Editing Encyclopedia:Signatures (section)

=== Appearance and color ===
{{Policy section|WP:SIGAPP}}
{{nutshell|title=This section|Ensure that your signature is clear, easily readable, and does not disrupt other editors.}}
'''Your signature must not blink, scroll, or otherwise cause inconvenience to or annoy other editors.'''
* Avoid markup such as {{Tag|big|o}} and {{Tag|span|params=style="font-size: 200%;"|o}}<sup>(or more)</sup> tags (which {{Big|enlarge}} text); this is likely to disrupt the way that surrounding text displays.
* Do not add line breaks ({{Tag|br|s}}), which can also negatively affect nearby text display. The use of [[non-breaking space]]s or <code><sp<nowiki />an&nbsp;class="[[WP:NOWRAP|nowrap]]"></code> to ensure that the signature displays on one line is recommended.
* Be sparing with [[subscript and superscript]]. In some cases, this type of script can also affect the way that surrounding text is displayed.
* Do not make your signature so small that it is difficult to read.
* As some users have vision problems, be conscious of color and contrast issues. If you use different colors in your signature, please ensure that the result will be readable by people with [[color blindness]], defective color vision, and other visual disabilities.<ref group="Note">The [[Web Content Accessibility Guidelines]] specify a [[contrast ratio]] of {{em|at least}} 4.5:1 for text, and {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility|Color}} requires 7:1 "where feasible". To use named CSS colors on a white background, refer to [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility/CSS colors for text on white]] for recommended colors. For other usage, use this [https://webaim.org/resources/linkcontrastchecker/?fcolor=202122&bcolor=FFFFFF&lcolor=3333FF Link contrast checker] to help determine if the colors will be visible to everyone. Signatures do not always appear on white or black backgrounds. Other colors for calculations range from the [[Wikipedia:Skin|Monobook skin's]] very pale blue ({{Color box|#F8FCFF|#F8FCFF}}) to the closed discussion [[Template:hat|Hidden archive]] tan ({{Color box|#F2DFCE|#F2DFCE}}) title bar. Other tools for checking contrast are described at {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility|Color}}.</ref>
* Do not include horizontal rules (<code><nowiki>----</nowiki></code> or {{Tag|hr|s}}).
* Do not include {{tag|div}}s because those cause the surrounding text to make a new line.
For guidance on how to use color and other effects to customize the appearance of your signature, see [[Wikipedia:Signature tutorial|this tutorial]].

Signature formatting has been the subject of numerous [[WP:RFC|Requests for Comment]], and has also resulted in some very heated debates. When dealing with potentially problematic signatures, simply being [[WP:POLITE|polite]] is often sufficient and can prevent the situation from escalating into a [[WP:DISPUTE|dispute]]. You can use [[Template:Uw-sigapp]] to warn users who have potentially problematic signatures.