Vrienden Universe:Writing guide

The Vrienden Universe writing guide explains how pages on the wiki should normally be written. You do not have to make every page look exactly the same, but information should be clear, neutral and consistent with pages that already exist.

If you are unsure about something, check the related pages before adding it. Do not make up a date, person, place or event just to make a page longer.

Before you edit

Before changing a page, read what is already written and check other pages that are directly related to it. This is especially important when changing dates, family relationships, offices or events.

For example, if you change when Jan Paap became Führer of Tanoa, you should also check pages such as Tanoa Einsatzgruppen, History of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen and Führer of Tanoa. One change can affect several pages.

You should also check the page history if something looks wrong. An older version may explain why a date or piece of information was added.

Writing style

Pages should be written in neutral and understandable English. Write what actually happened instead of using vague wording.

For example, instead of writing:

He played an important role in several major events.

write what the person actually did and name the event.

Do not add extra sentences just to make a paragraph look longer. If there is only one confirmed fact, it is better to write one clear sentence than several vague ones.

Avoid dramatic wording unless it is needed to describe what happened. A person should not be called "infamous", "legendary" or "one of the most important people" unless there is a clear reason for that wording.

Do not describe something as being part of the "lore", "canon" or "universe" inside an article. Pages should be written like normal encyclopedia articles.

Information and continuity

Information should not contradict other pages without a reason. If two pages disagree, check which one contains the more detailed or recently corrected information before changing anything.

Dates should make sense with the rest of the subject's life. Someone should not appear at an event after their death, hold an office before it existed or take part in something before arriving at the location.

Do not create missing information yourself. If a person's parents, occupation or exact date are not known, the information can simply be left out until it is established.

When a real historical, military, medical or technical subject is mentioned, use the correct terminology. Outside sources can be checked when needed, but information already established on the wiki should not be changed without checking how it affects other pages.

Sections

Use sections when there is enough information to justify them. A biography may use sections such as:

Early life
Career
Personal life
Death

You do not need to use every section on every page.

Do not create a new header for every small event. If an event only takes one paragraph, it will usually fit better inside a larger section.

Short pages do not need to be divided into many sections just to make them look longer.

Infoboxes

Use an infobox that fits the subject. A person should normally use a person infobox, while an event, organization, company or military conflict should use an infobox made for that type of page.

Only add information that is known. Do not put "Unknown" into empty fields and do not invent values to fill the infobox.

Dates and offices in the infobox should match the article text.

If an image already exists on the wiki, use its correct filename. Do not guess image filenames.

Links

Link people, places, organizations and events when their pages are useful for understanding the article.

Usually the first useful mention of a subject is enough. You do not need to link the same name every time it appears in a paragraph.

A red link is not automatically bad. If a subject is relevant and should reasonably have its own page later, the red link can stay.

Do not link a name to a different subject just because the correct page does not exist yet.

References

References can be used when information on one page comes from another Vrienden Universe Wiki page.

Try to link to the exact section that contains the information. For example:

<ref name="example">"[[Page name#Section name|Section name]]". ''Page name''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>

Do not create references to pages that do not actually support the sentence.

If the same source is used more than once, reuse the same reference name instead of creating several copies of it.

Rewriting pages

If an entire page needs to be rewritten, you can mark it with:

{{subst:Rewrite}}

Put the marker at the top of the page. The date will be added automatically when the edit is saved.

A rewrite marker does not mean that the existing information should be deleted. Keep the useful information until a complete replacement is ready.

When rewriting a page, check its current version and related pages first. A rewrite should improve the page without accidentally removing established information.

Edit summaries

Try to add an edit summary when you save a change. The summary does not need to be long. It should simply explain what you changed, for example:

Fixed Jan Paap succession date

or:

Rewrote military career section

This makes it easier for other editors to understand the page history.