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This page or section is considered an official policy on the Harry Potter Fanon Wiki.

This is a standard that everyone must follow, and failure to comply will result in either a block or ban.

This Layout Guide is an official guide as to how an in-universe article should be structured. Generally this guide is to be used for character articles, but can be adapted to almost any in-universe article by leaving out sections that are irrelevant. By adhering to this layout guide we will add more uniformity across all the pages, and give the wiki a more professional look.

Featured Article

{{FA}}
  • Used to give an article "featured" status.
  • Only place if an article has been a Featured article.

See also or Youmay tags

Example:

{{See also|Slytherin|Gryffindor|Ravenclaw}}
Another example:

{{Youmay|the association|the book of the same name, see ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''}}

Infobox

Example (using a Ministry of Magic employee):

{{Individual infobox
|theme=mom
|image=
|name=Harry James Potter
|born=31 July, 1980<br/>Godric's Hollow, West Country, England, Great Britain
|died=
|blood=[[Half-blood]]
|marital=Married
|alias=*Boy Who Lived
*Chosen One
*Undesirable No. 1
|title=*Triwizard Champion
*Seeker
*Quidditch Captain]]
*Leader of Dumbledore's Army
*Master of Death
|signature=
|species=[[Human]]
|gender=Male
|height=Between 5'5" and 5'9"
|hair=Jet-black
|eyes=Bright green
|skin=Light
|family=
|animagus=
|boggart=Dementor
|wand=11", Holly, phoenix feather
|patronus=Stag
|job=*Head of Auror Office
*Guest lecturer on Defence Against the Dark Arts
*Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
|house=[[Gryffindor]]
|loyalty=*[[Potter family]]
*[[Weasley family]]
*[[Albus Dumbledore]]
*[[Dumbledore's Army]]
*[[Order of the Phoenix]]
*[[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]
**[[Gryffindor]]
**[[Gryffindor Quidditch team]]
**[[Slug Club]]
*[[British Ministry of Magic]]
**[[Auror Department|Auror Office]]
**[[Department of Magical Law Enforcement]]
*[[Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare|S.P.E.W.]]
}}
  • Used to present vital statistics of subject.
  • All infobox material must be detailed in the article proper.
  • When listing multiple items in a single infobox field, including cascading items, use bullets (*) to offset each item, including the first item listed. Do not use blank indentations.
  • Articles should not contain empty infoboxes. An empty infobox is defined as one in which no fields can be filled out other than the name of the subject due to limited information. Such infoboxes should be removed from the article until such time as more information can be added.
  • An article with only an infobox is forbidden, and is subject to deletion.

Main image

  • Images used in infoboxes will be scaled to 250px (the minimum size to fit the infobox width in desktop view) for all infoboxes except conflict infoboxes (battles, wars, etc.), which use either 300px, 350px, or 400px, depending on specific template size. Larger default sizes are identified on the respective template pages. Images smaller than the default infobox size should not be scaled up.
  • Main infobox images shall be at least 400px in width whenever possible. This is done to accommodate the infobox's minimum width on most mobile devices in vertical view. Note that conflict infobox images do not currently show in mobile skin.
  • If you want your infobox to contain an image gallery with a slider, then you put the following in the "image" field:


Example:

<gallery mode="slider" type="slider"> 
ImageFile.png|TITLE1 
ImageFile.png|TITLE2 
ImageFile.png|TITLE3 
ImageFile.png|TITLE4
ImageFile.png|TITLE5 
ImageFile.png|TITLE6
</gallery>


Infobox Slider

On the "ImageFile.png" field, you put your image file, and on the TITLE fields, you put the name of the slider. If everything works correctly, then your result should be similar to this:

Opening quote

Example:

{{Quote|Haven't I taught you ''anything''?|[[Arthur Weasley|Mr Weasley]]|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets}}
  • An opening quote is welcome for almost any type of article.
  • Quotes can be said by the article's subject, or said by someone else about the article's subject.
  • Do not use links within a quote, unless it is the only mention in the article of a certain subject.
  • If the speaker is another subject please include a link.
  • If the quote is not a simple quote, but includes dialogue between multiple characters, see Category:Quote and dialogue templates.

Article body

Example (for an article about a haracter):

Example (for an article about a Character):

'''Harry Potter''' was... (insert introductory sentence or paragraph)
 
==Biography==
===Childhood===
...
...
...
 
===Hogwarts===
...
 
====1991-1992====
...
 
====The Battle of Hogwarts====
...

===After the War===
...
  • Start headings at the second level (==)
  • Headings and subheadings are usually not required for very small articles.

Images

Example:

[[File:HPotter boggart dementor.jpg|thumb|200px|Harry Potter's boggart, a Dementor]]
  • Images should be placed where they are most relevant and should not interrupt the flow or the aesthetics of the article.
  • Placing them immediately underneath a heading or subheading usually works quite well.
  • Images should typically alternate from the right-side to the left-side. If there is a long infobox at the start, multiple images can be left aligned until the infobox ends.
  • Image caption punctuation (i.e., a full stop, or period) is determined by whether the caption uses a complete sentence.
  • Images placed in articles must be as high quality as possible, as source availability and technical restraints permit.

Quotes

Example:

{{quote|Viktor? Hasn't he asked you to call him Vicky yet?|Ron|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}
  • In addition to the introductory quote, further quotes may be used throughout an article.
  • Although quotes may be placed in the body of the article, a maximum of one quote is allowed only at the beginning of each section.
  • Quotes are included "as-is", with the original spelling and formatting found in the source of the quote. In the case of a typo or other error, [sic] may be included to indicate that the error is from the original source and not the article.
  • See the "Quote and dialogue templates" category.

Physical description

Example:

==Physical description==
...
  • Used to describe what a character or creature, etc. looks like

Personality and traits

Example:

==Personality and traits==
...
  • Used for Character articles, if that type of information is available.
  • If the character has had many or strenuous relationships use the Relationships section below

Relationships

Example:

===Relationships===
...

====Relationship 1====
...

====Relationship 2====
...
  • Used to describe the relationships the character has had with others

Behind the scenes (notice the capitalisation)

Example:

==Behind the scenes==
  • Portrayal information (for characters appearing in films, computer games, cartoons, radio dramatisations)
  • Origin of subject - subject's first appearance, who was responsible for creating and/or naming the subject, how the subject came about, was it based on anything, who did the concept art, etc.
    • If naming information is lengthy the Name etymology section below can be added.

Name etymology

Example:

===Name etymology===
  • Who was responsible for naming the subject, was it based on anything, etc.
  • What the root of the name means

Character articles

Character articles

Character Articles
There are some guidelines for the organization of character articles within the Harry Potter Fanon Wiki. Though there is some flexibility, the following sections are typical:
  1. Biography provides an account of the notable events in the character's life. The level of detail in this section is up to the individual author. However, a middle ground between succinct and lengthy is generally preferable. It is generally expected that this section will be divided into subsections on lengthy articles, though the appropriate sectioning of this is left to the author.
  2. Physical description is used to describe what a character or creature looks like.
  3. Personality and traits describes personality traits evident in the source material and how these influence the character's behaviour. Examples should be given where possible.
  4. Magical abilities and skills or Powers and abilities for characters is intended to show any notable abilities possessed by the character. This section is particularly appropriate for magical characters and can include any school of magic for which the character demonstrates an aptitude.
  5. Possessions can be used to give a brief description of any notable item which the character in question possesses.
  6. Relationships becomes useful when the character has had many or strenuous relationships, and this section is used to describe the relationships the character has had with others.
Each of these sections may be further subdivided as appropriate.

Species articles

Sentient species articles

Sentient Species Articles
There are some guidelines for the organization of species articles within the Harry Potter Fanon Wiki. Ideally, they are organized into four main sections:
  1. Biology and appearance deals with the physical characteristics of the species. This includes descriptions of both their physical, instinctual and mental abilities, with particular emphasis on unique factors.
  2. Society and culture deals with the sociological organization of the species, including such features as language, temperament, and family and societal structures.
  3. History deals with the major events in the history of the species. This includes such events as wars, and other important epochs.
Each of these three sections may be further subdivided as appropriate.

Non-sentient and semi-sentient species articles

Non-Sentient and Semi-Sentient Species Articles
There are some guidelines for the organization of non-sentient and semi-sentient species articles within the Harry Potter Fanon Wiki. Ideally, they are organized into four main sections:
  1. Biology and appearance deals with the physical characteristics of the species. This includes descriptions of both their physical, instinctual and mental abilities, with particular emphasis on unique factors.
  2. Behavior (and intelligence) deals with the behaviour and organization of the species, including such features as temperament along with societal, relational, reproductive and habitual characteristics. Any discussion on potential sentience or semi-sentience should be included in this section; Addition of "and intelligence" can be used in such articles to further explain the discussion.
  3. History deals with the major events in the history of the species. This includes such events as wars, and other important epochs.
Each of these three sections may be further subdivided as appropriate.

Battle, mission, and duel articles

Battle Articles
There are some guidelines for the organization of battle and event articles within the Harry Potter Fanon Wiki. Though there is some flexibility, the following sections are typical:
  1. Prelude gives a brief description of the events leading up to the event as information is available. The level of detail in this section is up to the author, but should not take away from the article's subject of the actual event.
  2. The battle describes the event from all related source material. All information should be written from a neutral perspective, with none of the narrative focusing exclusively on the perspective of one side of the conflict. Alternatively, this section can be renamed to more appropriately reflect on the article's name.
  3. Aftermath can be used for any information related to the event that took place after its conclusion as it is available. As with the Prelude, however, the level of detail should not take away from the article's subject, which is the event itself.
Each of these sections may be further subdivided as appropriate. Note: if something else of significance concerning the event is relevant, a section of its own can be created.

Object articles

Object Articles
There are some guidelines for the organization of objects and similar articles within the Harry Potter Fanon Wiki. Though there is some flexibility, the following sections are typical:
  1. Description will include any information on the characteristics of the item, such as design, utilization, and variants.
  2. History covers the known use of the item, arranged in chronological order. Ideally, all appearances of the item are described here. Also included are users of the item, detailing the specific instances of the item's use, and by whom.
Each of these sections may be further subdivided as appropriate. Note: if something else of significance concerning the item is relevant, a section of its own can be created.

Appearances

Succession box

Succession boxes serve two purposes: to list the time period for which an individual held a certain post/title, and to provide links to their immediate predecessor and/or successor. It is best to follow these "do nots":

  • Do not insert succession boxes for titles that were unique to a certain individual and, therefore, result in no predecessors or successors. The same applies if the individual is the only known holder of the title.
    • E.g. Lord Voldemort
  • Do not insert succession boxes if the individual's position in the succession sequence is unclear.
  • Do not insert succession boxes for something that is not a proper title. For example, a succession box for Severus Snape where the title is "Holds an Unbreakable Vow to Albus Dumbledore".

Within the {{Succession box}}, there are six possible fields to insert information, all of which must be sourced:

  • title: This field is for the title of the succession box. It is required.
  • years: This field is for the years the position was held or the events occurred. Please limit this to one tenure, and repeat succession boxes as necessary. This field is also required.
  • before: This field is for the nearest known predecessor. See below for conditions.
  • after: This field is for the nearest known successor. See below for conditions.

If the individual was the first (last) person to bear a certain title, the "before" input ("after" input) should list "None" without any punctuation. If there are no known predecessors/successors, the corresponding fields should be left blank. However, if there are some known predecessors/successors, the section should read "Eventually <name of the chronologically nearest individual>". In contrast, "Unknown" should not be used in the dates of succession boxes.

The phrase "the first (last) person to bear a certain title" means that there are no successors because the title was made (obsolete). If the individual in question continues to hold the title "currently" (where the "present" is defined as the date of the last published Harry Potter work), the "after" field should read "Incumbent".

Order succession boxes by the years in which the position was held. The earliest held position is first. If multiple positions have the same starting year, then the earlier ending year is first, etc.

Notes and references

Relevant policy: Harry Potter Fanon Wiki:Sourcing

  • List of sources for information in the "Behind the scenes" section.
  • Items are added to the list by placing <ref>Source goes here</ref> after the information tidbit in question.
  • To get the references to show up in this section, use the {{Reflist}} template.
  • References will only use periods at the end of the citation if the citation is a complete sentence. References that are not complete sentences will not use periods.
  • As a general rule, we recommend reserving scroll boxes for reference lists to articles that employ no less than forty to fifty individual references. However, this is by no means a hard figure, and final decisions for the use of scroll boxes should be determined by what best suits each individual article.
    • The standard scroll box size may be enlarged for certain articles, but this should be done only in rare cases for presentation purposes. Requests to do so should be made on the article's talk page or article review pages.

See also

  • Links to related topics not already linked in article
  • Usually links to family pages or organisations

External links

The External links section is a bulleted list of out-of-universe links from websites outside of Harry Potter Fanon. These links are commonly unlicensed and/or other unofficial sources of information, such as fan websites and Wikipedia articles.

  • The section is called "External links," even if the article only has one external link
  • For Wikipedia articles, use the {{WP}} template (example: {{WP|Harry Potter}} gives you: WP favicon Harry Potter on Wikipedia)
  • Blog posts may be listed in the External links as necessary to supplement an article's coverage, but restrict Blog listings to posts of critical relevance. Any Blog post that is cited in the course of the article must be listed in the External links if not already listed in the Sources section.

Category

  • Every article must have all applicable categories.
  • Categories should be listed in alphabetical order
  • MediaWiki allows use of the DEFAULTSORT magic word to eliminate unnecessary coding while still achieving the desired result of categorizing articles by last name (ie, one need not use [[Category:Wizards|Potter, Harry]]; use the below method)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Harry}}
    [[Category:Wizards]]
    [[Category:Males]]
  • Articles beginning with an article ("a," "an," or "the") should be categorized by the first significant word; for example, [[Category:Books|Al-Antidian Handbook, The]].
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