| Revision as of 23:46, 8 July 2007 editPhilipreuben (talk | contribs)177 edits Reverting David Gerard's rash of changes. Discussion is open about all of these matters on the talk page, but we're avoiding large changes for the moment.← Previous edit | Revision as of 23:51, 8 July 2007 edit undoTony Sidaway (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers81,722 edits reverting that. Seems like a good refactoring.Next edit → | ||
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| As the lead section of an article is of particular importance, concerns about placing spoiler alerts in the lead should be governed by Misplaced Pages's ]. | As the lead section of an article is of particular importance, concerns about placing spoiler alerts in the lead should be governed by Misplaced Pages's ]. | ||
| 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. | |||
| ==Spoiler warnings== | ==Spoiler warnings== | ||
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| ===When spoiler warnings may be appropriate=== | ===When spoiler warnings may be appropriate=== | ||
| * Spoiler tags may be appropriate when significant plot information appears in unexpected places |
* Spoiler tags may be appropriate when significant plot information appears in unexpected places, if there is consensus that this is necessary (note it on the talk page). | ||
| * 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. This does not imply that spoiler tags become redundant shortly after the work of fiction reaches market. | * 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. 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. Plot details that are not significant from an ''out-of-universe'' perspective should not be found in the lead at all. See ] | * Very rarely, a spoiler warning may appear in the article lead. Plot details that are not significant from an ''out-of-universe'' perspective should not be found in the lead at all. See ] | ||
Revision as of 23:51, 8 July 2007
 | 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 |
| File:Red question mark.gif | The content of this guideline is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. |
 | 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.
As the lead section of an article is of particular importance, concerns about placing spoiler alerts in the lead should be governed by Misplaced Pages's lead section style guideline.
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. In grey areas, editors placing spoiler templates should use the article's talk page to discuss the matter.
- Spoilers and spoiler warnings should not be used in articles on non-fictional subjects. If explicit spoilers are mentioned in non-fiction articles (e.g. articles on authors, actors, 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 contain global spoiler warnings.
When spoiler warnings may be appropriate
- Spoiler tags may be appropriate when significant plot information appears in unexpected places, if there is consensus that this is necessary (note it on the talk page).
- 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. 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. Plot details that are not significant from an out-of-universe perspective should not be found in the lead at all. See Misplaced Pages:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)
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.
- Making spoiler-free parallel versions (content forks). Creating parallel versions on Misplaced Pages mirrors 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.