Wikipedia:WikiProject UK geography/How to write about rivers

In the United Kingdom there is a vast diversity of watercourses. There are numerous names for running water: river, stream, beck, gill, bourne, burn etc., and no particular hierarchy relating these names to size. The meaning of "river" itself can be ambiguous: what is a river to one community might be a stream to another; and the names of rivers often change along their courses. This project page serves as a guideline for writing quality and standardized articles about the rivers of the UK.

The lists of rivers (in England, Scotland, Wales, and the list of rivers of the whole of Ireland) cover all main rivers – to Wikipedia these are notable. Ordinary watercourses are not desired in those lists, but some of them may meet the notability criteria and thus justify their own article. Where there is little that can be said about a river, for example if it is a network of closely connected tributaries, consider writing it as a section of its distributary. Writing about the smallest watercourses can be difficult too, due to the lack of source material. Many of the UK's smallest streams form part of a much larger river system or catchment area, and if no more than a couple of paragraphs could be written about the stream it may be best practice to merge the articles.

Please note that this guide is a generally accepted standard that all editors should follow. However, the suggestions on this page are merely guidelines, not rules written in stone. They permit the exercise of common sense, and have occasional exceptions. As stated in the Manual of Style, "consistency promotes professionalism, simplicity and greater cohesion in Wikipedia articles. An overriding principle is that style and formatting should be applied consistently throughout an article, unless there is a good reason to do otherwise".