It really is an uphill battle and the import scripts worsens the situation (mainly the discogs script based on what I’ve seen). I just took a quick look at the stats and the number of total “vinyl” releases is increasing most days and a daily decrease (more are fixed than added) is much rarer to see. Another thing I’ve noticed in the past is that probably 1-2k of the vinyls actually are older shellac releases that was set to vinyl before shellac existed as a MB format. The same applies to probably 300-500 of MB’s 10" vinyls and a few of these were set to 10" vinyl because of a bug in the aforementioned import script (this was “fixed” on the MB side with the “released-too-early” format warnings).
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Aren’t EPs more usually on 12"? Hence “Extended”?
Maybe on the Vinyl size thing a pop-up can appear forcing people to say they really don’t know the size? Some other choices on that Tracklist page won’t let you leave unless you tick a box - try naming the Medium CD1, CD2, etc and it won’t let you leave the page unless you tick a box.
Import scripts can be a battle anyway. Leaving the Status\Language\Script boxes empty is a good hint that the editor doesn’t have a clues\doesn’t care. (And don’t get me started on Digital Import scripts setting bogus dates)
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They can be 3 sizes, I guess.
And beware of different meanings in different markets, maybe.
I didn’t really know EP in my market, during my childhood (when you get used to all this stuff).
But in Japan, according to what I have learnt with all the second hand sales I consult to edit MB: EP means 7 inch vinyl, A/B single.
But their Wikipedia says indeed in bold that EP is 7 inch vinyl but with more than A/B tracks.
However in ads, I see they use EP for all A/B singles.
And the longer text in the same Wikipedia admits that in practice in Japan the term EP is used for all 7 inch vinyl A/B singles.
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This is very true. In the UK, I’ve generally seen an EP as something in between a two track Single and an multi-tracked LP (Long Player). Hit four or five tracks and it heads into EP territory.
As someone who grew up with 12" Singles with many tracks on a single disk at 45rpm this gets quickly confusing.
I understand it as an EP is when there are not really enough tracks for a full LP, but too many to fit on a Single.
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Now that I read this line. Neither did I. There were 12” “Maxi-Singles”, played with 45 rpm, usually with a longer version or more tracks than on the 7” single, but no EPs. I thought I own a double album, LP + EP, but I checked and it’s LP + maxi single. Presumably these only became popular in the digital age, because today it is cheap to release a download EP. It wasn’t that cheap when there was only physical media.
I choose this type when the release is commonly referred to as such. And there’s another thing about EPs. Regarding single and album chart rules, an EP does not count as a release. All tracks distributed as EP can be used as new tracks on the following album.
But your definition probably fits most releases that are declared to be EPs. (…in my market 
)
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I never remember hearing the term “Maxi-Single” in the UK. They are just defined by size and called a 7" or 12" single. Often a way of just selling more copies of a single to get it higher up the charts.
In the UK, this was a Maxi in the 70s\80s
And like you, I only set something to EP if it actually states somewhere it is an EP or the band call it an EP on their website.
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It is and strangely we have this report:
https://musicbrainz.org/report/SomeFormatsUnset
But not a report for “unknown format” - which is a bit annoying.
There’s still a lot of “stale” data from early days, including a lot of crap that was pulled in from messy sources like FreeDB; ultimately it is for us nerds to try and pick through and sort it out again.
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I’ve only started using the Discogs import script as it makes things a lot quicker for me to get stuff that I (or someone else) have already submitted over there into MBz; and so far I’ve not noticed any strange behaviour with the format matching between the two systems.
Found 250,004
Death welcomes me 
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That depends on which one you use. The murdos userscript that most people use might have been fixed at some point (there was a bug related to shellac releases) but I think the other one (not sure who made this one) still is borked or similar. The last mentioned importer is harder to spot but can be identified by the edit note which includes “Release added from Discogs release [discogs link without the www]”.
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In France for vinyls, singles were always called 45 tours (quarante-cinq tours, 45 rotations) and albums were called either albums or 33 tours (trente-trois tours, 33 rotaions).
I think I remember once seeing something called an EP.
It was not a mainstream release, more of some edgy underground record.
Then in the CD era, singles were called CD 2 titres (cédé deux titres, 2 title CD) then we had many many maxi-singles (it became more and more trendy to use English everywhere). And albums were called albums.
No EP. And no mini-albums (except some Radiohead Japanese imports).
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Track times can be a bit patchy and need checking. As Discogs entries are often a clone of a another Release the times can sometime be off if there is no History note to say they have actually been checked. I’ve been caught out by this before.
Just to confuse things, I have some albums that play at 45rpm. I can understand why the French will not want to call them 7" or 12" release.
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What did you call a 7" album with maybe 6 tracks, not as long as an album? Not a single?
But I listen to more ‘edgy underground’ music so maybe that’s why I feel like they’re everywhere 
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You say this but in the UK throughout the 1950s/1960s they would often release various EP’s as a budget release to an LP, examples such as:
https://www.discogs.com/release/1212571-Dennis-Noble-Operatic-Favourites-No-2
https://www.discogs.com/release/5517753-Jack-Buchanan-Souvenir-Of-Jack-Buchanan
https://www.discogs.com/release/5525334-Lester-Lanin-And-His-Orchestra-Dance-To-The-Happy-Sound-No-4
So it’s not just underground punk records that have this behaviour, it was common place sometime in history 
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Must be some short fast blasts of tunes to squeeze in the space. If the band says “this is our mini-album” then I’d tick album. Tell some people they must fit in a box, and they will find a way to distort the system. /Puts Crass on the HiFi…
Wonders if Big Mouth Billy Bass classed as a single…
EPs have been a thing for a long time. I know I have plenty ranging over many types of music. I understood it as a way of releasing some ideas without putting out a full album.
Most probably a mini album, I would say. Little English words were used in vinyl era in France.
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These were extremely popular. Briefly along with weird sizes like 8" also at 33rpm.
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