Help:Creating articles
Because of the ever-expanding nature of this wiki, there will always be topics that lack articles. However, if the topic is well known, you should anticipate that it already exists. It is worth making sure that the article does not already exist before duplicating information and possibly confusing a reader.
| Help contents |
|---|
| It is assumed that you are already familiar with basic wiki editing and that you know your way around a wiki. |
| Creating articles |
| Editing articles |
| Copyrights |
| Categorization |
Checking for an article's existence
You can find an article by:
- Going directly to its address, such as
https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Elf. - Using the search box. Entering any text into the box produces suggestions that contain it, including redirects that point to a relevant target. Use as few search terms as possible. If you are unsure of the spelling, try several alternatives. Even if you are sure of the spelling, there is a slight chance that the previous editor misspelled it or the spelling has changed over time, so the page might be under a different title.
- Looking in an appropriate category. For example, if you are trying to find an article about an elf you know to be a Forlorn, look in Category:Forlorn to see if you can find the article there.
- Looking for links from a similar subject. For example, you would expect the Varisia article to provide a link to the Korvosa article, since Korvosa is Varisia's largest city. It should therefore stand to reason that other cities within Varisia might also be linked on the Varisia article, although this is no guarantee.
Improving access
If you want to create an article on a particular topic but found the information in an unexpected place, you should consider whether it is in the appropriate place.
Incorrect names
Sometimes the creator of the article made a mistake and typed in its name wrong. In this case, you should move the article to the correct name, citing a source for the correct name if possible.
A topic might be spelled or formatted differently in different sources. Consult the canon policy for advice on dealing with conflicting sources.
Unexpected names
If the article under an obscure name, consider moving the article. Check convention where possible, because an article's specific name might be chosen for a reason you are unaware of. In all but the clearest cases, it is useful to start a discussion on the article's talk page and reach a consensus about moving the article. Provide specific examples if possible.
Wrong category
Did you have trouble finding the article because it is in the wrong category, a category that is not specific enough, or not added to a relevant category? Sometimes editors can change information that would effectively recategorize an article, but they forget to add the relevant categories. For example, if a person has been listed as a wizard but is actually a sorcerer, the editor should both alter the text in the article to reflect this, and change the category from Category:Sorcerers to Category:Wizards.
Improving redirects
If an article's expected or natural spelling is not the article's title, consider creating redirects. You do not need to create redirects for every possible spelling or misspelling, but cover the obvious ones. However, do not make redirects to cover typos.
For example, a user might attempt to access the Ileosa Arabasti article by looking for Ileosa, or her title as Queen of Korvosa. In these cases, create redirects that point to Ileosa Arabasti.
Articles vs. sections
Consider whether your topic merits its own article, or whether it can be incorporated into an existing article as a new section. You should consider:
- Whether you can write more than three sentences about the topic.
- Whether the topic is distinct from every other topic with its own article.
- Whether the topic is within the scope of the wiki.
If you can wholeheartedly answer "yes" to all of the above points, it is probably, but not definitely, worth its own article. Similarly, some topics for which the above points all answer "yes" still do not need to be created as articles. It is quite often a judgment call.
For publications that contain multiple adventures, each adventure should be a section in the article for the publication. For details, refer to the "Adventure Overview" section of the "Writing an article about a book" Help page.
Creating the article
If you are satisfied that the topic needs its own article, be bold and create it. While creating the article, refer to the "Writing an article about..." Help pages listed in the "Help contents" sidebar of this page.
Sections
You should split the bulk of your article into logical sections depending on the article's topic. Toward the end of the article, most sections will be the same, regardless of what the article is about. Generally, these include (in this order):
- See also
- Other articles on the local wiki that might be of interest to the reader who has completed the current article.
- References
- Citations that have been created inline in the text using the
<ref>tags or {{Ref}} template should appear here, so you should only ever need to put{{Refs}}here to display those footnotes. See Help:Citing sources for more information. - Notes
- Citations that are relevant to the article, but not associated with any particular statement, can be placed here. It is best to use the {{Ref}} or {{Cite web}} templates as relevant. See Help:Citing sources for more information.
- External links
- Links outside of PathfinderWiki that are relevant to the current article but do not directly provide further reading, such as links to related real-world subjects on Wikipedia or mechanical details on Archives of Nethys.
The above order is suggested, but not all of these sections are required, and many pages will simply have a References section.
Unsure about categories?
If you have written an article and are unsure about which categories to apply, or simply want your categories double checked, then please feel free to add this text at the bottom of your article in this format:
[[Category:Please check categories]]
This flags to others that the article's categories need checking or adding. We hope that, soon thereafter, another editor will be along to help.