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{{Redirect|WP:FICTION|the style guideline|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction}}
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<!-- {{Misplaced Pages subcat guideline|notability guideline|Fiction|]<br />]}} --> {{Notability essay|WP:FICT|WP:FICTION|WP:NFICT}}
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{{Nutshell|If a fictional topic has received significant ] coverage in ] ] that are independent of the subject, it is presumed to satisfy the inclusion criteria for a stand-alone article.}}
{{Nutshell|Fictional elements are expected to follow the same ] guidelines as any other topic.}}
{{For|information about writing articles on fiction|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)}}
{{For|specific examples of 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:
This page gives some rough guidelines intended to be used by Misplaced Pages editors to decide whether a fictional element should or should not have an article on Misplaced Pages; <u>this guideline does not pertain to ] of such items.</u> While satisfying these notability guidelines generally indicates an element warrants an article, failing to satisfy them is '''not''' a ].
* The ]

* The policy on ]
This guideline may be considered a specialized version of ], applied to fictional elements, reflecting the following core Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines:
* The manual of style for ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

''Claims'' of notability must adhere to Misplaced Pages's policy on ]; it is not enough to simply assert that an element meets a criterion without substantiating that claim with ].

"Notability" as used herein is not a reflection of an element's ''appeal''. An element may be brilliantly created, envisioned and visualized, fascinating and identifiable, while still not being notable enough to ensure sufficient verifiable source material exists. Notability is not a measure of how important an element is to the work itself; rather it serves as a guide on whether to create an article in an encyclopedia.

==General principles==
As with all subjects, an element should satisfy the ''']'''.

The general guideline for notability shared by most of the ] and ], is that:
:'' A topic is presumed to be notable if it has received significant coverage in ] that are ] of the subject.''

This guideline includes published works such as books, television documentaries, full-length featured newspaper articles from large circulation newspapers, full-length magazine reviews and criticism '''excluding''' the following:
* Media reprints of press releases, trailers, and advertising for the work in which the element features.<ref>Self-promotion and product placement are not the routes to having an encyclopedia article. The published works must be ''someone else'' writing about the element. (See ] for the verifiability and neutrality problems that affect material where the subject of the article itself is the source of the material.) The barometer of notability is whether people ''independent'' of the subject itself (or of its creator or producer) have actually considered the element itself notable enough that they have written and published non-trivial works that focus upon it.</ref>
* Trivial coverage, such as newspaper listings of screening times, "capsule reviews", plot summaries without critical commentary or analysis, or listings in comprehensive guides such as "Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide", ] or ].<ref>Many of these sources can provide valuable information, and point to other sources, but in themselves do not indicate a notable subject. Similar cases of "trivial" publications may include: reviews that are part of a comprehensive review of all films in a particular festival, that don't assert anything regarding the notability of individual entries; other forms of comprehensive, non-selective coverage; and some web based reviews by amateur critics who have not established their own notability as critics.</ref>

The following are attributes that generally indicate, when supported with ], that the required sources are likely to exist:

# The element is a '''titular''' character in a number of widely distributed works which have received full length reviews by two or more nationally known critics.
# The element is historically notable, as evidenced by one or more of the following:
#*Publication of at least two non-trivial articles.
#*The element was deemed notable by a broad survey of critics, academics, or professionals, or a poll of the public organised by a national broadcaster or publication, when such a poll was conducted at least five years after the work's release.<ref>Examples would include the etc.</ref>
#*The element has been the subject of a television retrospective, at least five years after initial release.
#*The element was featured as part of a documentary, program, or retrospective on the history of fiction or a particular genre or form.
#The element was selected as a cultural icon by a national body.<ref>See for one example. Any nation with a comparable selection would equally meet our standards.</ref>
#The element is "taught" as a subject at an accredited university or college with a notable program relevant to the form.

==Derivative articles==
Misplaced Pages articles tend to grow in a way which lends itself to the ]. However, the consensus at Misplaced Pages is that articles about fictional works should not be split and split again into ever more minutiae of detail treatment, with each split resulting in ] being given to insignificant details or trivial coverage. This means that while a book or television series may be the subject of non-trivial real-world coverage, care should be taken when creating separate articles about individual characters or episodes by providing evidence that the subject matter is notable in its own right, and that the new article does not ].

For this reason, it is not normally advisable to set out from the start with the intention of creating derivative articles for every fictional character, episode, scene or chapter derived from it. Rather, ] if the new article cannot meet inclusion criteria for topics about fiction. Such splits may give rise to the creation of an ] whose subject matter is already be featured in a related article that does provide evidence of notability.

== Articles that don't meet the inclusion criteria ==
Articles that do not meet the inclusion guidelines above may be ] and/or ] with a related article that does provide evidence of notability. Whilst this guideline is intended to be used by Misplaced Pages editors to decide whether a fictional topic should or should not have an article on Misplaced Pages, it should '''not''' be used as a set of deletion criteria. Although satisfying these notability guidelines generally indicates a fictional topic warrants an article, failing to satisfy them is '''not''' a ].


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.
Before proposing that an article is to be ], it is important to not just consider whether an article meets these inclusion criteria, but whether it has the potential to do so. Remember that all Misplaced Pages articles are ], and an article can be notable if such sources exist even if they have not been added at present.


==History and rationale==
In addition, no part of this guideline is meant to preempt the editorial decision of content selection and presentation; for example, a topic may meet all the criteria, but may be decided by ] to ] the article with an article on the work of fiction itself instead of a separate article if there is limited information available.
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==
Articles covering fictional elements that are deletion candidates are generally merged or retained temporarily if their coverage can meet some of these criteria:
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 ], independent sources.
# '''Real-world coverage''': To establish real-world importance, or to provide appropriate context for understanding real-world importance, rather than detail the ] of imaginary characters. Articles written in the ], which expand upon relevant points of a main topic to further the reader's understanding, are more likely to find acceptance among the Misplaced Pages community;
# '''Importance of the fictional work''': To justify articles on individual elements, the fictional work from which they come must have produced non-trivial artistic impact, cultural impact, or general popularity described in a secondary source. Creator commentary on specific elements may still hint at the likelyhood of the element being notable;
# '''Role within the fictional work''': The element must be an important element, and its importance must be verifiable. The importance of characters can be demonstrated when a character or other element in a book/film is referred to in a reliable source review of the book/film, or there is a reference to the casting of the character in a reliable source.


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.
These criteria are not exhaustive, nor agreed by all, but can help to concentrate editorial discussion regarding the merger or deletion of specific articles and help editors reach conclusions as to how to best organise content.


==Relevant guidelines and policies==
==References==
===Notability guidelines===
{{reflist}}
{{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:
==Further guidance==
* ]
{{MultiCol}}
* ]
* ]


===What Misplaced Pages is not===
; Wikiprojects
{{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===
* ]
* ] {{main|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)}}
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==
{{ColBreak}}
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 ].
; Other policies and guidelines, examples and how-tos not mentioned above:


==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:
* ]
* ]
{{EndMultiCol}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


A ] was created in 2009 but it was retired in 2010.


==Previous proposals==
{{Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines}}
* ], the original attempted rewrite from c. 2007-2009
* ], a previous failed proposal from 2007
* ], a previous proposal abandoned in 2008
* ], a previous failed proposal, in 2011 recategorized as an essay


==See also==
]
*]
*]
*]


]
]
] ]

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: