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User:Koweja/Guidelines

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Formatting

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Articles about television shows should adhere to the standard formatting scheme used by the vast majority of television show-related articles on Wikiquote. See Wikiquote:Guide to layout#Television and Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Format for more details. A basic template is available (Wikiquote:Templates/TV shows) as well.

The standard layout is

  1. Introductory paragraph
  2. Table of contents
  3. Quotes
  4. Cast list
  5. External links
  6. Categories


Note: do not make subpages for any section - keep everything on one page. (Ignore the warning you get when editing that tells you the page may be too long. It isn't.)

Quotes

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  • Seasons should be a level two header (==Season #==). Include the airdates (or just the years) if you want.
  • Each episode should be under a seperate level three header. Make a it link to wikipedia if applicable (see below).
    • According to the Guide to layout you should italic the episode name and include the season and episode number in the form of ===Name [s.e]===, however it is fairly common to see see ===Name=== as well, using only the episode name (as well as part number for multi-part episodes). In any case, do not include the airdate, production number, or put the name in quotes (though these are somtimes included in the table of contents).
  • Indent every part of the quote with a colon (:), including scene context. Only the <hr width="50%" /> should not be indented.
  • Scene content (location, time, event being discussed, etc. not who the character is addressing) is added in braces ([]) before the quote and is a full sentence in italics (i.e. [The four women are eating at a Burger King.]).
  • Use the most commonly used name of the characters. For many shows, first and last name will be appropriate. For many other shows (usually shows with fewer main characters), first name only is fine. For political and military shows using rank, first, and last name is probably best. In any case, use the name they generally go by (e.g. Bender of Futurama should be listed as "Bender", not "Bender Bending Rodriguez" since his full name is used only once or twice durring the entire series).
    • If the speaker is not identified, describe the character in a word or two, using Title Case (e.g. Unknown Alien:, not Unknown alien with green skin and holding a laser weapon:)
  • Bold the name of the speaker by '''Name''': to make "Name: ".
  • Only add Wikipedia links ([[w:|]]) to the characters and episodes that have specific articles. In other words, do not link every episode to the complete episode list article/section (though you may want to link each season header to the season in the episode list, if each season has a separate header). The same applies for the characters. It is also recommended that you only link to articles that have actual content (aren't stubs).
    • If the articles are there, DO add the links.
    • Only add links for the first occurance of each character per episode.
  • Inline context (stage directions) (i.e. Karen: [to Charlotte] Hi) should be in italic, in braces, and after the colon (':').
  • Do not put the quote itself in italic or surround by quotation marks ("").
  • For explanatory context within the quote itself (i.e. Sandra: He [Robert] went over there.) uses braces ([]) and no itallics.
  • End each quoted line with punctuation. Use elipses (...) if the speaker trails off without a hard stop a dash (-) if they are interrupted or stop in the middle of the sentence.
  • Keep the order of the quotes in the order that they are spoken on the show if possible.
  • Separate quotes with a horizontal rule (<hr width="50%" />).
  • You do not need to add a <br /> tag after each line. The colon used to indent forces a line break.

Other sections

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Introduction

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At the very beginning, include a short description of the show. Include things such as:

  • Title (in bold and italic, link to Wikipedia)
  • Genre
  • Airdates
  • Premise
  • Original broadcasting network (or syndicated)
  • Country of origin
  • If it's been released on DVD
  • What makes the show unique
  • Taglines

Airdates and country of origin are especially importaint for shows with the same name that made simultaneously in different countries (e.g. both the US and UK have their own versions of The Office) or shows that are remade (e.g. there are two shows called Battlestar Galactica).

Basically, don't assume that the person looking at the article knows anything about the show. Give them the basic information so they get the general gist of the show, and to help them distinguish it between shows with similar names. Wiki the dates as well, so they can be reformatted based on user preferences.

Do not include excessive amounts of information or series/season/episode summaries. That is what the Wikipedia articles are for. Anything from one sentence to a paragraph will usually do nicely.

Custom table of contents

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HTML tables are often used to replace the standard table of contents due to the fact that each episode gets a subheader. This makes the table of contents into one list that stretches on for pages. Instead, a multicolumn table is used to condense everything.

Note: It is recommended that you only do custom TOCs for series that have ended, that way you know how many seasons and episodes there are and can format the table appropriately. Otherwise you will have to reformat the table everytime new shows are announced.

First, get rid of the old table of contents by adding __NOTOC__ somewhere in the beginning of the article.

Now create your table, placing it between the introduction and the first header.

Standard table format
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{|
|-
! |
! |
! |
|-
| |
| |
| |
|-
| |
| |
| |
|-
|}
  • Open the table with and add your table parameters (border="#", align="#", width="#%", style="").
  • |- is a row break. Whenever used, the next cell will start at the left one row below.
  • ! | is a column header. Put parameters (width, align, etc.) between the ! and |, and the text to be displayed (as well as any formating or links) after the |. For the next column, start a new line and begin with a !. Repeat for each column.
    • If you're going to set the width of the columns, do so here.
  • Put a line break ( |- )after the last column header.
  • Normal cells are denoted with a ||. Parameters for the cell go between the two bars, formatted text goes after the second one.
    • To start a new cell, simply start a new line and begin with a bar.
    • Cells are placed left to right until a row break is encountered.
    • If you've set the column width with the header cells, you do not need to do so again.
    • To start a new row, you must use a row break ( |- ). Your table can be more cells wide that you have column headers if you don't.
  • After the last cell, put a row break and then close the table with |}.
Notes on tables
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  • Columns should (usually) be the same width, except the title bar (simply place a normal row with one cell that spans the table above the column headers) and non-episode links, which can span multiple columns and rows to fill in empty space.
  • Seasons are divided by columm, with episodes listed in order top-down, not left-right.
    • If possible keep one season to a column, though this guideline shouldn't be followed if it would take up too much space.
  • Episodes are listed one per cell.
  • Non-episode sections (cast, links, etc) should be listed at the end, usually spanning rows near or below the last episode of the longest season, or in the final season's column. As a rule of thumb, non-episode links should either be touching the bottom of the table (or another non-episode link at the bottom), or be listed in their own column.
  • You can usually fit six columns to a table without things becoming cramped.
  • It is standard practice to make the background colors of the column headers different colors to distinguish between seasons.
  • Consult an HTML and CSS guide, such as HTMLdog, for tutorials on table parameters and styles.

Cast list

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It is customary to have a cast list right after the quotes. This should not necessarily include every named character on the show, just the ones significant to the overall story. Guest stars and cameos are frequently listed as well.

  • Descriptions should be short - leave the details for the Wikipedia article.
  • Generally speaking they should be listed as performer/character, not character/performer.
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Standard links to other sites include Wikipedia, IMDB, and TV.com. Each as their own template:

  • {{ wikipedia }} template for links to Wikipedia.
    • If the article names do not match (for instance the wikiquote and wikipedia pages for the show Earth 2 do not have the same name), use {{ wikipedia|name_of_wikipedia_article )}}.
    • You can add {{ wikiquote }} to the wikipedia article to link back to this site.
    • This is often placed at the very top of the external links section.
    • Double check the link to makes sure the page on the wikipedia site actually exists and the link doesn't go to the wrong article or a disambiguation page.
  • {{ imdb title|id=|title= }} - get the id number from the URL, ignoring the /tt.
  • {{ TV.com|name=|number=|title= }} - get both the name (include dashes) and id in the URL. You will have to browse all shows to get the correct URL. Do not use the search feature - it will created a temporary link which will not last after you leave the site.
  • Episode lists on Wikipedia (complete lists, not one link for every episode). Link by [[w:Article name|displayed text]] or [[w:Article name|]] if the article name is the displayed text.
    • Be sure to include the w: or it will try to link to wikiquote.
    • Include the | at the end of the Article_name or the w: will appear on screen.
  • Non-wiki sites of interest (major fan sites, archives, official sites, etc.) can be linked by [http://example.com/blah/blah/blah.html Blah Blah Blah]. This will create a link with an icon on the right. The end of the URL is marked by a space and anything after the space will be the onscreen text. (Blah Blah Blah)

Categories

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Categories are an importaint way of grouping related articles together. The main category for TV shows is Category:Television shows and there are numerous subcategories. To add a category, simply add [[Category:Category_Name|Show_Name]].

  • If the show names begins with an article (The, A, An) you should put the article after the show name. For example, The Daily Show would be listed as Daily Show, The. Do this by adding a | and letter before the closing brackets (e.g [[Category:Talk shows|D]] instead of [[Category:Talk shows]]
  • If the show has a more appropriate subcategory, use it instead of the higher level one. For example Spongebob could fit into Category:Animated TV shows, however there is a subcategory Category:Nickelodeon animated TV shows.
    • If you use a subcategory, do not use the higher level ones as well. It is already implied and easy to navigate through the Category hierarchy.
  • If the article covers other materials such as films, comics/magnas, etc., include those categories as well.
    • If the article covers both the show and other sections extensively, and the materials aren't related, consider splitting the page into mutliple articles.
Standard categories
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Some categories to include (if applicable):

If the article needs improvement, then you can add any or all of these templates (which automatically add the appropriate category):

  • {{ tv-cleanup }} - add at the beginning to request that the article be rewriten to conform to the guideines mentioned above.
  • {{ no-intro }} - add at the beginning (or after tv-cleanup) if there is no introduction.
  • {{ tv-stub }} - add at the end to request that others add more content.
Creating categories
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If there is no category, than you can add one easily.

  1. Put the category that you are going to create in the article the same way you would an existing category and save (or preview) the article.
  2. Scroll to the bottom to see all of the categories. Your new category will be in red.
  3. Click it to go to the page creation window.
  4. Add a description, with links to Wikipedia if possible. Don't add links to individual shows, these will be added automatically.
  5. To make your category a subcategory of an existing category, simply add [[Category:Category_Name]] to the bottom of the page.
Notes on creating categories
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Cleaning up

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Category:TV cleanup contains a list of shows that have been flagged for clean up. If you decide to clean one up, typical things to do include:

  • Make sure the introduction is descriptive enough, and that the title is bolded, in italics, and links to wikipedia.
  • Quotes should be identified (have a speaker) and under the correct [sub]heading.
    • Quotes that don't belong with a specific episode (such as catch phrases or credits voice-overs) should be collected in a level 2 heading called something like "Repeated lines", or "Catch phrases".
    • Quotes that repeated in each episode over the course of one season go between the season's heading and the first episode heading. An example of this is the Babylon 5 credit voice overs, which changed every season.
  • Put the speaker before the quote, they are often incorrectly put afterwards.
  • Make sure the quote itself is not in italics, has punctuation, and is not in quotes.
  • All contexts (scene, stage directions, and explanatory phrases should be brackets.
    • Make sure all scene contexts are on their own line, in italics, and indented.
    • Stage directions should placed after the colon and in italics.
    • Inline explanatory phrases should not be in italics
  • Check for duplicates, especially if there are some quotes that are properly organized and a pile of unorganized ones at the end.
  • Add wikipedia quotes where ever applicable (first time each character speaks in an episode, episode names, occationally season headers). It depends on how the Wikipedia articles are structured.
    • Words within the quote generally do not need wiki links, unless it is a phrase or technical term that a reader might be unfamilar with.
    • Links to characters that are mentioned but aren't a speaker for any of the episode's quotes should be linked as well.
  • Add a character lists after the quotes. Usually you can just copy an abridged version over from the Wikipedia pages.
  • Add external links - almost every article can have {{wikipedia}}, {{TV.com}}, and {{imdb title}} links. Check any existing links to make sure they are correct and don't link to disambiguation pages or stubs on wikipedia.
  • Make sure all external links are still working, don't link to something unrelated, provide useful information, and aren't just spam.
  • Add and replace categories.
    • Current/Cancelled, genre, broadcaster, and DVD availabilty should be added for almost all articles.
    • Create new genere and network categories if needed.
    • Remove the Category:Television shows link if it is there, as all of the other categories listed are subcategories of it.
  • Remove the {{tv-clean}} tag if everything is fixed.

Finding quotes

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This is wiki[w:Some sources are better than others. A lot better.

From best to worst:

  1. Audio tracks of the DVD releases - DVD releases are (usually) uncut. This is what you are quoting, so go directly to the source if possible.
  2. Television audio - A pretty reliable source, but occationally words get subbed (especially if something is obscene) or conversations get cut off.
  3. Official scripts - Hard to find, but arguably more accurate than what was said on screen. If an actor doesn't recite the line exactly, which is the "correct" version? Is it what the screenwriter wanted to be said, or what was actually said? Since these are quotations from TV shows, not scripts, go with what was said on screen since that is what most readers will be looking for.
  4. Official site - they have the scripts, so they tend to be accurate
  5. Subtitles and close captioning. - Ever watch a show with subtitles on? Sometimes you can't even tell that it's the same show that was captioned. Babylon 5 is a good (bad?) example of this, though some shows are subbed almost perfectly. The people who put in the subtitles/captioning don't transcribe the audio, they use the scripts, so if an actor doesn't recite the line exactly the text may be a little off.
  6. Fansites - quoting what you read on another site is basically hersay and not guarrenteed to be accurate. If possible, verify it from an official souce. If you can't, add it, but then mention it on the Talk page so someone else can check it. Don't assume that a quote is accurate if you can find the exact wording on multiple sites. Many of these sites copy text from one another, so inaccuracies spread quickly.
  7. IMDB and TV.com - Yes, almost all pages link to them, but only because they provide a lot of information and images about the show. They are notorious for misquoting shows and should never be relied on for exact quotations.
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