| Revision as of 15:02, 6 July 2007 editTony Sidaway (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers81,722 editsmNo edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:03, 6 July 2007 edit undoTony Sidaway (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers81,722 edits "it is recommended that the use of spoiler alerts minimized" -> "the use of spoiler alerts is minimized" (declarative style is better)Next edit → | ||
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| A ''']''' is a piece of information in an article about a narrative work (such as a book, feature film, television show or video game) that reveals ] ]s or ]s. | A ''']''' is a piece of information in an article about a narrative work (such as a book, feature film, television show or video game) that reveals ] ]s or ]s. | ||
| Spoilers on the Internet are sometimes preceded by a spoiler warning.<ref>Examples include ], ], and ].</ref> In Misplaced Pages articles, for purposes of style and clarity, |
Spoilers on the Internet are sometimes preceded by a spoiler warning.<ref>Examples include ], ], and ].</ref> In Misplaced Pages articles, for purposes of style and clarity, the use of spoiler alerts is minimized, though they are acceptable as an exception to our general guideline, ], when there is consensus for their inclusion. | ||
| Concerns about spoilers should play no role in decisions about the structure or content of an article, including the article's ]. When adding a spoiler in the lead section, remember that Misplaced Pages is written from a real-world perspective; what is exciting in the context of a fictional universe is almost certainly a standard ] in literary construction. | Concerns about spoilers should play no role in decisions about the structure or content of an article, including the article's ]. When adding a spoiler in the lead section, remember that Misplaced Pages is written from a real-world perspective; what is exciting in the context of a fictional universe is almost certainly a standard ] in literary construction. | ||
Revision as of 15:03, 6 July 2007
- For Misplaced Pages guidelines regarding warnings in general, see Misplaced Pages:No disclaimer templates (WP:NDT).
 | This page documents an English Misplaced Pages style guideline. Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page. | Shortcuts |
 | This page's designation as a policy or guideline is disputed or under discussion. Please see the relevant talk page discussion for further information. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Misplaced Pages contains revealing plot details of fictional works; this is expected. Spoiler warnings should only be used in articles about fictional subjects. When adding or removing a spoiler warning, be prepared to obtain consensus. |
A spoiler is a piece of information in an article about a narrative work (such as a book, feature film, television show or video game) that reveals plot events or twists.
Spoilers on the Internet are sometimes preceded by a spoiler warning. In Misplaced Pages articles, for purposes of style and clarity, the use of spoiler alerts is minimized, though they are acceptable as an exception to our general guideline, no disclaimers in articles, when there is consensus for their inclusion.
Concerns about spoilers should play no role in decisions about the structure or content of an article, including the article's lead section. When adding a spoiler in the lead section, remember that Misplaced Pages is written from a real-world perspective; what is exciting in the context of a fictional universe is almost certainly a standard plot device in literary construction.
Spoiler warnings
When spoiler warnings should not be used
- Spoiler warnings must not interfere with neutral point of view, completeness, encyclopedic tone, or any other element of article quality.
- Spoiler warnings are usually inappropriate in articles discussing classical works of literature, poetry and theatre. Some films may fairly be described as classics, but there is far less agreement on this. Fairy tales should never have spoiler warnings. In grey areas, editors placing spoiler templates should use the article's talk page to discuss the matter.
- Spoilers and spoiler warnings should be avoided in articles on non-fictional subjects. If explicit spoilers are mentioned in non-fiction articles (e.g. articles on authors, real-life locations in which (a) fictional text(s) is set, or literary concepts like climax), consider whether the spoiler improves the encyclopedic quality of the article. It may be better to remove the example.
- Spoiler warnings are usually redundant when used to cover an entire "Plot" or "Synopsis" heading, or fictional "History" headings of any sort in articles whose subject is fictional, since spoilers are to be expected in a plot summary. Spoiler tags may be permissible in a subsection of a "Plot" heading, where there is consensus that the spoiler is particularly significant.
- Spoiler warnings should not be used when they can be replaced by more accurate heading information. If a "Themes" heading starts with a plot description, the best thing to do is break the plot description into a separate heading. If there are no headings, it is usually better to add them.
- Articles about fictional characters, objects, or places can be expected to include significant elements of the story. They should not typically need global spoiler warnings.
When spoiler warnings may be appropriate
- Spoiler tags may be appropriate when information appears in unexpected places, such as a "Character" heading, if there is consensus that this is necessary. But spoiler tags shouldn't be used in lieu of organising information properly.
- Spoiler tags are more likely to be appropriate in newer works than in older works. Movies currently in first release, TV shows that haven't aired in all major markets, and books that have only been released in hardcover are more likely candidates for spoiler tags than a film from 1935, though exceptions may exist on either side. Note that this does not imply that spoiler tags become redundant shortly after the work of fiction reaches market.
- Very rarely, a spoiler warning may appear in the article lead. The presumption should be that the article lead should not need to warn about plot spoilers that are significant enough to appear in the lead.
How to add or remove spoiler warnings
- Where it is appropriate, a {{Spoiler}} tag can be used to mark spoiler sections, with {{Endspoiler}} to mark the end. Whether one is adding or removing, be sure to do both. Do not improvise such warnings in plain text, always use the templates.
Unacceptable alternatives
The following methods should never be used in relation to spoilers:
- Deleting information from an article about a work of fiction because it spoils the plot.
- Structuring an article around spoilers or confining them to a particular area (e.g. under ==Plot==) when unnecessary or in a way that decreases article quality.
- Making spoiler-free parallel versions (content forks). Creating parallel versions outside of Misplaced Pages is acceptable.
- The insertion of blank lines before a spoiler.
- Concealing spoilers using codes such as ROT13.
- Setting the text and background colors to the same color using HTML, so the reader has to highlight the text to read it.
Notes
- Examples include GameFAQs, Television Without Pity, and TV.com.
- An explicit spoiler mentions the work of fiction concerned.