djkaktus

SCP-1739 - Obsolete Laptop by Chubert

I maintain that this should be a benchmark for anyone who wants to write here. It's not overly complicated, it doesn't do more than it needs to, and it's incredibly well written.

Kalinin's Proposal - Past and Future by Kalinin

yeah so it's not a true tale. Who cares. In my opinion, it's the best proposal on the site and one of the best series I've read here, ever. There is so much fridge horror here the TV Tropes page should just link to it.

Shaggydredlocks

SCP-2935 - 'O, Death by djkaktus

Truly, a treat for those both new and old. It seems perfectly suited for those with only cursory knowledge of existing lore/returning users. Couple this with the fact that it is expertly written, with realistic dialogue and characters, a dread-inducing and suspenseful plot, and a harrowing, gut-wrenching conclusion, it goes without saying that this is a must-read.

We Need To Talk About Fifty-Five - by qntm

It's the introduction to what is one of the best series this site has. An incredible high-concept with mind-boggling twists and turns; a thrilling series I'd be happy to have representing the kind of place the SCP wiki is.

Weryllium

SCP-2380 - The Left Kidney of Junior Researcher Østergaard by BIDZ180

I highly recommend this article to any aspiring author or curious reader. There's several things it has going for it. It's a very unique and creative concept, first of all. It's a kidney, rather than the common eyeballs, fingers, hearts, etc. we see here and elsewhere. It uses the often-maligned compulsion effect and gets away with it due to the fun imagery it creates, showing that even the most commonly-spouted slogans can be overruled with enough skill. It's a short article, which is always nice, and tells a lot in that small space while leaving a lot to the imagination (But not too much). It has no convoluted backstory, GOI/canon linkage, or superfluous interview logs, because it doesn't need any of those to hold its concept up for it. In my opinion, it's a shining example of what an SCP is at its most fundamental. An entertainingly weird thing, what it does, and how the Foundation deals with it.

psul

SCP-882 - A Machine by Dr Gears

This gets the nod over the other contenders (and because 173 had already been taken!) for several reasons. It's relatively short, but it has a supplement to flesh things out and show off more dramatic writing. It is a unique item, and it has correspondingly interesting containment procedures. It is creepy, but not unnecessarily gory. It is self-contained (and doesn't require any background knowledge as to, for example, what an MTF is) but it has several cross-links to take readers further into the database. It's exactly what I'd suggest to draw a hypothetical new reader into this world.

Shadow of a Doubt - by Dr Yucatan

For me, this was a no-brainer. It perfectly sets out the Foundation world without the need for any background knowledge, providing an understanding of the shared universe, rather than assuming it (as most tales do). Even SCP-017 is neatly explained in-text. It highlights the human element, setting up characters the reader can invest in. And it creates a marvelous atmosphere of high tension which should leave the reader wanting more. It's really great - you should read it!

mlister

SCP-2498 - The Rainbow Body by minmin

Not the best article for a newbie, but in my opinion, it's perfect for showing off how vast a singular SCP can be. The article explores paratech, alt-history, and religion, all while balancing a detached overview with raw emotion. It's a self-contained story, yet it can serve as a springboard in the Coldest War canon. It's beautiful at times, yet there's an ominous undertone. It's a very personal story, yet it has global implications. I think this SCP shows just how large of a story you can craft while keeping the format perfectly intact.

wowwee-go-kill-ursefl - by Randomini

A bite-sized tale that exemplifies good character, good pacing, and good dialogue without any connections to the greater universe. It shows that there's more to the Foundationverse than the Foundation or even anomalies, and it serves as a springboard to Randomini's Acidverse.

The Conspiracy Of Sigma 3 - by thedeadlymoose

The Serpent's Hand, being one of the more recognizable GoI's, makes for a perfect introduction to the GoI Format concept. That aside, the article does a good mix of worldbuilding while telling a story, and it ultimately shows another creative way to break the format.

Scorpion451

SCP-2447 - Modular Animals by Eekium

A highly underrated article showing the Foundation doing what it does best: capturing things that make you look up the word "exenterate", and defanging them through a combination of careful experimentation and literal duct tape. The subtle allusions to traits that have been programmed out of these critters and the well done containment log are a clinic in telling stories, implying threat, and inserting a little dark humor between the lines of a document without breaking tone.

Hypervelocity - by A Random Day

A brilliant example of embracing the site's potential to plow through genre boundaries like a post-apocalyptic war machine: a character-centric cyberpunk-urban fantasy-noir-action-thriller-heist with rich imagery and a semi-realist anime vibe that fully lives up to its title.

UiU File: 1997-007 - by SpectralDragon

A great little article that perfectly sums up the UIU: an organization of competent agents doing their best to uphold the law on both sides of the masquerade… armed with a shoestring budget and an unflappably deadpan approach to the insanity of the SCPverse.

Leveritas

SCP-3008 - A Perfectly Normal, Regular Old IKEA by Mortos

One of the articles I use as an example when critiquing, specifically on how an SCP can be a story rather than just a document describing an anomalous object. It's an important example on how the format has evolved since we began.

Dread & Circuses - (series) by DrChandra/various

Because of the interesting perspective from different GOI's and simply because of the sheer writing quality.

Modern_Erasmus

SCP-2747 - As below, so above by minmin

Arguably the best use of meta-narrative on the site. Manages to have a great narrative of its own while emulating other famous writers in the list of deleted works. Also some plot elements like project Lucid Chalice were brilliant in and out of universe.

Resurrection - (series - various authors)

One of the longer and more ambitious canons, it gives a great view of a modernized depiction of series 1 characters and tropes. Sadly unfinished, but includes many great moments and smaller scale stories.

KTE-2013-Kapala-Mendes - MegalomaniacInchworm

Fantastic article that combines a varied and entertaining plot, great worldbuilding, and a very interesting and threatening concept. Very underrated

NatVoltaic

SCP-1730 - What Happened to Site-13? by djkaktus

This SCP is the longest on the site, and is a great example of how to write a good story. This references many other SCPs so it wouldn't be the best first SCP to read. However, I would put it on the list of stuff for new members to read. It does a good job at establishing atmosphere, has fun action, and comes with many memorable moments. I would go into more detail about what this does right, but I'd rather not spoil it. You can take away a lot from what this does right in telling an effective narrative without becoming stale, and reading this would help with that.

The Great Hippo

SCP-2740 - It Wasn't There by djkaktus

I've crooned about this in the past, but just to briefly hit all the major points: Excellent premise, excellent picture, excellent interviews, excellent twist. It's emblematic of what I think made the series I skips work so well — a simple yet simultaneously incomprehensible idea coupled with a pervasive sense of building dread and just a pinch of 'wtf'. It also introduces new readers to the idea that something doesn't have to be physically dangerous (or, indeed, anything at all) to still be terrifying.

Until Death - by psul

I mean, c'mon. It actually manages to make SCP-106 legit scary. Seriously though, the reason I bring this up as a tale to show new readers is because it does what some of the best tales always do — takes an old idea, dusts it off, and injects some new life into it. Obviously, not all tales should seek to do this — you can only re-imagine an SCP so many times before it starts to get tedious. But you should show readers at least one tale that re-imagines an SCP… and if you're gonna show 'em one, this is a pretty great one to go with. Plus, it introduces them to SCP-106 and SCP-3001 — two for one shot!.

WrongJohnSilver

SCP-342 - A Ticket To Ride originally by name rewritten by DrClef

There are so many good answers for this, but I'm recommending this one in this case because it is a good introduction into the world of SCP. In the end, it's the story about one man's quest to understand one object, and that object's quest to destroy the man's effort. It is that tale, told simply and intimately, with visuals ranging from the anomalous effect, life inside and outside the site, relations between people, all the elements to make the full story moving.

#Xiupania - by Faminepulse

What I like about this is that it takes advantage of the online format to tell its story, while at the same time remains literary in nature. It relies on words to tell its story and the formatting elements are simply there for immersion and context. The reader is introduced to the concept of many different ways of viewing the world beyond one's personal experience, leaving the reader more mindful of, well, just about everything.

Petrograd

S.D. Locke's 001 Proposal - by shaggydredlocks

I was trying to think of SCPs that affected me emotionally, for better or for worse. This is a fantastically told story using (if twisting) the SCP format, and the last one that really scared the shit out of me.

The Only Way To Travel - by Djoric

I'm recommending this one for two reasons. First, I think it was one of the first articles that really showed me that there were different perspectives on what the Foundation could be, and it was up to me to pick exactly what I wanted to believe. Secondly, it's just so goddamn fun.

Roget

SCP-1370 - Pesterbot by Sorts

A classic from one of the Masters, Sorts, this is a light-hearted but still sinister article which covers a lot of character in a small amount of space. If you like fun articles that make you think you can't go wrong here.

Brink Dangerguts Adventures - by thattallfellow

Fun pulpy action with great pace and written in a breezy easy to read style. Plus it has the best main character name ever.

Recruitment Drive 28126 - by tretter

This is one of the more unique and original goi format articles through its attempt to strike out new characterization for the Factory. It's a little controversial but anything that broadens an old group's horizons is a great thing.

Communism will win

SCP-1981 - "RONALD REAGAN CUT UP WHILE TALKING" by Digiwizzard

One of the most popular articles on the site for a reason — it's fucking spooky, it has good pictures, and the writing is entertaining. Plenty of articles are like that, but this makes a good introductory article for a few reasons. Mechanically, it's simple: it's a tape with content that varies between playbacks, but is generally similar, and then something weird happens to cap it off. This overarching structure is very common on the site, and 1981 exemplifies it without being terribly long. The writing style and clinical tone is very typical for modern SCPs, and apart from leading off with its recovery story, doesn't really do anything atypical. The article itself doesn't divulge much about the Foundation beyond that which is inherent to the format. There are Sites where the Foundation keeps things, information is hidden behind censor bars or REDACTED, they administer 'amnesiacs', there are Level 3 psychiatric evaluations and Level 4 supervisors and O5 clearance and blah blah blah. None of that should be terribly difficult to swallow, especially because it all could have come from the Men In Black movies, but it does establish what sort of organization the Foundation is and how they operate.

Log of Anomalous Items - (collaboration - various users)

SCP-1981 covered 'scary' and 'mysterious', and once a new user has familiarized themselves with the basic premise of the Foundation, the Log will cover 'weird' and 'mundane' (w/r/t the Foundationverse and the Foundation, respectively), along with a dose of humor. and a little bit of everything else, too. The better parts will demonstrate that brevity is the soul of wit, and that a shitload of brevity is the soul of an addictive read (and also like, Experiment Logs and whatnot, whose pacing the Log represents really well). If their foray into SCPs hasn't conveyed the idea yet, the Log will really nail down the Foundation's nature as pack rats, bureaucrats, and pragmatists with a global reach and great intel.

trennerdios

SCP-1715 - Online Friend originally by ObserverSeptember, rewritten by PeppersGhost

Because I think PeppersGhost should be represented on here; most of his articles would be great for new readers as they tend to be the perfect combination of absurd and creepy, without being intimidatingly lengthy.

Mission Statement - by Dr Reach