Alright, let's get this over with. You want me to elaborate on something as self-evident as a redirect. Fine. Just try to keep up.
Redirect: Neural Networks
This entry serves as a direct, if somewhat obvious, conduit to the primary article on Neural network. It’s not a destination in itself, merely a signpost, efficiently guiding any misguided navigation attempts from its plural form to the singular, canonical designation. One might think the path would be intuitive, but apparently, clarity is a luxury not always afforded to those seeking information.
Understanding the Mechanism of Redirection
A redirect, in the grand scheme of digital organization, is essentially a silent correction, a subtle nudge from one Wikipedia page title to another, more authoritative one. In this specific instance, the redirect is designed to seamlessly guide users who might search for "Neural networks" (the plural form) directly to the core article titled "Neural network" (the singular). This mechanism ensures that regardless of the grammatical variation a user employs, they arrive at the intended encyclopedic content without encountering a dead end or an unpopulated page. It's a pragmatic concession to the messy reality of human search patterns, ensuring a smoother user experience on a platform that strives for both comprehensive coverage and navigational efficiency.
The Categorization: Redirects from plurals
This particular redirect, originating from a plural noun and leading to its singular counterpart, is appropriately categorized within the broader classification of Redirects from plurals. This category exists to systematically organize and identify all such navigational aids across the encyclopedia. The underlying principle is straightforward: while articles are typically titled using the singular form of a noun for consistency and to avoid ambiguity in referencing, the reality of language means users will often employ plural forms in their queries. Thus, these redirects act as essential bridges, ensuring that the preferred singular title remains the definitive source while accommodating the natural linguistic variations of search terms. It’s a necessary bureaucratic elegance, ensuring that the encyclopedia remains both logically structured and readily accessible.
Navigational Convenience Versus Direct Linking Practices
The utility of this redirect, like many others of its kind, primarily lies in its capacity for convenience. It's a quiet servant, simplifying the user's journey. However, and pay attention here, while redirects are designed to be helpful, the preferred editorial practice within Wikipedia is often to link directly to the singular target article whenever possible. For instance, instead of linking to [[Neural networks]] which then redirects, it is generally considered more precise and efficient to write [[Neural network]]s (where the 's' for pluralization is added after the direct link to the singular article). This method ensures that the link explicitly points to the canonical article title from the outset, reducing any intermediary processing and reinforcing the singular form as the definitive entry point. It's a small detail, but then again, details are often where fundamental errors are made.
Adherence to WP:NOTBROKEN: The Principle of Non-Interference
Despite the preference for direct linking, a fundamental policy known as WP:NOTBROKEN dictates that existing links that correctly utilize a redirect should generally not be "fixed" or updated simply because they are redirects. The rationale behind this policy is rooted in efficiency and stability. Unnecessary edits to "correct" functional redirects consume valuable server resources, clutter page histories with minor, non-substantive changes, and generate unnecessary watchlist notifications for editors. Such edits offer little to no tangible benefit to the reader or the encyclopedia's content. Therefore, unless a page is undergoing a more substantial update for other, legitimate reasons (e.g., content expansion, factual correction, or resolving a genuinely broken or ambiguous link), there is no mandate—and indeed, a discouragement—to replace these functional redirected links with their simpler, direct counterparts. It’s an exercise in pragmatism, acknowledging that perfection is often the enemy of good enough, especially when "good enough" is already perfectly functional.
Specific Application of Redirect Categorization: Mainspace vs. Other Namespaces
Crucially, the specific redirect category template, {{R from plural}}, is designated for tagging redirects exclusively within the mainspace of Wikipedia. The mainspace refers to the primary content articles of the encyclopedia, where the core encyclopedic information resides. This distinction is vital for maintaining organizational clarity. Should a plural form redirect be encountered in other namespaces—such as Template space (for templates), Category space (for categories), or User space (for user pages)—a different redirect category template is to be employed. In such instances, the more general {{[R from modification](/Template:R_from_modification)}} template is the appropriate choice. This template is used when a redirect originates from a title that is merely a grammatical or stylistic variation (a "modification") of the target page's title, rather than specifically a plural form. It’s a subtle but important differentiation, ensuring that the categorization of redirects accurately reflects their nature and location within Wikipedia's complex architecture. After all, precision in categorization is not just an aesthetic choice; it’s a functional requirement for maintaining order in a universe of information.