South Park Archives:Article standards

This page is a guide to how users should aim to write articles, and hopefully provide an overall guideline for new users.

Creation

 * Make sure the page does not already exist under another name, ie. creating an article called "Cartoon Wars Episode 1" when the page already exists under "Cartoon Wars Part I".
 * Make sure the article is relevant to the wiki.

Content

 * Do not copy directly from Wikipedia, it is not forbidden, but we are our own site and should not aim to be a mere spin-off site, but providing links to Wikipedia articles not covered here is allowed. We should aim to be better at summarising South Park than Wikipedia, and if you cannot be bothered to start a new page when you can simply copy and paste from Wikipedia, maybe you should consider not creating the page so someone who is going to write from scratch can do so.
 * Do not be biased when writing an article, for example, adding Imaginationland is the funniest episdoe ever to the article "Imaginationland".
 * Fan research is not forbidden, but try to include established facts as the main bulk of the article.
 * False material inserted will be removed as this counts as vandalism, even if you did not intend it to be.
 * Keep the information in an article up to date as possible, it makes the wiki look even more knowledgable if it has recent information included.
 * A plot synopsis should be written in present tense, ie. Cartman then goes to his house rather than Cartman then went to his house.
 * If you do not finish your article, you can always add the "Under construction" template to your article, but bear in mind that if you do not finish an article then anyone else may finish it off, we are not a fan fiction site so your article is not your property. On that note, also consider that if you don't want your work to be edited by anyone else, don't submit it at all.
 * External links should not be added if they link to sites where episodes may be watched or downloaded illegally.

Style

 * Infoboxes are good to include in an article as they provide key facts in an easy to read template, but try not to crowd them with information, as this can be used to flesh out the page in the main content.
 * Every article fits into at least one category, but if it doesn't, feel free to create one, but check the category doesn't already exist. Categories make an article easier to find and you can also find similar articles to it.
 * Include links, as they make other articles easier to find, and in turn they make the article you are writing easier to find. Looking for red links may also help you find ideas for new pages to create, but often these red links can be altered to link to a Wikipedia article or a more in-depth page on another wiki.
 * Include images if you can, but don't clutter the page with them, as there should be more words than pictures.
 * If you need to upload images then please keep to the uploading policy.
 * Cite the sources in the articles, it makes the page look professional and backs up facts you have listed.