View source for Evolutionary:Style guide

This page explains how articles on the Evolutionary wiki are written and laid out, so the wiki reads as one consistent encyclopedia no matter who wrote each page. When in doubt, look at how an existing article does it, or ask on this page's talk page.

== Voice and tone ==
* '''Write like an encyclopedia inside the universe.''' Describe things as facts of the Evolutionary universe, in the third person ("The Draconis koi communicates through…"), not as a story or from the author's view.
* '''Use present tense''' for things that still exist (species, planets, organisations) and '''past tense''' for events and things that are gone.
* '''Out-of-universe notes''' (inspirations, design notes, ideas that aren't decided yet) go in a section called ''Behind the scenes'' at the bottom of the article.
* '''Use metric units''' (metres, kilograms, °C). Give Earth comparisons where they help: "about the size of a house cat".

== Naming pages ==
* Name species pages by their '''common name''' (e.g. ''Draconis Koi'', ''Hurricane Fungus''). If a species has no common name, use its scientific name.
* Use '''sentence case''' for everything except proper names: ''Floating algae colonies'', not ''Floating Algae Colonies'', unless the words are the proper name of the species or place.
* Create a '''redirect''' from the scientific name and any other names to the main page, so links and searches find it. A redirect is a page containing only <code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Main page name]]</nowiki></code>.

== Scientific names ==
* Write scientific names in ''italics'', with the first word capitalised and the second in lower case: ''Chlorophyta carbo'', ''Dolor piscium''.
* The species infobox italicises the <code>scientific_name</code> field for you, so type it without the italic marks there.

== How an article starts ==
* The '''first sentence''' says what the subject is, with the page name in '''bold''':<br><code><nowiki>The '''Draconis koi''' (''Dolor piscium'') is a semi-sapient fish native to the Sigma Draconis system.</nowiki></code>
* Put templates in this order at the very top of the page: notices ({{tl|WIP}}, {{tl|Stub}}), then the infobox, then the first sentence.

== Article layout ==
Use the sections that apply, in this order, and skip the rest. For finished pages, see the example [[Evolutionary:Example species|species]], [[Evolutionary:Example planet|planet]] and [[Evolutionary:Example system|system]] pages.

; Species
: Description · Biology · Behaviour · Habitat and range · Society and culture ''(sapient species)'' · History / Discovery · Behind the scenes
; Planets and moons
: Overview · Geography · Climate · Life · History · Behind the scenes
; Star systems
: Overview · Planets · Life · History · Behind the scenes

Use <code><nowiki>== Section ==</nowiki></code> for sections and <code><nowiki>=== Sub-section ===</nowiki></code> below them. Don't use single <code>=</code> headings, since that's the page title.

== Linking ==
* Link the '''first mention''' of another species, planet or system in each article; don't link every mention.
* It's fine to link to pages that don't exist yet. Red links show what still needs writing (see [[Special:WantedPages]]).

== Images ==
* Upload with [[Special:Upload]], using a descriptive file name (''Draconis Koi swimming.png'', not ''IMG_2041.png'').
* Only upload images you made or have permission to use, and say where it came from in the upload description.
* Every image in an article should have a short caption.

== Creating pages ==
Start new articles from [[Evolutionary:Create a page]], linked as '''Create a page''' in the sidebar's '''Contribute''' menu and in the Writer's desk on the Main Page. Both are only visible to writers.

Type the name and press the button. The new page opens with:
* the right infobox, ready to fill in,
* the usual sections for that kind of article,
* a {{tl|Stub}} notice.

When you save, the page is added to its category automatically. Remove the {{tl|Stub}} notice once the article covers its subject properly.

== Adding a new category ==
Use '''Create category''' on [[Evolutionary:Create a page]]. The new category is added to [[:Category:Universe]], so it appears on the Main Page and the About page automatically.

Two things are not automatic yet:
* '''The sidebar.''' To add the new category there, edit [[MediaWiki:Sidebar]].
* '''Filling the category.''' Pages join a category automatically when their infobox adds them, like {{tl|Infobox species}} does. A new kind of page needs its own infobox for that. Until then, add <code><nowiki>[[Category:Name]]</nowiki></code> to the bottom of each page.

== Templates ==
In the visual editor, use '''Insert → Template''' and search for the name. Each one shows a form with every field explained. All fields are optional, and empty ones are hidden.

{| class="wikitable"
! Template !! Use it for
|-
| {{tl|Infobox species}} || Any living organism: plant, animal, fungus, microbe or sapient species. Adds the page to [[:Category:Species]].
|-
| {{tl|Infobox planet}} || Planets and moons. Adds the page to [[:Category:Planets]].
|-
| {{tl|Infobox star system}} || Star systems. Adds the page to [[:Category:Systems]].
|-
| {{tl|Stub}} || Articles that cover the basics but need more detail.
|-
| {{tl|WIP}} || Articles someone is actively writing. Add a name: <code><nowiki>{{WIP|YourName}}</nowiki></code>.
|-
| {{tl|Notice}} || A one-off notice banner with your own text.
|}

== Edits and discussion ==
* Write a short '''edit summary''' when you save ("added diet section", "fixed typo").
* For big changes to someone else's article, especially one marked {{tl|WIP}}, ask on the article's '''talk page''' first.
* Canon questions (is this part of the universe or not?) go to [[User:ItsChugg|ItsChugg]].