Wikipedia:WikiProject Fictional characters/Style guide

This is an essay on style. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more WikiProjects on how to format and present article content within their area of interest. This information is not a formal Wikipedia policy or guideline, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community.

The following is a basic style guide that can be used as a building block for creating articles. While you are not forced to follow it, it is advisable as it is used on many articles (though with many variations). Replace all items with <>s surrounding them with actual words.

NOTE: It is advisable to read WP:N and WP:GNG first and try to see if the character is notable enough to have an article on Wikipedia. Additional notability guidelines specific to fictional characters can be found at WP:NFCHAR.

{{Infobox character
| name        = <Robert puttinson>
| series      = <series the s belongs to>
| image       = 
| caption     = 
| first       = <first appearance (episode/book/etc.) subject appeared in>
| last        = <last appearance; drop for those who recurring characters in television series that are still running>
}}
'''<subject name>''' is a [[fictional character]] in [[<series>]].

==Concept and creation==

==Appearances==

==Reception==

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

<Any related templates go here>

<Categories go here>

Note that if it is possible to expand the lead, it is advisable to do so (see Mario, which has three paragraphs for its lead). For further parameters of {{Infobox character}} see the template.

It may also be wise to add in a "Characteristics" section, particularly for those that do not have enough information for "Concept and creation", in which case "Characteristics" can be used to describe some elements that could go in a C&C section if not enough sources can establish a C&C section.

"Appearances" can also be replaced with "Biography" or "Fictional history" if the subject has only appeared in a single book/game/etc. "Appearances" can also be replaced with "Role in X" for characters who appear almost solely in a single show that does not have a high level of focus on consistency. See Homer Simpson for an example of this.

"Reception" is one of the most important things in an article. For video game characters, it may be wise to use this for searching for sources. Generally top 10 character lists and similar can be useful for sourcing as they are generally easier to find and do not require to much elaboration. Just be careful with sourcing that the site you're quoting is reliable. As a note, "Reception" can be replaced with names such as "Promotion and reception" (including toys based off the character and similar merchandise), "Reception and legacy" and "Cultural impact" (and any other variation), most depending just on what impact the character has had.

The "References" section is very important, but can be left with simply {{Reflist}} and left alone at that. If you have 15 or more sources, you may want to consider changing the template to {{Reflist|2}}.

The "External links" section is optional, so if you cannot find any links, don't fret. Generally try to use official sites. See WP:EL for more information.

Templates are also optional, but if there is a template that the character is in, it is generally required that it appears on the character page (usually someone else will edit and add a template in if you miss it, so don't fret about templates either). The series the character usually appears in will usually have a template, so try looking for that.

Categories are also important, so try to get all the ones possible, but people will also most likely fill you in on any categories you missed anyway. The root category for fictional characters is Category:Fictional characters, so try checking there. See also: Wikipedia:WikiProject Fictional characters/Categories, a list of categories that fall under our project. As a word of warning, be careful of overcategorisation and from adding a category after adding one of its subcategories (e.g. if you have an article categorised under Category:Marvel Comics angels, it is automatically considered to be categorised under Category:Fictional angels and Category:Angels.

After creating an article, go to its talk page and add {{WikiProject Fictional characters}} to the top of the talkpage.