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This article is about Stargate Wiki's editing guidelines. For our user policy, see SGCommand:Policy.

This article details Stargate wiki's editing guidelines, including information on how to format an article and what kind of content we consider acceptable. If you have any questions regarding these, please contact an administrator.

For information on the most basic writing techniques and styles, refer to Wikipedia's Manual of Style.

Layout guide[]

Main article: SGCommand:Layout Guide

Include the following content/headings when writing an article only as needed:

Please note that not all articles use every section. Furthermore note that additional sections may be added as needed.

Episode[]

All episode articles should follow the general structure shown below:

  1. Infobox
  2. Synopsis
  3. Previously on
  4. Plot
  5. Appearances
  6. Notable quotes
  7. Notes
  8. Goofs
  9. Awards
  10. Other languages
  11. External links
  12. Category
  13. Interwiki links

Out-of-universe[]

  1. Infobox
  2. Main article
  3. Stub template
  4. See also
  5. External links
  6. Succession box
  7. Interwiki links

Naming articles[]

Main article: SGCommand:Naming conventions

There are some rules regarding how articles on Stargate Wiki should be named.

  • Article names should be in singular form, not plural.
  • The titles of articles about individual characters should be the name by which the character was most commonly known in the the Stargate universe, with later names preferred to earlier names, and full names preferred to partial names or nicknames. Titles, such as military ranks or titles of nobility, should be omitted.
  • Unless the name of the article contains (or is) a proper noun, none of the words should be capitalized.

Using the #[]

Do not use the # in a link unless you intend to direct to a section of that article with the title after the # as a section. When linking to articles, particular books and guides with numbers denoting their order, omit the # and simply put the number. Otherwise the software will look for that number as a section title on the page.

e.g. Stargate SG-1: Fall of Rome 2, not Stargate SG-1: Fall of Rome #2

You can use piped links to account for this. For example, [[Stargate SG-1: Fall of Rome 2|''Stargate SG-1: Fall of Rome'' #2]] would give you Stargate SG-1: Fall of Rome #2.

Perspective[]

In-universe[]

If something is in-universe, or is described as such, it belongs to the Stargate universe exclusively and not to the real world. Characters, for example, are in-universe, but the actors who play them are out-of-universe. Note that even articles on real-world entities that describe them within the context of Stargate, like Cheyenne Mountain or New York City, should be written from an in-universe perspective: that is, only what was revealed about them in Stargate canon should be present in the article. Pseudohistory is an integral part of in-universe treatment of canon material.

An in-universe perspective will strive for verisimilitude; that is, it will be written as if the author existed within the Stargate universe (imagine an in-universe archivist who lives through the events as they occur and treats the Stargate sources as documentaries on events that are very much real). 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.

The only section where out-of-universe information is appropriate is the "Behind the scenes" section and its subsections of an in-universe article. See below for more details.

Out-of-universe[]

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.

Articles about books, movies, games, or other real-life Stargate material should obviously be written from an out-of-universe perspective. In contrast, in-universe articles should never refer to Stargate by name, or any other real life things such as publications, actors, or the like — with the exception of "Behind the scenes" sections and references.

Note that if not for these two distinct perspectives, the wiki would become cluttered and it would become difficult to differentiate between genuine information from Stargate and outside information from the real world (keeping in mind the Stargate world and real world are two separate entities). This is a wiki for Stargate and the 'Stargate universe'. People don't really come here to learn about meatloaf or Nebraska as much as they come here to learn about how both of those topics exist in or pertain to the Stargate universe. If a user wanted more real-world information about a topic that exists in both the Stargate universe and the real world, they are welcome to click on the links we provide on each article to the appropriate wikipedia page, which tends to go into far more detail about the real-world than we're qualified to include.

Headings[]

Use the == (heading) markup for headings, not the ''' (bold) markup. Example:

===This is a heading===

which produces:

This is a heading

If you mark headings this way, a table of contents is automatically generated from the headings in an article. Sections can be automatically numbered for users with that preference set and words within properly marked headings are given greater weight in searches. Headings also help readers by breaking up the text and outlining the article.

  • Capitalize 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.
  • Avoid links within headings.
  • Avoid overuse of sub-headings.

Tense[]

All in-universe articles should be written with the "present" defined as of the most recent canonical work set in the Stargate universe. All the standard rules for handling living and dead people, operational and defunct organizations, etc. apply as on Wikipedia. For example, Richard Woolsey is the current commander of the Atlantis Expedition (as of Atlantis season 5), while Ra was the Supreme System Lord (now deceased).

All out-of-universe articles follow the standard Wikipedia conventions for both fact and fiction. This means, among other things, that plot summaries use the present tense and are free to refer to storytelling conventions and devices (for example, "This episode begins with the characters discussing a particular piece of technology previously seen in episode X").

Capital letters[]

System[]

When we name star systems, and when we link to them, the word "system" should remain in lower case.

Stargate[]

The word "Stargate" must always be capitalized, as an invented word which is spelled this way in official sources.

Human and other sentient species[]

In all sections of in-universe articles, the words "Human" and "Near-Human" should be capitalized, just as the name of any other sentient species (Asgard, Goa'uld, Asuran) in the Stargate universe would be. The word "humanoid," however, should not be capitalized.

Please note that semi-sentient or nonsentient creature names must not be in capitals. As much as we don't capitalize "Dog" or "Cat" in real-life, we shouldn't capitalize fictional creature names.

Ranks and titles[]

A rank's name is not to be capitalized if it refers to the rank, not a person. "George S. Hammond was a well-known general." or "As a captain, he had many responsibilities."

However, if the word refers to a person, it should be in capitals. "As an experienced leader, General Hammond..." or "He never liked telling jokes to the Colonel."

A rank should be included in the first mention of the character in each section of the page and not then not be included in the rest of the section.

There are some ranks the name of which should always be capitalized, no matter the semantics. Such titles are System Lord, First Prime, Prior, and so on.

Links[]

  • Internal Links: Any internal article should be linked in every mention in another article's infobox, once upon its first mention in another article's intro, and once upon its first mention in each of other articles' sub-sections. In the case of character articles, the rank should be included before the name and linked to (e.g. [[Colonel]] [[Samantha Carter]]). After the first mention in a subsection, articles should not be linked and the name shortened if possible. For characters, use the first or last name depending on which is used most often onscreen (e.g. O'Neill, Jackson, Sheppard, Jonas, Teyla, and Ronon).
  • Unnecessary Punctuation: Linking unnecessary punctuation should be avoided in the articles. Letters or words touching the link will be included in the link and should avoided as well (e.g. use [[Daniel Jackson]]'s instead of [[Daniel Jackson|Daniel Jackson's]]).
  • Redirects and Piped Links: All redirects in the Stargate Wiki serve a specific purpose, other than to facilitate searching for articles. Therefore, a redirect should be used instead of circumventing the redirect with a piped link (e.g. use [[Rodney McKay]] instead of [[Meredith Rodney McKay|Rodney McKay]]).
  • Do not add external links to other sites without permission.
  • Do not use external links in the body of an article: External Links must be reserved for the trivia, external links, and references sections.

Italics and miscellaneous grammar[]

Class and ship names[]

Names of specific spaceships should be:

  • Capitalized
  • Italicized
  • Referred to by female pronouns (she, hers)
e.g.
"The Korolev was a Daedalus-class warship. Her commanding officer was Colonel Chekov."

The use of the definite article should follow the most common use for that ship in canonical sources.

Class names are italicized. The definite article may be used, but it is not required.

  • When a ship's class is a modifier, use a hyphen:
"Daedalus-class warship"
  • When it is a noun, do not use a hyphen:
"Asgard ships of the O'Neill class were formidable"

Numerical designations, such as X-302, are not italicized.

Media[]

Italics are used in the titles of

  • Books
  • Music albums
  • Newspapers
  • Magazines
  • Movies
  • Television and radio shows
  • Video games

Quotation marks enclose the titles of

  • Songs
  • Short stories
  • Television episodes
e.g.
The Stargate SG-1 episode "Children of the Gods".

Quotations[]

Quotations should follow this general format:

  • If the quote is less than a paragraph long, simply including it in the article's body with "quotation marks" will suffice.
  • If the quote is at least a paragraph in length, or a dialogue, insert as a block quote:
"Block quotes are indented with a colon at the beginning of each new paragraph. Each paragraph needs only one colon, not a new colon for each line (word wrap will accomplish this automatically).
New paragraphs, however, do require their own colon."

Please be sure to provide as much information as possible (for instance: source, page if applicable, and characters speaking if applicable).

  • Users should not correct the capitalization, spelling, grammar, or word usage within direct quotes taken from copyrighted sources as such modifications jeopardize our Fair use claim on that material. Article quotes ought to be verbatim and any changes, edits, or exclusions should be explicitly noted by using square brackets ("[ ]"). Any errors made by the author may be noted by using "[sic]." This includes words such as Human, which the community has decided to capitalize in all other contexts, and the word galaxy, which is to be de-capitalized in all other contexts.
  • Quotes that serve as introductions to article subsections should not contain internal links because they appear unprofessional and are generally distracting. The only exception to this rule would be in-universe words or phrases of an obscure nature.
  • Redundant internal links should not be added to quotes because they serve little purpose beyond making the quotes appear cluttered and messy. Links should only be added to quotes if they contain a specific article's ONLY mention of a particular concept, but even then, it is better to integrate the internal link into the body of the article's text.
  • Piped links should be avoided as much as possible. If the context of the quote is not readily apparent, it is best to add appropriate information to the quote attribution field of the quote template rather than adding piped links to ambiguous pronouns such as "you," "he," or "they."

Single quotation marks (' ') should only be used when there is a quotation inside a quotation: "I never liked 'Indeed.'"

A quote used in an article should only include:

  1. Text that is presented within actual quotation marks, indicating spoken words.
  2. Text that is clearly presented within the confines of someone's memoirs, journal, or diary. This includes in-universe written works.
A quote is NOT:
  1. Narrative prose that is not actual spoken dialogue or a character's personal memoirs, journal, or diary. This means that thoughts are not considered quotable material.

Sources and Canon[]

What sources are considered acceptable[]

On Stargate wiki, the information presented on the show takes priority over all other sources. However, Stargate Wiki includes information from all sources that are officially-licensed and considered canon by MGM. Notably, these sources include Fandemonium novels, role-playing books, audiobooks by Big Finish Productions, the Stargate SG-1: The DVD Collection magazines, the MGM Tech Journal, etc). While, for example, Daniel Jackson's birthday isn't explicitly stated on the show, it is given in Stargate SG-1: The DVD Collection 2. As a result, Stargate wiki includes it.

Naturally, however, inconsistencies do arise. When this is the case, we make a note of it at the bottom of the page in the 'Notes' section and provide a link next to the text in question. For example, on the MGM Tech Journal entry for the 304, an Asgard beam turret is labeled as being a node at the end of the neck. However, the object labeled as the beam turret was seen on the series several times before the Asgard upgrades. Thus on the article 304, this discrepancy is noted in the 'Notes' section at the bottom of the page.

Because the official status of these ancillary sources is canon, we have to include the information they provide (keeping in mind they are approved my MGM and the show's staff). However, because sometimes the facts they present don't always align with the show (or make complete sense) we make a note stating such in much the same way we include a 'Goofs' section on episode articles - Obviously each episode is canon, but occasionally they get facts wrong or present inconsistencies, which the 'goofs' section accounts for.

Measurements[]

The specific measurements or technical specifications of objects presented in the Stargate franchise are rarely detailed in the show. As such, most of the dimensions and specifications of various technologies (notably spacecraft) can only be retrieved from non-show sources. However, some of the measurements presented in these sources tend to contradict the apparent visual size as seen on the show. For example, Stargate Magazine #32, page 84, appears to give incorrect measurements for Destiny. The width is given as 518m and the length is given as 747m. However, the ship would appear to be at least twice as long as it is wide based on certain visual observations.

In the case of Destiny's measurements, despite appearing incorrect, they still come from a source officially-licensed by MGM, and are thus still the best measurements we have for the ship. To note the apparent inconsistency, a comment is made at the bottom of the Destiny article under the 'Notes' heading.

Fan-made measurements are never allowed to superseded the measurements of an official source, no matter what. This is the case for the following reason:

Lets say user:1 comes to Stargate wiki claiming the official source is wrong and that they've deduced the 'proper' size of Destiny based on various visual observations and computer algorithms. Now lets say that Stargate wiki includes user:1's measurements. However, a few weeks later, user:2 comes along claiming that both the official source and user:1 were wrong, and that he/she instead has the real 'proper' measurements of Destiny. At any rate, both measurements are pure speculation. Stargate wiki would be unable to stand behind either one and (given both are non-canon) it would be impossible for us to make a choice between them. Stargate wiki is not licensed to create canon material and thus, in the eyes of the community and MGM, both measurements are equally wrong.
The best Stargate wiki would be able to do is include the official (and potentially inaccurate) measurements in the infobox (properly cited of course). Then in the Notes section of the article in question (or in the Reference section immediately following the cited reference), in addition to including a reasoning as to why the official measurements appear incorrect, user:1 and user:2 are free to include their own measurements.

In instances where discrepancies in measurements occur, or in instances in which a perceived discrepancy exists in regard to The DVD Collection magazines, the following template is used next to the citation to denote the discrepancy:

Non-canon sources[]

Main article: Stargate canon

Information that pertains to an ambiguously-canon non-canon source may still be included on Stargate Wiki under certain conditions. Such articles are confined to the categories Ambiguously-canon articles and Non-Canon articles, respectively. Furthermore, the following templates are used on such pages along with the proper sources so no mistake can be made as to an article's official-canon status. These templates include:

Information from a ambiguously-canon or non-canon source may be included in a canon article under the conditions that the information is properly sourced, and the information included is wholly enclosed by the following templates as to clearly distinguish it. All such articles are contained to the categories Articles with ambiguously canon elements and Articles with non-canon elements, respectively.

If an article is about a real-world source that contains information deemed ambiguously canon, the following template is to be used. All such articles are placed in the category:Ambiguously-canon sources:

If an article is about a real-world source that contains information deemed to be non-canon, the following template is to be used. All such articles are placed in the category:Non-canon sources:

For a list of all of Stargate Wiki's advisory templates, see here. For a full list of canon-related topics and categories, see here.

How to cite sources[]

There are two ways to cite sources on Stargate wiki:

1) Using the {{cite}} template. For Stargates SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe episodes, this template will be written as {{cite|SG1|Cure}}, {{cite|SGA|Home}}, and {{cite|SGU|Light}}, respectively. These will appear on the page as (SG1: "Cure"), (SGA: "Home"), and (SGU: "Light"). Information on how to use this template to cite other (non-episode) sources is further explained here
2) Using <ref></ref> around the name of the source, and including <references/> at the bottom of the page under a 'Reference' heading.

Both Methods are demonstrated being used in an article below:

Formatthingy11

When citing information in the main text of an article, users are allowed to use either method 1 or 2. However, method 1 is more-commonly used. When citing information in an infobox or image caption, method 2 is strongly preferred.

Images[]

What images are considered acceptable[]

For normal, main-namespace articles, we only include images that come from the Stargate series on Stargate wikia. For example, in the article Orange juice, we should only be including images of orange juice that are shown on an episode of Stargate. We use this policy to separate the facts of the 'real world' from the facts of the world portrayed in the Stargate series.

However, if the article is about an actor, production company, or any other real-world entity that's involved with the production of the show, outside images are fine. This is the case, because naturally Katie Stuart or Ordino Studios (for example) doesn't exist in the Stargate universe.

Also note that if we started including outside images, it would clutter the wiki up and it would become difficult to differentiate between genuine images from stargate and outside images from the real world (keeping in mind the stargate world and real world are 2 separate entities). This is a wiki for Stargate and the 'stargate universe'. People don't really come here to see what meatloaf or the state flag of Nebraska looks like. If they want to know those things, they are welcome to click on the links we provide on each article to the appropriate wikipedia page, which tends to go into far more detail about the real-world than we're qualified to include.

How to format images[]

When placing an image in the main section of an article, it is strongly suggested that the default image size be used. Using the classic editor, this is stylized as: [[File:ImageName|thumb|right|Image Caption.]]. Because every user on Stargate Wiki uses a different computer screen to view the site, and because screens vary wildly in size and pixel density, using the default image size ensures all users are able to clearly read every article without the images interfering with the layout of the surrounding text.

However, in certain cases, larger image sizes may be used. Using the classic editor, this is stylized as: [[File:ImageName|thumb|right|250px|Image Caption.]]. In this example, the image size is 250px. This is the standard size for infobox images. For articles without an infobox, this is the standard size for the image in the top right corner of the page in lieu of an inforbox

For images placed within the main text of an article, it is customary to stagger images between the leftmost and rightmost side of the page. Furthermore, sufficient space must be left between images as to allow for the text to be more-easily readable. If there is not sufficient room remaining in which to include images, images may also be placed under a 'Gallery' heading near the bottom of the page.

What constitutes an article[]

Article content[]

Articles should be created only if they contribute meaningfully to Stargate wiki and are about meaningful aspects of the Stargate universe. For example, light switches, light bulbs, shoelaces, tables, doors, couches, etc, have all been depicted on the series and thus are known to exist in the Stargate universe. However, the appearance of these items has always been in the background and they have never prominently been mentioned on screen in any significant detail. Given that Stargate is very strongly rooted in modern-day Earth culture, these items obviously exist in real life. As such, it is implied that everyone watching Stargate knows what they are, and thus including articles about such topics would be unnecessary. While Stargate wiki is written from the perspective of someone actually in the Stargate universe, we largely only focus on either those 'in-universe' things that are unique to the Stargate universe, or those 'also present in real-life' things that have sufficient relevance.

If a real life topic is mentioned on the show with enough context, an article for such a topic may be included. For example: In the Stargate Atlantis episode "The Hive", John Sheppard remarked that clowns "scared the crap" out of him. He then goes on for a few more sentences to (jokingly) contend Clowns are an enemy far worse than the Wraith. Given the length of this conversation and the insight we gain about it, Stargate wiki ultimately decided "clowns" warranted an article. Though clowns were mentioned yet again in the episode Doppelganger later in the series (this time including a visual image of one), the article is still relatively small. However, because we included all the available information as it pertains to the Stargate universe, the article is considered relevant and complete.

All articles about real-world topics present in the Stargate universe should be written as they pertain to the Stargate universe. As such, using "clown" as the example, it would be inappropriate for us to talk about clowns at length as they exist in the real world in our articles. We are limited to what real-world information we can include by what real-world information the show provides. Obviously clowns in the Stargate universe are the same clowns as those in the real world, and so one or two sentences describing what clowns are from a real-world perspective is allowed, as to give background information on the topic. However, following this introduction, the article should shift to describing how clowns relate to Stargate, including what episodes they appeared in or were mentioned in, and what they did or how they were mentioned in those episodes.

There is an understandable degree of ambiguity in deciding whether or not a topic deserves an article; It is not an exact science and there is often room for exceptions. Don't be afraid to create an article. If you feel an article you created was unfairly deleted, please leave said administrator a message explaining your position, or leave a message in our forums.

Article size[]

The size of an article is not always a good indicator as to whether or not an article is relevant. Some articles are limited in length to only a few sentences purely because that's all the information the series has provided us. For example, the article Guango is only three sentences long. However, because it covers all of the available information we've been presented with on the show, that particular article is indeed relevant and complete. The Daedalus article, however, is understandably much larger and more robust than the guango article given its extensive depiction on the series.

Imagine, for the sake of argument, that someone goes to write the Daedalus article for the first time. Given the amount of information available on the Daedalus, it would be inappropriate if this user only included 1 sentence in the article.

When a user creates an article, they should always try to give it their best effort. While we understand that most articles are written and expanded slowly over time, it would be inappropriate to initially create an article with only one sentence, and then walk way, hoping 'someone else' will finish it for you. Any new article that appears blatantly and deliberately incomplete (such as by seriously lacking in categorization, sources, available images, quotes, grammar, and content) may be removed from the site.



This page uses content from Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki, licensed under the GFDL. For the original page, see Wookieepedia:Manual of Style.

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