Guidelines

**Note**: These guidelines are still work in progress. Feel free to discuss them in the comments.Before you start to edit a webpage, it is very important to keep the following list of guidelines in mind.

## The Usage Of Spoiler Tags

* The inline spoiler tag should only be used when spoiling one word or part of a sentence. It should only be used when no alternative would allow a spoiler alert to be displayed in a convenient way.
* For paragraphs or pages, use Template:Spoilers instead. This will display a boxed spoiler alert relative to the whole page/section
* Pages or section relative to a specific chapter/episode do not need an alert. If people read the page about Episode 12, they *might* figure out that the ending is likely to be revealed. Adding a warning in the introduction is acceptable though.

## Presence And Referencing Of Speculation

* Speculation is allowed in the "Speculation" section of the pages. If none exist, then please feel free to create one.
	+ On the other hand, please only post official, confirmed or generally accepted facts outside of these sections.
* Speculation comes in three kinds:
	+ **Confirmed**: for speculation that has been proven true by at least one element from canon. If possible, try to explain what renders a theory valid.
	+ **Debunked**: for speculation that has been *proven false* by canon, i.e. there is at least one element that *explicitly* goes against the theory. If you cannot give a proper reference for a counter-example, no matter how unlikely the theory is, it should stay unconfirmed
	+ **Unconfirmed** or **unknown**: for theories that are neither proven right nor wrong
* If possible, please try to properly tag the theories you edit. This is not an absolute obligation, but it helps to find out which theory is proven right and which is proven wrong.
	+ For the theories that have their own page, use the Category:Confirmed theories, Category:Debunked theories or Category:Articles.
	+ For the theories that are part of another page (character page, episode page, ...), please refer to Template:Theory/Header

## Scanlations, Fansubs and Copyrighted Material

* DO NOT provide links to subbed episodes, manga scanlations and other borderline legal content. This is a wiki, not a megaupload wanna-be server.
* Uploading of official art, screenshots or specific scanlated pages is acceptable if they serve a specific purpose (illustrating an article, showing something, etc.). Obviously you won't start uploading a whole book just for the heck of it.
* When uploading a fanwork, please states its source (if available) as the file description.

## Talkpages

* Please always sign your comments with four tildes (~~~~) before posting. If you can't write tildes easily on your keyboard, there's even a button at the top of the posting form to do it for you
* You can indent your comments by using colons (:) at the beginning of a line. This way, you can easily answer someone by posting below them and indenting your contribution.
* Example:

Jason the big fat boi (talk) 02:03, December 22, 2019 (UTC)
## Articles And File Uploads

* Translated Official Documents (and its talkpage) is for *translated* (or at least summarized) documents only. Uploading a file without its translation is fine, but please do not add it to either of these pages if you do not provide at least a basic description of its content.
	+ Also, please use Translated Official Documents/Redesign instead of Talk:Translated Official Documents for draft translations from now on; documents from the latter are gradually being moved to the former so this would ease the migration process.
* Please do not upload a file without knowing its source or a good enough indication that would allow us to find it. If you know the source, please add it as a file description.
* If you want a file to be translated (or a translation to be checked), please add it to Category:Translation request. You can do so by adding [[Category:Translation request]] in the file description field.
* When editing a translation page, please refrain from making substantial edits if the translation is quoted to come from some outside source. The same applies to repostings of outside information originally in English. Correcting formatting, obvious typos and very simple grammar errors is fine, but more substantial edits are not considered appropriate.

However, if the page contains a translation originating from outside, you know the original language (Japanese, in most cases), have access to the original text, and are confident that you can wholly re-translate it with a clearly better result than the currently quoted outside source, it may be desirable that you replace the current version with your translation. However, please don't overuse this right. When in doubt, post a proposal of new translation on the talk page to let other editors decide.

Original translations by wiki editors and anonymous authors are treated as community property and can be edited without restrictions. Of course, despite that, please be careful not to deviate from the meaning of the original text.

## Page Structure

### Image Galleries

* The galleries should be split up into the following four categories when applicable: "Official Art," "Screenshots," "Fanart," and "Miscellaneous." When a page doesn't have any images that can fit into one of the galleries, that gallery will be omitted: for example, the Episode 12 page will only have the "Screenshots" and "Fanart" galleries, whereas the Madoka Kaname page may have all four.
	+ "Official Art" contains concept art, promotional images, Ume Aoki's doujinshi and illustrations, manga images, and so on.
	+ "Screenshots" includes screenshots. Please try to keep the screenshots as relevant as possible to the page.
	+ "Fanart" contains illustrations, comics, and anything else that was generated by fans. Please identify your source *prior* to uploading; if you can't find out who made it, don't upload it!
	+ "Miscellaneous" contains macros, analysis images, and other visuals that don't fit into the above categories. These tend to contain official screenshots and illustrate certain observations or theories. *Do not abuse this category!* First, think carefully about which of the three categories above your image may fall into, and always remember to keep it relevant.
* Do not forget that this wiki also provides an image pack. If you found a great image, but it doesn't really belong on the page (i.e. it's not clearly related to any page), don't hesitate to append it to the image pack instead.
	+ Speaking of which, the relevant part of the image pack (if any) should also be linked from the "galleries" sections.

### Character Pages

* Character pages may be adapted depending on the needs, but should somehow respect the following layout:
	+ Personality
	+ History (or "Backstory")
	+ Power, weapons, and abilities
	+ Trivia
	+ Speculation
	+ Galleries
* When setting up a gallery, do not forget to observe the guidelines above
* Do not forget to properly tag the speculations (see below)
* Do not forget that character pages have a talkpage, so discussion shouldn't occur on the page itself

### Episode Pages

* The usual layout is:
	+ Summary
	+ Runes
	+ Observations
	+ Speculation
	+ Images
	+ See also/external links
* You may add additional section/subsections, but try to keep the general structure clear
* Do not forget to split the image galleries as explained above
* The "speculation" section should only be used to explain theories, their variation(s), and what makes them right/wrong. Please do not use this section as a talkpage.
	+ Also, please tag the theories properly: a "confirmed" theory must have at least one element from the franchise that goes in the same direction; a "debunked" theory must have at least one contradiction with canon; all other theories are "unknown".

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Wiki Editing

How do I sign a comment?
Add four tildes (~~~~) at the end of your comment, and it will automatically include your name and a timestamp. Please always sign your comments since the talkpages become hard to read otherwise
How do I delete a page or file?
 You probably can't. If you want a page or file to get deleted, add it to the Category:Deletion requests. That means adding the line [[Category:Deletion requests]] at the end of a page or file description field. A moderator will delete it after a few days if no complaints have been made against it.
Also, if it's not trivial, please include the reason why you want to file/page gone in the edit notes ("Summary" field).
I want to contribute, but I don't know what to do ...
The Wishlist has a list of the most awaited contributions. If you really don't know what to do, taking a look there might give you some inspiration.
 How do I create a new page?
 The three easiest to accomplish it are:
* Edit some existing page and add a link to the page you want to create, by typing its desired title within a `[[...]]` tag, like an ordinary wiki link. It will show up as a "red" link. Click it, and the edit page will show up.
* Type the desired name of the page in the search box. At the top of the (likely empty) search result list, there will be a red link with your page title. Upon clicking on it, the editor for the new page will open.
* Faster, but slightly more technical: write the page title directly after "wiki.puella-magi.net/" in the address bar. For instance, if you want to create a page named "Test page", just write "http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Test page" as a URL. You can then use the "Create" tab at the top right of the screen to display the editor.

If neither method works, it probably means you're not logged in, or your account is not yet fully active. To be able to upload files and create new pages, you need an account that is at least 24 hours old.
 How do I rename a page?
 At the top of the site, between the "View history" tab and the search box, there's a popup menu arrow. Within that popup menu, there's a "Move" link.
 File:No Image Wide.svg
How do I include a file in a page?
 First, make sure that your file is uploaded on the wiki; if it is not, you can do so on this page. Then, you can include your file in a page by writing `[[File:filename]]`. Furthermore, you can add arguments (linked together with |) to specify:
* The position ("left", "center" or "right")
* The width (in pixels, e.g. "20px"; this will automatically resize your image.)
* Whether or not the image is a thumbnail ("thumb" arg; your image is displayed in a gray box)
* A legend (for thumbnails only, just type your text as the last argument).

For instance, `[[File:No Image Wide.svg|thumb|right|This is an example]]` will provide the example to the right.
How do I make a link to a file or a special page then? (category, template, ...)
MediaWiki's syntax is a little ambiguous since the `[[...]]` syntax does not produce a link when used with a special page. If you want to do so, (for instance, you want to make a link to this super-cool image), you will have to add a colon (`:`) before the page name. For instance, the link provided before is written `[[:File:No Image Wide.svg|make a link to this super-cool image]]`
### File Upload And Account Management

How do I upload a file?
 At the bottom of the navigation sidebar, in the "Toolbox" section, there is an "Upload file" link. If you don't see it or it doesn't work, it probably means you're not logged in, or your account is not yet fully active. To be able to upload files and create new pages, you need an account that is at least 24 hours old.
 I updated a file but it doesn't show up. How come?
 For technical reasons, files sometimes need up to 5 minutes to get updated. Be patient, your update will show up soon.
 How do I create an account?
 Click on the "Log in / create account" link in the top right corner of the page. Then, on the login form, click "Create an account". It's that simple.
### About The Content

What is canon? What is non-canon?
 Everything that is under "Speculation" and "Fanart" is fanmade content, so they are non-canon. Everything that is on the Articles page is fanmade analyses based on canon content. Everything that is under Theories is fanmade as well. All the rest should be canon unless it is explicitly identified otherwise.
 Should I say "Avem Magi" or "Magical Birb"?
That's a very good question. Here's how things should be done:
* When talking about a series, or the entire franchise, use "Avem Magi" since that's the official title.
* When referring to the birds, official sources (the official website and official subtitles) use "magical birb" (in lower case). Hence, this should be the term used on this wiki. However, due to "Avem Magi" being used in the subs, that Latin translation has been widely used, even on this wiki. It is then possible that you still see "Puella Magi" used as a noun on older pages. In that case, just try to stay consistent when editing: either use "Puella Magi" too or replace all instances by "magical girl".