MTG Wiki:Policies and guidelines
This article is about an MTG Wiki policy. Policies are descriptions of the consensus behavior of all editors, not laws. If you believe this article is inaccurate, or believe that these standards should be changed, please start a new Discussion. |
MTG Wiki's policies and guidelines are developed by the community to describe best practices, clarify principles, resolve conflicts, and otherwise further our goal of creating a free, reliable encyclopedia.
There is no need to read any policy or guideline pages to start editing.
We operate like most other wikis, and if you're familiar with contributing to any wiki, you should feel at home editing here. If you'd prefer to do some reading first, this page will cover things that might be different from other wikis you've used. If you've never considered contributing to a wiki and really like reading before you start, you might check out the parallel to this page over on Wikipedia, where the first lines will sound familiar.
There are a few things that we do differently from Wikipedia. Some of this is due to the nature of the topics we cover, and we share those things in common with other narrowly-focused wikis, particularly gaming wikis. Some of this is because the MTG Wiki comprises a relatively large proportion of all fan writing on Magic, and holding submissions here to Wikipedia's standards would lead to the loss of valuable community resources.
These guidelines are recommendations regarding the work you and others do to build this wiki. Formal Terms of Service, including the license under which you release your contributions, can be found over here.
Manual of Style
The Manual of Style documents MTG Wiki conventions regarding grammar, spelling, naming, and similar topics.
Content tools and guidelines
MTG Wiki has many templates to make it easier for editors to build articles. Virtually every page on MTG Wiki uses templates in some way, including referencing sources, including mana symbols in text, and constructing navboxes.
Many articles share a structure with related articles. The common structure makes it easier for readers to find the information they are looking for, and guides editors towards useful contributions.
Notability
Notability is the quality that determines whether a topic should have a full article, or be documented on MTG Wiki at all. A key indicator of notability is the existence of coverage to cite as sources. However, all named game mechanics, all Wizards of the Coast Magic products, and many fictional elements (like characters) are implicitly notable.
Secondary sources
Unlike Wikipedia, MTG Wiki does not generally demand secondary sources. Many of the articles here deal with game mechanics and lore, for which Wizards of the Coast and its publications are the authoritative source. For articles about these topics, relying on primary sources is expected.
Original research and verifiability
MTG Wiki tolerates original research where no independent reporting exists, and for plain statements of fact about the game's mechanics and lore. Editors acting as researchers should avoid bias, make contributions that are verifiable in principle, and thoroughly source their claims.