Choosing the kind of piece

The kind of piece is the first question on the Write sheet, above the topic. It decides the shape of what is written: how it opens, how it is divided, and how it ends. Pick it before the topic, because the same sources make a different piece in each shape.

The six kinds

• Article: a flowing piece on one subject, in your voice. The default, and what most published writing is.
• Guide: step-by-step help for getting something done. Use it when the reader wants to finish a task, not learn a subject.
• Listicle: a numbered list of items, each with a short section. Good when the subject is naturally a set of things: tools, mistakes, questions.
• Comparison: two or more options set side by side, with a verdict. Use it when the reader is choosing.
• Explainer: a plain-language answer to what something is and how it works. Use it for a term, a rule or a process people ask about.
• News roundup: the latest developments on a subject, gathered in one place. It works best from a project with news sources in it.

Where to choose it

• On the Write sheet. Press "Write an article" and the row of kinds is at the top, under "What kind of piece?". The project's default is already selected; change it for this piece only.
• For a whole project. Open the project, then its settings, and set the default under "How articles are written". Every article from that project starts with it. Each article can still choose its own when you write it.
• In onboarding. The first article asks the same question, so your first piece is the shape you wanted.

Choosing well

Match the kind to what the reader is doing. Someone searching "how do I" wants a guide. Someone searching "X vs Y" wants a comparison. Someone searching "what is" wants an explainer. If you are not sure, an article is safe.

The kind does not change the rule about sources: every kind cites each factual claim to a passage in your project's sources. A comparison needs sources on every option it compares, and a news roundup needs recent pages. If the sources do not cover the shape, the piece will be thin, and the plan checkpoint is a good place to catch that before it is written.

If it goes wrong

• If a listicle came out with three items, the sources only supported three. Add a source per item you want and rewrite with notes.
• If you chose the wrong kind, use "Write a fresh take instead" from Rewrite. It uses 50 credits, because the shape changes the whole piece.