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Bulbapedia:Manual of style: Difference between revisions
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Made a bunch of clairty edits, added the first clause, re-ordered the sections and included the franchise terminology section as a top-level section.
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This is the working space for the upcoming refresh of the Manual of Style. | This is the working space for the upcoming refresh of the Manual of Style. | ||
==Keeping | ==Keeping continuity with existing style== | ||
The Manual of Style attempts to provide general guidelines for Bulbapedia's preferred style. It cannot address every possible style dispute, and some styles or conventions may be established across Bulbapedia without being formally defined in the Manual of Style. When a style is established (e.g. used used across multiple pages), or where two styles are used interchangeably, a style should not be changed without a good reason. If you want to discuss using an alternate style, please use an article's Talk Page or discuss on the Manual of Style talk page if an edit is needed to the Manual of Style to reconcile differing styles. | |||
==General | ==General style guidance== | ||
This section deals with general style issues across Bulbapedia. | This section deals with general style issues across Bulbapedia. | ||
===Article | ===Article titles=== | ||
The conventions for titles dictate that all proper nouns are capitalized, as are all locations, and names unless specifically not capitalized. Titles are '''not''' written like book titles with most words capitalized (unless the article is about a {{cat|books|book}}); note the title of this page as Manual of style, not Manual of Style. | The conventions for titles dictate that all proper nouns are capitalized, as are all locations, and names unless specifically not capitalized. Titles are '''not''' written like book titles with most words capitalized (unless the article is about a {{cat|books|book}}); note the title of this page as Manual of style, not Manual of Style. | ||
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Japanese titles should be ''romanized'' in titles, but see the following sections for details. | Japanese titles should be ''romanized'' in titles, but see the following sections for details. | ||
===Opening | ===Opening line=== | ||
The full name of the subject of an article should appear within the first few words of the article itself. Alternate and popular names may be described later. The name should be given in its original form if it differs from its Anglicized form. Note that a name need not be romanized more than once. Song, episode and movie titles should be ''translated'', not romanized. Also note that names in languages besides Japanese and English should not be included in the opening line, but rather further in the article, preferably in a section titled ''In other languages'' near the bottom with only ''Related articles'' and ''External links'' following after. Some examples follow: | The full name of the subject of an article should appear within the first few words of the article itself. Alternate and popular names may be described later. The name should be given in its original form if it differs from its Anglicized form. Note that a name need not be romanized more than once. Song, episode and movie titles should be ''translated'', not romanized. Also note that names in languages besides Japanese and English should not be included in the opening line, but rather further in the article, preferably in a section titled ''In other languages'' near the bottom with only ''Related articles'' and ''External links'' following after. Some examples follow: | ||
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: '''めざせポケモンマスター''' (''Mezase Pokémon Masutā'' exact, ''Mezase Pokémon Master'' is common; English: ''Aim to Be a Pokémon Master'') was the first opening theme song of the Pokémon anime series, ... | : '''めざせポケモンマスター''' (''Mezase Pokémon Masutā'' exact, ''Mezase Pokémon Master'' is common; English: ''Aim to Be a Pokémon Master'') was the first opening theme song of the Pokémon anime series, ... | ||
=== | ===Writing style and opinion=== | ||
Bulbapedia is an encyclopedia, and as such should use a clear, easily-understood literary style. Writing should be informative and brief, and avoid flowery language or unusual sentence structures. | |||
As an encyclopedia, it is suggested to not use the second-person in descriptions, which can be considered unprofessional. Bulbapedia would write "The Reaper Cloth can be obtained in Turnback Cave" instead of to the less formal "You can get the Reaper Cloth in Turnback Cave." | |||
Check for spelling and grammatical errors before saving changes to a page; if you notice factual or spelling errors on a page other than the ones you have created, please correct the problems, as Bulbapedia is an open project. In order to avoid disagreements over factual accuracy, it is best to cite sources for controversial statements. If presenting one point of view, it is best to also present a contrasting opinion with it. | |||
This policy does not prohibit Bulbapedia from including differeing opinions where they exist in the fandom or the games. However, Bulbapedia does not take a stand on these differences or elevate one point of view over another. | |||
===Formatting, Templates, and List Sorting=== | |||
* For backgrounds and templates, obtrusively bright colors should be avoided. Generally, Bulbapedia style favors pastels, particularly green, blue, or gray, depending on the content. | |||
* Smaller tables are generally considered better, assuming they still have adequate information. Even little things, such as a thin 1px border, are preferred. | |||
* When listing a TM or HM as an item, make use of the {{template|TM}} or {{template|HM}} templates, written as <code><nowiki>{{TM|50|Overheat}}</nowiki></code> for {{TM|50|Overheat}} and <code><nowiki>{{HM|08|Dive}}</nowiki></code> for {{HM|08|Dive}}. | |||
* When writing episode names, write them as <code><nowiki>''[[Episode code|Episode name]]''</nowiki></code>; for example, the fifth episode of the [[original series]] is ''[[EP005|Showdown in Pewter City]]''. | |||
* In an article, the title of an album should be italicized. When writing the titles of individual songs, including anime opening and ending themes, italics should ''not'' be used. | |||
* When multiple numbered [[route]]s are to be listed, they should be listed in numerical order, and only the first should have any prefix to it; for example, "{{p|Jigglypuff}} appears on [[Route]]s {{rtn|3|Kanto}}, {{rtn|4|Kanto}}, {{rtn|5|Kanto}}, {{rtn|6|Kanto}}, {{rtn|7|Kanto}}, {{rtn|8|Kanto}}, {{rtn|34|Johto}}, {{rtn|35|Johto}}, and {{rtn|115|Hoenn}}, depending on the [[Core series|version]] played" is preferred to "{{p|Jigglypuff}} appears on {{rt|3|Kanto}}, {{rt|4|Kanto}}, {{rt|5|Kanto}}, {{rt|6|Kanto}}, {{rt|7|Kanto}}, {{rt|8|Kanto}}, {{rt|34|Johto}}, {{rt|35|Johto}}, and {{rt|115|Hoenn}} depending on the [[Core series|version]] played". The {{cat|Link templates|link template}} {{template|rtn}} can be used for handily linking route numbers. | |||
* {{cat|Navigation templates}} should aspire to be as useful as possible, not as large as possible. For some reason, several users are fond of trying to put entire articles worth of information on a single navigation template, resulting in gigantic templates at the bottom of articles interconnecting many articles which are only related by a very long tangent. This is tacky and useless; try to keep navigation templates simple but useful. | |||
==Pokémon franchise terminology== | |||
===The é and other special characters=== | ===The é and other special characters=== | ||
The e-acute ('''é''') is always used | The e-acute ('''é''') is always used where appropriate; always use "Pokémon", not "Pokemon." | ||
With regards to romanized Japanese titles, omit macrons and apostrophes in the title (but create redirects from the accurate romanization if you so desire). | With regards to romanized Japanese titles, omit macrons and apostrophes in the title (but create redirects from the accurate romanization if you so desire). | ||
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Technical limitations include mandatory capitalization of the first letter of titles and the identical treatment of space, '''+''' and '''_''' as spaces. Use {{Template|Wrongtitle}} to make a note of any wrong titles due to technical limitations. Also note that formerly '''&''' was not an acceptable character, but now it is acceptable to use ''up to two'' ampersands in a title - more than two ampersands in a row will cause problems. Special care must be taken with '''?''', though usually things will work as expected. | Technical limitations include mandatory capitalization of the first letter of titles and the identical treatment of space, '''+''' and '''_''' as spaces. Use {{Template|Wrongtitle}} to make a note of any wrong titles due to technical limitations. Also note that formerly '''&''' was not an acceptable character, but now it is acceptable to use ''up to two'' ampersands in a title - more than two ampersands in a row will cause problems. Special care must be taken with '''?''', though usually things will work as expected. | ||
===== | ===Naming conventions=== | ||
Types | * Evolutionary levels should be designated as "unevolved," "first evolution," and "second evolution" for Pokémon that have undergone zero, one, and two evolutions respectively during their development. The TCG terminology of "basic Pokémon," "stage 1 Pokémon" and "stage 2 Pokémon" are not used outside of the TCG pages. | ||
** For example, in the TCG {{p|Pikachu}} and several other Pokémon are considered Basic Pokémon, but have a pre-evolved form, making them first-evolution Pokémon. This discrepancy typically applies to evolutionary families that include a [[baby Pokémon]]. | |||
===Types=== | |||
Types are always capitalized. | |||
* As adjectives, types are "<typename>-type." | * As adjectives, types are "<typename>-type." | ||
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Types rendered with a hyphen are adjectives, so should never be pluralized. For example, "Water-types" is never correct. (Anime episode titles may go against the standard, such as ''[[DP031|The Grass-Type Is Always Greener!]]''.) | Types rendered with a hyphen are adjectives, so should never be pluralized. For example, "Water-types" is never correct. (Anime episode titles may go against the standard, such as ''[[DP031|The Grass-Type Is Always Greener!]]''.) | ||
===Hyphenation=== | |||
* "Super effective" is never hyphenated. It formatted with a space when used as the object of a conjugation of the verb "to be" ("The attack was super effective"), but is formatted as one word when used adjectivally in front of a noun ("A supereffective attack"). | * "Super effective" is never hyphenated. It formatted with a space when used as the object of a conjugation of the verb "to be" ("The attack was super effective"), but is formatted as one word when used adjectivally in front of a noun ("A supereffective attack"). | ||
* "[[Day-Care Couple]]," "Day-Care Man," "Day-Care Lady," and "Day-Care Checker" are all hyphenated as "Day-Care" is used as an adjective in these phrases. "[[Pokémon Day Care]]" and "Day Care," when used as nouns, are not hyphenated. | * "[[Day-Care Couple]]," "Day-Care Man," "Day-Care Lady," and "Day-Care Checker" are all hyphenated as "Day-Care" is used as an adjective in these phrases. "[[Pokémon Day Care]]" and "Day Care," when used as nouns, are not hyphenated. | ||
===Plurals=== | |||
* The plural of "Pokémon" is "Pokémon" and the plural of every Pokémon species is the same as the singular, much like {{wp|moose}} or {{wp|sheep}}. For example, ''Those Pikachu are Electric-type Pokémon''. | * The plural of "Pokémon" is "Pokémon" and the plural of every Pokémon species is the same as the singular, much like {{wp|moose}} or {{wp|sheep}}. For example, ''Those Pikachu are Electric-type Pokémon''. | ||
* Note the following special plurals for item names: | * Note the following special plurals for item names: | ||
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** The plural of "[[Guard Spec.]]" is "Guard Specs." | ** The plural of "[[Guard Spec.]]" is "Guard Specs." | ||
===Capitalization=== | |||
* The word Pokémon is always capitalized, as are all nouns starting with "Poké" (such as [[Pokégear]], [[PokéNav]] and [[Poké Flute]]). | * The word Pokémon is always capitalized, as are all nouns starting with "Poké" (such as [[Pokégear]], [[PokéNav]] and [[Poké Flute]]). | ||
* The names of Pokémon, moves, Abilities, items, and locations are always written in title case. | * The names of Pokémon, moves, Abilities, items, and locations are always written in title case (every first letter of a new word capitalized). | ||
<div style="display:grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr"> | <div style="display:grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr"> | ||
<div> | <div> | ||
====Capitalized==== | |||
The following are always capitalized: | The following are always capitalized: | ||
*Pokémon | *Pokémon | ||
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<div> | <div> | ||
====Uncapitalized==== | |||
The following are not capitalized: | The following are not capitalized: | ||
*[[move]] | *[[move]] | ||
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All unofficial terms are lowercase by default, with the exception of the names of generations. While the term "[[generation]]" is uncapitalized, specific generation names (e.g. [[Generation II]]) are. | All unofficial terms are lowercase by default, with the exception of the names of generations. While the term "[[generation]]" is uncapitalized, specific generation names (e.g. [[Generation II]]) are. | ||
===Definite article=== | |||
It is not always immediately obvious whether a particular location or concept should use the definite article "the." The below is a list of such cases according to whether the indefinite article should be used. | It is not always immediately obvious whether a particular location or concept should use the definite article "the." The below is a list of such cases according to whether the indefinite article should be used. | ||
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<div style="display:grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr"> | <div style="display:grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr"> | ||
<div> | <div> | ||
====Present==== | |||
The following always have "the": | The following always have "the": | ||
*The [[Slowpoke Well]] | *The [[Slowpoke Well]] | ||
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<div> | <div> | ||
====Absent==== | |||
The following do not use "the": | The following do not use "the": | ||
*[[Victory Road]] (all) | *[[Victory Road]] (all) | ||
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</div> | </div> | ||
==Sectional Style Guidance== | ==Sectional Style Guidance== | ||
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==Language== | ==Language== | ||
American English should be used rather than Commonwealth English in Bulbapedia articles. This consistent with most English language Pokémon games, as well as much of Pokémon media as a whole. | American English should be used rather than Commonwealth English in Bulbapedia articles. This consistent with most English language Pokémon games, as well as much of Pokémon media as a whole. In general, Bulbapedia follows standard American English style conventions, not all of which are listed within the Manual of Style. | ||
* Exceptions to the preference for American English are made if the spelling is officially the Commonwealth one, such as "[[Décor|Catalogue]]." | * Exceptions to the preference for American English are made if the spelling is officially the Commonwealth one, such as "[[Décor|Catalogue]]." | ||
* 's should be included at the end of singular possessives ending in s. While it is correct to either omit or include the s after the apostrophe in these cases, Bulbapedia follows the games' convention (for a multitude of reasons, including the games' usage) and appends the s. For example, Iris's should be used, not Iris'. | * 's should be included at the end of singular possessives ending in s. While it is correct to either omit or include the s after the apostrophe in these cases, Bulbapedia follows the games' convention (for a multitude of reasons, including the games' usage) and appends the s. For example, Iris's should be used, not Iris'. | ||
* The {{wp|serial comma}} should be used where applicable (matching the syntax of the Pokémon games). | * The {{wp|serial comma}} should be used where applicable (matching the syntax of the Pokémon games). | ||
===Japanese=== | ===Japanese=== | ||
