Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by El Sandifer (talk | contribs) at 11:57, 10 July 2007 (Revert Nydas's two edits. First one because it's just flatly wrong, second one because it's an important clarification in practice.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This page documents an English Misplaced Pages style guideline. Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page.

Shortcuts WP:SPOILER WP:SPOIL WP:SW

This page in a nutshell: Misplaced Pages contains revealing plot details of fictional works; this is expected. Spoiler warnings should only be used in articles about fictional subjects. When adding or removing a spoiler warning, be prepared to obtain consensus.

A spoiler is a piece of information in an article about a narrative work (such as a book, feature film, television show or video game) that reveals plot events or twists.

Spoilers on the Internet are sometimes preceded by a spoiler warning. In the past, Misplaced Pages followed this practice, but concerns about the overuse of spoiler tags, the damaging effect that writing around spoilers had on article organization, and concerns that spoiler tags were unencyclopedic led to a curtailing of their use. Although spoiler warnings are still used on Misplaced Pages, there is often controversy about their application.

Spoiler tags are an exception to our general guideline no disclaimers in articles, and the weight and significance of the disclaimers guideline should be considered when trying to form a consensus for their use. Concerns about revealing spoilers in an article's lead should be governed by Misplaced Pages's lead section style guideline, which states "The lead should not 'tease' the reader by hinting at but not explaining important facts that will appear later in the article."

When article sections are properly titled, it usually becomes unnecessary and redundant to include spoiler tags that, for example, warn a reader that siginificant plot details are about to be revealed in the "Plot" section.

It is not acceptable to delete information from an article about a work of fiction because it spoils the plot. Do not make spoiler-free parallel versions (content forks). Other approaches that are not acceptable include concealing spoilers using codes such as ROT13, and setting the text and background colors to the same color using HTML.

Spoiler warnings

When spoiler warnings should not be used

• Spoiler warnings must not interfere with neutral point of view, completeness, encyclopedic tone, or any other element of article quality.
• Spoiler warnings are usually inappropriate in articles discussing classical works of literature, poetry and theatre. In grey areas, editors placing spoiler templates should use the article's talk page to discuss the matter.
• Spoilers and spoiler warnings should not be used in articles on non-fictional subjects. If explicit spoilers are mentioned in non-fiction articles (e.g. articles on authors, actors, real-life locations in which (a) fictional text(s) is set, or literary concepts like climax), consider whether the spoiler improves the encyclopedic quality of the article. It may be better to remove the example.
• Spoiler warnings are usually redundant when used to cover an entire "Plot" or "Synopsis" heading, or fictional "History" headings of any sort in articles whose subject is fictional, since spoilers are to be expected in a plot summary. Spoiler notices may be appropriate in a subsection of a "Plot" heading, where there is consensus that the spoiler is particularly significant, and would not be expected to be revealed. Additionally, if a particular section is large, it can often be subsectioned. For example, a "Plot" section could have subsections such as "Introduction," "Central Conflict," "The Mysterious Stranger," "Climax," and "End." If readers can easily deduce what is to be covered within the titled subsections, then there is no need to insert additional warning tags. Even in the absence of subsections, the reader of a long plot summary will generally know to expect plot revelations near the end of the summary, without the need for spoiler tags.
• Spoiler warnings should not be used when they can be replaced by more accurate heading information. If a "Themes" heading starts with a plot description, the best thing to do is break the plot description into a separate heading. If there are no headings, it is usually better to add them.
• Articles about fictional characters, objects, or places can be expected to include significant elements of the story. They should only contain spoiler warnings around specific details that a reader might not expect to come across.

When spoiler warnings may be appropriate

• Spoiler notices may be appropriate when significant plot revelations appears in unexpected places, if there is consensus that this is necessary (note it on the talk page).
• Spoiler notices are more likely to be appropriate in newer works than in older works. Movies currently in first release, TV shows that have not yet aired in all major markets, and books that have only been released in hardcover are more likely candidates for spoiler notices than a film from 1935, though exceptions may exist on either side. This does not imply that spoiler notices become redundant shortly after the work of fiction reaches market.
• Very rarely, a spoiler warning may appear in the article lead. Plot details that are not significant from an out-of-universe perspective should not be found in the lead at all. See Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)

How to add or remove spoiler warnings

• Where it is appropriate, a {{Spoiler}} tag can be used to mark spoiler sections, with {{Endspoiler}} to mark the end. Whether one is adding or removing, be sure to do both. Do not improvise such warnings in plain text.

Notes

1. Examples include GameFAQs, Television Without Pity, and TV.com.
2. An explicit spoiler mentions the work of fiction concerned.

• Misplaced Pages style guidelines
• Misplaced Pages how-to