# “meta” element between “head” and “body”. > Canonical HTML version: https://rocketvalidator.com/html-validation/meta-element-between-head-and-body > Attribution: Rocket Validator (https://rocketvalidator.com) > License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) According to the HTML specification, `` elements are metadata content and must appear within the `` element. When a `` tag appears between `` and ``, browsers have to error-correct by either ignoring the element or silently relocating it into the head. This can lead to unpredictable behavior — for instance, a `` tag in the wrong position might not be processed in time, causing character encoding issues. Similarly, a misplaced `` could fail to apply on some browsers, breaking your responsive layout. There are several common causes for this error: - **A `` tag accidentally placed after ``** — perhaps added hastily or through a copy-paste error. - **A duplicate `` section** — if a second `` block appears in the document, the browser closes the first one implicitly, leaving orphaned `` elements in limbo. - **An unclosed element inside ``** — a tag like an unclosed `` or `