Grey's Anatomy Universe Wiki:Policies

These are the Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice Wiki standards of community behavior and rules of content inclusion. They have been established by consensus, and are designed to keep the project running smoothly. Many of the policies are only summarized here, and are described in greater detail on specific sub-pages which are linked below. If you disagree with some component of the policy, please feel free to discuss it with the community in the forum but remember to respect the policy in the meantime. 
IF YOU ARE THE SUBJECT OF ANY PAGE OR IMAGE ON THIS WIKI AND WOULD LIKE YOUR LIKENESS TO BE REMOVED, PLEASE CONTACT A LOCAL ADMIN.
==Policies==
This list summarizes all policies for this wiki.
===Common sense===
*Be civil. No personal attacks on other users. This rule applies to talk pages, message walls, user pages, and edit summaries.
*Treat others' work with respect. Do not belittle or ridicule someone else's work or ideas, and do not delete it capriciously. The exception is obvious vandalism, which should be removed as soon as possible. However, if a person seems to be trying, assume good faith and try to help them.
*DO NOT RENAME PAGES UNLESS YOU HAVE CLEARED IT WITH AN ADMIN! People who rename pages will be blocked without warning as this is very disruptive editing.
*Deliberately misgendering (i.e. using the wrong pronouns) and otherwise disrespecting people's stated facts about their person and identity will result in an automatic block.
**This includes not acting upon the request of people to have their pronouns and gender be updated on and their deadname removed from wiki articles, regardless of how they were originally credited in the source material.
===Manual of Style===
The Manual of Style is our collection of firmly established editing standards designed to set a consistent format and appearance for all of our articles. The manual of style is aimed to give an outline for pages in general.
====Page Layout====
Existing pages have a set layout that should be followed. When creating new pages, users should use the buttons at the top of the editing box to implement the template for a page of that type. If no template exists, feel free to contact an admin.
If in doubt, please contact an admin.
====Citations and references====
When writing character pages, please cite the episode in which the information can be found as much as possible, if the character appears in more than a single episode. We use two different styles, depending on the type of character:
*For recurring or guest characters, the following format should be followed:("[[Episode Title]]"), resulting in a finished product that looks like this: ("Song Beneath the Song")
**The exception is the "Notes and Trivia" section, where the citations shown below should be used. This is to make the area look neater and less crowded with citations.
*For main characters, we use references. This means that <ref>[[Episode title]], seasonxepisode</ref> has to be used, followed by {{Scrollbox}} at the very bottom of the page. For example: Song Beneath the Song, 7x18. At the bottom of the page will then be the list of all references on the page. In the article itself, clicking the reference will cause you to jump to the list, but you can also hover over it so the reference will be displayed in a box right there in the article.
====Style of English====
We ask that generally, the style of English should written as prose in standard English from a neutral view point.
=====American English=====
Since the shows are produced in the United States and all official resources are written in American English, we will use American spelling and grammar in all articles.
=====Perspective=====
All articles should be written in a third person narrative - "I", "You" and "We" should not be used.
=====Tense=====
Descriptive paragraphs on character pages should be written in the past tense. (e.g., Denny had been a patient of Preston Burke for a long time. He had been diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy, which caused his heart to fail.)
Full summaries on episode pages should be written in present tense. (e.g., Arizona looks at her and tells her she loves her. Callie replies that she loves her, too.)
=====Technical Language=====
We ask you to use terminology appropriately in articles to the best of your understanding.
Since Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice heavily features medical terminology, a Medical Glossary has been created to try to explain some of the more common terms used. Please note this is still under construction and is not designed to be an exhaustive medical resource and so we ask these explanations to be brief and in terms for everyone to understand.
====Images in full summaries====
For the full summaries on episode pages, we try to stick to the official promotional stills. If there are none or only a few available, a limited amount of screen caps is allowed.
===Canon information===
Canon refers to the body of work that is considered to be "genuine" or "official" within a certain fictional universe.
In the case of the Grey's Anatomy Universe, the only canon source of information is the television series itself. While the creators of Grey's Anatomy have never explicitly stated their views on the canonicity of the Grey's Anatomy novels, comics or games, we at Grey's Anatomy Universe Wiki have chosen to accept information from all official sources of Grey's Anatomy story material. In the case of contradictory information, we utilize the following order of precedence to determine which facts are "true."
====Hierarchy of Canon Information====
#TV series - Information from Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, or Station 19 overrides contradictory facts from any other source.
#Writers/Creators/Cast/Crew - Information provided by the show's writers, cast, crew or creators via Twitter, interviews, etc.
#Related spin-offs - Grey's Anatomy: The Video Game is made with the participation of people involved in the TV show. The official character Twitter accounts.
#Deleted Scenes/Promotional Pictures - Scenes filmed, but deleted from the final cut of the episode or informational which is only shown in official promotional images
#Website - The character profiles on the ABC website are a semi-official source of information, though they may be contradicted by the TV show at any time.
In this list, information from a source higher on the list overrides information contradicting it lower on the list. For example, information from the shows would be more reliable than information from the website. In the case of contradictory information from two or more sources at the same level of canonicity, the newest source takes precedence.
====Out-of-universe sources====
Out-of-universe sources of information such as trailers, and Grey's Anatomy Official Magazine are secondary information sources, much like  itself. This information may be used so long as it doesn't contradict a higher-ranking source.
===Copyright===
*The wiki is not related in any way to ABC or the production of Grey's Anatomy. Therefore, it is an unofficial resource and, while it strives for accuracy, should not be treated as an official source of information.
*The wiki is a free and open resource and all information is free to add to or to copy. Please note that all contributions to Wiki Grey's Anatomy are considered to be released under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then don't submit it here.
*By contributing to the wiki, you are promising that you wrote the information yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource. Copyrighted work cannot be implemented on the wiki without permission!
===Images===
This page outlines the rules and guidelines that apply to the use of images on . They are not absolute, for the most part, but it is generally expected that they be observed unless there is a good cause for ignoring them.
====Uploading the image====
*Please ensure the image's quality is good (not too dark, blurry)
*Please make sure the image is labeled under its relevant license
*Please use a clear title for the file that indicates something about its content. No filenames like "qua_047.jpg" please.
*Remember that an image that is uploaded will replace any file that already has that name.
*Use watermark-free and text-free images if possible. The ABC logo, CTV logos, and most TV station logos are acceptable if screencaps or promotional photos are used.
*Images which have no use within this wiki or are unused may be deleted at an administrator's discretion.
*Try to keep the extensions in lowercase; "Meredith.JPG" will be deleted.
*Users may have at the most 3 OOU images on their user page but they must first have made twenty significant edits and if a user goes sixty days without editing, their images will be deleted.
*If the image is fan art from another user, credit the user in a summary. Edited photos and fan art may only be used on user pages, not on articles.
*If a promotional image needs to be edited so that it is the correct shape, contact an admin to take care of that change.
====Putting images on pages====
=====Character images=====
For the character infoboxes, the appropriate image used, in most cases they should be either...
*A season's promotional photo
*An episode promotional photo
The most recent image which follows these guidelines should be used. For the specific requirements, see the Infobox policy.
=====Episode images=====
*There must be something happening in the photo related to the episode.
*We strive to stick to promotional stills. If there are none or only a few available, a limited amount of screen caps is allowed.
*Promos do not need to be used if they don't represent the main theme, significant aspect or storyline of the episode.
====Copyright====
Please note: this is not the official copyright policy — it is merely a reminder and additional tips.
When you upload an image, make sure you own the image, or that it is in the Public Domain, or that the copyright holder has agreed to license it under GNU Free Documentation License.
Images that are screenshots and other snapshots from Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice episodes and tie-in products generally fall under the category of fair use, as long as they are not posted in large numbers. In these cases, type {{fairuse}} in the image description text box to include the Fair Use template (demonstrated above).
===Infoboxes===
This page outlines the rules and guidelines that apply to the use of infoboxes. They are not absolute, for the most part, but it is generally expected that they be observed unless there is a good cause for ignoring them.
====Main Picture====
The main picture of the infobox is usually the most recent episode still of that character. If no such picture is available, the character's photo from the cast slideshow of the character's most recent episode is used. For main characters, the season promotional photo can be used as well. Normally, at the beginning of a new season, all main cast members get the photo of the promotional photoshoot in their infobox, but note that this is only temporary because it is the most recent picture. During the course of the season, the picture will normally be replaced with an episode still. There are some exceptions, in which cases the second most recent episode still will be used:
*The most recent picture doesn't give the viewer a clear view on the character's face.
*The character has a weird facial expression or is an environment where he or she normally wouldn't be in (such as a hospital bed).
*The picture has bad lighting, so a less recent (but still recent) picture with better lighting offers a better view on the character.
*A picture showing from shoulders and up are preferable over full-body shots.
It's also important to keep in mind our image policy (see above).
*Portrait is favored over landscape images.
For further questions or remarks about currently used infobox pictures, please contact our admins.
====Adopted Characters and Their Family Members====
In case of adoption, the admins of this wiki value nurture over nature, and thus consider adoptive parents to be a character's real parents. Thereby:
*No biological family members can be added to the infobox of the adopted character;
*No character who was given away for adoption can be added to the infoboxes of the characters to whom that particular character is biologically related.
However, there are some exceptions:
*In case the adopted character him- or herself values his or her birth parents as important in his or her life, these biological parents can be added to that character's infobox in the Biological Parents section.
*The same goes for other biological family members, such as siblings. (Since there has been no such case yet, there is no particular section in the infoboxes yet. Please contact an admin in case you find yourself in need of having such section in an infobox.)
Please note that there is a Familial Relationships section on the character's page. Although we see adoptive parents as the real parents, biological parents can have their place in this particular familial section. They simply can't be included in the infobox because infoboxes only display the most important information, and biological parents who haven't played a role in their biological child's life have no reason to be mentioned in the infobox, as they are not important to the character.
====Foster Families====
Similarly to the adoption policy, foster parents should be added to the infobox section "Parents" since they took over parental care for the character from their (biological) parents. However, contrary to adoption, in case of foster care, the characters' biological family can still be included in the infobox in case they're known and/or still in the characters' life. 
====(Former) Workplaces====
Since the hospitals/practices on both shows have merged, had name chances, or whatsoever, we have chosen to list the former workplaces in a character's infobox. That way, readers can quickly view when the character joined the hospital or the practice.
*Categorize multiple workplaces and professions using the following headings:
**Current
**Former
**Until death (used as a replacement of "Current" if the character dies)
*Common sense: "Current" or "Until death" should only be used when there are also former workplaces that need to be distinguished from the most recent job(s) or workplace(s). If not, it's clear to viewers without the extra heading.
For the right code, please see an example.
====In-Laws====
In the case of formerly-married persons, their ex-in-laws need not be listed on their pages. Their former spouse should be the only member of that family to remain in their infobox, as it adds superfluous information, as in most cases, the people haven't even met each other. An exception shall be made in cases where the in-laws have been shown to have a relationship, such as Amelia and Addison. Please contact an admin before adding any former in-laws if you have any questions about whether or not it's appropriate to add them.
===Plagiarism===
Plagiarism is the incorporation of someone else's work without providing adequate credit. This is strongly forbidden on the wiki. When you include work from on other source, please credit that source. It is particularly forbidden to copy episode summaries from other sources.
We avoid plagiarism because a credible encyclopedia must not silently present content copied from elsewhere as though it were original, and the correction of improperly copied content disrupts the encyclopedia and may require the deletion of all subsequent edits to the article.
For a much more comprehensive guide to plagiarism and how to deal with it, visit Wikipedia.
===Spoilers===
Spoilers are only allowed on pages that would obviously contain spoilers, like pages for upcoming episodes or appearance sections of current recurring characters. The page of the current season has a special section for spoilers, and can obviously contain spoilers as well.
===Vandalism===
Vandalism is any addition, removal, or change of content made in a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice Wiki. Vandalism cannot and will not be tolerated. Common types of vandalism are the addition of obscenities or crude humor, page blanking, and the insertion of nonsense into articles. Any good faith effort to improve the wiki, even if it's misguided or incorrect, is not vandalism. Vandalizing pages is a violation of wiki policy. Vandals will be blocked for a day or week, depending on the severity of the vandalism.
Regular users can use the "traditional revert" process to get rid of vandalism, or report it to admins in case they have missed it.
===Videos===
Videos can easily be uploaded to articles, but we require that no fan videos be added to articles. Also, there is no need for scenes of the episode, as the full summary covers that. The only videos used on articles are the promo for the episode and music videos in the music section.
===Writing character pages===
*Please use a neutral point of view when writing character pages. Reserve your opinions for the forum or blogs. We strive for objective pages, so speculation and unknown information is not allowed either, except for the Notes and Trivia section in useful cases.
*Note that we write from an in-universe perspective, meaning the descriptive sections of the articles (like History and Relationships) should be written as if the character is a real person. Therefore, we avoid terms like "season" or "episode" because the characters don't live in seasons in-universe.
*Infoboxes have their own section (see above).
===Blogs===
Blogs are articles written and attributed to one person that can be voted, commented on, and organized into a listing like a typical blog. They are different than a typical wiki article in that they are not intended to be a collaboratively written pieces of content, but instead a single user's composition. The idea is to create more of a community feel for a wiki and give users more outlets for their endless creativity.
*A user can write their thoughts on Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, fan fictions, reviews, and suggestions for the wiki.
*A user cannot edit another user's blog.
*A user may not have a blog about their personal lives (example:...then I bought some shoes and...)
*A user may slip little notes about their lives when writing about GA/PP or the wiki (example:...and I think Izzie will die because when my friend had cancer...)
===Queer Characters===
Characters are not categorized by their gender or sexuality for the following reasons:
*It assumes that cishet people are the norm and queer people need to be labeled as other.
*It opens up speculation as to what is enough of an indicator for someone to be included (For example, if a patient flirts with a doctor of their same gender, are they queer?)
**That said: here is a document which lists any character who is potentially queer, with it noted if they have self-identified in any way, any romantic or sexual relationships, or anything that promotional materials have said. This list is in alphabetical order (by last name if it's known, first name otherwise) and includes characters from all three Grey's Anatomy Universe shows. If you notice any mistakes or feel anyone is missing, please reach out to Nerdfightergirl and let her know.
===Admins===
We are not currently in need of additional members of our admin team. If, however, that changes in the future, this is how we would make a selection:
#Applicant must have edited consistently for over a year, meaning at least a few times a week throughout that time.
#Edits must be productive, adding quality content to pages.
#No history of vandalism.
#All of the applicant's previous edits will be reviewed, as well as participation in discussions.
===Page Protection===
Pages for upcoming seasons and episodes will be protected until they have aired to prevent unconfirmed, speculative, or outright malicious rumors from being spread on those pages. This protection will be removed once the seasons have begun airing (For logged-in users. Anonymous editing will be allowed after the season has finished airing.) or after the episode has aired on the west coast. (Note that this removal is manual and while the admin team does their best, sometimes they may need a reminder.) Additionally, pages which have been identified as targets for vandalism may be protected (either allowing only logged-in editors or no editors at all, depending on the severity and pervasiveness) either temporarily or permanently. Also, pages which are likely to involve the premature release of spoilers (for example, characters who are returning after an absence) will be temporarily fully protected to avoid the release of spoilers. This protection will be lifted once the episode has aired on the west coast.
===Blocking===
Anyone whose edits are identified as vandalism will be blocked. If it is a first-time offense, the block will not exceed one week. Subsequent blocks will be for longer time frames. The third offense will result in a permanent block. The exceptions to this are overt bigotry of any kind, including but not limited to xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and racism; and extremely disruptive vandalism, such as blanking or renaming pages. Those will result in an automatic, permanent block. If you believe you have been unfairly blocked, please contact an admin to discuss this.
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Category:Grey's Anatomy Universe Wiki