Help:Redirects

Code

To create a redirect, create a page with the following code:

#REDIRECT [[Target]]

Where "Target" is the pagename of the target page. This is a "hard" redirect, which will take a user directly to the target page without pausing. A space is usually left before the link. (Note that some alternative capitalisations of "REDIRECT" are possible.)

For example, to create a redirect from the page International Title to Original Title, create the page "International Title" with the code #REDIRECT [[Original Title]] and save. Any wikilinks or search results for "International Title" will then be redirected automatically to "Original Title".

When to use redirects

Common reasons to use redirects are:

• Alternative titles or alternative author names
• From a root page entry to subpages of works
• Shortcuts

A redirect will be created automatically when a page has been moved.

When not to use redirects

• We do not typically create perpetual subpage to subpage redirect links.

As explanation, subpage redirects have been shown to be problematic when moving works, and maintaining the pages of works, especially where we are disambiguating works. Practice is for subpages to be listed on root pages of works, and the preceding and succeeding pages, which means that they are readily located. Also numbers of subpages have their own wikidata items and these are usable to cite and source to the subpage link through calls to the respective wikidata items.

There are always exceptions to our guidance, so there are cases when redirects do exist subpage to subpage. Essentially these are to manage what are published printed citations/pointers within a work, typically q. v. citation, through where the development of a multi-volume work that the citation is not consistent with what was used within the work, or where the presentation at our Wikisource has required us to use a unique title that is not requisite within the work.

So our guidance is that we discourage subpage to subpage redirects, though we are open to discussion when the format or presentation of a work has that as a reliance.

Soft redirects

"Soft" redirects are pages that provide a link to the target page instead of taking a user directly to that target page. Soft redirects are used internally to inform users of an incorrect (or changed) pagename and allow them to update their records. A common type of soft redirect is the "dated soft redirect." A dated soft redirect will eventually be deleted entirely, giving a period of time for any links to be updated before this happens. This will often be used for the subpages of moved works, to prevent many unnecessary redirects being left behind, while the basepage of the moved work will remain as a normal "hard" redirect.

Categorising redirect pages

Redirects should not normally be categorised except by redirect sorting. However, when a subpage is also a work in its own right, and should be categorised as such, it can be better to place the categories on a redirect to the subpage instead of on the subpage itself. This makes the category page easier to read, with shorter page names.

Author pages of alternate family name should be categorised in the alphabetical categories subsidiary to Category:Authors, and they should also be default sorted, e.g. a redirect from Author:John Smith would utilise Category:Authors-Sm and {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John}}.

Redirects will appear in categories in italics.

Category redirects

Categories cannot be redirected in the same way as other pages. Instead the {{category redirect}} template can be placed on an otherwise normal category page. This will direct users to the correct category and ask them not to use the redirected category. No pages should be sorted into a redirected category.

Page-namespace redirects

See Help:Facsimiles