Tardis:What categories are not

Categorisation Category page descriptions → Category naming conventions → "Real world" versus "from the real world" → Category tree → Beware recursion → Don't over-categorise → Rule of three → Even good categories can be removed → HotCat → What categories are not

Categories are categories. They are not lists or articles. Avoid linking to them like they're a part of the main namespace, because they're not.

Shortcut:

T:CAT NOT

Categories are highly useful parts of the wiki experience. But there are several things they are not:

• Categories are not articles or lists. Main namespace articles should not link to category pages, except through the normal category link at the bottom of pages. They should never be used as a substitute for an article, because they are not subject to most of the rules governing our main article space. For instance, our rule about British spelling specifically does not apply to the category namespace; it only applies to the name of the category itself. Category description text is explicitly not written from the same perspective as our articles, so it would be jarring indeed to link to them from the body of a normal, in-universe article.
• Categories are not created simply by adding a page to them. Despite current language by Wikia Staff, categories are only created when you edit them and add them to another category. It is insufficient to just add a category to a page – you must then click on the resulting link and make sure that the category is linked to another, appropriate category.
• Categories are not clearly distinguished when they are uncreated. Unlike at Wikipedia or other MediaWiki installations, Wikia does not allow its wikis to colour category links differently, depending on whether they are created or not. On Wikipedia, you know that a category is not created because its name displays as red text at the bottom of pages. Unfortunately, this is not the case at Wikia. Thus, you must physically click on the link and check whether the category has been created. Alternately, you may go to MediaWiki:FixMe.css and install it in your personal CSS. Disagreeably, however, we are forbidden by Wikia from making the changes in MediaWiki:FixMe.css available by default on this wiki.
• Categories are not a substitute for writing the article. Don't add a category to a page unless you've justified that addition in the text of the article itself. For instance, you can't add Category:Prose writers to Steven Moffat unless you explain in the body of the text exactly what prose he's written. Or you can't add Big Finish Gallifrey voice actors to an actor's page without also adding the exact roles she enjoyed in that series.