Tardis:Point of view: Difference between revisions

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{{mosnav|p=Point of view|In-universe perspective|Out-of-universe perspective|Images and perspective|Neutral point of view|We're Wikipedia's evil twin|c=Point of view|you may=[[Tardis:Images and perspective|guidelines about perspective in images]]}}
{{moss|When writing an article, imagine that you know everything about your topic, but that it no longer exists. Write the in-universe portion of articles in the past tense, without exception.}}
{{moss|We have two types of article: those about narrative elements — like characters, weapons and species — and those about production elements — actors, directors and stories. Each type requires a particular approach.}}
{{sc|T:POV}}It's important that our articles be consistently written from the same '''point of view'''.  Otherwise, you'd end up with one article written in past tense, another in future tense, and yet another in present tense. Or maybe, some of the articles would be written from a character's perspective rather than the audience's. 
{{sc|T:POV|T:PERSPECTIVE}}
[[T:EVIL TWIN|Unlike Wikipedia]] we write our articles from two different perspectives.
== In-universe perspective ==
Articles about '''narrative elements''' — also called "in-universe articles" — are written as if the topic were real, but one that no longer exists.  For this reason, they are written in the past tense.


We've therefore decided on a couple of simple rules:
Examples of in-universe articles include [[Amy Pond]], [[Gallifrey]], [[London]], [[2000]], [[March]] and so forth.  Note that even if the subject exists in the real world, like [[2000]], we still primarily write about it in an in-universe way.  Doing so allows us to stress the importance of [[2000]] to the [[DWU]].  When we do so, we discover that [[T:NO RW|the DWU has different characteristics to the real world]]. 


#Use past tense for in-universe portions of articles
Generally, in-universe articles have two distinct parts. The majority of the article — what we frequently refer to as the "body" — is written from this in-universe article. But these articles can have a section called "behind the scenes". This part of the article — which is always the last major section — is written from a "real world perspective". '''[[Tardis:In-universe perspective|Read more ...]]'''
#Write from the perspective of a neutral observer who has access to all known facts about your topic. You, the writer of the article, are omniscient, even though the subject of your article is not.
#Use only [[T:VS|valid sources]] — which is to say ''narratives'' — to write your article. Material from reference works, deleted scenes, or documentaries can only go in "behind the scenes" sections.
#All narratives, regardless of medium, have equal weight. Whether it's a comic strip, audio, novel or television story, it's all equally valid here.  


Here are some common situations:
== Out-of-universe perspective ==
{| class="wikitable"
Articles about out-of-universe things are also called "real world articles".  Generally, these, too, should be written in the past tense, in order to minimise the amount of editing that has to be done on the article in the future.  However, there are some instances in which the present tense may be warranted. '''[[Tardis:Out-of-universe perspective|Read more...]]'''
! style="background-color:#8cb82c;border-bottom:1px solid black" width=50%|Correct
== Example==
! style="background-color:#e25822;border-bottom:1px solid black" width=50%|Incorrect
The difference between an in-universe and out of universe perspective is immediately apparent from the first sentence of our article about [[the Doctor]] as compared with Wikipedia's article:
|-style="padding:10px;border-bottom:1px solid black"
{|class=wikitable
|style="background-color:#8cb82c; padding:10px;"|[[Liz Shaw]] was a [[companion]] of [[the Doctor]]'s [[Third Doctor|third incarnation]] during the early part of his exile on [[Earth]]...  
!In-universe
|style="background-color:#e25822; padding:10px;"|Liz Shaw is a fictional character in the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[science fiction]] [[television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]''...
!Out-of-universe
|-style="border-bottom:1px solid black"
|-
|-style="padding:10px;border-bottom:1px solid black"
|'''"The Doctor"''' was the primary alias of a [[renegade Time Lord]] from [[Gallifrey]] who journeyed through [[time]] and [[space]] with various [[companion]]s in his obsolete and "borrowed" [[The Doctor's TARDIS|Type 40 TARDIS]].
|style="background-color:#8cb82c; padding:10px;"|The universe was a vast region of uncertain proportions, comprised of, amongst other things, planets, satellites, asteroids and stars.
|The '''Doctor''' is a [[title character]] and the [[protagonist]] of the long-running [[BBC]] [[Science fiction on television|television science fiction]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', and has also featured in two cinema feature films and one made-for-television movie, as well as a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series.
|style="background-color:#e25822; padding:10px;"|The universe is that place where most of the lifeforms in the [[DWU|''Doctor Who'' universe live.  
|-style="border-bottom:1px solid black"
|}
|}


Note how the in-universe perspective allows the opportunity to declare what "the Doctor" actually is.  It's not a character, not a person, but, in fact, an ''alias''.  That's something you can only easily note if you're writing '''as if the [[DWU]] is a "reality".'''
Conversely, the out-of-universe perspective affords a chance to note the real world significance of the "the Doctor" — which is that he is the central character of a multi-media franchise.


[[Category:Policies|Point of view policy]]
[[Category:Policies|Point of view policy]]
[[Category:About Tardis Wiki]]

Latest revision as of 01:22, 11 April 2024

We have two types of article: those about narrative elements — like characters, weapons and species — and those about production elements — actors, directors and stories. Each type requires a particular approach.
Shortcut:

Unlike Wikipedia we write our articles from two different perspectives.

In-universe perspective

Articles about narrative elements — also called "in-universe articles" — are written as if the topic were real, but one that no longer exists. For this reason, they are written in the past tense.

Examples of in-universe articles include Amy Pond, Gallifrey, London, 2000, March and so forth. Note that even if the subject exists in the real world, like 2000, we still primarily write about it in an in-universe way. Doing so allows us to stress the importance of 2000 to the DWU. When we do so, we discover that the DWU has different characteristics to the real world.

Generally, in-universe articles have two distinct parts. The majority of the article — what we frequently refer to as the "body" — is written from this in-universe article. But these articles can have a section called "behind the scenes". This part of the article — which is always the last major section — is written from a "real world perspective". Read more ...

Out-of-universe perspective

Articles about out-of-universe things are also called "real world articles". Generally, these, too, should be written in the past tense, in order to minimise the amount of editing that has to be done on the article in the future. However, there are some instances in which the present tense may be warranted. Read more...

Example

The difference between an in-universe and out of universe perspective is immediately apparent from the first sentence of our article about the Doctor as compared with Wikipedia's article:

In-universe Out-of-universe
"The Doctor" was the primary alias of a renegade Time Lord from Gallifrey who journeyed through time and space with various companions in his obsolete and "borrowed" Type 40 TARDIS. The Doctor is a title character and the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films and one made-for-television movie, as well as a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series.

Note how the in-universe perspective allows the opportunity to declare what "the Doctor" actually is. It's not a character, not a person, but, in fact, an alias. That's something you can only easily note if you're writing as if the DWU is a "reality".

Conversely, the out-of-universe perspective affords a chance to note the real world significance of the "the Doctor" — which is that he is the central character of a multi-media franchise.

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