The Five Ws, Five Ws and one H, or the Six Ws are questions whose answers are considered basic in information-gathering. They are often mentioned in journalism (cf. news style), research, and  police investigations. They constitute a formula for getting the complete story on a subject. According to the principle of the Five Ws, a report can only be considered complete if it answers these questions starting with an interrogative word:

• Who did that?
• What happened?
• Where did it take place?
• When did it take place?
• Why did that happen?

Some authors add a sixth question, “how”, to the list, though "how" can also be covered by "what", "when", or "where":

• How did it happen?