User:Seraphimblade/sandbox2/2

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{{proposal}}

This page in a nutshell: Articles about fictional characters and events which have little or no importance outside the fictional universe should be transferred through the transwiki process to Wikibooks and, if applicable, other Wikis.

In the guidelines to writing about fiction, it is stated that fictional characters or events, articles which consist solely of plot summaries of a fictional work, should be written only if the subject is important outside of the fictional universe. This issue has caused significant tension between those who wish to cover all aspects of a fictional universe, and between our normal sourcing and writing policies, sometimes leading to references as "cruft". Many of these articles also raise issues regarding original research, as they may be written using an editor's interpretation of a work of fiction rather than an interpretation attributable to reliable sources. This procedure is intended as a compromise, so that information on fictional universes is not lost, but also is not presented as an encyclopedia article unless secondary sources have written about the specific fictional character or event (not just its parent work, though information on some characters or events can often be found in a source about the parent work).

Contents

[edit] Rationale

  1. Wikibooks' content requirements are far better suited to detailed study and annotation of a fictional work than Wikipedia's.
  2. The subject of inclusion or exclusion of fictional works has been a source of significant stress. This procedure would ensure that such content is not lost, and is easily found from the parent work of fiction's article, but is not presented as an encyclopedia article, satisfying many concerns of those on each side.
  3. Wikipedia sometimes "cannibalizes" sister projects, and in this case is doing so. Comprehensive works can be well-handled on Wikibooks, but can only be clumsily handled within the restrictions of an encyclopedia. Wikibooks would benefit from additional contributors.

[edit] Procedure

Editors who wish to transwiki material should follow the procedures listed below.

[edit] Should an article be transwikied?

If an article or list of fictional terms is written in a mainly "in-universe" style for a fictional work, and sources cannot be found to demonstrate significant importance to or study in the "real world" outside of the fictional universe, any editor may transwiki the article to Wikibooks and/or an appropriate wiki specifically tailored to the fictional work.

[edit] Performing the transwiki

If the editor performing the transwiki is already familiar with Wikibooks' policies and procedures, that editor may instead directly create the new book or section in an existing book. However, whether the move is done as a transwiki or direct move, editors performing such moves should be familiar with the GFDL history preservation requirements. (If you are unclear as to what that means, please find out before performing any such transwikis.) An editor unfamiliar with the process may also request that a Wikibooks administrator perform the transwiki by placing a request at b:WB:RFI.

If another appropriate wiki exists (such as a Wikia universe-specific wiki, an example would be Wookieepedia for Star Wars), the content may be offered to this Wiki as well. If the editor performing the transwiki is not familiar with the destination wiki's policies and procedures, (s)he should make every effort to ensure that the transfer complies with the rules of the destination wiki. If the destination wiki already has an article on the subject, the best course of action may be for the editor simply to leave a note on that article's talk page pointing to the Wikibooks article and welcoming users there to make use of any material they wish.

[edit] After the transwiki is completed

Following completion of the transwiki process, the transwikied article should be made into a redirect to the parent article, specifically noting in the edit summary that the article has been transwikied. It is also possible to make a redirect to a subheading of a parent article, which may in many cases be more appropriate. The parent work's article should contain a "soft link" box pointing to the Wikibook covering the fictional universe in more depth. An external link to a subject-specific wiki may or may not be appropriate, this decision should be made on a case-by-case basis by everyone involved with the article. If those involved with a given article have already formed a consensus regarding such external links, anyone performing the transwiki process should respect the consensus.

If the main article contains very little or no information whatsoever on the fictional character or event which was transwikied, a short summary of the transwikied material may be appropriate to place in the main article. Editors should evaluate the need for this on a case-by-case basis. In many cases, the main article will already contain a sufficient summary.

If a group of articles or concepts is sent to a universe-specific wiki (such as a list of Star Wars ground vehicles being sent to Wookieepedia), then an external link to the topic category on the specific wiki is good practice. In this case, a general Wikipedia article on Star Wars technology or vehicles would include an external link to the Star Wars ground vehicles category on Wookieepedia.

[edit] Etiquette

While interacting with other projects, an editor's conduct reflects on Wikipedia as a whole. Please be courteous and respectful toward other projects and their participants, and keep a few rules of etiquette in mind.

  • Do not flood other projects with help requests. If you notice that the project already has several requests outstanding for help with transwiki needs, wait to make your own. There is no deadline.
  • If you are going to be performing a large number of transwikis to Wikibooks or another wiki, it is preferable to take the time to learn how to perform the procedure yourself. Those who work on the other project will have other priorities, and it is not fair for us to take up a large amount of their time.
  • This being said, if you are going to perform the procedure yourself, please make sure you know how to do so in accordance with the policies and practices of the destination wiki. Don't dump a mess for them to clean up.
  • If you are going to be interacting frequently with a given project, register an account there, preferably under the same name as you use on Wikipedia, and provide a link to your Wikipedia talk page so that editors on the destination project can easily contact you.
  • If an editor from a destination wiki contacts you with a request, make every effort to honor it.
  • If you transwiki the work of a new editor, make a kind note on their talkpage, specifying why the material was transwikied and providing a link to the transwikied material.