for a good caption. A good caption

  1. clearly identifies the subject of the picture, without detailing the obvious.
  2. is succinct.
  3. establishes the picture's relevance to the article.
  4. provides context for the picture.
  5. draws the reader into the article.

Different people read articles different ways. Some people start at the top and read each word until the end. Others read the first paragraph and scan through for other interesting information, looking specially at pictures and captions. For those readers, even if the information is adjacent in the text, they will not find it unless it is in the caption — but do not tell the whole story in the caption — use the caption to make the reader curious about the subject.

Another way of approaching the job: imagine you're giving a lecture based on the encyclopaedia article, and you are using the image to illustrate the lecture. What would you say while attention is on the image? What do you want your audience to notice in the image, and why? Corollary: if you have got nothing to say, then the image probably does not belong in the article.

[edit] Clear identification of the subject

One of a caption's primary purposes is to identify the subject of the picture. Make sure your caption does that, without leaving readers to wonder what the subject of the picture might be. Be as unambiguous as practical in identifying the subject. What the picture is is important, too. If the illustration is a painting, the painter's Wikilinked name, the title, and a date give context. The present location may be added in parentheses: (Louvre). Although if the image of the painting is on the page for the artist's biography, wikilinking the artist's name is not needed. See below for more details. Sometimes the date of the image is important: there is a difference between "King Arthur" and "King Arthur in a 19th-century watercolor". If the image depicts the subject of the article, it need not be wikilinked. For instance, if the article is about J. D. Salinger and the image depicts him, his name should not be linked.

[edit] Succinctness

Mechanical engineers design and build engines and power plants...
Mechanical engineers design and build engines and power plants...

Though succinctness is not the same as brevity, it is easy to write a caption too long. Even more than with all good writing, any superfluous word that can be removed from a caption increases its power. More than three lines of text in a caption may be distracting. Sometimes increasing the pixel width of the image brings better balance (but remember that you should not normally force image widths): more often, superfluous words can be removed from the caption instead. Save some information for the image description page, and put other information in the article itself, but make sure the reader does not miss the essentials in the picture.

[edit] Establishing relevance to the article

...structures and vehicles of all sizes...
...structures and vehicles of all sizes...

A good caption explains why a picture belongs in an article. "The 1965 Ford Mustang introduced the whiz-bang super-speeder" tells us why it is worth the trouble to show a photo of a 1965 Ford Mustang rather than just any of that model car. "It was the only one I could find with a suitable license" probably is not a worthy caption reason. Links to relevant sections within the article may help draw the reader in (see here for how to do this): compare Ebola for an example.

[edit] Providing context for the picture

...and moving mechanisms, machines, and robots.
...and moving mechanisms, machines, and robots.[1]

A picture captures only one moment in time. What happened before and after? What happened outside the frame? For The Last Supper, "Jesus dines with his disciples" tells something, but add "on the eve of his crucifixion" and it tells much more about the significance. Add "With this meal, Jesus established the tradition of Holy Communion" to get more context if you do not cover that in the article. In such a caption the name of the painter and date provide information on the cultural point-of-view of the particular representation.

[edit] Drawing the reader into the article

The caption should lead the reader into the article. For example, in History of the Peerage, a caption for Image:William I of England.jpg might say "William of Normandy overthrew the Anglo-Saxon monarchs, bringing a new style of government." Then the reader gets curious about that new form of government and reads text to learn what it is.

[edit] Wording

  • Most captions are not real sentences, but extended nominal groups; for example, "The Conservatory during Macquarie Night Lights, a summer festival" (no final period), and "The Conservatory was spotlit during Macquarie Night Lights, a summer festival." (full sentence with final period).
  • While a short caption is often appropriate, if it might be seen as trivial ("People playing Monopoly"), consider extending it so that it adds value to the image and is related more logically to the surrounding text ("A product of the Great Depression, Monopoly continues to draw people together.").
  • Sometimes the title-and-subtitle style with a colon works: "Neoclassicism: antiquity recreated in an 18th-century mode".
  • It is usually unnecessary to state what kind of image is being shown. If you have a map of the world which clearly shows countries that are members of NATO you can just use the caption "NATO members", rather than "Map of NATO members".

[edit] Special situations

Several types of images warrant special treatment:

  • Periodic table snippets for each element - no caption needed
  • Images of Element samples in the element info box - no caption needed
  • Images of plants and animals, protists etc in info boxes - caption optional
  • Info box images with mission insignia - no caption needed, but if there is a description of the symbolism, it should be included on the image description page
  • Other images (especially within standard info boxes) where the purpose of the image is clearly nominative, that is, that the picture serves as the typical example of the subject of the article and offers no further information - no caption needed.
  • Chemical compound diagrams (as in TNT) could benefit from a mention of the role of the structure in the properties of the compound.
  • Group portraits of a few people (presumably related to the article) should list the names of the individuals so that readers can identify individuals. Larger groups should have an index photo with numbered silhouettes and a key listing each person's name.
  • Maps and diagrams - instead of (or in addition to) including the legend explaining the color used in the image, use the {{legend}} template to include the legend in the caption. This makes the legend more readable, and allows for easy translation into other languages.

[edit] Tips for describing pictures

Here are some details people might want to know about the picture (all are linkable):

  • What is noteworthy about the subject of the picture? If there is an article on the subject of the picture, link to it.
  • For photographs:
    • Where was it taken?
    • When was it taken?
    • Who took it? (Generally, this is only included in the caption if the photographer is notable)
    • Why was it taken?
  • For works of art (see WikiProject Visual arts Art Manual of Style for fuller details):
    • Who is the artist?
    • What is the title or subject?
    • When was the piece completed?

Usually less significant are:

    • What is the medium (oil on canvas/marble/mixed media...)?
    • Where is it located?
    • What are its dimensions?

Keep in mind that not all of this information needs to be included in the caption, since the image description page should offer more complete information about the picture. If it does not, it may be possible to add it there from WP:RS such as the website of the owning museum.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Courtesy of Mechanical engineering. Note that the images are simple and the captions are brief, but each adds meaning to the other.

[edit] External links