Wikipedia:Too long; didn't read

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.


Too long; didn't read (abbreviated TL;DR and tl;dr) is a shorthand to indicate that a passage is too long to invest the time to digest it.[3] Akin to Wall of text.

The label is often used to point out excessive verbosity or to signify the presence of and location of a short summary in case the page is too long and won't otherwise be read.[4] It can be misused as a tactic to thwart collaborative editing or a stoop to ridicule. If a discussion is reasonably concise, it is best practice to read it before commenting.

Reasons for length

Many people edit Wikipedia because they enjoy writing; however, that passion can result in overlong composition. This reflects a lack of time or commitment to refine an effort through successively more concise drafts. With some application, natural redundancies and digressions can often be eliminated. Recall the venerable paraphrase of Pascal: "I made this so long because I did not have time to make it shorter."[1][2]

Also writers can incorrectly believe that long sentences and big words make that writer appear learned.

GUIDE). Even capable authors recognize the risk of distortion through brevity.[6]

Some policies and procedures can encourage overlong prose due to imposing arbitrary limits. The

game the system
.

A trusted aphorism states that "brevity is the soul of wit."[7] Similarly, "omit needless words."[8] Editors are encouraged to write concisely and to use plain vocabulary when possible. Remember that English may not be a reader's native tongue. If length is essential, a short summary is advised.

While bloated composition may reflect the emotions of an editor, it should be noted that some people are constitutionally loquacious. It is impossible for you, as an editor, to affect either of these before the fact. When editing, always respect Wikipedia policies and editors' feelings. Take the time to distill your thoughts for better communication and rapport.

Internal policy discussions on talk pages can often become long-winded, too, usually for two reasons: because of the detailed nature of

wikilawyering
about wording and interpretation – you may get five paragraphs of rebuttal in response instead of one sentence of agreement.

Reducing wordiness

Per the

plot
}} template is not as good as winnowing them yourself.

Some linguists (such as Geoffrey K. Pullum in posts at Language Log) criticize Strunk & White's advice "omit needless words" in the fear that unskilled editors may mistake even necessary length for dross and delete it. Strunk and White, however, were unambiguous that concision does not require "the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell." Deleting is not always equivalent to improving, and intelligently differentiating the cases deserves care.

Maintain civility

Being too quick to

talk page
and politely offer advice there.

Avoid

prove through verbosity
, neither can one prove by wielding a four letter initialism. When illumination, patience, and wisdom are called for, answer with them.

Some quick tips

  • Provide summary/ synopsis

A further option for both readers and writers is to structure the writing so it can be

skimmed effectively. This means writing the first sentence of each paragraph as a summary of the paragraph, so the reader can quickly know which paragraphs or sections are of interest to read for more detail, in addition to the usual practice of putting a summary at the beginning of articles or sections.[9]
This works even when the content is concise, or for some uses should be complete, but a reader wishes to skim for speed in a disciplined and more accurate way.

  • If any talk page discussion is too long:
    • First best try to trim your response yourself. May be you can write response first in your own sandbox before posting on the talk page. Remember don't edit other user's responses.
    • <u> Underline important sentences </u> in your response can help readers in quick browsing.
    • Use collapse template
for your detailed long paragraphs
    • Use {{collapse top|Reply with details 1}} {{collapse bottom}}
    • Provide mid discussion synopsis and discussion end synopsis. Always remember Wikipedia is collaborative project and synopsis helps other users to understand main points of on going discussion.
    • If one wants to dot down through response for record sake can write in own user space sub-page and a link in the discussion.
  • In Nutshell: Be concise.

See also

References

  1. ^
    M'Crie, Thomas. University of Adelaide
    . Retrieved 7 November 2017. (Letter 16) ... The present letter is a very long one, simply because I had no leisure to make it shorter.
  2. ^
    Bibliothèque Nationale de France
    )
  3. .
  4. ^ Soonmme (2008-07-14). "Urban Dictionary, definition #7". UrbanDictionary.com. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  5. ^ "Study: Simple Writing Makes You Look Smart". Livescience.com. 2005-10-31. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
  6. ^ http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2014/02/03/270680304/this-could-have-been-shorter "... writers may err towards wordiness out of concern that short prose which is not carefully edited (at high time cost) would oversimplify, to the point of distorting or omitting, or carry a higher risk of being misunderstood"
  7. ^ Shakespeare, William (1992). Hamlet. New York: Washington Square Press. p. 89. Act 2, Scene 2, line 90: "Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit ..."
  8. ^ Strunk, William (1918). "Elementary Principles of Composition". The Elements of Style. Bartleby.com. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  9. ^ "Paragraphs and Topic Sentences". Retrieved 2017-08-11.

External links