Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Dogs/Top-importance articles
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Importance scale edit
(Copied from Wikipedia:WikiProject Dogs/Assessment#Importance scale)
The following values may be used for the importance parameter (they should be entered exactly as given):
| Value | Meaning | Examples | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | "Key" articles, considered indispensable | Dogs, Dog breed | Top-importance Dogs articles |
| High | High-priority topics and needed subtopics of "key" articles, often with a broad scope; needed to complement any general understanding of the field | Companion dog, Dog food | High-importance Dogs articles |
| Mid | Mid-priority articles on more specialised (sub-)topics; possibly more detailed coverage of topics summarised in "key" articles, and as such their omission would not significantly impair general understanding | Canine distemper, Obedience school | Mid-importance Dogs articles |
| Low | While still notable, these are highly-specialised or even obscure, not essential for understanding the wider picture ("nice to have" articles) | Bamse the St Bernard, Dog-show judge | Low-importance Dogs articles |
The importance parameter is not used if an article's class is set to NA, and may be omitted in those cases. If the importance parameter is not yet set, or contains an invalid value, the article will be assigned to Category:Unknown-importance Dogs articles.
Rating relative importance of articles edit
The above scale serves as the working guidelines for how to rate the relative importance of the dog articles. Because importance is in relation to something, including other articles, I suggest this discussion cover all ratings levels to create a meaningful context.
The basic descriptions simply state importance should be rated in terms of "encyclopedic value." Some specific examples are then given. Another "built-in" representation of importance in Wikipedia is the category classification system hierarchy – the higher up in the tree, the more important the category. It then follows that "main articles" for the top-level category and main sub-categories are prime contenders for the top importance rating. For reference, here's the category tree.
In relation to the question posed specifically about dog breeds, the Kennel clubs around the world are the recognized authorities about which breeds are most "important." (Keep in mind I'm a hard-core mutt lover as well! ;-) From this perspective, I suggest that all of the "dog group" articles based on the various clubs' breed lists be rated as "top" importance. Individual breed articles from these groups might then be rated as "high" importance. Here's a complete list of of groups for the American Kennel Club. I don't know if anything is missing for the other clubs around the world.
As this discussion unfolds, I would suggest "types" of articles be added to the above table for each rating to provide further guidance on how to rate individual articles. Rfrisbietalk 16:04, 21 November 2006 (UTC)