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| {{mosnav|c=Manual of style}} | | <!--{{mosnav|c=Manual of style}}--> |
| {{shortcut|T:MOS}} | | {{shortcut|T:MANUAL|T:MOS}} |
| <div id=tech> | | <div id=tech> |
| The Manual of Style will be undergoing a radical transformation for at least the next week. The substance won't change too much — the same rules will still apply — but we're breaking it up into smaller, easier-to-digest chunks. Thanks for your patience while we complete this task.{{user:CzechOut/Sig}} <span style="{{User:CzechOut/TimeFormat}}">02:51: Wed 22 Aug 2012 </span>
| | This page '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is under review. All '''''our policies''''' are well-established. Until such time as this page and related pages are fully updated, please consult '''[[:category:manual of style]], [[:category:help]] and [[:category:policies]]''' for the wiki's governing principles. Thank you for your patience while we improve this page.</span> |
| </div> | | </div> |
| | {{tardis manual}} |
| A '''manual of style''' is a document created by a publishing entity to ensure that all of its writers are working to a common standard. They are particularly necessary when working in the [[English]] language, as there are many different types of written English used throughout the world. A manual of style typically strives to settle matters of debate amongst writers by, in many cases, ''arbitrarily'' deciding questions like | | A '''manual of style''' is a document created by a publishing entity to ensure that all of its writers are working to a common standard. They are particularly necessary when working in the [[English]] language, as there are many different types of written English used throughout the world. A manual of style typically strives to settle matters of debate amongst writers by, in many cases, ''arbitrarily'' deciding questions like |
| * When shall we italicise words? | | * When shall we italicise words? |
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| For information on the most basic writing techniques and styles, which are used here, see [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Wikipedia's Manual of Style]]. | | For information on the most basic writing techniques and styles, which are used here, see [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Manual of Style|Wikipedia's Manual of Style]]. |
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| === Self links forbidden ===
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| {{sc|T:SELF LINK}}
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| One type of link — the ''self link'' — should '''never be made'''. A self link is a link on the page of which the link is the object. For instance a self link on this page would be <code><nowiki>[[Tardis:Manual of Style]]</nowiki></code>. This kind of link is forbidden because it gets in the way of bot maintenance and it adds nothing of value to the page. Moreover, because it automatically creates bold text, it makes for an inconsistent appearance of that word or phrase on the page. If you want to embolden something, ''only'' use the wiki markup, <code><nowiki>'''Bold text'''</nowiki></code>.
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| ==== Linking to a heading within the same article ====
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| {{sc|T:SELF HEAD LINK|T:SELF SEC LINK}}
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| A specialised type of self link is the "self ''heading'' link". These '''are''' allowed. Indeed, a self heading link can be very useful in some longer articles. They are formed by typing a pound/hash sign (#), followed by the section heading to which you want to link. For instance, the self heading link for this section is <code><nowiki>[[#Linking to a heading within the same article]]</nowiki></code>.
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| Ordinary section links — those you make from ''another'' article — are made with a different, though related, syntax, which is [[#Linking by heading|explained below]].
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| == [[Tardis:Layout guide|Layout guide]] ==
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| === Leads ===
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| {{sc|T:LEADS}}
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| ''All'' articles must have an introductory section, called a '''''lead''''', which gives context to the article. The lead should attempt to summarize the notability of the topic of the article, or to at least give a summary of what the article is about. Leads should usually begin with the name of the article '''in bold''', although some leeway is allowed for exact positioning of the bolded topic name, depending on sentence structure. If the article is about a subject which should be italicized, such as a book or episode title, then the topic name should be '''''bolded and italicized''''', as confirmed by [[Forum:bold and italics for episode titles|a recent forum discussion]].
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| It might help at this point to look at a couple of lead beginnings.
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| <pre>'''''Happy Endings''''' was the 50th novel in the [[Virgin New Adventures]] series . . . </pre>
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| ::yields:
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| :'''''Happy Endings''''' was the 50th novel in the [[Virgin New Adventures]] series . . .
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| ::while
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| <pre>'''Tom Baker''' portrayed the [[Fourth Doctor]], amassing more episodes than any other actor who played [[the Doctor]].</pre>
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| ::produces:
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| :'''Tom Baker''' portrayed the [[Fourth Doctor]], amassing more episodes than any other actor who played [[the Doctor]]
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| Leads are ''vital'' parts of articles. Good, interesting leads draw the reader into an article. Leads also save readers' time, by allowing them to quickly decide whether they're reading about the topic for which they were searching. Articles lacking leads can be easily identified, since they usually have no body text above the automatically generated table of contents.
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| Leads can be of highly varying lengths, as some topics are simply more notable than others. In some cases, as at [[DWA 205]], the lead is very short indeed, but it's entirely adequate to the ordinary issue that #205 was. In other cases, as at [[companion]] or ''[[Planet of Giants]]'', there are many points that make the subject notable, and so the leads are longer. An interesting case study is that described by [[Forum:leads on story pages|leads on story pages]], in which our wiki community discussed the pros and cons of lead length.
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| Whatever one's views are on the "perfect" length of a lead, no matter whether the article is in- or out-of-universe, '''every article ''must'' have a lead'''.
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| ==== Lists ====
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| {{sc|T:LISTS}}
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| :''If you need help creating lists, see [[T:LIST MARK]].''
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| Lists, both ordered and unordered, are easily created using [[T:MARK|wiki markup]]. However, ease of creation does not mean that they should be over used. Especially within in-universe articles, it's often better to find a way to present the material in normal paragraphs. This isn't, of course, to say that lists are ''forbidden'', but most truly ''good'' are comprised of ordinary prose, not bullet points.
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| If you do find that the ''best'' way to present a particular bit of information is with a list, however, there is one rule you must observe:
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| :'''Pictures can't go to the left of lists.'''
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| [[file:Nonfiction.png|thumb|left|See how this is crowding the bullets? They're all inside the margin of thumbnail border.]]
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| A picture visually breaks up the straight left margin of the list. Since the whole reason for making a list is that straight edge, there's no padding to the ''left'' of the bullets (or numbers) that create lists. Thus a picture put to the left of a list will crowd itself over the top of the bullets.
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| * Item 1
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| * Item 2
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| # The picture crashes into numbers, too.
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| * Item 4
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| * Item 5
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| * It gets really ugly if you have a long list
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| * See how the list is now going back to the left margin?
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| ==== In-universe ====
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| All in-universe articles should be structured as follows:
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| # Main body of article
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| # See also
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| # Behind the scenes
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| # External links
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| # Category
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| {{resize|125%|For more details as to what each section of an article should contain, see the '''[[Tardis:Layout guide|Layout guide]]'''.}}
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| ==== Out-of-Universe articles on reference works ====
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| :''For more information, see the individual format guides, below:''
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| * [[Tardis:Format for television stories|Format for Television stories]]
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| * [[Tardis:Format for novels|Format for Novels]]
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| * [[Tardis:Format for short stories|Format for Short stories]]
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| * [[Tardis:Format for audio stories|Format for Audio stories]]
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| * [[Tardis:Format for comic stories|Format for Comic stories]]
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| === Out-of-Universe articles about real people ===
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| Write an encyclopaedic biography of the person, centred mainly on his or her contributions to ''Doctor Who,'' but also include other notable work if known. Do not place items of trivia, such as date of birth, under their own headings or sub-headings, especially if such headings only contain the single word, "unknown." This makes the article hard to read and is actually somewhat annoying. Please also see "Articles on living people", below, for important information regarding content.
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| == Perspective ==
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| {{sc|T:PERSPECTIVE}}
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| === In-universe ===
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| If something is '''in-universe''', or is described as such, it belongs to the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' universe exclusively and ''not in the real world''. Characters are for example in-universe, but the actors who play them are not in-universe. Exceptions are persons, places, and organisations which appear or are referred to in the Doctor Who universe which also exist(ed) in the real world, i.e., [[William Shakespeare]], [[The Beatles]], the [[United Kingdom]]. [[Wikipedia:Pseudohistory|Pseudohistory]] is an integral part of in-universe treatment of canon material. Information given from a "real world" perspective (i.e. notes about the creation of a character, or actors, or other real-world trivia) should appear under a '''Behind the scenes''' subheading.
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| In case an entry might detail a subject of '''importance''' both to the real world and to the Doctor Who universe, you may create a '''Real world''' section in the article, such as the one on [[Glasgow]]. The second section could have such articles as cast and crew born in Glasgow and location shooting for various stories shot there. Another example is years, months and specific days which are divided into 'Doctor Who Universe' events and 'Real world' events, see [[1963]] for an example.
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| === Out-of-universe ===
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| '''Out-of-Universe''' refers to the perspective in which an article is written; it is the opposite of in-universe. Something written from an out-of-universe (OOU) perspective is written from a real life point of view. It will refer, for example, to real life publications, actors, authors, events, and so on, acknowledging that its subject is fictional. In contrast, an in-universe perspective will strive for verisimilitude; that is, it will be written as though the author existed within the Doctor Who universe. Articles about any in-universe things, such as characters, vehicles, terminology, or species, should always be written from an in universe perspective. If a section in the article is not, such as the listing of a character's published appearances or behind the scenes details, it should be tagged as such.
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| In contrast, articles about books, movies, games, or other real life Doctor Who material should obviously be written from an out-of-universe perspective, but should still be noted as such. Basically, in-universe articles should never refer to Doctor Who by name, or any other real life things such as publications, actors, or the like.
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| == Headings ==
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| {{sc|T:HEADINGS|T:HEAD}}
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| An article's sectional headings are best created through the wiki code markup involving the use of the equal symbol (=). Use of proper wiki syntax for headings is preferred over trying to ''create'' headings manually through the use of '''emboldened''' text. "Proper" wiki syntax follows this format:
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| :<code>=== This is a heading ===</code>
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| The results of this are hard to show here without actually creating a subhead for this article. Because of this, we direct your attention to our [[Tardis:Manual of Style/Headline test|headline test]] page for a more thorough overview of the coding. For now, suffice to say that there are six levels of sectioning available, each denoted by an increasing number of "equal" symbols (=). Note that immediately surrounding the text of your section header with spaces is extremely helpful to wiki maintenance. Thus:<pre>=== Hello ===</pre> is preferred over <pre>===Hello===</pre>
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| The first level, using just one equal symbol
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| :<code>= This is NOT a good heading =</code>
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| '''should never be used'''. It actually represents the level of the article title itself. It produces a header which is as big as the article title, it does not produce a sectional "edit" button, and it cannot be linked to.
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| === Benefits of using proper headings ===
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| By using proper wiki coding for sections, we gain a number of benefits over "creating" false subheads through text bolding:
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| * If your article has a minimum of four section headings, a table of contents is automatically generated.
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| * Sections can be automatically numbered for users with that preference set in "My preferences".
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| * Most properly created section headlines produce an "edit section" button, allowing for ''just'' that section to be edited.
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| * Words within properly marked headings are given greater weight in searches.
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| * Sub-sections of the article get progressively smaller headings. This visual consistency allows the reader to "know where they are" within the article just by the size of the font. It also allows the reader to know how the section they're reading relates to other sections.
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| === Linking by heading ===
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| {{sc|T:SEC LINK|T:HEAD LINK}}
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| :''This section describes how to link to a specific section of an article from '''another''' article. You may be interested in how to [[#Linking to a heading within the same article|link to a section of the same article]].
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| Section headings allow for linkage directly to a specific part of an article.
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| For example, this syntax will allow you to link directly to this section of this article:<code><nowiki>[[Tardis:Manual of Style#Linking by heading]]</nowiki></code> Note, however, that this is not the same as: <code><nowiki>[[Tardis:Manual of Style#headings]]</nowiki></code>. However, both will produce blue-links, and therefore ''appear'' to be valid links.
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| '''It's vital to capitalise the subhead '''precisely''' as it is in the article.'''
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| Additionally, the article in question must be the ''root'' article name. In other words, linking to sections through a '''redirect''' won't work. For example, if you wanted to link to the synopsis on the page ''[[The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve]]'', you have to type <code><nowiki>[[The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve#Synopsis]]</nowiki></code>. Even though ''[[The Massacre]]'' is by far the more common name of the story, and a valid redirect exists there, the following just won't work: <code><nowiki>[[The Massacre#Synopsis]]</nowiki></code>.
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|
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| === Best practices with headings ===
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| ==== Sentence case ====
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| {{sc|T:HEAD SC}}
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| Capitalise the first letter only of the first word and of any proper nouns in a heading, and leave all of the other letters in lower case. This style is called "[[wikipedia:sentence case|sentence case]]" and it is the stylistic preference of this wiki. You may, however, wonder why it matters to use sentence case if the headers are in uppercase.
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| Well, there are many reasons. The main reason is because the uppercase headers that now appear on the site are the result of a single command in the CSS code. In other words, the headers aren't ''actually'' in upper case; they're merely ''styled'' in uppercase. Should we wish to "re-style" the wiki, it'll be important that the headers be ''typed by you'' in proper sentence case.
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| Another good reason is because of the sectional linking discussed above. Sectional linking is '''case-sensitive''', so editors should be able to count upon the fact that headers are in sentence case so that they can reliably link to sections.
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| Therefore the following examples should be kept in mind:
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| {| class="table" style ="border:1px black outset; width:500px; margin:auto;"
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| ! style="background-color:#8CB82C;border-bottom:1px solid black" width=50%|Correct
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| ! style="background-color:#E25822;border-bottom:1px solid black" width=50%|Incorrect
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| |-style="padding:10px;border-bottom:1px solid black"
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| |style="background-color:#8CB82C; padding:10px;"|The quick brown fox jumped over a lazy dog
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| |style="background-color:#E25822; padding:10px;"|The Quick Brown Fox Jumped Over A Lazy Dog
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| |-style="border-bottom:1px solid black"
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| |style="background-color:#8CB82C;padding:10px"|A Noble encounter<br />''[correct because the "Noble" here is [[Donna Noble]]]
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| |style="background-color:#E25822;padding:10px"|A Noble Encounter
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| |-style="border-bottom:1px solid black"
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| |style="background-color:#8CB82C;padding:10px"|Will the real Dodo Chaplet please stand up?
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| |style="background-color:#E25822;padding:10px"|Will the Real Dodo Chaplet Please Stand Up?
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| |-style="border-bottom:1px solid black"
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| |style="background-color:#8CB82C;padding:10px"|Behind the scenes
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| |style="background-color:#E25822;padding:10px"|Behind the Scenes
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| |-
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| |}
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| ==== Other matters ====
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| * Avoid links within headings.
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| * Avoid overuse of sub-headings.
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| * Section headings should be succinct
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| * Section headings should simply describe the contents of the section. Imaginative wording or puns aren't disallowed, but they might be edited to something less "creative" unless their meaning is very clear.
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| == Usage and spelling ==
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| :''Specific spelling guidelines are noted in our [[Tardis:spelling policy|spelling policy]]. A quick summary of the most common spelling mistakes can be found at our [[Help:spelling cheat card|spelling cheat card]].
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| === Type of English ===
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| {{sc|T:TOE}}
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| Though the readers and editors of this wiki speak many varieties of [[English]], several forum discussions have confirmed that we will use [[Wikipedia:British English|British English]] spelling, punctuation, and word usage whilst editing articles. Contributors who are native users of or otherwise fluent in British English standards reserve the right to edit articles to conform to those standards.
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| Nevertheless, if you appear to be making no effort whatsoever to edit in British English, after having been asked not to do so, your editing privileges may be revoked.
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|
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| ==== Exceptions ====
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| Though British English is preferred, there are some instances where American English may predominate.
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| ===== Quotation marks/inverted commas =====
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| {{sc|T:QUOTATION MARKS|T:QM}}
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| The use of quotation marks shall favour the American usage, as it's less ambiguous for the MediaWiki software underpinning the wiki. Use double quotation marks (") surrounding single ones ('), '''even though most ''Doctor Who'' fiction uses the precise opposite format'''.
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| {| class="table" style ="border:1px black outset; width:500px; margin:auto;"
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| ! style="background-color:#8CB82C;border-bottom:1px solid black" width=50%|Correct
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| ! style="background-color:#E25822;border-bottom:1px solid black" width=50%|Incorrect
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| |-style="padding:10px;border-bottom:1px solid black"
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| |style="background-color:#8CB82C; padding:10px;"|The Doctor said, "Oh, I know he said he was 'important', but, trust me, that's just the [[Dalek]] ''id'' talking."
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| |style="background-color:#E25822; padding:10px;"|The Doctor said, 'Oh, I know he said he was "important", but, trust me, that's just the [[Dalek]] ''id'' talking.'
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| |-style="border-bottom:1px solid black"
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| |-
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| |}
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| The reason for this ruling is simple. Since the single inverted comma has an actual meaning in everyday [[T:MARK|wiki markup]], it's all too easy for it to throw off the formatting of a sentence. Indeed, we even have to have a special template, {{tl|'}}, to counteract the problem. Thus, even though it goes against years of schooling for some of us, it's best to use double-quotations on the outside, then follow with single-quotations only as needed.
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| ===== Products =====
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| In the case of products aimed at a foreign market, their spellings and word choices should predominate. [[IDW Publishing]] titles should always reflect American spellings, as should anything to do with the new ''[[Doctor Who Insider]]'' magazine. Similarly, things in the DWU which take place in other countries, should not be "converted" to a British spelling or word choice just to satisfy the above ''general'' policy. If, for instance, a future episode of ''Torchwood'' should be called "Analyzing Miss Cooper", or IDW were to publish a story called, "A Few of my Favorite Things", there should be no effort to Anglicise the spellings of "Favorite" or "Analyzing".
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| This can also apply to British-made products that nevertheless refer to foreign items or settings. Don't, for instance, try to Anglicise "Pearl Harbor" or the film, ''The Color of Money'', or the like, should they be mentioned in a ''Doctor Who'' story.
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| === Full sentences ===
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| {{sc|T:FULL SENT}}
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| Complete sentences — that is, sentences containing ''at least'' a subject and a verb — are required. A full sentence is ''not'' something that starts with a capital letter and ends with a period or full stop. The following are examples of incomplete sentences that have been found, at one time or another, on the wiki:
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| {| class="table" style ="border:1px black outset; width:500px; margin:auto;"
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| ! style="background-color:#8CB82C;border-bottom:1px solid black" width=50%|Correct
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| ! style="background-color:#E25822;border-bottom:1px solid black" width=50%|Incorrect
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| |-style="padding:10px;border-bottom:1px solid black"
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| |style="background-color:#8CB82C; padding:10px;"|''An Unearthly Child'' was first broadcast on [[23 November]] [[1963]].
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| |style="background-color:#E25822; padding:10px;"|''An Unearthly Child'' first broadcast.
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| |-style="border-bottom:1px solid black"
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| |style="background-color:#8CB82C;padding:10px"|[[David Tennant]]'s future father-in-law, [[Peter Davison]], co-starred alongside Tennant in [[DW]]: ''[[Time Crash]]''.
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| |style="background-color:#E25822;padding:10px"|[[David Tennant]]'s future father-in-law, [[Peter Davison]].
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| |-style="border-bottom:1px solid black"
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| |style="background-color:#8CB82C;padding:10px"|The '''34th issue of ''[[Doctor Who Adventures]]''''' was current in the fortnight beginning [[19 July]] [[2007]].<br />''["34th issue of ''Doctor Who Adventures''" is bolded in this case as it's the lead to [[DWA 34]].]''
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| |style="background-color:#E25822;padding:10px"|The 34th issue of the [[BBC]]'s fortnightly ''[[Doctor Who Adventures]]''.
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| |-style="border-bottom:1px solid black"
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| |}
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|
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| Exceptions to this rule are few.
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| * If you are ''directly quoting'', and the original quotation is a sentence fragment, and you indicate that you are quoting, you may reproduce it.
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| * If you are making a simple list of words or titles, a complete sentence is not necessary ''on each line'', because the list is likely to be a part of a preceding full sentence. For instance, if you said,
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| ::[[William Hartnell]] appeared in the following [[serial]]s:
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| :and then proceeded to give a list of those serials, the list is effectively a dependent clause of prepositional phrase "in the following serials". You therefore don't need a full sentence on each line of the list.
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|
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| === Tenses ===
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| {{sc|T:TENSES}}
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| With the exception of story article pages, articles tagged with the [[Template:Current|current event tag]] and ongoing concerns (such as real world articles about cast and crew) the '''past tense''' is preferred in the main article text (this includes on ''all'' [[:Category:Timeline|Timeline]] pages). All ''in''-universe articles should be in past tense.
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| The reasons for this are twofold. Firstly, the articles on the TARDIS wiki are presented as historical recordings that have been pieced together from scraps of information left over from the early Universe, and various eras of history. As such, all details pertaining to this history have not yet been uncovered, and more information may be added at a later date. Keeping articles written in past tense provides consistency and flavour. Secondly, the Doctor may travel into the past, the present, or the future, but from his personal perspective, any events which have been previously recorded are now in his own personal past, regardless of where in the universal timeline they may fall. Writing in-universe articles in past tense relates the timeline of the Doctor Who universe with both our and his own perspective.
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|
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| :* '''Example:''' [[Martha Jones]] was an inhabitant of Earth. '''''Rather than''''' [[Martha Jones]] is an inhabitant of [[Earth]].
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|
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| Avoid phrases like "His ultimate fate is unknown" or "what happened to the ship after that is a mystery" unless it is an actual plot point in a story. Any information that is not known is simply the extent of knowledge, it '''does not''' need to be stated.
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| Do not jump back and forth between tenses; this is confusing.
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| Do not include theories, speculation or hypothesis in any articles. You can do so in [[Howling:The Howling|The Howling]] a forum specifically for the community to do this.
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|
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| :''See also [[Tardis:Manual of Style#Articles on living people|Citation - Articles on living people]]''
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|
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| === Capital letters ===
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| {{sc|T:CAPS}}
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| The article "the" in names like "the Doctor" and "the Master" should '''not''' be capitalised (unless, of course, they begin a sentence). The articles "a", "an", and "the" only should be capitalised in titles and proper nouns. "The first broadcast of ''an Unearthly Child''" should be written: "The first broadcast of ''An Unearthly Child''."
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|
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| ==== Human ====
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| {{sc|T:HUMAN}}
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| Following [[Forum:"Human" shouldn't be capitalised|consensus in the forum]], it was demonstrated that the vast majority of instances of the word ''[[human]]'' in ''Doctor Who'' prose fiction aren't capitalised. We recognise that other sapient species are almost always capitalised, and that there are very occasional capitalisations of ''human'' in ''Doctor Who'' prose, as in some parts of [[DWN]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Ark in Space]]'' However, human isn't typically capitalised in every major range of ''Doctor Who'' fiction, including [[NSA]], [[MA]], [[BNA]], [[NA]], [[EDA]], [[PDA]], and even most [[DWN]] novels.
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| Because this rule was instituted on [[27 February]] [[2011]], about six years after the wiki opened — and it had previously been the rule to '''capitalise''' ''human'' — you may occasionally encounter instances of ''Human''. These should be fixed.
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| Put simply: '''''human'' is the preferred form. The word should only be capitalised when it begins a sentence and in the infobox..'''
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|
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| === Bold text ===
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| {{sc|T:BOLD TEXT|T:BOLD}}
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| The article name, when first mentioned, should be '''in bold text'''. If a story title, it should additionally be italicised, as with '''''An Unearthly Child'''''. Alternate names for the topic should also be bolded. In most cases, any alternate name which is emboldened should also get a [[Help:redirect|redirect]].
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| Because emboldened text carries a meaning — namely, "this is the topic of the page" — bold text should be used sparingly in the rest of the article.
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| Bold text which appears within publisher's summaries, for instance, should be stripped — even though it may have appeared in the original printing of the text — because it causes visual confusion at the top of the page. Consider indenting — with the use of a preceding colon (:) — long passages of emboldened text found on back covers of books.
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|
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| Similarly, working titles of stories should not be emboldened at any point in the text of the page, unless the titles are significant enough to warrant a redirect, and unless those titles are in the lead of the article. For instance, '''''[[100,000 BC]]''''' is indeed emboldened at ''[[An Unearthly Child]]'', because several sources consider it the correct name of the serial.
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|
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| === Italics ===
| |
| {{sc|T:ITALICS|T:ITAL}}
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| Pursuant to [[Forum:Italics or Quotation marks?|vigorous forum debate]], we have decided that all story names shall be rendered in ''italics''. This goes contrary to standard English rules, which generally hold that shorter works of fiction would be enclosed in quotation marks. Nevertheless, it was felt easier for our editors to consistently '''italicise all stories''', regardless of medium or length, and all [[BBC Wales]] episodes'''.
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|
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| There are also other things which ''may'' be italicised, a list of which [[#Other cases|is given below]].
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|
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| The biggest exception to the "always italicise" rule is that [[William Hartnell|Hartnell]]-era episode titles, like "[[The Cave of Skulls]]" should be enclosed in quotation marks to clearly indicate when a Hartnell episode, rather than a full [[serial]], is being referenced. This is particularly important because some Hartnell serials, like ''[[An Unearthly Child]]'', have episodes of the same name.
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| ==== Story names ====
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| Names of stories should be:
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| * Capitalised
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| * Italicised
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|
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| e.g.
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| :''Tooth and Claw''
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| :''Everything Changes''
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|
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| This means that they should be italicised ''everywhere'', infoboxen, source citations — even page titles. To change a page title into italics, please use {{tl|title}}.<ref group=it>MediaWiki 1.16 — or the software on which this wiki runs — allows for italic titling through the use of the [[Help:magic word|magic word]], DISPLAYTITLE. The problem is, though, that users who are not logged in can't see italics when rendered through this command – yet. Thus, as of early 2011, the only ''certain'' way of rendering italic titles ''for all users'' is through {{tl|title}}.</ref> Generally, the easiest way to italicise a page title would be to place the following on a page:
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| <pre>
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| {{title|''{{PAGENAME}}''}}
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| </pre>
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| However, in the case of disambiguated page names, you'll have to use the appropriate [[:category:title templates|title template]]. For instance, to properly italicise TV titles, just use:
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| <pre>
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| {{TitleTV}}
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| </pre>
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|
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| Here's a list of all the title templates:
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| <dpl>
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| allowcachedresults=true
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| category=title templates
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| shownamespace=false
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| columns=4
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| </dpl>
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| <references group=it/>
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|
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| ==== Other cases ====
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| Aside from story titles, there are a number of other instances where one must make a choice between ''italicising'' and enclosing in "double quotations". This chart sorts out these other cases.
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| {| class="table" style="border:1px black outset;width:60%; -moz-def-border:5px;margin:auto; background:white;"
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| !valign=top style= "Background-color:#B05F3C; color:#000000;text-align:center" width="30%" | Type
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| !valign=top style= "Background-color:#B05F3c; color:#000000;text-align:center" width="35%"| Quotes or italics
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| !valign=top style= "Background-color:#B05F3c; color:#000000;text-aligncenter" width="35%"| Example
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| |-align=center
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| |Reference book
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| |Italics
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| |''[[The Writer's Tale]]''
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| |-style="background-color:#D69E87;" align=center
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| |Song
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| |Quotation marks
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| |"[[Song for Ten]]"
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| |-align=center
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| |Album
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| |Italics
| |
| |''[[30 Years at the Radiophonic Workshop]]''
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| |-style="background-color:#D69E87;" align=center
| |
| |Poetry
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| |Quotation marks (epic length poems italicized)
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| |"[[All Things Will Die]]", ''[[The Odyssey]]''
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| |-align=center
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| |[[William Hartnell|Hartnell]]-era '''episode'''<ref group=it2>This is helpful in distinguishing between information which comes from a single episode of a serial, versus that which is applicable to the entire serial. One of the ''most'' helpful cases is the very first story, ''An Unearthly Child''. The first episode, "An Unearthly Child" is so markedly different than the the rest of the story, that one would often have the need to cite the episode rather than the serial. Thus ([[DW]]: ''[[An Unearthly Child]]'') is an attribution to the whole '''serial''', whereas ([[DW]]: "[[An Unearthly Child (episode)|An Unearthly Child]]") is the best way to cite simply the '''episode'''. Note that this '''only''' applies to Hartnell episodes; [[BBC Wales]] episodes are always italicised.</ref>
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| |Quotation marks
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| |"[[Bell of Doom]]", "[[The Death of Doctor Who]]"
| |
| |-style="background-color:#D69E87;" align=center
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| |Games
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| |Italics
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| |''[[The Gunpowder Plot]]'', ''[[Destiny of the Doctors]]''
| |
| |-align=center
| |
| |Plays
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| |Italics
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| |''[[Hamlet]]'', ''[[Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure]]''
| |
| |-style="background-color:#D69E87;" align=center
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| |Non-English words
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| |Italics
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| |''deus ex machina'', <br />''Allons-y''!
| |
| |-align=center
| |
| |Works of art (paintings, sculptures, etc.)
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| |Italics
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| |''[[The Church at Auvers]]''
| |
| |- style="background-color:#D69E87;" align=center
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| |Most major religious texts
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| |Neither
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| |[[Bible|The Bible]]
| |
| |-align=center
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| |Commercial products
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| |Neither
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| |[[iPod]]
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| |-style="background-color:#D69E87;" align=center
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| |Legal documents
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| |Neither
| |
| |[[Magna Carta]], [[Constitution of the United States]]
| |
| |-align=center
| |
| |Periodical
| |
| |Italics
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| |''[[TV Action]]'', ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', ''[[The New York Record]]''
| |
| |-style="background-color:#D69E87;" align=center
| |
| |Vehicle name
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| |Italicize only the name
| |
| |[[HMS Teazer|HMS ''Teazer'']]
| |
| |}
| |
| <references group=it2/>
| |
|
| |
| == Spacing ==
| |
| {{sc|T:SPACING}}
| |
| [[Forum:Intentional addition of blank spaces|As formally adopted in a forum discussion]], there should be no more than one blank space between paragraphs, sections, etc. Put another way, a single blank carriage return between paragraphs or sections is sufficient. Paragraphs should not be indented, and the tab key should realy never be pressed while editing '''any''' article.
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|
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| Although there has been some sporadic discussion about adopting a standard, the community has never actually ruled on the number of spaces which should follow a period or other full stop. Until a definitive ruling comes from forum discussion, editors are at liberty to use either one space after a period — which is the current standard on most online style sheets — or two, which was the prevailing rule in business until about the year 2000.
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|
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| That said, a [[T:CLEAN CODE|code cleaning bot]] does actually ensure that only one space exists between a full stop and the next character. However, this bot is not in continuous operation, which means that you will occasionally find instances of double-spacing around the wiki.
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|
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| == HTML use ==
| |
| {{sc|T:NO HTML}}
| |
| HTML '''should be avoided''' in the main [[namespace]]. HTML should be confined to the template namespace as much as is possible. Of especial importance: please do '''not''' build tables — such as infoboxes and navigation templates — with HTML ''directly'' on regular article pages. When you do this, you make it impossible to update the look of the table '''except by directly editing that particular page'''. The advantage of templates is that they allow you to make edits to the single template page ''which are then seen on '''all''' the pages that share the template.
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|
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| Please don't use HTML, even within a template, to subvert the ''general'' styling of the main article space (namespace:0).
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|
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| '''Only [[Help:wiki markup|Wiki coding]]''' should be used on normal article pages. Even seemingly minimal usage of HTML, such as with tags like <pre><b> and <i></pre> makes it very difficult for bots to maintain the wiki, because raw HTML is simply not expected. Likewise, the use of <pre><ul> and <li></pre> can interfere with the coding of some templates.
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|
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| You should also avoid underlining text, as this will confuse users with browsers configured to signify hotlinks with underlining. Coloured text should be similarly avoided.
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|
| |
| Another good reason to avoid using even minor HTML on regular pages is because some of these commands have actually been deprecated, and they will not be supported in upcoming, HTML 4.0-based browsers. Amongst the tags '''you should definitely avoid''' are:
| |
| <pre>
| |
| <applet>, <basefont>, <center>, <dir>, <font>, <isindex>, <menu>, <s>, <strike>, <u>
| |
| </pre>
| |
| Although some of these are obscure, some, like <nowiki><center>, <u> and <s></nowiki> can be found throughout the wiki. These references should be gradually phased out, to ensure full compatibility with post-2011 browsers. [http://www.codehelp.co.uk/html/deprecated.html Here's a site] that explains this issue in greater detail.
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|
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|
| == Image use == | | == Image use == |
| Line 387: |
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| === Disallowed images === | | === Disallowed images === |
| Images that should not be used in ''any'' articles include; amateur 'spoiler photos' and images that have been highly image-edited or had an overlay of text or colour placed over them. Colourised images from episodes originally filmed in black-and-white are [[Forum:Images Policy|specifically disallowed]]. | | Images that should not be used in ''any'' articles include; amateur 'spoiler photos' and images that have been highly image-edited or had an overlay of text or colour placed over them. Colourised images from episodes originally filmed in black-and-white are [[Forum:Images Policy|specifically disallowed]]. |
|
| |
| === DWU articles ===
| |
| {{sc|T:DWUP}}
| |
| For in-universe articles, images '''must''' come from an in-universe source, such as a screenshot of a televised episode, or a scan of a comic strip. Novel or audio covers may also be potential sources for in-universe imagery, but '''only when no other source has an image to offer'''.
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|
| |
| Promotional images — such as when actors pose in costume for a picture — are specifically disallowed. A good rule of thumb is that if the character is looking directly into the camera, the picture cannot be used on in-universe articles. Such pictures ''may'' be used on real world articles about the actor pictured, but out-of-costume pictures are preferred on such pages.
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|
| |
| This ruling specifically means that most wallpapers available from the BBC's official website are not allowed on in-universe pages here. In fact, the best use for promotional images on this site is in maintenance images, such as are found on [[:category:stub templates|stub templates]] and the site's [[Help:background images|background images]].
| |
|
| |
| === Out-of-universe and story articles ===
| |
| For story articles, promotional images also ''should not'' be used. Instead screenshots that capture ''iconic'' scenes from the story should be used.
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|
| |
| Real world articles may use practically any other relevant images that have been properly sourced and tagged with the appropriate copyright tag.
| |
|
| |
| == Quotations ==
| |
| {{sc|T:QUOTES}}
| |
| Quotations are not encyclopedic in and of themselves and therefore should not be used as headers to articles or at the top of sub-headings within articles. Quotations can be used within the text body of an article to emphasis a certain point or highlight a certain issue of the article's focus, often a quote can explain things better than we can ourselves.
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|
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| For example:
| |
| * Vicki described Time as "like space, although a dimension of itself, also has dimensions of its own." ([[DW]]: ''[[The Space Museum]]'')
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|
| |
|
| === Real world articles and Behind the scenes sections === | | === Real world articles and Behind the scenes sections === |
| Line 413: |
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| For example see the quote template used within this [[Doctor Who (2009)#Setting for the Tenth Doctor]] article. | | For example see the quote template used within this [[Doctor Who (2009)#Setting for the Tenth Doctor]] article. |
|
| |
|
| == Links ==
| |
| {{sc|T:LINKS}}
| |
| * There is no need to link a keyword every time it occurs in an article; this is redundant. The one exception is if the keyword occurs under two or more different headings, as some readers may only read one section of an article rather than the entire page. Avoid overlinking: mundane, everyday terms do not need to be linked (even though this is commonplace in Wikipedia), unless there is a specific TARDIS Index File article. For example, [[restaurant]] generates a redlink because there's no need at present for a Doctor Who-related article on the subject, and thus a wikilink is unnecessary. However as there is an article on [[DVD]], wikilinking that word is OK.
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|
| |
| * In some cases, however, it may be desirable to link to a specific Wikipedia article. This is primarily for topics such as TV shows, movies, individuals, and technical terms that otherwise do not have their own TARDIS wiki articles. In this case, the link should be formed this way: <nowiki>[[wikipedia:Angelina Jolie|Angelina Jolie]]</nowiki>. However always check to make sure there ''isn't'' actually an article on the subject on this wiki, for example [[Star Trek]]. As noted above, however, mundane terms do not need links, so there is no need to link to the Wikipedia article on, once again, "restaurant" as most readers will not need an explanation of the term.
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|
| |
| * Using links to redirect readers to another page is only necessary if a related topic cannot be covered in the original article without digressing too far from the article's main topic. There is no need, for example, to place the synopsis, viewer ratings, or uncredited cast for a television story on separate pages and redirect readers to those pages. This can contribute to too many red links in an article if those pages do not yet exist, and can be annoying.
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|
| |
| == Citation ==
| |
| {{sc|T:CITE}}
| |
| === In-universe articles ===
| |
| Telling readers where a statement can be verified is important. It helps to focus articles and keeps the details in an article to only that which '''actually''' appeared in the various ''Doctor Who'' narratives. Don't assume that your readers have the same level of knowledge about the [[Whoniverse]] as you do. Cite often, cite accurately. Format your citations according to these guidelines:
| |
| * When citing an episode, novel, book, audio drama, webcast, comic or any other story use brackets, the proper [[Tardis:List of prefixes|prefix]] for the series and then the name of the episode, in italics and linked, e.g:
| |
| :* ([[DW]]: ''[[An Unearthly Child]]'')
| |
| :* ([[NA]]: ''[[Timewyrm: Revelation]]'')
| |
| :* ([[TW]]: ''[[Everything Changes]]'')
| |
| * When citing an in-universe website, use the [[WEB]] prefix, the name of the website in italics and the website address shown using a piped link, e.g:
| |
| :* <nowiki>([[WEB]]: ''[[Torchwood website|torchwood.org.uk]]''</nowiki>), which appears as: ([[WEB]]: ''[[Torchwood website|torchwood.org.uk]]'')
| |
| * If you encounter a statement that obviously needs a citation, but you don't have the time or knowledge to correct it, type <nowiki>{{fact}}</nowiki>, which produces: {{fact}}
| |
| * On this wiki, it is difficult to avoid using "[[wikipedia:weasel words|weasel words]]" like "many", "often" and "sometimes". The nature of an internally inconsistent universe like [[Whoniverse|Doctor Who's]] usually makes concise, absolute statements untrue. For instance, there are ''many'' occasions when the Doctor appears have a [[binary vascular system]], but there are a ''few'' where he does not. Weasel words can be made more accurate by remembering to balance them with an appropriate number of citations. In general, if a sentence implies that something occurred multiple times, then there should multiple citations given. For instance, if you write, "[[The Doctor]] often thwarted the plans of [[the Master]]", then you should give several story names to give a sense that "often" is an accurate term. Some other words which trigger the need for multiple citations are "frequently", "various", and "regularly" — as well as the simple use of numerals ("the Doctor was known to have gone there three times").
| |
| * Should you come across a sentence that seems to need more citations, but you don't have the time or the knowledge to correct it, type <nowiki>{{facts}}</nowiki>, which produces: {{facts}}
| |
|
| |
|
| ==== Behind the scenes ==== | | ==== Behind the scenes ==== |
| "Behind the scenes" or "real world" subsections within in-universe articles should be cited using the same method as out of universe articles. See below for more information. | | "Behind the scenes" or "real world" subsections within in-universe articles should be cited using the same method as out of universe articles. See below for more information. |
|
| |
| ==== What a citation indicates to our readers ====
| |
| {{sc|T:WHAT'S A CITATION|T:CITE DEF}}
| |
| The above sections tell you when, where and how to insert a citation, but it's important to understand what a citation ''means''. A citation says to our readers, "If you go back to the story cited, you will find that the work '''substantively''' includes the statement just prior to the citation.
| |
|
| |
| For instance, let's look at the following statement:
| |
| :<code>Dr [[Henderson (Spearhead from Space)|Henderson]] once puzzled over [[the Doctor]]'s [[TARDIS key]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space]]'')</code>
| |
|
| |
| By putting <code>([[DW]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space]]'')</code> at the end of that sentence, what we're saying is that, within the body of the [[serial]] known as ''[[Spearhead from Space]]'', you '''will''' find a scene where a guy named "Dr Henderson" puzzles over a TARDIS key. Since that actually happens in ''Spearhead'', this sentence is allowed to remain in our database.
| |
|
| |
| The problem is that sometimes we ''kind of'' remember scenes being in one [[serial]], but in fact they're in another. Or sometimes we use fan sites comprised of badly-researched statements incorrectly ascribed to a particular story. Worse, some fan sites give a citation for a particular story, but fail to make obvious that this assertion is based on speculation involving ''another'' story. (This, incidentally, is why we don't think fan sites are [[T:SOURCES|valid sources]].)
| |
|
| |
| It's '''absolutely vital''' that you check every statement you make against the story you're citing. Some good questions to ask yourself include:
| |
|
| |
| * Am I going off my own research into the story?
| |
| * If asked — and given a few minutes, cause me memory's goin' — could I definitely point to a page, episode or time code when the event I'm citing happened within the story?
| |
| * Could I insert a direct quotation from the story into my sentence?
| |
|
| |
| If the answer to any of these questions is "no", you're probably not on terribly solid ground.
| |
|
| |
| '''Remember: the goal of our project is to write an ''original'' reference work.''' If you're copying someone else's work, rather than going back to the original narrative, you're not really creating anything ''new''. You're just participating in a game of [[Chinese whispers]].
| |
|
| |
| If information is discovered which includes ''false'' citations, it is subject to immediate deletion.
| |
|
| |
|
| === Out of universe articles === | | === Out of universe articles === |
| Line 473: |
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| Unsourced rumours should be removed. | | Unsourced rumours should be removed. |
|
| |
|
| ==== Articles on living people ====
| | {{mosnav|c=Manual of style|you may= our various [[:Category:Policies|Policies (category)]]}} |
| {{sc|T:LIVING PEOPLE}} | |
| Although all articles should be as accurate as possible, special care must be taken with regards to articles on people that are currently alive, as issues such as libel may arise if claims are made without sources being given, or unnecessary rumours sparked. If you choose to include information of a potentially controversial nature, a source must be given, and preferably a "reliable source" such as an interview, newspaper or magazine article, etc. Wikipedia and the Internet Movie Database, not being peer reviewed, are ''not'' considered reliable sources. Nor are online (and, occasionally, print) sources that site Wikipedia and IMDb as their main sources.
| |
| | |
| Although this Wikia site is not considered part of Wikipedia, it is nonetheless helpful to review the Wikipedia [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons|Biographies of Living Persons]] policy. If you see an unsourced claim or comment regarding a living person, if a source cannot be located, it is best to play it safe and remove that material from the article.
| |
| | |
| == Bot enforcement ==
| |
| {{sc|T:MOS BOT}}
| |
| Because of the size of this wiki, global maintenance can only be done through the use of a bot. Enforcement of any of the provisions of this document are subject to automatic enforcement by bot, without prior notice. It is therefore possible that you might occasionally get it into an [[Help:edit conflict|edit conflict]] with a bot. Please don't take it personally; the bot has no ability to sense you're editing an article.
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|
| |
|
| It is important to note, however, that '''you should not rely upon the bot to clean up your mistakes'''. It is always better to try to do things according to the MOS. Remember two key rules:
| | {{#dpl: |
| * Bots are stupid. They '''absolutely cannot''' predict the precise way in which you will have violated this manual of style.
| | |allowcachedresults=false |
| * Bots can't be everywhere at once. It might be months until the next time that the spelling bot hits the page you've just edited. So spell things correctly now, or else your mistake might persist for an unexpectedly long time.
| | |namespace=14 |
| {{sc|T:CLEAN CODE}}
| | |shownamespace=false |
| From time to time, a bot shall execute a script whose sole function is to clean up the code. It shall run on every page in the main [[namespace]], as well as several other namespaces. This script will in no way change the way that a page appears. But it will perform a number of menial tasks on pages, such as:
| | |category=Manual of style |
| * the removal of extraneous spaces, per [[T:SPACING]]
| | |columns=2 |
| * the insertion of leading and trailing spaces in section headers, per [[T:HEAD]]
| | |format = ,\n* [[%PAGE%|%TITLE%]],, |
| * the placement of exactly one space following a full stop, which isn't required, but is allowed by [[T:SPACING]] | | }} |
| * the placement of exactly one space between a symbol which creates a list (i.e., * and #) and the following text
| |
| * consistent capitalisation of namespaces, such that — for instance — '''file:''' becomes '''File:'''
| |
| * the elimination of some redundant [[pipe trick]]s — <nowiki>[[Human|human]] would become simply [[human]], for instance</nowiki>
| |
|
| |
|
| [[Category:The Hub|Manual of Style]]
| |
| [[Category:Policies|Manual of Style]] | | [[Category:Policies|Manual of Style]] |
| | [[Category:About Tardis Wiki|Manual of Style]] |
