diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index 3aaa3d57ba2..a0159bccd02 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ answer newbie questions, and generally made Django that much better:
     Andrew Brehaut <http://brehaut.net/blog>
     brut.alll@gmail.com
     Jonathan Buchanan <jonathan.buchanan@gmail.com>
+    Trevor Caira <trevor@caira.com>
     Ricardo Javier Cárdenes Medina <ricardo.cardenes@gmail.com>
     Antonio Cavedoni <http://cavedoni.com/>
     C8E
diff --git a/django/views/generic/create_update.py b/django/views/generic/create_update.py
index a4559ad4958..46e92fe26ec 100644
--- a/django/views/generic/create_update.py
+++ b/django/views/generic/create_update.py
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ def create_object(request, model, template_name=None,
     return HttpResponse(t.render(c))
 
 def update_object(request, model, object_id=None, slug=None,
-        slug_field=None, template_name=None, template_loader=loader,
+        slug_field='slug', template_name=None, template_loader=loader,
         extra_context=None, post_save_redirect=None,
         login_required=False, follow=None, context_processors=None,
         template_object_name='object'):
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ def update_object(request, model, object_id=None, slug=None,
     return response
 
 def delete_object(request, model, post_delete_redirect,
-        object_id=None, slug=None, slug_field=None, template_name=None,
+        object_id=None, slug=None, slug_field='slug', template_name=None,
         template_loader=loader, extra_context=None,
         login_required=False, context_processors=None, template_object_name='object'):
     """
diff --git a/django/views/generic/date_based.py b/django/views/generic/date_based.py
index d13c0293be7..c0f219f280e 100644
--- a/django/views/generic/date_based.py
+++ b/django/views/generic/date_based.py
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ def archive_today(request, **kwargs):
 
 def object_detail(request, year, month, day, queryset, date_field,
         month_format='%b', day_format='%d', object_id=None, slug=None,
-        slug_field=None, template_name=None, template_name_field=None,
+        slug_field='slug', template_name=None, template_name_field=None,
         template_loader=loader, extra_context=None, context_processors=None,
         template_object_name='object', mimetype=None, allow_future=False):
     """
diff --git a/django/views/generic/list_detail.py b/django/views/generic/list_detail.py
index 16d55202dae..f5616b9745e 100644
--- a/django/views/generic/list_detail.py
+++ b/django/views/generic/list_detail.py
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def object_list(request, queryset, paginate_by=None, page=None,
     return HttpResponse(t.render(c), mimetype=mimetype)
 
 def object_detail(request, queryset, object_id=None, slug=None,
-        slug_field=None, template_name=None, template_name_field=None,
+        slug_field='slug', template_name=None, template_name_field=None,
         template_loader=loader, extra_context=None,
         context_processors=None, template_object_name='object',
         mimetype=None):
diff --git a/docs/generic_views.txt b/docs/generic_views.txt
index 2b80348903a..0601aead11c 100644
--- a/docs/generic_views.txt
+++ b/docs/generic_views.txt
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ simple weblog app that drives the blog on djangoproject.com::
     }
 
     urlpatterns = patterns('django.views.generic.date_based',
-       (r'^(?P<year>\d{4})/(?P<month>[a-z]{3})/(?P<day>\w{1,2})/(?P<slug>[-\w]+)/$', 'object_detail', dict(info_dict, slug_field='slug')),
+       (r'^(?P<year>\d{4})/(?P<month>[a-z]{3})/(?P<day>\w{1,2})/(?P<slug>[-\w]+)/$', 'object_detail', info_dict),
        (r'^(?P<year>\d{4})/(?P<month>[a-z]{3})/(?P<day>\w{1,2})/$',               'archive_day',   info_dict),
        (r'^(?P<year>\d{4})/(?P<month>[a-z]{3})/$',                                'archive_month', info_dict),
        (r'^(?P<year>\d{4})/$',                                                    'archive_year',  info_dict),
@@ -603,7 +603,7 @@ future, the view will throw a 404 error by default, unless you set
 
       Otherwise, ``slug`` should be the slug of the given object, and
       ``slug_field`` should be the name of the slug field in the ``QuerySet``'s
-      model.
+      model. By default, ``slug_field`` is ``'slug'``.
 
 **Optional arguments:**
 
@@ -804,7 +804,7 @@ A page representing an individual object.
 
       Otherwise, ``slug`` should be the slug of the given object, and
       ``slug_field`` should be the name of the slug field in the ``QuerySet``'s
-      model.
+      model. By default, ``slug_field`` is ``'slug'``.
 
 **Optional arguments:**
 
@@ -948,7 +948,7 @@ object. This uses the automatic manipulators that come with Django models.
 
       Otherwise, ``slug`` should be the slug of the given object, and
       ``slug_field`` should be the name of the slug field in the ``QuerySet``'s
-      model.
+      model. By default, ``slug_field`` is ``'slug'``.
 
 **Optional arguments:**
 
@@ -1033,7 +1033,7 @@ contain a form that POSTs to the same URL.
 
       Otherwise, ``slug`` should be the slug of the given object, and
       ``slug_field`` should be the name of the slug field in the ``QuerySet``'s
-      model.
+      model. By default, ``slug_field`` is ``'slug'``.
 
     * ``post_delete_redirect``: A URL to which the view will redirect after
       deleting the object.