Policy:BattleTech Essays

BattleTech Essays should not be confused with BattleTechWiki Essays!
See also: Policy:Fanon and Policy:Notability


On the Sarna BattleTechWiki, BattleTech Essays are articles that seek to explain or investigate certain aspects of the BattleTech universe that have not been directly covered in official publications.

They should not be confused with BattleTechWiki Essays which deal with administrative matters on the BattleTechWiki instead of the BattleTech universe.

Policy[edit]

BattleTech Essays seek to explain Canon
In accordance with our Policy:Notability, BattleTech Essays should be used sparingly and only for informative content. The notability of any given BattleTech Essay may be challenged at any time, and is ultimately subject to user consensus, to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
BattleTech Essays do not seek to add to Canon
While BattleTech Essays may contain or point out information that is merely inferred from official publications, or even fill in blanks with educated guesswork, they are neither intended to add original content to BattleTech Canon nor are they in any position to do so. In this sense, BattleTech Essays can be regarded as meta-sources that are not canonical themselves, but exist as compilations of canonical information with added analysis of the data.
BattleTech Essays are not ongoing discussions
Typically, a BattleTech Essay should cover its subject matter completely and comprehensively. They are not the place for ongoing debate.

Naming and categorization[edit]

When naming BattleTech Essay articles, make sure to give the article name the prefix "Essay:" as to place the page in that namespace. BattleTech essays are usually added to the Category:BattleTech Essays category via {{battletech essay}} and essays in the User namespace are normally edited only by the user that hosts the page and are categorized with Category:User essays, usually via {{user essay}}. User essays may be moved categorically into the Essay namespace and this category if they are frequently referenced, as evidenced by becoming an evolving expression of multiple editors. Essays can also be moved into userspace (or deleted) if they are found to be unhelpful or to contradict a settled point of policy.

Authors are encouraged to include references where possible, and to cite as much proof and evidence from canon as possible for any inferences or educated guesses made throughout the work.

If the original author permits it, Essays may be taken from forum entries or other external sources. In this case, please make sure to credit the original author.