The Five Ws, Five Ws and one H, or the Six Ws are questions whose answers are considered basic in information-gathering. They include Who, What, When Where, and Why. The 5 Ws are often mentioned in journalism, 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 is it about?
What happened?
When did it take place?
Where did it take place?
Why did it happen?
Some authors add a sixth question, "how", to the list, though "how" can also be covered by "what", "where", or "when":
How did it happen?