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⚫ {{for|the guidelines on presenting fiction from an out-of-universe perspective|Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)}}

{{Misplaced Pages subcat guideline|notability guideline|Fiction|]<br />]}} {{Misplaced Pages subcat guideline|notability guideline|Fiction|]<br />]}}
{{nutshell|Topics within a fictional universe are ] if they have received substantial coverage in ] secondary sources. Non-notable information should be deleted only when other options have been exhausted.}}
{| class="{{#ifeq:{{{small|}}}|yes|small|standard}}-talk messagebox" style="background-color: {{{1|Lavender}}}; border: 1px solid {{{2|Thistle}}}"
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| ]
| <div align="center">This guideline has recently been updated. If you have been familiar with this guideline in the past, then you may wish to review the page.
|}
:''For articles about books and films, rather than characters and locations therein, please refer to the guidelines ] and ].''

'''Misplaced Pages:Notability (fiction)''' covers the ] of characters, items, places, and other elements within a work of fiction.
{{IncGuide}} {{IncGuide}}
:'''A ] is being proposed at ].'''
⚫ :''For the fiction style guidelines, see ].''
From ]:
⚫ :'''''Plot summaries'''. Misplaced Pages articles on works of fiction should contain real-world context and sourced analysis, offering detail on a work's achievements, impact or historical significance; such articles are not solely or overwhelmingly a summary of a work's plot. A plot summary may be appropriate as an aspect of a larger topic.''


==Defining notability for fiction==
==Fiction in Misplaced Pages==
From ]:
#'''Major characters''' and major treatments of such matters as places and concepts in a work of fiction are covered in the article on that work. If an ''']''' (a real world perspective backed by sources independent of the work) of a character causes the article on the work itself to ], that character is given a main article.
⚫ <blockquote>Misplaced Pages articles on published works (such as fictional stories) should contain 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. A brief plot summary may be appropriate as an aspect of a larger topic.</blockquote>
#'''Minor characters''' and minor treatments of such matters as places and concepts in a work of fiction are ''']d''' with short descriptions into a ''"List of characters."'' This list resides in the article relating to the work itself, unless it ], in which case a separate article for the list is created.
#:<small>The difference between ''major'' and ''minor'' characters is intentionally vague; the main distinguishing criterion is how much nontrivial information is available on the character. Some works could plausibly have multiple major characters.</small>
#It is useful to add ''']s''' to the article page or list of minor characters, from listed items<!--Is that clear enough? "in there" certainly wasn't-->.
#'''Plot summaries''' are kept reasonably short, as the point of Misplaced Pages is to describe the works, not simply to summarize them. It is generally appropriate for a plot summary to remain part of the main article rather than standing alone as an article. In some cases, sub-articles and lists are created when the potential for an ''encyclopedic coverage'' is hindered by the ''recommended length guidelines'' for articles. Guidance and exercises<!--tension between this and the next title--> appear ].
===Examples===
⚫ For examples of what Wikipedians consider "high quality" fiction articles, please see the lists of articles that have been rated as ] and ] quality. Other specific examples include:
*] and ] are major characters in the '']'' films. They are discussed briefly in the ''Star Wars'' articles, but their own articles contain much more detailed information.
*] is a major character in the '']'' series of novels. His own article was created in order to prevent the main ''Harry Potter'' article from becoming too long, though it still retains a short summary of his character.
⚫ *] is a major character from the novel '']''. He is covered comprehensively in the ''Brothers Karamazov'' article, and the ] link redirects there for convenience.
*] is universally well known and transcends the original work he appeared in, so he has his own article.
*] creates a single, substantial article out of a list of characters otherwise too insignificant for their own individual articles.
*] provides information on minor characters in the '']'' series of video games who have some background, but lack sufficient relevance to the overall plot.
⚫ *The ] was an article that summarized a portion of the plot for the game '']''. Relevant information was merged into the plot synopsis of the ''Galactic Battlegrounds'' article, and the ] link now redirects there.
⚫ *], ] and ] were evolved from lists of terms, events and concepts into general encyclopedia articles.


From ]:
==Being bold==
<blockquote>A topic is presumed to be notable if it has received significant coverage in ] that are ] of the subject.</blockquote>
If you find articles (particularly stubs) on fictional characters (and places, concepts, etc.) you may want to ] and merge them into an appropriate article or list. This allows the information to become more organized and easier to access, with a future option of compressing and trimming excess information. However, if you should do so, '''be careful not to delete meaningful out-of-universe content'''.


Based on this reasoning and the above excerpts, fictional concepts are deemed '''notable''' if they have ''received substantial coverage in ] secondary sources''.
You should obviously remove redundant headers ('this is a fictional character from such-and-such book by such-and-such author') and original research, but you should not summarize or otherwise reduce the articles in question unless the information can be compressed in a succinct manner.


For articles about fictional concepts, "] ]s" cover information such as sales figures, critical and popular reception, development, cultural impact, and merchandise; this information describes the real-world aspects of the concept, so it is "real-world content".
==Details==
This ''guideline'' was created from strong consensus at ] and other discussion at ]. It should be helpful for making a decision on keeping, merging or deleting of fiction-related articles.


==Dealing with fiction==
If you are unfamiliar with a certain field or are unsure whether some character (concept, place, etc.) should be considered minor or major, please ask around on the relevant talk pages before making radical changes.
The following sections use the term "article" to encompass ], sub-articles, and ].


⚫ ===Notable topics===
Fiction includes books, TV series, films, computer games and roleplaying games, and so forth.
Topics within a fictional work (characters, places, items, concepts, etc.) are covered in the article on that work of fiction, with two exceptions:
*If these concepts are individually ''']''' and an ''']''' causes the article on the work itself to ], then the concepts are split into succinct ] that maintain such an encyclopedic treatment.<ref>
] is widely known beyond the original work he appeared in, with plenty of information available, including newspaper coverage and literary analysis.</ref><ref>
The article on ] contains significant real-world information about the character; he has his own article.
</ref> However, material should be organized into complete articles and ]; the existence of numerous small sub-articles can lead to disorganization and unbalanced coverage.
*To a limited extent, sub-articles are sometimes born for technical reasons of length or style. Even these articles need real-world information to prove their notability, but might not include that information in the same article (due to said technical reasons).<ref>
⚫ ], ], and ] were evolved from lists of terms, characters, events, and concepts into articles with both real-world content and an ].
</ref> In these situations, the sub-article should be viewed as an extension of the parent article, and judged as if it were still a section of that article. Such sub-articles should clearly identify themselves as fictional elements of the parent work within the ], and editors should still strive to provide real-world content.


===Non-notable topics===
''']''', on the other hand, may well be considered ''vanity'' (not by default, but often so), which is grounds for deletion. This includes, for example: anything self-published, put on ], or done by ]; information about a player's character in roleplaying or MMORPGs; and computer game mods or custom maps.
Deletion discussions for articles that do not provide evidence of the notability of their subject should be guided by the following principles:
*The article is '''kept''' if the subject has received substantial coverage in reliable secondary sources <u>and</u> this coverage is ''explicitly'' referenced in the deletion discussion or is used to add real-world content to the article. Articles about fictional topics that are notable should be given time to develop.
*The article is '''merged''', in whole or in part, to another article to provide better context.<ref>
⚫ The summarized a portion of the plot for the game '']''. Relevant information was merged into the plot synopsis of the ''Galactic Battlegrounds'' article, and the ] link now redirects there.</ref><ref>
⚫ is a major character from the novel '']''. He is covered comprehensively in the ''Brothers Karamazov'' article, and the ] link redirects there for convenience due to lack of real-world content.
</ref> If material is merged, the article ''may not be deleted'' per the ]. In-universe information should be condensed or removed as necessary, and meaningful real-world content should be integrated. If the article becomes too long and a split would create a sub-article on a subject that is not individually notable, then the content should be trimmed.
*The article is ''']ed''' to a suitable wiki (such as or its ) if the above options are unavailable.<ref>
The '']'' lists on , , and had no chance of showing notability, so they were transwikied to the Xenosaga Wikia and redirected to the main ''Xenosaga'' page.
</ref> The article is then ] to the most relevant article to preserve edit history for the transwiki.
*The article is '''deleted''' if the above options are either redundant, unavailable, or inappropriate.<ref>
] was ] because it failed to include the substantial real-world information required to show notability. The information was already available on Wookiepedia and a merge was considered unnecessary, so deletion was the suitable option.</ref>


Avoid creating new articles on fictional topics that lack substantial real-world content (and ideally an ]) from the onset. Editors must ''prove'', preferably in the article itself, that there is an availability of sources providing real-world information by: providing hyperlinks to such sources; outlining a rewrite, expansion, or merge plan; and/or gaining the consensus of established editors. Otherwise, the article will be subject to the options above. Place appropriate clean-up tags to stimulate activity and mark the articles as needing attention.
Fiction not yet written may be considered ''speculation'' (again, not by default, but often so) which is grounds for deletion because ]. This includes not-yet-released books, movies, games, etc., unless there has already been substantial press coverage about the to-be-released item.


==Relocating non-notable fictional material==
See also ] and ].
⚫ ], 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 in-universe material.


Fictional material unsuited or too detailed for Misplaced Pages can be transwikied to the appropriate Wikia, such as and . Other sites, such as , may also accept material. Transwikied material should be edited to meet the guidelines of specific wikias; do not just copy and paste. The is a staging area for transwikied material and a place for non-notable fictional material that does not have another home; the original Misplaced Pages versions will also be stored there.
==Making good use of Wikibooks and Wikisource==
⚫ ], 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 ].


==See also==
One possible course of action to consider, which has already been successfully employed for several works of fiction, is to make use of all of the projects combined: to have an encyclopaedia 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.
⚫ * For examples of high quality fiction articles, see the articles that have been rated as ] and ].

===Examples===
*''Atlas Shrugged'' has ] and ].
*''Lord of the Flies'' has ] and ].
*''Of Mice and Men'' has ] and ].
*The ''Harry Potter'' series of novels has articles on the individual novels on Misplaced Pages (such as ]) and a ] on Wikibooks, comprising a detailed book-by-book chapter-by-chapter annotation of the whole series, including a topical index to link each topic in Harry Potter to the chapters in which it appears.

⚫ ==Related topics==
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]: ] | ] | ]
* Possible proliferation of fictional-universe-related articles is discussed in the essay ] and its talk page.
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]

==Notes==
<references/>


] ]
] ]
]

]

Revision as of 11:21, 11 October 2007

For the guidelines on presenting fiction from an out-of-universe perspective, see Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction).
Blue tickThis page documents an English Misplaced Pages notability 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.		Shortcut
  • ]
This page in a nutshell: Topics within a fictional universe are notable if they have received substantial coverage in reliable secondary sources. Non-notable information should be deleted only when other options have been exhausted.
Change of times
Change of times
 This guideline has recently been updated. If you have been familiar with this guideline in the past, then you may wish to review the page.
For articles about books and films, rather than characters and locations therein, please refer to the guidelines Misplaced Pages:Notability (books) and Misplaced Pages:Notability (films).

Misplaced Pages:Notability (fiction) covers the notability of characters, items, places, and other elements within a work of fiction.

Notability
General notability guideline
Subject-specific guidelines
See also

Defining notability for fiction

From Misplaced Pages:What Misplaced Pages is not#PLOT:

Misplaced Pages articles on published works (such as fictional stories) should contain 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. A brief plot summary may be appropriate as an aspect of a larger topic.

From Misplaced Pages:Notability:

A topic is presumed to be notable if it has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject.

Based on this reasoning and the above excerpts, fictional concepts are deemed notable if they have received substantial coverage in reliable secondary sources.

For articles about fictional concepts, "reliable secondary sources" cover information such as sales figures, critical and popular reception, development, cultural impact, and merchandise; this information describes the real-world aspects of the concept, so it is "real-world content".

Dealing with fiction

The following sections use the term "article" to encompass articles, sub-articles, and lists.

Notable topics

Topics within a fictional work (characters, places, items, concepts, etc.) are covered in the article on that work of fiction, with two exceptions:

  • If these concepts are individually notable and an encyclopedic treatment causes the article on the work itself to become long, then the concepts are split into succinct sub-articles that maintain such an encyclopedic treatment. However, material should be organized into complete articles and presented correctly; the existence of numerous small sub-articles can lead to disorganization and unbalanced coverage.
  • To a limited extent, sub-articles are sometimes born for technical reasons of length or style. Even these articles need real-world information to prove their notability, but might not include that information in the same article (due to said technical reasons). In these situations, the sub-article should be viewed as an extension of the parent article, and judged as if it were still a section of that article. Such sub-articles should clearly identify themselves as fictional elements of the parent work within the lead section, and editors should still strive to provide real-world content.

Non-notable topics

Deletion discussions for articles that do not provide evidence of the notability of their subject should be guided by the following principles:

  • The article is kept if the subject has received substantial coverage in reliable secondary sources and this coverage is explicitly referenced in the deletion discussion or is used to add real-world content to the article. Articles about fictional topics that are notable should be given time to develop.
  • The article is merged, in whole or in part, to another article to provide better context. If material is merged, the article may not be deleted per the GFDL. In-universe information should be condensed or removed as necessary, and meaningful real-world content should be integrated. If the article becomes too long and a split would create a sub-article on a subject that is not individually notable, then the content should be trimmed.
  • The article is transwikied to a suitable wiki (such as Wikia or its Misplaced Pages Annex) if the above options are unavailable. The article is then redirected to the most relevant article to preserve edit history for the transwiki.
  • The article is deleted if the above options are either redundant, unavailable, or inappropriate.

Avoid creating new articles on fictional topics that lack substantial real-world content (and ideally an out-of-universe perspective) from the onset. Editors must prove, preferably in the article itself, that there is an availability of sources providing real-world information by: providing hyperlinks to such sources; outlining a rewrite, expansion, or merge plan; and/or gaining the consensus of established editors. Otherwise, the article will be subject to the options above. Place appropriate clean-up tags to stimulate activity and mark the articles as needing attention.

Relocating non-notable fictional material

Wikibooks, Misplaced Pages's sibling project, contains instructional and educational texts. These include annotated works of fiction (on the Wikibooks:annotated texts bookshelf) for classroom or private study use. Wikisource, similarly, holds original public domain and GFDL source texts. See Wikisource:Wikisource and Wikibooks. 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 interwiki links joining them all together into a whole. However, Wikibooks opposes in-universe books, so it is not an appropriate place to transwiki large quantities of in-universe material.

Fictional material unsuited or too detailed for Misplaced Pages can be transwikied to the appropriate Wikia, such as Final Fantasy Wikia and Wookieepedia. Other sites, such as Gaming Wiki, may also accept material. Transwikied material should be edited to meet the guidelines of specific wikias; do not just copy and paste. The Wikia Annex is a staging area for transwikied material and a place for non-notable fictional material that does not have another home; the original Misplaced Pages versions will also be stored there.

See also

Notes

  1. Superman is widely known beyond the original work he appeared in, with plenty of information available, including newspaper coverage and literary analysis.
  2. The article on Prince Hamlet contains significant real-world information about the character; he has his own article.
  3. World of Final Fantasy VIII, Characters of Final Fantasy VIII, and Clone Wars (Star Wars) were evolved from lists of terms, characters, events, and concepts into articles with both real-world content and an out-of-universe perspective.
  4. The 1st Battle of Sarapin summarized a portion of the plot for the game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds. Relevant information was merged into the plot synopsis of the Galactic Battlegrounds article, and the 1st Battle of Sarapin link now redirects there.
  5. Alyosha Karamazov is a major character from the novel The Brothers Karamazov. He is covered comprehensively in the Brothers Karamazov article, and the Alyosha Karamazov link redirects there for convenience due to lack of real-world content.
  6. The Xenosaga lists on planets, terms, and organizations had no chance of showing notability, so they were transwikied to the Xenosaga Wikia and redirected to the main Xenosaga page.
  7. List of Star Destroyers was deleted because it failed to include the substantial real-world information required to show notability. The information was already available on Wookiepedia and a merge was considered unnecessary, so deletion was the suitable option.
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