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 PagesThis 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 |
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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:
- The general notability guideline
- The policy on what Misplaced Pages is not
- The manual of style for writing about fiction
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:NotabilityThe 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:
- Misplaced Pages:Notability (books)
- Misplaced Pages:Notability (films)
- Misplaced Pages:Notability (video games)
What Misplaced Pages is not
Main page: Misplaced Pages:What Misplaced Pages is notArticles 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:
- Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Television
- Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Soap Operas
- Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Film
- Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Novels
- Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Anime and manga
- Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Comics
- Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Video games
- Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Fictional characters
A Misplaced Pages:Fiction/Noticeboard was created in 2009 but it was retired in 2010.
Previous proposals
- User:Deckiller/Notability (fiction), the original attempted rewrite from c. 2007-2009
- Misplaced Pages:Notability (fiction)/proposed-12-9-07, a previous failed proposal from 2007
- User:Phil Sandifer/Fiction proposal, a previous proposal abandoned in 2008
- Misplaced Pages:Plot-only description of fictional works, a previous failed proposal, in 2011 recategorized as an essay