# Article, Section and Aside Inside the main content, mark up each piece that stands on its own as an article, each themed group with its own heading as a section, and related extras as an aside, using one short test for each. Apprentice · HTML · Updated October 31, 2026 ## After this lesson you can - Use the stand-alone test to decide when content belongs in an article - Choose section for a themed group with a heading, and aside for content related to the main content but not part of it ## Key takeaways - An article is one complete piece that would make sense on its own, copied into a newsletter or shared by a link, such as a news story, a blog post or a review. - A section is a group of content on one theme, with a heading of its own. - An aside is an extra beside the main content, such as a sidebar or a "Did you know?" box. It is related, but the main content makes sense without it. - Article, section, aside and nav are called sectioning content. Each starts a part of the page that can have its own header and footer. A blog, an online store, a news site, a page of recipes: most of what people build has many pieces inside its main content. A product page has reviews. A blog post has comments. A news page has stories, a "Most read" box and a part with the opening hours. When you build pages like these, at work or for an assignment, three elements say what each piece is, and each one comes with a test you can run in your head. ## The newsletter test: article Imagine clipping a story out of a newspaper and sticking it on the fridge. It still makes sense: it has its own headline and says everything it needs to. That's the test for an **article**: *is this one complete piece that would make sense on its own, copied into a newsletter or shared by a link?* If the answer is yes, it goes in an `
`: ```html

New 3D printer in the makerspace

Our makerspace now has a 3D printer. Book a free half-hour session at the front desk.

``` Things that pass the test: a news story, a blog post, a forum post, a reader's comment, a product card with its photo, name and price, a recipe, a review of a movie. Things that fail it: a "Read more" link, the menu, the copyright line. Clip any of those out, and they make no sense alone. ## A chapter with a heading: section A textbook is split into chapters, and each chapter has a title. A newspaper has its Sports pages, all about sports, under a big "Sports" heading. That's a **section**: a group of content on one theme, with a heading of its own. ```html

Opening Hours

Monday to Thursday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday: closed

``` The heading is the clue. If you can't think of a heading for the group, it probably isn't a section. And sections and articles work together: a group of stories isn't one complete piece, so the library's "Library News" is a section, and each story inside it is an article. ```html

Library News

Summer Reading Challenge starts June 1

Read five books by August 15 and earn a free tote bag.

New 3D printer in the makerspace

Book a free half-hour session at the front desk.

``` ## The "Did you know?" box: aside Magazines put little boxes beside their stories: *Did you know?*, *Related reading*, a short bio of the writer. They're related to the story, but if you cut them out, the story still works. That's an **aside**: content that's related to what's around it, but not part of it. ```html ``` On the library's news page, the upcoming events sit beside the news: a sidebar. Other good asides: a "You might also like" box on a product page, a glossary box beside a lesson, an author bio beside a blog post. An `