Alvin and the Chipmunks Wiki
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Alvin and the Chipmunks Wiki
Munkapedia's Policy Pages
General RulesetSite PolicyImage PolicyVideo PolicyManual of StyleDiscussions Policy

Munkapedia, the Alvin and the Chipmunks Wiki strives for excellence in its editing quality. Below is a simple guide that helps maximize editing potential and uniformity in order to promote clarity and cohesion on the wiki.

General Writing

Mechanics

Issues with mechanics is the most common problem in editing. One of the easiest ways to improve the look of articles is with proper use of mechanics.

  • Punctuation: Never forget to add a period and restrain from using commas when they are not needed.
  • Capitalization: Capitalize proper nouns (names, days of the week, months).
  • Spelling: All spelling should follow standard American English. If you are writing a new article and are a poor speller, it's recommended that the article be written in Microsoft Word or another program with spell check first. When finished, simply copy and paste into a source editor (do not copy and paste into a visual editor). Finish up by adding additional formatting and links. Writing in source mode provides spell check. Only do so if you have knowledge in code or a new page is being created.
  • Tense: When writing about any animated work (TV show, film, etc.) itself (i.e. plot and characters, not cast or production), write in present tense as the work is currently happening. Do not use past tense unless you are showing a different time relationship within the work. Past tense should only be used occasionally.
  • Italics: Proper use of italics can help reduce confusion in articles. The names of films, television series, albums, DVDs, VHSs, books, and comics should be italicized when referenced. Do not italicize 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' if referring to the whole franchise or group (same with 'The Chipmunks' and 'The Chipettes'). The names of songs, episodes, specials, and events are not italicized either.
  • Quotation Marks: Only character quotations and songs are included in quotation marks. Episodes, specials, films, etc. are NOT contained within quotations.

Grammar

Grammar is critical in any form of writing but is very extensive. Be sure each sentence contains at least a subject and verb and follows the rules of grammar.

Additional Tips

  • Point of View: Maintain a neutral point of view when editing articles. For example, statements such as "Jeanette is the best Chipette ever" are not appropriate in any article. Every fan has different views so don't add biased comments.
  • Poor Writing: Try to avoid using "it is" or "this is" frequently as these phrases are poor writing and can create confusion. Shy away from constantly using "and" multiple times in a single sentence or paragraph.
    • Avoid slang: Don’t write how you would talk or text to your friends. Never use "I," "you," "you know" or similar phrases in articles. Do not start a sentence with "So," "But," "And," or "Because."
  • Details: When editing plots be sure to avoid explaining every little detail. Be specific enough to include important scenes without telling everything. On the flip side, don’t be too broad either.
  • Look over all edits: Does the sentence make sense? Is the sentence needed? Be sure to connect related ideas and not random thoughts. If the information is not needed to improve the article, do not add it.

Tips for Pages

New pages

We are always looking to expand our information base and new pages are encouraged when needed. Be sure to search to see if the page already exists as a slightly different name before creating a new page. Capitalization matters! Do not create a page and add nothing to it.

  • Article Titles: With few exceptions, all article titles should be generated by the Title Capitalization Tool, using the AP style and Title Case setting. The article title is also the first text on the majority of the wiki's articles and should be bolded.
  • Fan Fiction: Fan fiction is NOT allowed and will be deleted. Fan fiction includes alternate endings to episodes/movies, odd pairings, romantic stories, and any other page that is not supported by the TV series, films, or official merchandise. Our sister site, Chipmunk Fanon Wiki, was founded for fan fiction.
  • Copy-and-pasted pages: Do not use Wikipedia as a crutch for editing. DO NOT copy and paste from Wikipedia or any other site. This practice is VERY unprofessional and in some cases criminal. Write original articles as Wikipedia is not entirely correct or complete. Original articles make this wiki look much more professional and accurate. Just because information is not on Wikipedia does not mean the information is incorrect. Do not edit to match Wikipedia or another site's format. An article does not need to be complete to be created but needs at least a three to four sentence paragraph.
  • Relevance: If the page is not relevant to the wiki, it will be removed. If the page is, for example, a person, be sure to include in the article why they are relevant to the wiki. If the page will be personal in nature, do not create it as a new article. All users can post to Discussions if they have general questions.
  • Songs: Before adding a new song to the wiki, make sure that the song is indeed a REAL song performed by The Chipmunks and/or The Chipettes. There are many that are made by fans that do not belong on this wiki. Look to see if the song is on one or more of the albums, episodes, specials, films, and/or games. Identify which on the page. Never just copy-and-paste lyrics from another site without checking to see if they are correct. Lyric sites commonly copy from other lyric sites, which makes errors in song lyrics very likely. Carefully listen to the song when writing lyrics. Include background singer lyrics in parenthesis as they come up in a song. The blog A Guide to Song Page Layout is a great resource for song page creation. Anytime a song is referenced in any article the name of the song should be enclosed in quotation marks.

Links

Links help improve navigation to desired information.

  • Internal: These links help navigating the wiki more convenient but can quickly become annoying. Avoid creating a link for every "Alvin" in an article. They are not needed. Use one link for the FIRST time the internal article is used. Internal links are only useful to the community if the page exists so please do not link to pages that have not been created on the wiki.
  • External: Fandom encourages users to include links on pages that have information that is new, in dispute, or can create confusion. These are usually external links in references. Be sure the webpage is accurate before adding a link. Never add a link that doesn't deal with the information presented in the article. An external link in not needed to define everyday vocabulary. Avoid filling the page with unnecessary links.

Organization

The more organized a page is, the faster information can be found.

  • Headings: Headings allow the reader to jump ahead in the article to the information they are looking for, drastically improving organization. Headers should be used reasonably between sections of distinct information. Some headers, such as "Lyrics" on song pages, are generated by templates. All pages of a similar types should have the same headings.
  • Templates: Templates make pages uniform and professional. DO NOT attempt to edit any template unless there is a problem in the layout that prevents the template from preforming its desired function and you have extensive knowledge in the template's code. Templates usually have the most complex coding.
    • Code (Source mode): Some pages have more complex coding than others and must be edited in code in order to be edited at all, while others have code that must be correct in order to display everything properly. All templates are also created with code. Do not edit any code if you are not familiar with how it works or what it intends to do. Even little changes such as removing a "-" can affect the page. Either become very familiar with the HTML and CSS coding online or have someone who knows the code to edit the page if there is a problem.
  • Relevant categories: When finished writing a new page, add relevant categories that reflect the information provided in the article. For example, if the page is an actor, be sure to find out if they provided the voice for a character or were an on-screen actor. If they are a voice actor, place them in the Voice actors category and not the Actors or Characters categories. Do not create a category for actors in a single film. Categories are added through the cog on the top bar when editing. If an article needs more information, add some and/or put the article in the stub category. All categories can be viewed through the wiki's category tree. Do not add articles or files to categories that contain other subcategories or specifically state not to.

Additional Tips

  • Repetition: There is no reason to include information over and over again in the same article no matter the size. Doing so lengthens the article, which becomes a nuisance to the reader. Avoid using the same word multiple times in the same paragraph.
  • Pictures and Videos: After adding the file, be sure to hit the preview button before publishing to see if the picture or video interferes with the text. If there is interference, move the picture or video up or down until none exists. Avoid adding very large pictures on pages. All main characters and couples have separate galleries for pictures.
  • Quotes: The correct way to show quotes is in "parentheses italicized" as shown.

Tips for Talk Pages

These pages are important to share information and suggestions between editors on what needs revising to make the article better. If there is ever a problem with a page, leave a comment on the talk page related to the article.

  • Proper commenting: Talk pages are not personal discussion boards. If you want to just talk with someone, check out the Chipmunks Discord. To discuss personal opinions, find a thread in the wiki's Discussions. DO NOT put personal opinions or unrelated comments on talk pages.
  • Signatures: After every comment posted on a talk page, include your signature by using four ~ marks back-to-back or the signature button above. Do not put your signature on any article, even if you are the primary editor.
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