Writing Guidelines

The Great Library of Greyhawk is always looking for new editors to contribute to the grand project of documenting the World of Greyhawk campaign setting in its entirety. The following writing guidelines will aid you in your efforts.

General

1. This is a Greyhawk lore encyclopedia. Articles should be written in a neutral, formal style, like those found in other encyclopedias. Articles should be limited to lore and to subjects concerning the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. While there may be some crossover with other campaign settings (Planescape and Ravenloft, for example), there is generally no need for articles on subjects outside the setting. When writing an article about a general subject found in many settings, such as elves, provide context for the subject's role within the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. Do not include articles or lore that does not relate in some way to Greyhawk.
2. Follow the style guides. Do your best to follow the Category:Writing guidelines and Great Library of Greyhawk:Manual of Style regarding naming standards, title case, and other minutiae.
3. Stick as close to "official" as possible. Greyhawk canon, for the purposes of this wiki, is officially published material from the IP holder—generally anything that has been published in Dungeons & Dragons gaming material, either by, or with the approval of, the owners of the Greyhawk license. This mainly includes adventures, sourcebooks, and magazine articles. Information about events from novels and comics, for instance, is generally considered apocrypha, and should be noted when included in a subject's entry. A separate namespace for fanon is currently being developed. You should consider having an admin or bureaucrat review this type of material before including it.

• Information exclusive to the Living Greyhawk or Legends of Greyhawk campaigns should be listed under a separate section within the article using {{LGsection}} or {{LoGsection}}, or for a whole page relating to these campaigns, use {{LGpage}} or {{LoGpage}}.
• Topics or content from fan-created sources (like self-published PDFs from the DMsGuild or third-party websites, including Greyhawk Online) are only rarely permitted and should be discussed before being added, and their source should be explicitly and clearly stated in the article and in citations.

4. Avoid copying word-for-word from the source. Articles should not duplicate the source material from which they're derived. Put the information into your own words. Brief quotations using {{quoted text}} and {{quote}}, or in-line quotation marks for shorter quotes are fine, but must be minimal, should establish context, be limited in scope, and be specific to the topic of a page. Citations should absolutely always be given, so others can identify what and how much is being quoted. Copying information word-for-word from other sources with similar policies (especially those which use Creative Commons), such as Wikipedia, is acceptable but citation should absolutely always be given.

• Articles must be written with significant differences to the language used in the source material and changing a few synonyms or changing sentence/phrase order does not avoid plagiarism. (it is sometimes called "synonymized plagiarism").

5. Avoid bias. Use a neutral tone and wording. Everyone has favorite characters or places within the Greyhawk setting, but stick to what's already been written, even if you do think "Mordenkainen can take Warduke without breaking a sweat."
   Also, avoid writing or editing articles about yourself or about products you may have worked on, as there is inherent bias and conflict of interest. If you dispute any of the information in such an article, please note it on the article's Discussion (or Talk) page.
6. Provide an edit summary. Providing an edit summary, even if the edit is minor, makes this wiki work better by quickly explaining to other users what your change was about.
7. Respect your fellow contributors. Always follow the Great Library of Greyhawk wiki's Code of Conduct. Multiple editors often work on a single page. Sometimes, edit conflicts happen. This should be obvious, but don't be a dick. While disagreements between editors sometimes occur, assume that the other person is acting in good faith, and not intentionally trying to hinder your efforts. If you're angry, perhaps take a break and come back when things have cooled off a bit. Also, if someone is currently making edits to an article, try to avoid editing that article at the same time, to avoid edit clashes.

   General guidelines for all articles

   For purposes of style, grammar, and usage, this wiki follows the Chicago Manual of Style. The GLoG uses the "Notes and Bibliography" style.

   Wikilinks

   When an article mentions another proper noun appearing in the World of Greyhawk which will have its own article at this wiki, make it into a link, by placing it within [[double brackets]]. However, if the name appears multiple times in the article, it is usually only necessary to make the first instance a link (or first instance in a section), unless the article is very long. Links may also be repeated in bibliography sections or timelines.

   Infoboxes

   In many cases, an infobox may be appropriate for the subject. Infobox templates can usually be found on the corresponding category page— e.g., Character and New Chatacter are found in Category:Characters.

   Templates for entirely new articles can be found in Category:New article templates.

   Images

   When available, images should always be used in an article. In the body of an article, they should always be placed as thumbanil images in the right margin, unless they would extend the page past the end of the text. In such case, images should be added in a "Gallery" section. See Image use policy for more details.

   Images to be used in infoboxes should be no more than 250 pixels wide, in most cases. Sourcebook infobox images should be no more than 200 pixels wide. Heraldic devices, when used in infoboxes (such as for realms), should be 100 pixels wide (for the shield only) or 120 pixels wide (for the entire coat-of-arms, including the crest, helm, and other elements).

   The image caption should contain a concise description of the image. The sourcebook, date, and artist, if known, should also be listed. An example of a minimum caption is: "[The subject], as depicted in [sourcebook name] (year). Art by [Artist Name]."

   Citations

   Ideally, all information should be always sourced using citations. But the editors recognize the Great Library of Greyhawk wiki has existed for quite some time, and some articles are older and predate this policy. All new information added to the wiki should be cited, either inline or using a footnote citation.

   Footnote citations should use the Cite sourcebook template or be inside reference tags, like this: <ref> [citation information]</ref>, so they auto-populate near the bibliography in a special section. At the very least, citations should be in-line in parentheses. They should always contain the source's code or abbreviation (if an officially published one exists) and the page number where the information was found (e.g. WGA1 Falcon's Revenge, p4). Whenever possible, the citation should be wikilinked to the corresponding article about the source. All sources cited should also be included in their longer form in the Bibliography section (see below).

   NPC stats

   Following standards set in official sourcebooks, NPC statistics when given on the wiki should always be in an abbreviated format, in parenthesis, following the NPC's name.

   "Statistics appear in paranthesis, showing alignment, [gender], [species], classes, and levels. For example, (CG female elf Ftr4/Wiz2) is a chaotic good female elf, a multiclassed 4th-level fighter and 2nd-level wizard."

   The species or class of a character may be wikilinked, but this isn't mandatory

   • (CG female elf Ftr4/Wiz2).

   Uncommon classes (those not on the class list below), prestige classes, or subclasses should be spelled out instead of abbreviated. Subclasses and class kits should be listed separately before classes and prestige clases listed after classes in the class grouping.

   • (CN female human Wiz6/Warmage 9)
   • (N male gnome Psi Warrior Ftr11)
   • {CG genderfluid dragonborn Circle of the Moon Druid 9)
   • (LE male human Ftr4/Sor3/Suel arcanamach 6)

   If a character uses a statblock from the Monster Manual or other sourcebook, use that in place of a class or list it after class levels if the NPC is given various formats.

   • (CG female dragonborn Archmage)
   • (N male drow Wiz18 Archmage)

   Titles should always be before an NPC's name, and should never be included as part of the target wikilink for their name. If the title is unusual or not a self-evident title (king, princess, sultan, khan), it should be wikilinked separately.

   e.g., Prince [[Robert Puddington]] (N human Rng11 Beastmaster),
   or [[Despotrix]] [[Debbie Smith]] (LG female human Champion Ftr8),
   or [[Plar]] [[Gorn Tuskman]] (NE male orc Clr5).

   DO NOT wikilnk alignments.

   Character Abbreviations

   Alignment

   • C = Chaotic
   • E = Evil
   • G = Good
   • L = Lawful
   • N = Neutral

   Classes

   • Ari = Aristocrat
   • Art = Artificer
   • Asn = Assassin
   • Bbn = Barbarian
   • Brd = Bard
   • Blk = Blackguard
   • Cav = Cavalier
   • Clr = Cleric*
   • Com = Commoner
   • Drd = Druid*
   • Exp = Expert
   • Ftr = Fighter
   • Mag = Mage
   • Mar = Marshal
   • Mnk = Monk
   • MU = Magic-user
   • Pal = Paladin*
   • Pr = Priest
   • Rgr = Ranger
   • Rog = Rogue
   • Sor = Sorcerer
   • Thf = Thief
   • Wlk = Warlock
   • War = Warrior
   • Wiz = Wizard

   * Character’s deity is also listed.

   Sections and headers

   Most, if not all articles should be divided into a number of sections. Section headers are created by placing two or more "=" signs on both sides of the section title, == Like this ==. Many article types have standard section layouts (see "Specialized guidelines", below).

   Links and footnotes

   Links and footnotes have no place in headings, but some editors put them there anyway. If you see these problems, fix them:

   • Links never go inside headings. Even if the heading is (or contains) the title of another Great Library article, don't wikilink it. Instead, the first paragraph of the section should mention—and link to—that article. (Links in headings also cause accessibility problems for visually impaired readers using special software to read Great Library of Greyhawk articles.)
   • Don't put footnotes in a section heading. It makes linking to a section difficult, and since the lore information itself should be cited, a section header shouldn't require a source. If you're using a single source for an entire section, add a footnote (a <ref> or {{csb}}) at the end of each paragraph in the section, not in the section heading.

   Wording and capitalization

   Many of the guidelines for headings are the same as for article titles. The following seven rules are the most important (and the most common opportunities for error):

   • Capitalize only the first letter of the first word, letters in acronyms, and the first letter of proper nouns. All other letters are in lower case. Thus: "Rumors and legends," not "Rumors and Legends." This is referred to as using "sentence case".
   • Don't restate the article title or a higher level heading. For example, the article Directing Oligarchy has sections called "In Living Greyhawk" and "Later members". Section headers like "Directing Oligarchy in Living Greyhawk" or "Later members of the Directing Oligarchy" would be wrong.
   • Keep headings short. You can sum up almost any subject in 5 to 10 words. Thus: "Effects of war in the 580s" or "Lasting effects of the brief Greyhawk Wars", not "Effects of the Greyhawk Wars in the 580s that lasted for only a few years". Long headings, as in this example, tend to reveal the storyline. The goal of a heading is to invite readers to read the section and find out what happened.

   Long headings are also a problem when a different article links to that section heading. Not only is the link longer, but the likelihood of the heading being changed—damaging the link—is much higher because of the length.

   • Stick with nouns or noun phrases. "Effects of the Red Plague" is a good heading. "About the effects of the Red Plague" or "Effects of the Red Plague can be serious" are not. (This principle ties back to the goal of shorter headings.)
   • Don't use "a", "an" or "the" as the first word in a section title (unless it's part of a proper noun). Thus, "Location of the tomb," not "The location of the tomb."
   • Don't use boldface or italic text for emphasis. The only time you can use italics is for the rare occasions when a book, magazine, or similar title occurs within a heading. In the instance of a sourcebook title being the title of an article or page, use of Template:Source automatically adds the italics to the page title.
   Also, don't use boldface and italics for emphasis in the body of articles, either. They're not consistent with the Great Library of Greyhawk's neutral point of view. This doesn't mean don't use them—it means don't use them for emphasis. 😉
   • Avoid "loaded" or controversial wording. This point follows General guidline #6 "Avoid bias" (above). For example, if a topic or term is disputed in a given context, don't use it as a heading. Content within a section can be used to explain, fairly, the controversy over a word or phrase, but a heading lacks necessary nuance.

   Introduction

   The article's title should appear in boldface in the first sentence of its article. This introductory sentence should give a brief explanation of who or what the subject is. For example: "Mordenkainen is one of the most powerful archmagi of the Flanaess."

   History

   When possible, each article should strive to include some historical overview of the subject. At some point, it may be necessary for some articles to split off this section into a separate article (such as "History of the Great Kingdom"). The "History" section's location usually varies by the category of article, but generally appears near the middle or end.

   Creative origins

   When known, the real-life inspiration or circumstances leading to the subject's creation should be listed in this section, which should appear before the "Publishing history," "See also," "Gallery," "External links," and "Bibliography" sections. The published source of the information should be listed in references. If this information is not known, do not include the section.

   Publishing history

   This section is not just a list of all places the lore or information has been published—that should be accomplished by the Bibliography and {{index}}. "Publishing history" is for notable distinctions in publishing.

   In some cases, it may be important to note first appearances, significant changes, other uses, etc. throughout the subject's history in Greyhawk sourcebooks. Such information should appear in this section. This section is often unnecessary if a topic has only appeared in only one source (or very few), especially if it did not change between sources.

   Gallery

   All images should follow the Image use policy and should never be high-resolution or large-dimension images. They should only be large enough to identify easily.

   If several uploaded images of the subject are available, it is generally best to place them in a gallery section, unless the article is long enough that the images can be spread throughout. Images placed in a gallery look best if they're of similar heights. This section is usually placed near the end of the article, directly before the "See also" section (if applicable) or the "Bibliography" section.

   == Gallery ==
   <gallery>
   Filename1.jpg|Caption 1
   Filename2.jpg|Caption 2
   </gallery>

   Maps

   This section follows the same conventions as the "Gallery" section, but is reserved for maps of all types. When both a "Gallery" and "Maps" section are present, the later should directly follow the former.

   Maps of the location (or of its envorons) appear as a subheading of a Gallery, in the following format: (note the lack of [[brackets]])

   == Gallery ==
   <gallery>
   Filename1.jpg|Caption 1
   Filename2.jpg|Caption 2
   </gallery>
   === Maps ===
   <gallery>
   Filename3.jpg|Caption 3
   Filename4.jpg|Caption 4
   </gallery>
   

   See also

   This section should be used sparingly, and only for very similar articles. This section should follow "Publishing history," and directly precede the "Bibliography," and "External links" sections.

   External links

   This section should always include {{External link disclaimer}} at the top of the section.

   Any links of interest should be listed here, with the title, if applicable. If the subject also has a page on Wikipedia or another major D&D campaign setting wiki, that should also be listed here.

   References

   For information on how to write a Bibliography entry, see the general Bibliorgraphy guidelines below.

   A list of sources and information about further reading on the article's topic appear here, in the following format:

   == References ==
   === Notes ===
   <references group="note" />
   === Citations ===
   <references />
   === Bibliography ===
   {{index}}
   
   [[Category:Place category name here]]

   Notes

   The "Notes" section is where footnotes automatically appear when using {{csb}} or when a standard <ref> is used in |group=note format. Generally, writing manual "notes" in this section should be avoided, and should be reserved only for information that would not fall under another section. In the rare cases where such a section would be useful, they should appear under "Notes" before the "Citations" section and before the <references group="note"/> list. See Directing Oligarchy for an example of use.

   Bibliography

   As previously stated above—for purposes of style, grammar, and usage, this wiki follows the Chicago Manual of Style. The GLoG uses the "Notes and Bibliography" style.

   The bibliography includes all works cited in the notes, the notes need not duplicate the source information in full because readers can consult the bibliography for publication details and other information.

   "... ^[2]. Wrigley Field, p.138."

   In bibliographies, where entries are listed alphabetically, the name of the first author is inverted, and the main elements are separated by periods.

   "• Shea, Stuart. Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2014."

   Every article should contain this section. Whenever possible, follow the format given by the Chicago Manual of Style when writing bibliographical entries (and don't forget punctuation). Links should be added to the titles of Greyhawk-intensive works, as well as to authors with several Greyhawk works to their credit.

   Generally, citations appear in the following formats:

   Book or adventure: *Surname, First name. Title. City, State: Publisher, year.

   • Bailey, Robin Wayne. Night Watch. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1990.

   Article: *Surname, First name. "Article Title." Periodical Title #x. City, State: Publisher, year.

   • Heard, Bruce. "Spells Between the Covers." Dragon #82. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1984.

   Web article: *Surname, First name. "Article Title." Website Title. City, State: Publisher, year. Available online:[url in single brackets]

   • Broadhurst, Creighton. "Knight Protector: Honor, Honesty, Chivalry, Courage." Wizards.com. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast: Available online:[1]

   Multiple authors: Invert the name of the first author (last, first) listed on the work's title page. Authors following are not inverted.

   • Collins, Andy, Bruce R. Cordell, and Thomas M. Reid. Epic Level Handbook. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2002.

   Specialized guidelines

   Several types of articles have specific writing guidelines. They may also have standard templates which can be copy-pasted to produce a new article to a standard.

   Authors or artists

   Articles on real-world people who have written World of Greyhawk works. See Writing guidelines: Creators, as well as the Usage found in Template:Creator.

   Characters

   Articles on fictional characters appearing in Greyhawk works. Does not include deities. See Writing guidelines: Characters, as well as the Usage found in Template:Character.

   Creatures

   Articles on creatures appearing in Greyhawk works. See Writing guidelines: Creatures, as well as the Usage found in Template:Creature.

   Deities

   Articles for deities of the World of Greyhawk. See Writing guidelines: Deities, as well as the Usage found in Template:Deity.

   Locations

   Articles on locations of the World of Greyhawk, not including realms or settlements. See Writing guidelines: Locations, as well as the Usage found in Template:Location (for features and geography) and Template:Building (for places like shops, temples, etc.).

   Magic items

   Articles on magic items of Greyhawk. See Writing guidelines: Items, as well as the Usage found in Template:Item.

   Organizations

   Articles on Greyhawk organizations, such as guilds and knightly orders. See Writing guidelines: Organizations, as well as the Usage found in Template:Organization.

   Realms

   Articles on Greyhawk realms and kingdoms. See Writing guidelines: Realms. See Template:Realm for the infobox format and recommended section layout.

   Settlements

   Articles on Greyhawk settlements, such as towns and cities. See Writing guidelines: Settlements, as well as the Usage found in Template:Settlement.

   Sources

   Articles on Greyhawk sourcebooks. See Writing guidelines: Sources, as well as the Usage found in Template:Source.