MOS:NOPIPE

MOS:NOPIPE‏‎ is a guideline within the Manual of Style on Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. It provides guidance on the use of piped links in Wikipedia articles.

Overview

The MOS:NOPIPE‏‎ guideline advises against the use of piped links that are not immediately recognizable to readers. A piped link is a type of hyperlink that allows the text of the link to be different from the title of the page it links to. For example, Manual is a piped link that leads to the "Manual of Style" page but only displays "Manual" as the link text.

Purpose

The purpose of the MOS:NOPIPE‏‎ guideline is to ensure that readers can understand the content of a Wikipedia article without needing to follow every link. If a link's text does not clearly indicate its destination, it can confuse readers and disrupt their reading flow. The guideline therefore encourages editors to use clear and descriptive link text that matches the title of the linked page as closely as possible.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions to the MOS:NOPIPE‏‎ guideline. For instance, it is acceptable to use piped links in cases where the link text is a common alternative name for the linked page, or where the link text is a more specific term within the broader topic of the linked page. However, these exceptions should be used sparingly and only when necessary to improve the readability of the article.

See also

• Manual of Style/Linking
• Manual of Style/Accessibility
• Manual of Style/Words to watch