Tardis:Prefixes
As a rule of thumb, stories are identified by a prefix related to the medium of the story, like TV, COMIC or AUDIO.
Non-narrative source prefixes are more about type, like DOC and ICOM.Prefixes are used to preface a story name, given as the source for a statement of fact in an article. In the example,
- The Tenth Doctor once ate a part of a chocolate Easter egg. (TV: Planet of the Dead)
the prefix is TV.
In-universe sources
Prefixes that are used on this site for the citation of stories are:
| Prefix | When used |
|---|---|
| TV | stories originally broadcast on television |
| PROSE | short stories, novels, novellas, and novelisations |
| AUDIO | stories original to the aural media but also all ephemeral stories (like stage plays) which were first released to mass audiences on audio. Also used to distinguish between different versions of what only appears to be the same thing. For instance, AUDIO: The Stones of Blood, is not just an audiobook of Doctor Who and the Stones of Blood, but a wholly different telling of it. |
| COMIC | stories told via sequential art, regardless of length |
| HOMEVID | all stories told via direct-to-video releases |
| GAME | narratives contained within games that are valid sources, such as The Adventure Games |
Out-of-universe sources
Confined mostly to reference sources, the following prefixes may be used in any "real world" article, or in the "behind the scenes" section of an in-universe article. While the in-universe prefixes are strictly by medium, the out-of-universe ones emphasise type of material.
| Prefix | When used |
|---|---|
| REF | reference books seen as valid under T:OOU SRC |
| DOC | Any sort of documentary, regardless of medium. Doctor Who Confidential and Torchwood Declassified episodes, DVD documentaries, Big Finish extras, Myth Makers' releases — they're all DOC |
| NOTDWU | Use when citing an officially released story that is not considered a valid source. Such stories — like the obviously parodic The Curse of Fatal Death or the deliberately alternative Exile — can only be cited in the "behind the scenes" sections of articles. |
Commentaries
Commentaries are especially tricky, thanks in large measure to the Tenth Doctor's era, where some episodes have multiple commentaries. It's important to use the correct prefix, because, for example, PCOM: Doomsday is a wholly different thing to ICOM: Doomsday.
| Prefix | When used |
|---|---|
| DCOM | Short for "DVD commentary", this is for the vast majority of audio commentaries found on DVD/Blu-ray. |
| PCOM | Short for "podcast commentary", this is for commentaries that were part of the official BBC podcasts during the RTD era |
| ICOM | Short for "in-vision commentary". |
