BattleTechWiki:Manual of Style/References

As it is the goal of BattleTechWiki to enable each Reader to find the original source for any fact found within an article, the proper citation of sources is critical. This page explains how to create numbered footnotes and references using <ref>,</ref>, and <references/> syntax, which is the current best-practice method in most circumstances.

Inserting references or footnotes

Readers and Editors of BattleTechWiki will find articles in one of four different states, when it comes to being properly referenced: non-cited, basic, specific and detailed. It is the ultimate intention for each article on the wiki to exist within a consistent framework in comparison to other similar articles, with detailed references displayed at the bottom of the page, as warranted for proper research sources. However, as BTW is completely a volunteer effort, the time, skill and details provided by each Editor will vary. It is the intention that follow-on editors will continue to improve the article, to include the method of sourcing the article's statements.

Non-cited References

There is much necessary to define a non-cited article. It will have an article of any possible value, from being a stub-length to a fully-scoped out article with considerable detail. However, no Editors will have spared the time to indicate where the information found in the article can be located in canon and there will be no ==References== section located below. This article may or may not be of any value to a casual Reader, but it will most definitely not be worth much to a Reader seeking canon confirmation for a question they might have about the BattleTech universe, especially if they doubt the value BattleTechWiki has to canonicity.

Basic References

This article will, thankfully, include at least some sources indicating where the interested Reader may go to get either more information or confirmation of the article's sources. However, as it only lists the titles of the sources, it is left up to the Reader to look through the source until he finds the relevant information. Still, it is better than nothing and the Editors at BTW implore their fellows to provide at least this much.

The format for Basic citing is:

• A section called References is made. It can be created by placing the following code at the bottom of the page:

 ==References==

• Underneath that, an asterisk (*) is placed for each title
• The source is then listed next to the asterisk:

1. First two single quotes ('') are typed,
2. followed by two open brackets ([[),
3. then the title of the source (in the manner consistent with its BTW article name),
4. followed up by two close brackets (]]) and
5. then two more single quotes ('').

So, if you were to cite the two books FedCom Civil War and AeroTech 2 by typing this:

    *''[[FedCom Civil War]]''
    *''[[AeroTech 2]]''

when saved, it would look like this:

FedCom Civil War AeroTech 2

Specific References

The more detail an Editor can provide an article, the more value that article has to Readers and other Editors later on. While citing at least the title source used within an article is appreciated, providing a bit more detail offers so much more to the article and the BattleTechWiki project. With Specific References, the Editor not only provides the title, but he narrows down the source search considerably, by offering more information to those that follow, with a minimum of page numbers comprising the information found in the article.

The format for a specified reference is title (as shown above in the Basic References section), followed by the page(s) and section title. For example:

FedCom Civil War, p. 104 AeroTech 2, pp. 35-37, "Strafing"

Notice in the first reference, FedCom Civil War, the article references just one page from that title, as indicated by a solitary 'p', followed by a period. If the Editor chooses, he provides the section title from the source, between two double quotes {"). For the second reference, AeroTech 2, the relevant data spans several pages of the "Strafing" section, as indicated by a double 'p', indicating the full range of releavnt pages.

When a source is scattered throughout the book, the Editor has the choice of simply listing the various pages (without the section titles), or combining both together (separated by semi-colons), as show below:

FedCom Civil War, p. 104, pp. 120-121, p. 133 AeroTech 2, pp. 35-37, "Strafing"; p. 107, "Combat Drops"; pp. 116-117, "Basic Jump Procedure"

An Editor may also make use of the reference to provide some details that would not be appropriate within the article itself. For example:

FedCom Civil War, p. 104, pp. 120-121, p. 133 - The book suggests it was actually Peter, not Victor, that made this statement, as indicated on p. 133; this editor presumes it was just an editorial mistake. AeroTech 2, pp. 35-37, "Strafing"; p. 107, "Combat Drops"; pp. 116-117, "Basic Jump Procedure" - This book says passengers are more likely to see green clovers and blue diamonds while jumping thru hyperspace, while the original AeroTech was clear that they would only seen pink hearts and purple horseshoes.

Detailed References

The perfect article would include detailed references. However, it is understood that this method is very time consuming and may be too challenging for the average Editor. However, it provides the most definitive method of sourcing expected from a fan project of this scope, and is familiar with the more scholastic fans of the BattleTech universe.

Detailed referencing differs from both Basic and Specific in the manner in which it gets into the "guts" of the article, in order to provide the most comprehensive source citing possible. If the data from a complete paragraph can be found on one page (or one range of pages) from one source, the reference is generally added to the end of the paragraph. However, if the paragraph as written combines facts compiled from multiple pages or even multiple sources, the citations may be found within the paragraph itself, generally following a sentence (though it is not unheard of to find references within the sentences themselves, when clarity is most valued).

The MediaWiki software BattleTechWiki utilizes is very capable at providing the depth necessary for this in-depth citation work. There are two methods by which intra-article citations can be completed. The first, which is more common, tends to require a bit more work, though careful cutting-&-pasting can help alleviate this.

Single citation of a reference or footnote

At the point of citation in the article, enter the footnote or reference like this:

<ref>Excel For Dummies, First Edition, Hungry Minds, Inc., 1980.</ref>

You can include formatting and links in the footnote or reference in the usual way. The reference will become visible in the <references/> list at the bottom, if there is one.

Creating the list of References or Footnotes

At the point where you want the text of the footnotes or references to appear (usually at the end of the article in a Notes or References section), insert the tag:

<references/>

The template {{Reflist}} is an alternative, mostly used if there are many footnotes.

Multiple citations of the same reference or footnote

To cite the same reference or footnote several times, identify it using the name parameter of the <ref> tag.

At one of the citation points (it makes sense to choose the first), enter the reference like this:

<ref name="Perry">Perry's Handbook, Sixth Edition, McGraw-Hill Co., 1984.</ref>

Then at all the other citation points, just enter:

<ref name="Perry"/>

You are free to pick any footnote name, subject to a few rules. the footnote name is internal and will not be displayed anywhere when the page is viewed. Footnote names are case sensitive and may not be a numeric integer. The quotes are optional unless the name or group includes a space, punctuation or other mark. Names and groups should be kept simple and restricted to the standard English alphabet and numerals.

Using templates to insert reference text

A number of templates, such as a generic {{citation}}, or more specific {{cite book}}, {{cite web}}, etc., are available to format the text between <ref> and </ref> tags in a more structured way. These are described at Wikipedia:Citation templates. Their use is optional: they do aid with consistent formatting, but on the other hand they can make editing more cumbersome.

References or footnotes missing

When you want to note that a reference is needed, use the template {{fact}} within the text, in the same place where the <ref> should be.

If many footnotes and/or references are needed consider tagging the article with a specific template, instead of tagging every reference needed.

What it looks like

The <ref> tags in the main text are converted to auto-numbered superscripts, and {{fact}} is expanded to "citation needed", like this:

The only reference to Excel For Dummies. The first reference to Perry's Handbook. The second reference to Perry's Handbook and to another, related book. A statement that requires a reference.Template:Fact The only reference to Linux in a Nutshell. And third reference to Perry's Handbook.

Clicking on a numbered superscript takes you straight to the text of the corresponding footnote or reference.

The <references/> tag is expanded to show the text of the footnotes or references against their corresponding numbers, like this:

For single citations, clicking on the caret (^) takes you to the point of citation in the main text. For multiple citations, the links back to the main text are distinguished by letter superscripts (a, b, c etc.). Clicking on a letter superscript takes you to the corresponding citation in the main text.

Technical note

A MediaWiki site (such as Wikipedia) must have the extension Cite/Cite.php implemented to have the <ref> and <references/> tags rendered. Extensions like Cite/Cite.php are installed after installing MediaWiki.