Editing Chabadpedia:Manual of Style/Layout (section)

===Headings and sections===
{{shortcut|MOS:OVERSECTION}}
{{further|Chabadpedia:Manual of Style#Section headings}}
[[File:Chabadpedia layout sample bodies.png|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=The same article, with the central left highlighted: it contains just text in sections.|Body sections appear after the lead and table of contents (click on image for larger view).]]

Headings introduce sections and subsections, clarify articles by breaking up text, organize content, and populate the [[Help:Section#Table of contents (TOC)|table of contents]]. Very short sections and subsections clutter an article with headings and inhibit the flow of the prose. Short paragraphs and single sentences generally do not warrant their own subheadings.

Headings follow a six-level hierarchy, starting at 1 and ending at 6. The level of the heading is defined by the number of equals signs on each side of the title. Heading 1 (<code>= Heading&nbsp;1 =</code>) is automatically generated as the title of the article, and is never appropriate within the body of an article. Sections start at the second level (<code>== Heading&nbsp;2 ==</code>), with subsections at the third level (<code>=== Heading&nbsp;3 ===</code>), and additional levels of subsections at the fourth level (<code>==== Heading&nbsp;4 ====</code>), fifth level, and sixth level. Sections should be consecutive, such that they do not skip levels from sections to sub-subsections; the exact methodology is part of the [[Chabadpedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility|Accessibility]] guideline.{{efn|1=For example, skipping heading levels, such as jumping from <code>== Heading&nbsp;2 ==</code> to <code>==== Heading&nbsp;4 ====</code> without <code>=== Heading&nbsp;3 ===</code> in the middle, violates [[Chabadpedia:Accessibility]] as it reduces usability for users of screen readers who use heading levels to navigate pages.}} Between sections, there should be a {{em|single}} blank line: multiple blank lines in the edit window create too much white space in the article. There is no need to include a blank line between a heading and sub-heading. When changing or removing a heading, consider adding an [[Template:Anchor|anchor template]] with the original heading name to provide for [[CP:incoming external links|incoming external links]] and [[CP:wikilink|wikilink]]s (preferably using <code><nowiki>{{subst:anchor}}</nowiki></code> rather than using <code><nowiki>{{anchor}}</nowiki></code> directly—see [[MOS:RENAMESECTION]]).