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{{Redirect|WP:FICTION|the style guideline|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction}}
{{proposed}}
__NOINDEX__
{{nutshell
{{Notability essay|WP:FICT|WP:FICTION|WP:NFICT}}
|Articles on a work of fiction or fictional element should demonstrate real-world ] from ].
{{pp-move-indef}}
*Elements which fail to demonstrate notability individually may be grouped to create an article which can demonstrate overall notability.
{{Nutshell|Fictional elements are expected to follow the same ] guidelines as any other topic.}}
*Elements which, according to ], are essential to understand a notable fictional topic may also merit articles.
*Articles should focus on the demonstrated notability for the topic, with an appropriate ] of ]
*When appropriate, ] may be used for listing characters or other elements of the work that lack real-world coverage.
*Articles on fiction that do not demonstrate notability should be improved to standards, merged into a larger article, or moved to a GFDL-compatible wiki.}}
:''For articles about books and films, rather than fictional elements therein, refer to ] and ].''
:''For information about writing articles on fiction, refer to ].''
{{For|specific examples where you may be able to help|Misplaced Pages:Fiction/Noticeboard}}
{{IncGuide}} {{IncGuide}}


There is no special guideline for the '''notability of fictional elements''' (such as characters and episodes) on Misplaced Pages. See other relevant ] in order to determine which fiction-related articles are appropriate for inclusion on Misplaced Pages. In particular, editors should review:
'''Misplaced Pages:Notability (fiction)''' covers the ] of characters, items, places, and other elements (including individual episodes of serialized works such as television or comic book series) in a work of fiction.
* The ]
* The policy on ]
* The manual of style for ]


For starters, the main work must be notable to begin with. If the work itself is not notable, it may be pointless to discuss the notability of its characters or episodes.
==Defining notability for fiction==
This guideline is based on three excerpts:


==History and rationale==
From ]:
Several attempts have been made to establish specialized guidelines to cover the notability of fictional elements within Misplaced Pages. Until there is a successful proposal to treat fiction in a specialized way, consult other policies and guidelines for guidance on a wide range of topics, including fiction. Existing policies and guidelines have wide acceptance among editors and describe standards that all users should normally follow.
<blockquote>Misplaced Pages articles on published works (such as fictional stories) should cover their real-world context and sourced analysis, offering detail on a work's development, impact or historical significance, not solely a detailed summary of that work's plot. This applies both to stand-alone works, and also to series. A brief plot summary may sometimes be appropriate as an aspect of a larger topic.</blockquote>


==Improving articles==
From ]:
Information that may help provide the real-world discussion necessary for an encyclopedia article about a fictional topic includes reception, analysis, significance, development, legacy and influence, and relationships with or comparisons to other media. Dedicated sections are good, though sometimes in less developed articles, such information is contained in the lead but not the body.
<blockquote>A topic is presumed to be notable if it has received significant coverage in ] that are ] of the subject.</blockquote>


Bear in mind that content in such information should be referenced to ], independent sources.
From ]:
<blockquote>Whatever you do, endeavour to preserve information. Instead of deleting: try to rephrase;
correct the inaccuracy while keeping the content; move text within an article or to another article (existing or new); add more of what you think is important to make an article more balanced; or request a citation by adding the {{tl|fact}} tag. Exceptions include: duplication or redundancy; irrelevancy; ]; ]; or ] (attempt to correct the misinformation or discuss the problems first before deletion).</blockquote>


If such sections do not exist, before nominating the article for possible deletion, please adhere to ] and check whether sources to improve the article exists. A possible solution in the spirit of ] can also take the form of ] the article to a list of similar entities or the article about the related, notable work this fictional element appears in.
For articles on fiction, '']'' may cover such things as design, development, reception and cultural impact. This is ''real-world coverage'' because it describes the real-world aspects of the work. ''Fictional coverage'' describes the work's fictional elements, such as the setting, characters, and story.


==Relevant guidelines and policies==
Based on this reasoning and the above excerpts, fictional concepts can be presumed '''notable''' if they have ''received significant real-world coverage in ] sources that are independent of the subject''. However, notability for individual topics on fiction should be judged on a case-by-case basis while following Misplaced Pages's core policies of ], ] and ].
===Notability guidelines===
{{main|Misplaced Pages:Notability}}
The ] is appropriate and sufficient for demonstrating the notability of fictional elements. Specifically, fictional elements are presumed to be notable if there is significant coverage in independent secondary sources about the fictional element; when a fictional element is presumed notable, a separate article to cover that element is usually acceptable.


There are specialized notability guidelines for works of fiction which can be found in the following guidelines:
==Demonstrating notability for fictional topics==
* ]
* ]
* ]


===What Misplaced Pages is not===
Articles on a work of fiction (a book, movie, television series, video game, or other medium) should demonstrate notability by citing critical reception, viewings or sales figures, development and other information from reliable sources. Such sources can include creators' commentary and interviews regarding the work or topic, bearing in mind the restrictions if the work is ]. Although data such as cast and crew members, publication or airing dates and length of work can be taken from reliable sources, such information does ''not'' demonstrate notability.
{{main|Misplaced Pages:What Misplaced Pages is not}}
Articles on fiction are expected to follow existing content policies and guidelines, particularly ]. Articles on fiction elements are expected to cover more about "real-world" aspects of the element, such as its development and reception, than "in-universe" details.


===Manual of style===
===Notable topics merit individual articles===
{{main|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)}}
Fictional elements, as well as episodes or entries for serial works, may be able to assert notability as described above. Examples include ], ], ], ] and '']''. In other cases, notability of fictional topics is better demonstrated for a ] than in individual articles for each topic. When a notable element has its own article, this article should be summarized in the parent article, and {{tl|main}} or {{tl|seealso}} templates should be used to direct users to where they may find more information (for example, an overview of ] is provided by the "Cast" section of ], while a brief summary of ] is included in ] to compare with other listed characters).
Editors interested in writing articles on fictional elements are encouraged to review ] and ] to understand the general approach and content of these articles.


==Lists of fictional elements==
===Notable groups of topics merit aggregate articles===
Individually non-notable elements of a fictional work (such as characters and episodes) ''may'' be grouped into an appropriate list article. Advice for the appropriateness of these list articles can be found at ] and at ].
In many cases, while individual elements cannot establish notability individually, a grouping of elements may be able to do so. These groupings merit articles, which may be a ], or some other aggregate article (], ]). A grouping of elements has established notability if there is significant coverage of the grouping as a whole, or if there is a significant amount of coverage of the individual elements, excluding trivial coverage. If there is a non-trivial amount of real-world coverage, found across multiple sources, for the majority of elements in a group, then that group is notable.


==Consult Wikiprojects==
If an element has its own article, this article should be summarized in the aggregate article, and users should be directed to where they may find more information. Further details on writing and creating these articles can be found at ] and ].
Editors should also review guidelines and recommendations made by WikiProjects that deal primarily with works of fiction. These include but not limited to:
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


A ] was created in 2009 but it was retired in 2010.
===Some topics are necessary to understand others===
For longer works or for those in episodic or serial format, it may be necessary to provide additional information on individual characters, the setting, or unique items and concepts. Generally, these fictional elements are described in a section of the parent article or an aggregate article. Sections of an article do not need to ].


==Previous proposals==
However, if ] ] sources describe a fictional element as necessary or critical for the understanding of a notable topic, and the amount of detail ''necessary'' to explain that element would be distracting or otherwise too long within either the parent topic or in an aggregate article, then that topic merits its own article. This "]" article should be written from a real-world perspective and focus on the real-world significance of the subtopic. Like all Misplaced Pages articles, spinout articles are edited in accordance with our ]; specifically, content must be ] through citations to ].
* ], the original attempted rewrite from c. 2007-2009

* ], a previous failed proposal from 2007
Editors should not create a spinout if the parent article or a suitable aggregate article could contain the necessary information. Editors should trim or transwiki excessive or ] details prior to the creation of a spinout article, as this may remove the need to create this spinout article. Further details on writing and creating spinout articles can be found in the ] section of ].
* ], a previous proposal abandoned in 2008

* ], a previous failed proposal, in 2011 recategorized as an essay
===Summary style approach for spinout articles===
{{see also|Misplaced Pages:Article size|Misplaced Pages:Summary style}}
If a main article is concise but still becomes too ], then it may be appropriate to remove details by ]. For fictional works, these spinout articles are typically lists of characters or other elements that usually rely on the coverage of the parent topic, and may lack demonstration of real-world coverage through sources dedicated specifically to those elements. A spinout article on a single character or element that lacks sources of real-world coverage may be appropriate when the amount of content for that element would be distracting or otherwise too long within a parent topic or spinout article, as described by ]. It is usually inappropriate to spin out an element or elements from a spinout article that lacks real-world coverage.

Editors are cautioned to not immediately create spinout articles that lack real-world coverage, even if such articles exist for a similar fictional work. Editors should trim or transwiki excessive or ] details prior to the creation of a spinout article, as this may remove the need to create this spinout article. Articles on singular fictional elements lacking sources describing real-world coverage may be contested by other editors as they create ] on a non-notable aspect of a work and may be seen as ]; more often, the contents of such an articles can be included into some grouping ("Characters", "Setting", or the like) within a spinout article list of the notable parent topic.

Spinout articles should be judged as if it were still a section of the parent article, and identified in the lead section as an article covering elements within a fictional work. Like all Misplaced Pages articles, spinout articles are edited in accordance with our ]; specifically, content in spinout articles must be ] through citations to ]. Such sources can include ] - such as the work of fiction itself or commentary from the author or other involved parties - in addition to real-world content from ]. Editors should strive to establish notability by providing as much real-world content as possible for these spinout articles.

After starting a spinout article, editors should create ] for the topics covered within the spinout article, as well as update appropriate ] when a ] occurs, to make searching for those topics easier.<!--It may not be necessary to repeat Summary Style and WP:WAF, as a link is provided above.-->

Further details on writing and creating spinout articles can be found in the ] section of ].

===Depth of coverage===
Articles on fiction should be structured around evaluations and critiques of the work or topic, with an appropriate ] of plot information, as outlined at ]. The size of a plot summary is often determined by building consensus for each article on a case by case basis. Editors should compare approaches taken on ] and ] about fiction for examples of length and tone.

Depth of coverage within an article should be guided by the amount of information which can be sourced. A single movie, book, video game, or other work of fiction has most likely not generated large coverage in sources which Misplaced Pages can summarize. Therefore, the article will be able to summarize those sources in one article. On the other hand, a series of books, television shows, or video games could have a commonality of elements which are better covered in a spinout article, helping to provide suitable background and supplementary information for each work within the series. However, articles about individual elements (i.e. a specific character or location) or individual segments of serialized works (i.e. episodes of a television program or issues of a comic book) should establish individual notability as opposed to inherited notability.<!--wasn't this mentioned in the section above?--> At times, better depth of coverage may be accomplished by combining notable and non-notable elements into a single topic, such as a character cast or a single season of a television show instead of individual elements. WikiProjects that deal with fiction have guidelines describing what depth of coverage should be provided for plot information relative to the length of the original work. The complexity of the work should also be taken into a consideration; uses of certain creative elements (such as ] or ]s) may require more detail to clearly explain the concepts in an encyclopedic manner.

If there is an imbalance of fictional information in an article, consider trimming the text or ] to an appropriate GFDL-compatible Wiki.

==Dealing with non-notable fictional topics==
Articles on fictional topics that lack demonstrated notability should be improved either by adding demonstrated notability, or by other editing actions such as trimming, merging, or moving content to another Wiki. Nevertheless, the lack of demonstrated notability is ''not'' one of the ], and ] improvements are expected as part of the ]. Editors should review specific guidelines or approaches outlined in the appropriate ], such as ] or ]. Other concerns about dealing with fictional notability can be raised at the ].

Here are additional suggestions to improve articles that lack demonstration of notability:

* If you believe the article will never have a chance of demonstrating notability or cannot be merged elsewhere, '''and''' that its deletion is unlikely to be contested, place the article up for ]. An article about a character in a TV show that only appeared on-screen for a few seconds and is never referred to otherwise is probably non-notable; however, by using the proposed deletion process, someone may be able to provide the required notability. If you are unsure if this is the correct step, then do '''not''' perform this step.
* If you can provide reliably sourced, verifiable information on real-world facets that establish the notability of the topic, be ] and include it in the article.
* Inform the editors of the article on the article's talk page of your concern about the lack of notability. This can also be done by tagging the article with the {{tl|notability}} tag on the article page, though it is recommended to discuss your concerns with the editors as well in this case. If many such articles within the same fictional universe exist in a similar state, attempt to find a project or task force page for that fictional work and let the editors there know your concerns.
* If the article can be grouped with an existing article or other articles on the same type of fictional elements, then it may be appropriate to discuss a potential ]. This may require that information be trimmed from the article. If articles are merged, leave ] in their place to the appropriate page, and link the old article or articles in your edit summary to comply with the GFDL. Consider using ] to help track such redirects. You can boldly merge articles, but consensus will often be required before major changes are accepted by the community.
* If an existing GFDL-compatible wiki for the fictional topic exists, suggest transwiki'ing the information. Again, articles that are moved should be replaced with redirection pages.
* If the above options have been considered and determined to not be possible or if you feel that any action taken has not remedied the situation, it may be appropriate to nominate the ] where the merits of the article can be debated. However, this should be considered carefully for an article that otherwise does not violate any further Misplaced Pages policies or guidelines such as those regarding ] or ].

Editors are cautioned against performing the above actions on numerous articles ''en masse''; an ] stated that editors are '''''"urged to work collaboratively and constructively with the broader community and the editors committed to working on the articles"'''''.

==Relocating non-notable fictional material==
], Misplaced Pages's sibling project, contains instructional and educational texts. These include annotated works of fiction (on the ]) for classroom or private study use. ], similarly, holds original public domain and GFDL source texts. See ]. One possible action to consider is to make use of all of the Wikimedia projects combined: to have an encyclopedia article about the work of fiction on Misplaced Pages giving a brief outline, a chapter-by-chapter annotation on Wikibooks, the full source text on Wikisource (if the work is in the public domain), and ] joining them all together into a whole. However, Wikibooks , so it is not an appropriate place to transwiki large quantities of fictional material.

Fictional material unsuited or too detailed for Misplaced Pages can be ] to a appropriate GFDL-compatible wiki, such as or the ; editors should check with related Wikiprojects to determine if a specific wiki has been selected for transwiking materials. Any transwikied material should be edited to meet the guidelines of specific wikis.


==See also== ==See also==
*]
* For examples of high quality fiction articles, see the articles that have been rated as ] and ].
* ] *]
* ] *]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

]
]
]
]


] ]
]

Latest revision as of 22:58, 15 December 2023

"WP:FICTION" redirects here. For the style guideline, see Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction. Essay on editing Misplaced Pages
This is an essay on notability.
It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Misplaced Pages contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Misplaced Pages's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.		Shortcuts
This page in a nutshell: Fictional elements are expected to follow the same notability guidelines as any other topic.
Notability
General notability guideline
Subject-specific guidelines
See also

There is no special guideline for the notability of fictional elements (such as characters and episodes) on Misplaced Pages. See other relevant policies and guidelines in order to determine which fiction-related articles are appropriate for inclusion on Misplaced Pages. In particular, editors should review:

For starters, the main work must be notable to begin with. If the work itself is not notable, it may be pointless to discuss the notability of its characters or episodes.

History and rationale

Several attempts have been made to establish specialized guidelines to cover the notability of fictional elements within Misplaced Pages. Until there is a successful proposal to treat fiction in a specialized way, consult other policies and guidelines for guidance on a wide range of topics, including fiction. Existing policies and guidelines have wide acceptance among editors and describe standards that all users should normally follow.

Improving articles

Information that may help provide the real-world discussion necessary for an encyclopedia article about a fictional topic includes reception, analysis, significance, development, legacy and influence, and relationships with or comparisons to other media. Dedicated sections are good, though sometimes in less developed articles, such information is contained in the lead but not the body.

Bear in mind that content in such information should be referenced to reliable, independent sources.

If such sections do not exist, before nominating the article for possible deletion, please adhere to WP:BEFORE and check whether sources to improve the article exists. A possible solution in the spirit of WP:PRESERVE can also take the form of redirecting the article to a list of similar entities or the article about the related, notable work this fictional element appears in.

Relevant guidelines and policies

Notability guidelines

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Notability

The Misplaced Pages's general notability guideline is appropriate and sufficient for demonstrating the notability of fictional elements. Specifically, fictional elements are presumed to be notable if there is significant coverage in independent secondary sources about the fictional element; when a fictional element is presumed notable, a separate article to cover that element is usually acceptable.

There are specialized notability guidelines for works of fiction which can be found in the following guidelines:

What Misplaced Pages is not

Main page: Misplaced Pages:What Misplaced Pages is not

Articles on fiction are expected to follow existing content policies and guidelines, particularly Misplaced Pages is not simply plot summaries. Articles on fiction elements are expected to cover more about "real-world" aspects of the element, such as its development and reception, than "in-universe" details.

Manual of style

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)

Editors interested in writing articles on fictional elements are encouraged to review Writing About Fiction and Misplaced Pages:Writing better articles#Check your fiction to understand the general approach and content of these articles.

Lists of fictional elements

Individually non-notable elements of a fictional work (such as characters and episodes) may be grouped into an appropriate list article. Advice for the appropriateness of these list articles can be found at the general notability guideline and at Stand-alone Lists and Topics.

Consult Wikiprojects

Editors should also review guidelines and recommendations made by WikiProjects that deal primarily with works of fiction. These include but not limited to:

A Misplaced Pages:Fiction/Noticeboard was created in 2009 but it was retired in 2010.

Previous proposals

See also

Categories: