more about what a tops & Flops list looks like

The choice of category, subject, or theme, choice of list items, and the number of list items is up to the person who creates the list, here called the list maker. At the discretion of the list-maker, a list also may have rankings, ratings, and additional information.

about list Rankings

Some Tops & Flops lists represent aspects of the arts that are neutral; that is, no good or bad is implied by the list maker. For example, a specific list might consist of the names of ten movements in Western oil painting and nothing more. What's good or bad about that?

Other Tops & Flops lists represent the best or worst of their kind, others the most or least of their kind, others the most mediocre of their kind, etc. Many Tops & Flops lists are about good or bad things in the arts—about the list-maker's personal favorites, dislikes, or objections.

Lists may or may not be ranked if they are about categories, subjects, or themes that can be good or bad, superior or inferior, etc. It's up to the list-maker to decide whether to rank such a list. If unranked, the list is in random order.

Lists that can be ranked permit of ranking because one item on the list is, by its nature, better or worse than another. One item on such a list can be compared with another according to a criterion selected by the list-maker.

If ranked, the order in which such list items are placed on a list says something about an item's place in the scheme of things; the order of such a list items is significant. An item's place on such a list tells you how it compares with the other items on the list—whether the item is better or worst than those above or below it, more or less than those above or below it, earlier or later than those above or below it, etc.

Lists that are about neutral categories, subjects, or themes cannot be ranked because no item on the list is better or worse than another; the item order is automatically random and the place on the list says nothing about the relationship between one item or another. A list is assumed to be unranked unless otherwise indicated by the list-maker.

A list's title helps you identify whether a list is ranked or neutral. To tell if a list is ranked, look for words such as best, worst, most, least, earliest, or latest in the title.

how a list-maker specifies rank

If a list-maker ranks a list, he is expected to 1) place items on the list in rank order, 2) explain the criterion used for ranking, and 3) explain the reasons for assigning each list item to its place on the list. It's up to the list-maker to rank the list items according to his personal knowledge and artistic opinions:

• If the order of items on a list doesn't matter, the list-maker will mark the Entry Order Random.
• If the order of items on a list is significant, the list is ranked. In that case, the list-maker will mark the Entry Order box Organized.
• Ranked items are listed in a particular ascending or descending order starting with the best (or worst) at the top, earliest (or latest) at the top, etc., or in accordance with some other criterion chosen by and specified by the list-maker.
• If the ranking criterion is judgmental (e.g., good or bad), the rank order is an expression of the list-maker's knowledge and artistic opinion of how each list item compares with all the other items on the list.
• If the ranking criterion is objective (e.g., earlier or later), the rank order will be an expression of an objective measure of how each list item compares with all the other items on the list.

additional list content

Tops & Flops lists can contain more information than the names of items on lists. For example, the list-maker may explain his rationale for choosing the category, subject, or theme; he may explain his rationale for selecting the items he placed on his  list. If list items are in rank order, he may give his reasons for ranking list items; or he may give his reasons for ranking the group of list items as a whole. Why is one author better than another? Here's where you'll find out what the list-maker thinks.

The list maker may also provide supplementary information that helps clarify, identify, or understand each of the items on the list. For instance, if list items on a certain list are the names of classical symphonies, the list-maker may provide supplementary information about each item—composer's name, nickname given to the symphony, opus number, etc.