 | This is an information page that describes communal consensus on some aspect of Wikipedia norms and practices. It is intended to clarify the type of article known as an "outline". This is not a Wikipedia policy or guideline; please defer to such in a case of inconsistency with this page. |
 | This page in a nutshell: An outline is a list of topics arranged hierarchically that helps a reader learn about a subject quickly by showing what topics the subject includes, and how the topics relate to each other. Outlines combine the benefits of tables of contents, site maps, and glossaries. They can be stand-alone articles or can be embedded within articles. Stand-alone outlines are linked together hierarchically, with Wikipedia:Contents/Outlines an entry point to this system. |
You know how books have a table of contents at the beginning? It lists all the chapters and sections so you can quickly see what the book is about. Wikipedia has something similar called "outlines."
Instead of just using the search box to look for one specific thing, outlines let you explore entire topics from a bird's eye view. It's like looking at a map of a city instead of just finding one address. A subject on Wikipedia may have many articles about it. Its outline helps you see the whole subject and navigate it faster.
Outlines combine the best parts of tables of contents, site maps, and glossaries. They let you navigate subjects easily, focus on the areas you want, and understand topics better because of how they're organized.