Difference between revisions of "Policy:Canon"

m
(22 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
{{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.}}
+
{{Policy}}
 +
{{nutshell|<br />1. BTW allows all things BattleTech onto its pages.<br />2. BTW does not seek to decide which official products contribute canon.<br />3. Material from fan-made or otherwise unofficial sources must be segregated from official material.<br />4. BTW does not publish fan fiction.}}
  
−
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.
+
==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 an all-inclusive source of BattleTech-related information. 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 subjects, such as fanzines, parodies or real-world treatises of the BattleTech universe, are explicitly included among the material that BTW seeks to cover.
  
−
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.
+
;BTW does not seek to decide which official products contribute canon
 +
:The [[Line Developer]]'s official ruling on the issue of what is Canon and what is not, i.e. the stance of the owners of the intellectual property that is BattleTech, is detailed in the article '''[[Canon]]'''. BTW deliberately leaves it to the individual user to interpret that ruling and decide what information he deems canonical for his personal vision of the BattleTech universe. The policy adopted by BTW is not to decide on the canonicity of a given source or piece of information, and apply appropriate tags to highlight articles where Canonicity could be considered problematic.  
  
−
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:
+
::''See also [[Canon#Conflicting_information|Canon]] in regards to the hierarchy of canonicity of conflicting sources.''
−
*present the current state of the canonicity issue (in digested form), in the [[Canon]] article;
 
−
*cite sources for information presented;
 
−
*and clearly mark any information that is not taken from an undoubtedly licensed source (or that is un-licensed) with appropriate tags.
 
  
−
==Licensed Material==
+
;Material from fan-made or otherwise unofficial sources must be segregated from official material
−
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): 
+
:BTW articles are considered to discuss official issues of the BattleTech universe by default. Articles pertaining to unofficial topics or subjects (such as Fanon/fan fiction) must therefore be tagged accordingly. In this context, even the work of a person who is a BattleTech author otherwise is considered Fanon if it was not produced in an official capacity.
 +
:[[Meta-source]]s, i.e. unofficial compilations of information from other, canonical sources, are not regarded as canonical themselves and are not valid as references for articles on official subjects. In any case where they have been cited, the statements themselves may be challenged with the '''<nowiki>{{citation needed}}</nowiki>''' template and the meta-source citation removed.
  
−
'''License Owners''':
+
;BTW does not publish fan fiction
−
*[[FASA]]
+
:Owing to BTW's origin as a fansite, we used to permit fan-fiction (Fanon) on this site. This has been changed by [[Policy talk:Fanon|user consensus]], with the approval of the site owner. As a result, fan fiction may not be posted on this site anymore and existing fan fiction content has been transferred over to the [http://www.battletechfanon.wikia.com/ BattleTech Fanon Wiki].
−
*[[WizKids]] (a division of Topps, Inc.)
+
:As per ruling #1 above, articles ''about'' individual pieces of Fanon/fan fiction are still permissible, if the subject in question has been published elsewhere and is notable enough.
 +
:See [[Policy:Fanon]] for details.
  
−
'''License Holders''':
+
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.
−
*BattleCorps (a division of InMediaRes Productions, LLC)
 
−
*[[Catalyst Game Labs]] (a division of InMediaRes Productions, LLC)
 
−
*[[Fantasy Productions]] (Fantasy Productions Medienvertriebsgesellschaft GmbH in Germany)
 
−
*FASA Studio (formerly FASA Interactive Technologies, a division of Microsoft Game Studios)
 
−
*Fighting Pirannha Graphics
 
−
*Ironwind Metals
 
−
*RCW Enterprises
 
−
*[[New American Library|Roc Books]] (a division of Penguin Group)
 
−
*Saban Entertainment
 
−
*Virtual World Entertainment Group (formerly Virtual World Entertainment)
 
  
−
==Unlicensed Material==
+
We appreciate your adherence to this core policy and welcome you to actively join the community of users and editors of BattleTechWiki.
−
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.  
 
  
−
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:
+
==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 (clearly) canonical products or information as such.
  
−
*BattleTechnology magazine, by Pacific Rim Publishing Company
+
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 top of the article:
−
*Combat Books, by Nova Game Designs, inc.
 
−
*Invasion3042
 
−
*MegaMek
 
−
*[[NetMech]]
 
−
*[[Neveron]]
 
−
*Custom Rules (for [[CBT]], [[CBT:RPG]] or any of the other BattleTech-based games)
 
−
*any custom-created article on characters, weapons, vehicles, units, factions, etc., hosted on BattleTechWiki
 
  
 +
===Articles about non-canonical subjects===
 +
:Tag: '''''<nowiki>{{NotCanon}}</nowiki>
 +
If the subject of the article does neither (clearly) fall under either Canon or Apocrypha, or if it is not an official (licensed) BattleTech product (i.e. Fanon/fan fiction), then the [[Template:NotCanon]] tag should be included. This will insert the following box into the article:
 +
{{NotCanon}}
  
−
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.
+
===Articles about apocryphal products===
 +
:Tag: '''''<nowiki>{{ApocryphalProduct}}</nowiki>
 +
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:
 +
{{ApocryphalProduct}}
  
−
==Articles on Licensed Sources==
+
===Articles containing exclusively apocryphal information===
 +
:Tag: '''''<nowiki>{{ApocryphalArticle}}</nowiki>
 +
If the subject and content of the article are exclusively based on a source that is itself apocryphal, then the [[Template:ApocryphalArticle]] tag should be included. This will insert the following box into the article:
 +
{{ApocryphalArticle}}
  
−
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:
+
===Articles containing both canonical and apocryphal information===
−
*Rulebooks:
+
:Tags: '''''<nowiki>{{ApocryphalContentStart}}</nowiki>''''' and '''''<nowiki>{{ApocryphalContentEnd}}</nowiki>
−
**[[Tactical Handbook]]
+
If content from an apocryphal source is added to an article about an otherwise canonical subject, then these templates ([[Template:ApocryphalContentStart]] &  [[Template:ApocryphalContentEnd]]) should be used to mark those parts of the article that are based on apocryphal sources. Note that unlike the other tags, these should not be put at the top of the article. This will insert the following boxes into the article:
−
**[[TechManual]]
+
{{ApocryphalContentStart}}
−
**[[Tactical Operations]]
+
(Apocryphal Content goes here.)
−
*Sourcebooks:
+
{{ApocryphalContentEnd}}
−
**[[Field Manual: Crusader Clans]]
 
−
**[[Handbook: House Marik]]
 
−
*Technical Readouts:
 
−
**[[Technical Readout: 3025 Revised]]
 
−
**[[Technical Readout: Project Phoenix]]
 
−
**[[Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex]]
 
−
*Novels:
 
−
**[[Flight of the Falcon]]
 
−
**[[Ghost War]]
 
−
**[[The Ruins of Power]]
 
−
*Computer Games:
 
−
**[[Crescent Hawks Revenge]]
 
−
**[[MechWarrior III]]
 
−
**[[Virtual World]]
 
−
 
 
−
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.
 
−
 
 
−
==Articles on Licensed Subjects==
 
−
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:
 
−
 
 
−
*Vehicles:
 
−
**[[Awesome]]
 
−
**[[Leopard CV]]
 
−
**[[Bug-Eye]]
 
−
*Factions
 
−
**[[Draconis Combine]]
 
−
**[[Clan Jade Falcon]]
 
−
**[[Fiefdom of Randis]]
 
−
*Characters
 
−
**[[Aleksandr Kerensky]]
 
−
**[[Kali Liao]]
 
−
**[[Wayne Waco]]
 
−
*Units
 
−
**[[Hansen's Roughriders]]
 
−
**[[Northwind Highlanders]]
 
−
**[[48th Shadow Division]]
 
−
*Events
 
−
**[[Operation Klondike]]
 
−
**[[Second Exodus]]
 
−
**[[War of 3039]]
 
−
 
 
−
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.
 
−
 
 
−
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]].
 
−
 
 
−
==Fanon Articles==
 
−
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.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
We appreciate your adherence to this core policy and welcome you to actively join the community of Users, Creators and Editors of BattleTechWiki.
 

Revision as of 18:03, 1 August 2022

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 an all-inclusive source of BattleTech-related information. 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 subjects, such as fanzines, parodies or real-world treatises of the BattleTech universe, are explicitly included among the material that BTW seeks to cover.
BTW does not seek to decide which official products contribute canon
The Line Developer's official ruling on the issue of what is Canon and what is not, i.e. the stance of the owners of the intellectual property that is BattleTech, is detailed in the article Canon. BTW deliberately leaves it to the individual user to interpret that ruling and decide what information he deems canonical for his personal vision of the BattleTech universe. The policy adopted by BTW is not to decide on the canonicity of a given source or piece of information, and apply appropriate tags to highlight articles where Canonicity could be considered problematic.
See also Canon in regards to the hierarchy of canonicity of conflicting sources.
Material from fan-made or otherwise unofficial sources must be segregated from official material
BTW articles are considered to discuss official issues of the BattleTech universe by default. Articles pertaining to unofficial topics or subjects (such as Fanon/fan fiction) must therefore be tagged accordingly. In this context, even the work of a person who is a BattleTech author otherwise is considered Fanon if it was not produced in an official capacity.
Meta-sources, i.e. unofficial compilations of information from other, canonical sources, are not regarded as canonical themselves and are not valid as references for articles on official subjects. In any case where they have been cited, the statements themselves may be challenged with the {{citation needed}} template and the meta-source citation removed.
BTW does not publish fan fiction
Owing to BTW's origin as a fansite, we used to permit fan-fiction (Fanon) on this site. This has been changed by user consensus, with the approval of the site owner. As a result, fan fiction may not be posted on this site anymore and existing fan fiction content has been transferred over to the BattleTech Fanon Wiki.
As per ruling #1 above, articles about individual pieces of Fanon/fan fiction are still permissible, if the subject in question has been published elsewhere and is notable enough.
See Policy:Fanon for details.

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 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 (clearly) 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 top of the article:

Articles about non-canonical subjects

Tag: {{NotCanon}}

If the subject of the article does neither (clearly) fall under either Canon or Apocrypha, or if it is not an official (licensed) BattleTech product (i.e. Fanon/fan fiction), then the Template:NotCanon 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:


Articles containing exclusively apocryphal information

Tag: {{ApocryphalArticle}}

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


Articles containing both canonical and apocryphal information

Tags: {{ApocryphalContentStart}} and {{ApocryphalContentEnd}}

If content from an apocryphal source is added to an article about an otherwise canonical subject, then these templates (Template:ApocryphalContentStart & Template:ApocryphalContentEnd) should be used to mark those parts of the article that are based on apocryphal sources. Note that unlike the other tags, these should not be put at the top of the article. This will insert the following boxes into the article:

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

(Apocryphal Content goes here.)

Apocryphal Content Ends

Retrieved from "https://www.sarna.net/wiki/index.php?title=Policy:Canon&oldid=865791"