Difference between revisions of "Policy:Canon"

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{{Policy}}
 
{{Policy}}
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{{nutshell|BattleTechWiki does not seek to define canonicity. Instead, that is left up to the individual guest. BTW allows all things BattleTech into its pages, segregating unlicensed material from articles on licensed subjects.}}
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{{nutshell|<br>1. BTW allows all things BattleTech onto its pages.<br>2. Fan-made or otherwise unofficial material must be segregated from official material.<br>3. BTW does not seek to decide which official products contribute canon.}}
  
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The BattleTechWiki's Canon Policy is simple: ''BattleTechWiki does not seek to define canonicity within this site''. Instead, that is left up to the individual guest. BTW allows all things [[BattleTech]] into its pages, segregating unlicensed material from articles on licensed subjects.
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==The Canon Policy==
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The [[BattleTechWiki]] (BTW) approach to the issue of [[Canon]] for the [[BattleTech]] universe is as follows:
 +
;BTW allows all things BattleTech into its pages
 +
:BTW aims to be the ultimate source of BattleTech-related material on the internet. Therefore, as established in the BTW [[Policy:Notability]], '''"Anything that has to do with BattleTech warrants inclusion"''', irrespective of whether or not it is canonical or even official. Non-canonical content such as fanzines, parodies or real-world treatsies of the BattleTech universe is explicitly included among the material that BTW seeks to cover.
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:Owing to this Wiki's origin as a fansite, fan-fiction (Fanon) is also welcome on BTW but it must be tagged as such. Contributors of fan fiction are encouraged to make use of the [http://www.battletechfanon.wikia.com/ BattleTech Fanon Wiki].
  
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As established in the BTW [[Policy:Notability]], "Anything that has to do with BattleTech warrants inclusion" on the BattleTechWiki. However, it is sometimes difficult to discern what is canon for the fictional BattleTech universe, and the canonicity of a great deal of information remains unclear. This is discussed in detail in the '''[[Canon]]''' article.
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;Unofficial material must be segregated from official material
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:BTW articles are considered to discuss canonical issues of the BattleTech universe by default. Thus, it is the exception to the rule when an article covers an apocryphal or non-canonical subject or includes such information. Such articles should therefore be tagged accordingly.
  
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The policy adopted by this Wiki is '''not to decide on the canonicity of a given source or piece of information''', and to leave it up to the individual user instead to decide what information he deems canonical for his vision of the BattleTech universe, with the assistance of the information provided here. To this end, the BattleTechWiki shall:
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;BTW does not seek to define canonicity within this site
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*present the current state of the canonicity issue (in digested form), in the [[Canon]] article;
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:The policy adopted by BTW is not to decide on the canonicity of a given source or piece of information. Instead, it is deliberately left up to the individual user to decide what information he deems canonical for his vision of the BattleTech universe.
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*cite sources for information presented;
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:The official stance is detailed in the article '''[[Canon]]'''.
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*and clearly mark any information that is not taken from an undoubtedly licensed source (or that is un-licensed) with appropriate tags.
 
  
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==Licensed Material==
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Articles covering real-world subjects such as authors or companies naturally stand outside of the canon of the fictional universe and are not affected by the Canon Policy.
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As expressed above, BattleTechWiki segregates licensed material from that produced as fan creations (or ''fanon''). The BattleTech license has been awarded to computer game companies, book publishers, miniature producers and decal artists. As long as a BattleTech product was produced by a company holding a valid license (or by the license owner), the product is considered licensed and may have an article (either source or subject) without the fan tag being applied. The following is a list of license owners and holders (and may not yet be all-inclusive): 
 
  
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'''License Owners''':
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We appreciate your adherence to this core policy and welcome you to actively join the community of Users, Creators and Editors of BattleTechWiki.
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*[[FASA]]
 
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*[[WizKids]] (a division of Topps, Inc.)
 
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'''License Holders''':
 
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*BattleCorps (a division of InMediaRes Productions, LLC)
 
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*[[Catalyst Game Labs]] (a division of InMediaRes Productions, LLC)
 
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*[[Fantasy Productions]] (Fantasy Productions Medienvertriebsgesellschaft GmbH in Germany)
 
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*FASA Studio (formerly FASA Interactive Technologies, a division of Microsoft Game Studios)
 
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*Fighting Pirannha Graphics
 
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*Ironwind Metals
 
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*RCW Enterprises
 
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*[[New American Library|Roc Books]] (a division of Penguin Group)
 
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*Saban Entertainment
 
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*Virtual World Entertainment Group (formerly Virtual World Entertainment)
 
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==Unlicensed Material==
 
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The BattleTech universe gathers much of its depth due to the efforts of its fans. Many former fans that made supporting materials have gone on to join one of the several teams that produce licensed materials. BattleTechWiki itself is a child-project of Sarna.net, a website created in 1994 by [[User:Nicjansma|Nic Jansma]], first as a database for fan creations (or ''fanon'') and then with a [http://www.sarna.net/forums/ forum] in support of his BattleTech interests.
 
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The sources of fan creation are incalculable. Some have the air of near-officialness applied to them, either due to their professional quality or because of nods in their directions by the license owners or holders. A very abbreviated list of some fanon products includes:
 
  
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*BattleTechnology magazine, by Pacific Rim Publishing Company
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==How to implement the policy==
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*Combat Books, by Nova Game Designs, inc.
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Contributors to BTW are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the official stance as outlined in [[Canon]]. Since it is the canon that defines the BattleTech universe, BTW articles are meant to represent canonical information by default. It is therefore not required to explicitly mark canonical products or information as such.
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*Invasion3042
 
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*MegaMek
 
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*[[NetMech]]
 
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*[[Neveron]]
 
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*Custom Rules (for [[CBT]], [[CBT:RPG]] or any of the other BattleTech-based games)
 
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*any custom-created article on characters, weapons, vehicles, units, factions, etc., hosted on BattleTechWiki
 
  
 +
Articles dealing with apocrypha, non-canon and fanon are the exception, and must contain a "Canonicity" section where information on their canonicity status is presented. Further, they must be tagged accordingly by inserting the appropriate tag from among the following to the very top of the article:
  
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Again, this list is far from complete. The key is the license. If the product was released under license, it is licensed; if not, it is a fan creation.
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===Articles about non-canonical products===
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:Tag: '''''<nowiki>{{NonCanonProduct}}</nowiki>
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If the subject of the article does neither (clearly) fall under Canon nor under either of the following special sub-categories (Apocrypha, Fanon), or if it is not an official (licensed) BattleTech product, then the [[Template:NonCanon]] tag should be included. This will insert the following box into the article:
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{{NonCanonProduct}}
  
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==Articles on Licensed Sources==
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===Articles about apocryphal products===
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:Tag: '''''<nowiki>{{ApocryphalProduct}}</nowiki>
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If the subject of the article does not (clearly) fall under Canon, but is an official product that contains original additional information pertaining to the BattleTech universe, then the [[Template:ApocryphalProduct]] tag should be included. This will insert the following box into the article:
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{{ApocryphalProduct}}
  
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BattleTechWiki defines a '''source article''' as an article on the site that specifically addresses one specific source of information about the overall BattleTech universe. These articles often form the basis for citations for the '''subject articles''' (the majority of the articles on BattleTechWiki). Licensed examples of '''source articles''' include:
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===Fanon articles===
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*Rulebooks:
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:Tag: '''''<nowiki>{{Fanon}}</nowiki>
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**[[Tactical Handbook]]
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If an article consists of original fan-fiction, then the [[Template:Fanon]] tag must be included. This will insert the following box into the article:
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**[[TechManual]]
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{{Fanon}}
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**[[Tactical Operations]]
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In addition, the '''''<nowiki>{{Neveron}}</nowiki>''''' tag ([[Template:Neveron]]) may be used to denote articles that deal with aspects of [[Neveron]] instead of [[BattleTech]] fanon:
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*Sourcebooks:
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{{Neveron}}
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**[[Field Manual: Crusader Clans]]
 
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**[[Handbook: House Marik]]
 
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*Technical Readouts:
 
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**[[Technical Readout: 3025 Revised]]
 
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**[[Technical Readout: Project Phoenix]]
 
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**[[Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex]]
 
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*Novels:
 
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**[[Flight of the Falcon]]
 
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**[[Ghost War]]
 
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**[[The Ruins of Power]]
 
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*Computer Games:
 
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**[[Crescent Hawks Revenge]]
 
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**[[MechWarrior III]]
 
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**[[Virtual World]]
 
  
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These articles are generally established in a similar manner: basic facts (price, producer, production code and year, creators, etc.) a summary of the source, what it includes, some notes regarding the source and a brief analytical discussion as to the general validity of the source within the BattleTech universe. Links to both internal and external articles can be found in the '''See Also''' section, when relevant.
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===Articles containing exclusively apocryphal information===
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:Tag: '''''<nowiki>{{ApocryphalContent}}</nowiki>
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If the subject and content of the article are exclusively based on a source that is itself apocryphical, then the [[Template:ApocryphalContent]] tag should be included. This will insert the following box into the article:
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{{ApocryphalContent}}
  
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==Articles on Licensed Subjects==
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===Articles containing both canonical and apocryphal information===
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BattleTechWiki defines a '''subject article''' as an article on the site that specifically addresses one aspect of the BattleTech universe, whether it a BattleMech, a war, a character, a faction, or any of a myriad number of subjects that have been introduced in the vast breadth of BattleTech. Some examples of a licensed subject article include:
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:Tag: '''''<nowiki>{{ApocryphalContentIncluded}}</nowiki>
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If content from an apocryphal source is added to an article about an otherwise canonical subject, then the [[Template:ApocryphalContentIncluded]] tag should be included. This will insert the following box into the article:
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*Vehicles:
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{{ApocryphalContentIncluded}}
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**[[Awesome]]
 
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**[[Leopard CV]]
 
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**[[Bug-Eye]]
 
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*Factions
 
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**[[Draconis Combine]]
 
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**[[Clan Jade Falcon]]
 
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**[[Fiefdom of Randis]]
 
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*Characters
 
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**[[Aleksandr Kerensky]]
 
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**[[Kali Liao]]
 
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**[[Wayne Waco]]
 
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*Units
 
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**[[Hansen's Roughriders]]
 
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**[[Northwind Highlanders]]
 
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**[[48th Shadow Division]]
 
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*Events
 
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**[[Operation Klondike]]
 
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**[[Second Exodus]]
 
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**[[War of 3039]]
 
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While all licensed sources may be used to create, build and expand a '''source article''', due to the nature of the source materials, incomplete data and obfuscations may be deliberately inserted in the products in order to provide a sense of perspective from the characters providing the data. Some data may be patently false, intended to amuse the reader; others may be in the right direction, but slightly off-track and some may be written in a style that suggests the data is verifiable from an in-universe perspective. All three examples are suitable for inclusion in any '''subject article''', but there may be a desire to indicate some or significant doubt towards the data's veracity exists. Two immediate methods of handling this are clear: 1) segregate the dubious data in a sub-section within the article, with elaboration towards why it might be less-than-reliable, 2) insert the material within the main body of the article and create a '''==Source Analysis==''' section [see [[Brotherhood_of_Randis#Source_Analysis]] for an example] where the data is discussed. Both of these methods allow the individual reader to decide whether or not the data is suspect or relevant. But, if any doubts remain, please feel free to open a topic on the article's discussion/talk page.
 
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As BattleTechWiki strives to be as precise an encyclopedia as possible, it is strongly encouraged to include citations to actual sources (to include the source's title and referencing page number, if applicable). It is imperative fan-created material is '''not''' incorporated into licensed subject articles and, if any significant doubt exists regarding an uncited statement, the statement may be removed from the article until either properly cited or consensus agrees the statement applies (in the absence of a citation). Guidance on citations can be found in the [[Help:Contents|Help section]].
 
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==Fanon Articles==
 
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BattleTechWiki encourages and accepts fan-created articles, whether they be individually derived or done as a group effort (such as by members of a Neveron faction or a roleplaying group). However, in order to foster a sense of trust in the articles on licensed materials, BattleTechWiki Editors strongly enforce the segregation of fan creations from the other articles. This is done by the Creator (or a later Editor) tagging each fan creation article with the following code at the top: '''<nowiki>{{Fanon}}</nowiki>'''. Fan-created material may '''not''' be included within the body of any licensed articles, but may be linked to in the '''==See Also (Fandom)==''' section (please feel free to add this to any articles, if it is not already present). We also ask that fan created articles not be included in any categories that does not have a derivative of the word ''''fan'''' or ''''custom'''' in the category name.
 
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We appreciate your adherence to this core policy and welcome you to actively join the community of Users, Creators and Editors of BattleTechWiki.
 
  
 +
===Fanon content===
 +
BTW editors are discouraged from adding unofficial fan-made information to articles that contain canonical or apocryphal information otherwise. Fan-created material may '''not''' be included within the body of any non-Fanon articles, but may be linked to in the '''==See Also (Fandom)==''' section (please feel free to add this to any articles, if it is not already present). We also ask that fan created articles not be included in any categories that does not have a derivative of the word "fan" or "custom" in the category name.
  
 
[[Category:Policies|Canon]]
 
[[Category:Policies|Canon]]

Revision as of 09:34, 2 November 2009

The Canon Policy

The BattleTechWiki (BTW) approach to the issue of Canon for the BattleTech universe is as follows:

BTW allows all things BattleTech into its pages
BTW aims to be the ultimate source of BattleTech-related material on the internet. Therefore, as established in the BTW Policy:Notability, "Anything that has to do with BattleTech warrants inclusion", irrespective of whether or not it is canonical or even official. Non-canonical content such as fanzines, parodies or real-world treatsies of the BattleTech universe is explicitly included among the material that BTW seeks to cover.
Owing to this Wiki's origin as a fansite, fan-fiction (Fanon) is also welcome on BTW but it must be tagged as such. Contributors of fan fiction are encouraged to make use of the BattleTech Fanon Wiki.
Unofficial material must be segregated from official material
BTW articles are considered to discuss canonical issues of the BattleTech universe by default. Thus, it is the exception to the rule when an article covers an apocryphal or non-canonical subject or includes such information. Such articles should therefore be tagged accordingly.
BTW does not seek to define canonicity within this site
The policy adopted by BTW is not to decide on the canonicity of a given source or piece of information. Instead, it is deliberately left up to the individual user to decide what information he deems canonical for his vision of the BattleTech universe.
The official stance is detailed in the article Canon.

Articles covering real-world subjects such as authors or companies naturally stand outside of the canon of the fictional universe and are not affected by the Canon Policy.

We appreciate your adherence to this core policy and welcome you to actively join the community of Users, Creators and Editors of BattleTechWiki.

How to implement the policy

Contributors to BTW are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the official stance as outlined in Canon. Since it is the canon that defines the BattleTech universe, BTW articles are meant to represent canonical information by default. It is therefore not required to explicitly mark canonical products or information as such.

Articles dealing with apocrypha, non-canon and fanon are the exception, and must contain a "Canonicity" section where information on their canonicity status is presented. Further, they must be tagged accordingly by inserting the appropriate tag from among the following to the very top of the article:

Articles about non-canonical products

Tag: {{NonCanonProduct}}

If the subject of the article does neither (clearly) fall under Canon nor under either of the following special sub-categories (Apocrypha, Fanon), or if it is not an official (licensed) BattleTech product, then the Template:NonCanon tag should be included. This will insert the following box into the article:


Articles about apocryphal products

Tag: {{ApocryphalProduct}}

If the subject of the article does not (clearly) fall under Canon, but is an official product that contains original additional information pertaining to the BattleTech universe, then the Template:ApocryphalProduct tag should be included. This will insert the following box into the article:


Fanon articles

Tag: {{Fanon}}

If an article consists of original fan-fiction, then the Template:Fanon tag must be included. This will insert the following box into the article:

In addition, the {{Neveron}} tag (Template:Neveron) may be used to denote articles that deal with aspects of Neveron instead of BattleTech fanon: Template:Neveron

Articles containing exclusively apocryphal information

Tag: {{ApocryphalContent}}

If the subject and content of the article are exclusively based on a source that is itself apocryphical, then the Template:ApocryphalContent tag should be included. This will insert the following box into the article:



Articles containing both canonical and apocryphal information

Tag: {{ApocryphalContentIncluded}}

If content from an apocryphal source is added to an article about an otherwise canonical subject, then the Template:ApocryphalContentIncluded tag should be included. This will insert the following box into the article: Template:ApocryphalContentIncluded

Fanon content

BTW editors are discouraged from adding unofficial fan-made information to articles that contain canonical or apocryphal information otherwise. Fan-created material may not be included within the body of any non-Fanon articles, but may be linked to in the ==See Also (Fandom)== section (please feel free to add this to any articles, if it is not already present). We also ask that fan created articles not be included in any categories that does not have a derivative of the word "fan" or "custom" in the category name.

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