Misplaced Pages

:Television episodes: Difference between revisions - Misplaced Pages

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 20:10, 16 January 2008 editPixelface (talk | contribs)12,801 edits adding merge tag← Previous edit Latest revision as of 03:29, 3 December 2021 edit undoFavre1fan93 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, File movers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers, Template editors104,198 edits per the recent creation of the essay WP:NTV and the fact that there has been no meaningful edits to this since 2016, redirecting this naming space to WP:NTVEP where the most up to date discussed info about TV episode nobility is locatedTag: New redirect 
(153 intermediate revisions by 51 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
#REDIRECT ]
{{mergeto|Manual of Style (writing about fiction)|Wikipedia_talk:Manual_of_Style_%28writing_about_fiction%29#Needs_revision|date=December 2007}}<br>
{{mergeto|WikiProject Television/How to write an episode article|Misplaced Pages talk:Television episodes#Merge to How to write an episode article|date=January 2008}}
{{Disputedtag}}
{{subcat guideline|content guideline|Television episodes|WP:EPISODE}}
{{nutshell
| Stick to the ]—specifically ]—when writing pages to keep an "out-of-universe" perspective. Articles for individual episodes should assert their ] and be fully ].
| Check with ] before adding images to any article.
| Avoid creating lists of ]; instead, incorporate relevant information into the body of the article.
}}

Misplaced Pages contains many articles on '''television episodes'''. The following guideline aims to promote the creation of high-quality articles about television shows and their episodes. This includes '''lists of episodes''', '''television series/season articles''', and '''television program articles'''.

== Process for creating articles on television episodes ==

All articles on Misplaced Pages must meet ''']''', which state that:

<blockquote>
''A topic is presumed to be notable if it has received significant coverage in ] that are ] of the subject.''
</blockquote>

It is important to bear this in mind when creating articles, and it is likely that each individual episode of a television series ''will not'' be notable on its own, simply because there are not enough secondary sources available. ] explains this further:

<blockquote>
''Misplaced Pages articles on works of fiction should contain real-world context and sourced analysis, offering detail on a work's achievements, impact or historical significance.''
</blockquote>

While each episode ''on its own'' may not qualify for an article, it is quite likely that sources can be found to support a series or season page, where all the episodes in one season (or series) are presented on one page. (See examples listed below). Such pages must still be notable, and contain out-of-universe context, and not merely be a list of episode titles or cast and crew: ].

Over time, you might find that some episodes or story-arcs have enough real-world information to warrant their own article. Such an episode can be broken out into its own page.

=== Process ===

* Create page for the television PROGRAMME.
:: ''Once there's enough verifiable information independent of the show itself, then:''
* Create a page for each series/season, or a "List of episodes" page with every season/series.
:: ''If there is enough verifiable information from secondary sources about individual episodes, then:''
* Create pages for outstanding episodes.

== How to write a good season or episode page ==

All television pages must conform to Misplaced Pages content policies, including, but not limited to, ''']''' and ''']'''. In addition, ''']''' has its own requirements, most particularly since:

<blockquote>
''Misplaced Pages is an out-of-universe source, and all articles about fiction and elements of fiction should take an overall out-of-universe perspective.''
</blockquote>

In other words, the articles do not exist merely to retell the story (which is classed as a ] or a copyright violation) but to provide encyclopaedic information about the creation, production and reception of television programmes. Remember, the article should not attempt to be a replacement for watching the show itself, it should be about the show.

=== What a page should contain ===

* A brief summary of the episode's plot (see below)
* How the episode was received by critics
* Information on production and broadcasting of the episode
* Real-world factors that have influenced the work or fictional element

=== Plot summaries ===

The only purpose of plot summaries is to provide context for the rest of the information. ] states:

<blockquote>
''As the Misplaced Pages servers are located in the U.S. state of Florida, Misplaced Pages articles must conform to U.S. copyright laws. It has been held in a number of court cases that any work which re-tells original ideas from a fictional source, in sufficient quantity without adding information about that work, or in some way analysing and explaining it, may be construed as a ] or a copyright violation...Information about copyright fictional worlds and plots of works of fiction can be provided only under a claim of ], and ] holds that "the amount of copyrighted work used should be as little as possible".''
</blockquote>

As a rough guide, this amounts to no more than ten words per minute of screen time. For example, a 45 minute episode would warrant no more than 450 words.

=== Reliable sources ===

Misplaced Pages is not the place to record ] or speculation. All discussion and interpretation of television episodes must be supported by reliable, published sources. ] states that:

<blockquote>
''Reliable sources are credible published materials with a reliable publication process; their authors are generally regarded as trustworthy, or are authoritative in relation to the subject at hand...Using reliable sources assures the reader that what is being presented meets the Misplaced Pages standards for ] and ]. Accurate ] allows the reader to go to those sources and gives appropriate credit to the author of the work.''
</blockquote>

An actual episode may be used as a source for information about the episode and constitutes a ]. Such use does not constitute original research if it is used to verify a fact. However, the episode cannot be used to justify an interpretation.

=== Non-free images ===

The primary purpose of non-free images on Misplaced Pages is for information rather than decoration. Non-free images (copyrighted images such as screen shots, DVD covers or publicity posters) must meet the ] which allows them to be used only to aid critical commentary or discussion. Add images only when you are familiar with ].

=== Using an "out-of-universe" approach ===
] states:

<blockquote>
''Misplaced Pages is an out-of-universe source, and all articles about fiction and elements of fiction should take an overall out-of-universe perspective.''
</blockquote>

This means writing about television programmes from a real-world perspective (ie. discussing the piece as fiction, rather from the perspective of one of the characters, or as if the events had really happened).

=== Things to avoid ===

; Trivia sections
: ] are unencyclopaedic, and ]. Relevant information should be integrated into the body of the article.

; Quotations
: Extensive use of these may breach copyright. Also, ]. Consider adding these to ] instead.

; Lists of featured music or song lyrics
: Original song lyrics for a television episode breach copyright. References to featured music should be supported by reliable sources to establish notability. Do not just list music: ].

; Technical errors and continuity issues ("bloopers" or "goofs")
: Unsourced sections about technical errors or ] issues should generally be avoided. If there is a major mistake that is discussed by a reliable source it can become a part of the production section.

== Dealing with problem articles ==

If the article(s) contain little content, consider ] or redirecting them into another article (e.g. an article about the show itself, an article that is a list of episodes of the show, or an article that summarizes the plot for one season of the show).

To start this process, tag the article(s) with '''{{tlx|notability|episode}}''' on the page. (A proposed process for reviewing problem articles can be found at: ].) If the same editor appears to have created a large number of problematic articles, please refer them to this page. Avoid listing episodes for AfD unless they are completely unverifiable and original research.

'''Note:''' ] are allowed on Misplaced Pages and many articles are stubs. It may be inappropriate to merge or redirect an article about a television episode just because it is a stub. Before executing a merge, ask yourself:

* ''Will the merge reduce the quality or coherence of the target article?''
* ''Are more sources available?'' (Do some basic looking for additional source material that could be used to improve the article.)

If the answer to either of these questions is "yes", it is probably better to avoid merging or redirecting. Instead, consider improving it, or offer suggestions for its improvement on the talk page.

== Examples of good pages ==

Below are examples of each type of article that have all reached ] or ] status.

=== Programme pages ===

* '']''
* '']''
* '']''

=== "List of" pages ===

* ]
* ]
* ]

=== Season pages ===

* ]
* ]

=== Episode pages ===

* "]" - episode of '']''
* "]" - first episode of '']''
* "]" - episode of '']''
* "]" - episode of '']''

== See also ==

* ]
* ]
* ] - WikiProject guidelines and tips for articles on television episodes
* ]
* ] & ] - 2 ]

Latest revision as of 03:29, 3 December 2021

Redirect to: