Oddworld Wiki:Editing guidelines

This page contains the Oddworld Wiki's Editing guidelines. It describes in what style articles and pages on this wiki should be written and how the various formatting options should be applied. Discussion regarding these guidelines should be done on the talk page.

General

 * The Oddworld Wiki follows the writing conventions as described in the Wikipedia:Manual of Style.
 * While not as strict as Wikipedia, content on this wiki should be written in a style appropriate for an encyclopedia. Articles should be precise in their descriptions; speculation, uncertain facts and made up fiction are to be avoided.
 * Do not overlink. A page should only be linked on its first occurance in an article. Links may be repeated if the first link is far up the page or if the manner the word is used in makes it necessary (e.g. in summary lists).
 * Oddworld game names should be written in full on their first occurrence (i.e. "Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee" not "Abe's Oddysee"). Subsequent mentions may omit the 'Oddworld:' prefix.
 * Do not add any attributions or dates (like "written by ..." or "written on ..." to articles. An accurate record of all contributions and changes to an article is available via its "History" page.
 * Keep an article's summary short and to the point. Subjects may be expanded on in the main article sections.

Language

 * Use formal English. British and American spelling and grammar styles are both accepted. However, users are expected to follow the spelling used in-game above anything else.
 * Internet speak, 1337 speak, slang and other informal styles are not acceptable.

Perspective

 * Articles should only use third-person (i.e. "the player character" not "this editor"). For example, it is proper to use "Abe," "the Mudokons," "the Glukkons" and similar, while it is improper to use "I," "we," "you," and each of their variations. 'The player character' may be used, but preferably use the proper character name where applicable (i.e. "...when Abe escapes the Free-Fire Zone " not "...when you escape the Free Fire Zone").
 * First-person and second-person are to be kept out of articles. Notable exceptions to this rule are as follows:
 * Bugs, trivia and similar sections
 * In-game quotes/developer commentary
 * Walkthroughs
 * Transcripts

Tense

 * Articles should be written in present tense (i.e. "...when Abe blows up Necrum Mines " not "...when Abe blew up Necrum Mines").
 * The only exception to this are articles related to events which took place before or between any of the Oddworld games, i.e. the Age of Alchemy ; these may be written in past tense.

​Capitalizing

 * Article page names and links should not be overcapitalized, unless established in-game spelling dictates otherwise.
 * The names of all inteligent races of Oddworld should be capitalized (e.g. Mudokons, Glukkons, Sligs, Vykkers , etc. Note that 'outlaws ' are not a race).
 * The names of all wildlife species should be capitalized (e.g. Scrabs, Paramites , Slogs , Fleeches , Slurgs , Fuzzles , etc.)
 * The names of any wildlife species that shares its name with real Earth species should not be capitalized (i.e rats, bats ).

Citation

 * Citation is only needed for information that is not readily available through any of the Oddworld games. The fact that Abe worked in RuptureFarms, for example, does not need to be cited. The reason for his stiched lips, however, does need to be cited.
 * Dates may be added to the article summary or 'development' sections for announcements made by the developer(s) or release dates of games.
 * Link citations to internet sources whenever possible. If citing a book, try to include the title, the ISBN number and the relevant page(s).

Canon

 * In cases where two official canonical sources conflict with each other (such as the appearance of RuptureFarms in Abe's Oddysee vs New 'n' Tasty), the main article should be written with the new canon in mind first and the old canon second. A separate section should be added to the article to explain the conflicting information specifically.
 * Should old canon and new canon become extremely conflicting at some point, talk to your fellow editors about creating entirely separate pages for both canons. These pages will carry the original title, followed by the source in round brackets (e.g "RuptureFarms (New 'n' Tasty)").

Bold

 * Bold the article name the first time it appears in the article. Any alternative names should also be bolded at their first occurrence.
 * Avoid using bold formatting in any other place.

Italics

 * Italics should be used for the titles of books and games in the Oddworld series.
 * Italics may be used for general emphasis, but should be used sparingly.

Emphasis

 * Avoid using all caps.
 * Avoid using quotation marks for emphasis.
 * Avoid bolding words for general emphasis.
 * Avoid using double emphasis (e.g. combining bold and italics).
 * Use emphasis very sparingly, preferably not at all.