Wikisimpsons:Manual of Style
This is an instruction manual that addresses the conventions adopted by Wikisimpsons in writing, titles, articles, and linking. Please read it before you contribute to Wikisimpsons.
Contents
In-universe and tense
All articles should be written in in-universe style. This means to write about the show without references to the real-world. Only "Trivia", "Non-canon appearances" and "Behind the Laughter" sections do not have to be written in in-universe.
Except for episode plot synopsizes, all articles should be written in past tense. It simply sounds more professional.
- PRESENT TENSE: The Simpson family go to Blockoland on a day out.
- PAST TENSE: The Simpson family went to Blockoland on a day out.
Only the lead (opening paragraph(s)) may be written in present tense. If the character has passed away/went away (Frank Grimes, Malloy), or the location met its demise in the series (Burns' Casino, Storytime Village), then the lead can be written in past tense.
Article titles
The conventions for titles dictate that all proper nouns are capitalized, as are all locations, and names unless specifically not capitalized. Any page title that includes a name should not be stored in a biographical format; i.e., "Homer Simpson", not "Simpson, Homer" as the page title for Bart's Dad. In cases where only a first name (Charlie) exists, that should be used as the sole title of the page.
If more than one topic exists with the same name, the episode in which they first appeared should be put in parentheses besides their names to distinguish them apart, i.e. Gloria (The War of the Simpsons) and Gloria (A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love). The exception to this rule are the Simpson family and regular supporting characters. In theses cases, take the lesser known minor character, and rename them. For example, Homer Simpson (Homer to the Max). Be sure to create a disambiguation page for these instances.
Articles should be named by a character's most popular name, i.e. "Comic Book Guy", not "Jeff Albertson"; "Wiseguy", not "Raphael". If a character's most popular name is their first or surname (Gil, Nelson, Mr. Burns, Smithers, Flanders), then name the article by their whole name (Gil Gunderson, Nelson Muntz, Charles Montgomery Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders).
Do not invent character names. We only know that CBG's real name is Jeff Albertson, not "Jeffrey". Gil Gunderson, and not "Gilbert".
If a character or gained a new name over the series, the article should be renamed to that name.
- Female Network Executive --> Lindsey Naegle
- Storytown Village --> Storytime Village
Minor canon information
Minor canon information/one-off jokes should never be treated as taking precedence over series-long standard. These are jokes such as Helen Lovejoy being born a man. It should not be stated it the first sentence of her article, or probably not in the lead at all. Mention it once in the body of the article, AND LEAVE IT AT THAT.
Original research
Original research is not permitted. Only what has been explicitly stated can be taken as fact. If Jailbird is Snake's last name, we cannot assume that it is also Gloria's, even if they are married. It is never explicitly stated in the show, so to assume this is original research.
Non-canon information
Non-canon information (any which appears outside of the shorts and the series, i.e. Snake's real name being Chester Turley) should never take precedence over canon and always belongs in it's own section, titled either "Non-canon" or "Non-canon appearances". Non-canon info should never appear in infoboxes and perhaps not even in leads.
Appearances
For a very minor character, a list would be fine, for a recurring character, the following is used. A list of every Ullman short, episode, game, comic, and movie this character appeared in. e.g.
