Editing GoArch:Citation guidelines

Source citation is important in any factual endeavor, and the Archive is no exception. Therefore, providing references to information found in an article is desired to be as reliable and accurate as possible. If those references are cleanly formatted, they can be more easily understood and the article's information easily verified. A reference should be included for any information that cannot be verified by the game itself or by another article on the wiki.

== When to cite sources ==
A source should be cited whenever you make a claim that is challenged or likely to be challenged, or when quoting someone either directly or indirectly as a source anywhere within an article. In general, we recommend adhering to Wikipedia's [[wikipedia:citing sources|citing sources]] documentation when adding citations.

If the source of information is in-game, editors can use an inline [[Help:Editing|wikilink]] to the source article where appropriate. Otherwise, cite it in a reference using the "in-game content" citation style below.

=== Local archival ===
In some cases, it can be advantageous to copy the content of a source into the Archive's [[Reference:Main Page|Reference]] namespace. This is particularly useful for emails and other private forms of communication, provided all parties consent to it being posted publicly. For other content, such as forum posts, retaining a copy on the Archive may be overkill. In those cases, use an archiving service such as http://archive.is to make a backup, or be sure that the thread is archived in the [http://www.archive.org Wayback Machine], in order to ensure that it will remain accessible in the future.

== Citation formatting ==
{{main|GoArch:References}}

Citations made inline should be grouped under a section titled "Sources", "Notes", or "References" at the bottom of the article. This can be accomplished with the following markup:

<pre>
<nowiki>==References==</nowiki>
<nowiki>{{reflist}}</nowiki>
</pre>

or

<pre>
<nowiki>==References==</nowiki>
<nowiki><references /></nowiki>
</pre>


Individual citations must be enclosed in <nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki> tags. Multiple references to a single source can be achieved by formatting the first one as:

<code><small><nowiki><ref name="tag">...</ref> </nowiki> </small> </code> ("tag" must be unique)

and formatting the successive ones simply as:

<pre><nowiki><ref name="tag" /></nowiki></pre>

== Citation style ==
=== In-game sources ===
In-game material such as journals and spoken dialog should be archived in the [[Reference:Main Page|Reference]] namespace, and a link to it should be included in the citation if it is available. Instructions for formatting reference material titles can be found in the relevant reference section.

==== Journals and notebooks ====
<code><Author>. ''<Document name (with article link)>''. <Game (with article link)>.</code>

This formatting can be achieved using the {{tl|cite journal}} template:

<code><nowiki>
{{cite journal|author=<Author>|journal=<Document name>|journal-page=<Document article name>|game=<Game>|game-page=<Game article name>}}
</nowiki></code>

Example: {{cite journal|author=Atrus|journal=Channelwood journal|game=Myst|game-page=Myst (game)}}

<code><nowiki>
{{cite journal|author=Atrus|journal=Channelwood journal|game=Myst|game-page=Myst (game)}}
</nowiki></code>

The <code>game-page</code> parameter can be omitted if it is identical to <code>game</code>. The <code>journal-page</code> parameter can be omitted if the journal page name follows the standard format "Reference:<Author>, <Document name>".

When citing DRC research documents, use "DRC" as the author whenever the individual writer is unknown.

==== Dialog ====
<code><Speaker>. <Scene (with article link)>. <Game (with article link)>. </code>

This formatting can be achieved using the {{tl|cite dialog}} template:

<code><nowiki>
{{cite dialog|speaker=<Author>|scene=<Scene name>|scene-page=<Scene article name>|game=<Game>|game-page=<Game article name>}}
</nowiki></code>

Example: {{cite dialog|speaker=Atrus|scene=Forechamber recording|scene-page=Reference:Atrus, forechamber recording|game=Myst|game-page=Myst (game)}}

<code><nowiki>
{{cite dialog|speaker=Atrus|scene=Forechamber recording|scene-page=Reference:Atrus, forechamber recording|game=Myst|game-page=Myst (game)}}
</nowiki></code>

The <code>game-page</code> parameter can be omitted if it is identical to <code>game</code>. The <code>scene-page</code> parameter can be omitted if the journal page name follows the standard format "Reference:<Speaker>, <Scene name>".

=== Books ===
<code>''<Book title (with link to article)>''. <Format>, <Location>.</code>

This formatting can be achieved using the {{tl|cite book}} template:

* <code><nowiki>{{cite book|book=<Book title>|type=<Format>|page=<Single page number>}}</nowiki></code>
* <code><nowiki>{{cite book|book=<Book title>|type=<Format>|pages=<Multiple page numbers>}}</nowiki></code>
* <code><nowiki>{{cite book|book=<Book title>|type=<Format>|at=<Location (free-form text)>}}</nowiki></code>

Example: {{cite book|book=Myst: The Book of Atrus|type=Hardcover|pages=10–11}}

<code><nowiki>
{{cite book|book=Myst: The Book of Atrus|type=Hardcover|pages=10–11}}
</nowiki></code>

Always use the full name of the book, such as ''Myst: The Book of Atrus''. When citing the ebook version of a book, do not use device- or service-specific page numbers such as iBooks page numbers or Kindle location numbers (if your Kindle copy also has [https://web.archive.org/web/20110320023533/http://www.kindlepost.com/2011/03/kindles-real-page-numbers.html real page numbers], you may use them). Instead, cite the chapter of the book in which the quote or reference appears. If you want to be particularly precise, you can also include the section of the chapter—as determined by the D'ni number separators which break up individual scenes—or the paragraph number, as counted from the start of the chapter.

Example: {{cite book|book=Myst Reader|type=Ebook|at=''The Book of Ti'ana'' "Part Three: Fault Lines", section 4}}

<code><nowiki>
{{cite book|book=Myst Reader|type=Ebook|at=''The Book of Ti'ana'' "Part Three: Fault Lines", section 4}}
</nowiki></code>

=== Websites ===
This citation is for non-forum-based citations, such as information on Cyan's website. 

"<Page title (with link to page)>", <Website name>, accessed <Date>.

This formatting can be achieved using the {{tl|cite web}} template:

<code><nowiki>
{{cite web|url=<Link to page>|title=<Page title>|website=<Website name>|access-date=<Access date>}}
</nowiki></code>

Example: {{cite web|url=http://journals.riumplus.com|title=The Riven Journals|website=Realm of RIUM+|access-date=July 5, 2017}}

<code><nowiki>
{{cite web|url=http://journals.riumplus.com|title=The Riven Journals|website=Realm of RIUM+|access-date=July 5, 2017}}
</nowiki></code>

==== Forum Posts ====
<code><Post Author (with link to post)>, "<Thread title>". ''<Forum name>''. <Date of post>.</code>

This formatting can be achieved using the {{tl|cite forum post}} template:

<code><nowiki>
{{cite forum post|url=<Link to post>|author=<Post Author>|title=<Thread title>|forum=<Forum name>|date=<Date of post>}}
</nowiki></code>

Example: {{cite forum post|url=https://mystonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=69991#p69991|author=RAWA|title=Deciphering the Age names?|forum=Myst Online forums|date=December 11, 2006}}

<code><nowiki>
{{cite forum post|url=https://mystonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=69991#p69991|author=RAWA|title=Deciphering the Age names?|forum=Myst Online forums|date=December 11, 2006}}
</nowiki></code>

==== Archival links ====
Often, older web references may no longer be available online. In these cases, add the <code>archive-url</code> parameter with a link to an archived version of the page from the [https://web.archive.org Wayback Machine] or other archiving utility, and add <code>archive-date</code> with the date the archival version was created.

Example: {{cite web|url=http://www.rivenguild.com:80/kbahnsen/minutiamain.html|title=Minutiae|website=D'ni Desk Reference|access-date=July 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010417002719/http://www.rivenguild.com:80/kbahnsen/minutiamain.html|archive-date=April 17, 2001}}

<code><nowiki>
{{cite web|url=http://www.rivenguild.com:80/kbahnsen/minutiamain.html|title=Minutiae|website=D'ni Desk Reference|access-date=July 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010417002719/http://www.rivenguild.com:80/kbahnsen/minutiamain.html|archive-date=April 17, 2001}}
</nowiki></code>

The <code>archive-url</code> and <code>archive-date</code> parameters are supported by both {{tl|cite web}} and {{tl|cite forum post}}.

=== Email ===
In the past, Cyan posted quite a lot of information on the [[Riven Lyst]], and later on [[The Lysts]]. Historically, those emails were re-posted online on the now-defunct D'ni Desk Reference site. Some of them have also been posted in the Archive's [[Reference:Main Page|Reference]] namespace. In the event that an email needs to be referenced, the best course of action would be to first create a reference article with the full text of the email (provided all parties consent to it being posted publicly), and including a link to it in your citation. For example:

<code>Email, <Author>. "<Subject (with link if available)>". <Date received>.</code>

This formatting can be achieved using the {{tl|cite email}} template:

<code><nowiki>
{{cite email|author=<Author>|page=<Reference wiki page name, if available>|subject=<Subject>|date=<Date received>}}
</nowiki></code>

Example: {{cite email|author=RAWA|page=Reference:RAWA/Book(s) of Birenni|subject=Questions about the Book/Books of Birenni|date=May 30, 2013}}

<code><nowiki>
{{cite email|author=RAWA|page=Reference:RAWA/Book(s) of Birenni|subject=Questions about the Book/Books of Birenni|date=May 30, 2013}}
</nowiki></code>

If you do not have permission to post an email publicly, but you ''do'' have permission to release the information in the message, please cite the reference as follows, using the <code>personal-recipients</code> parameter of {{tl|cite email}}:

<code>Email, Author. "<Subject>". <Date received>. Personal Email to <recipient(s)> (unavailable to publish).</code>

<code><nowiki>
{{cite email|author=<Author>|subject=<Subject>|date=<Date received>|personal-recipients=<recipient(s)>}}
</nowiki></code>

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	Source citation is important in any factual endeavor, and the Archive is no exception. Therefore, providing references to information found in an article is desired to be as reliable and accurate as possible. If those references are cleanly formatted, they can be more easily understood and the article's information easily verified. A reference should be included for any information that cannot be verified by the game itself or by another article on the wiki.		Source citation is important in any factual endeavor, and the Archive is no exception. Therefore, providing references to information found in an article is desired to be as reliable and accurate as possible. If those references are cleanly formatted, they can be more easily understood and the article's information easily verified. A reference should be included for any information that cannot be verified by the game itself or by another article on the wiki.