Policy This page is considered an official policy on the Ratchet & Clank wiki. It has wide acceptance among editors and is considered a standard that everyone should follow. Except for minor edits, please make use of the discussion page to propose changes to this policy.

This layout and style guide is an official guide as to how an article should be structured and information often found in a manual of style. Feel free to discuss the Layout Guide on the discussion page. Please note that all sections are in the order they should be in an article. The manual of style for walkthroughs and usage articles can be found towards the end of this page. An editing guide for how the upcoming comic series will be covered is available here and one for Heroes on the Move can be found on Talk:Heroes on the Move.

Contents 1 Editing style 1.1 Ratchet &/and Clank! 2 Normal article layout information 2.1 Templates 2.2 Infoboxes 2.3 Main article 2.4 Gaming information 2.5 Lists 2.6 Trivia 2.7 Behind the scenes (notice the capitalization) 2.8 See also 2.9 Appearances 2.10 External links 2.11 Sources 2.12 Sources and references 2.13 Stub 2.14 Category 3 Walkthrough content and layout guide 4 Guide article content guide

Editing styleEdit

This a brief list of editing tips you should follow when editing sections:

• Try to use American English.
• Don't abbreviate words, or article titles. If they're referred to as an acronym in the game, but the game reveals what it stands for then don't title the article with the acronym.
• Don't capitalize words mid-sentence unless they are names, or grammatically, they should be capitalized (like I, not i). This includes links. An example of how to do this with a link is: The article Armor Magnetizer is shown there how it is titled, with a capital A in armor and a capital M in magnetizer. Grammatically the title should be armor magnetizer, but as it's a title it isn't. Unless the link starts a sentence, then the a should not be a capital in normal articles, to link correctly you type this: [[Armor Magnetizer|armor magnetizer]] and it will show as armor magnetizer which is how it should be, and the link won't be broken or an unneeded redirect.

• Species should always be capitalised on the Ratchet & Clank wiki, even mid-sentence.

Ratchet &/and Clank!Edit

Ratchet & Clank is the name of a title, so Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando not Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando. If Ratchet and Clank go to Veldin then it is not a title and the symbol "&" should not be used - Ratchet and Clank went to Veldin.

Normal article layout informationEdit

TemplatesEdit

• Templates such as Conjecture go at the top of an article where relevant.

InfoboxesEdit

• An infobox should be used where possible in articles.
• Usually an infobox should only be added if at least one piece of information can be added to each section of the infobox.

• For example the Location infobox would only be added to an article if at least one field in the general information section can be completed and at least one field in the other section can also be completed.

Main articleEdit

• Official and canonical information only.
• NO fanon or non-canon information (unless the entire article is devoted to a non-canon subject).
• NO speculation, not even an author's speculation.
• Make sure that you write the articles from Ratchet's view (in-universe) and in the past tense, keep gaming tips to a separate section.
• Quotes can be used at relevant sections, and should preferably be used no more than once in each section of an article. A quote can be put after the infobox section, but before the main article content starts for the opening paragraph(s).

Gaming informationEdit

• Things like tips on how to defeat enemies, or reach secret areas.
• Written from the gamer's perspective.

ListsEdit

• For location articles, a list of enemies is often appropriate, so it should be split into two sub-sections - native and non-native enemies.

TriviaEdit

• A section for trivial information.
• Should be sourced if mentioning a popular belief.
• Speculation should be kept to a minimum in this section.

Behind the scenes (notice the capitalization)Edit

• Portrayal information (for characters appearing in games, cartoons, radio dramatizations).
• Origin of Subject: Subject's first appearance, who was responsible for creating and/or naming the subject, how the subject came about, was it based on anything, who did the concept art, etc.
• retcon Information: How (if) subject's story has been changed in a retcon.
• Any related infinities or non-canon information.
• Contradictions: Point out if one official source contradicts another, and which (if any) is accepted as canon.
• Speculation: Only included if the speculation is WIDELY believed by fans, or any speculation made by authors.
• "Sub Meanings": If something is named after a real world, why this might have been done. For an example see the article Liberator armor.
• Glitches: Only if minor, for example a graphical glitch. Actual game play glitches can go in the content section, in its own area.

See alsoEdit

• Links to related topics not already linked in article.
• Usually links to Image categories or pages, that don't really belong in the main article.
• Links to walkthrough articles or usage articles where relevant.

AppearancesEdit

• Bulleted list of games and comics that the subject has appeared in.
• These are de facto references or sources, but they are listed separately because they are in-universe.
• Includes even the smallest mentions in dialogue, narration, or visual appearance - for mentioned only appearances use the mentioned only template.
• Should be sorted in order of in-universe chronology.

External linksEdit

• It's called "External links" even if there is currently only one link.
• Links to other unofficial sources, e.g. fan sites.
• Can also link to other sites where further information might be listed.

SourcesEdit

• Bulleted list of sources.
• Includes even the smallest mentions.
• Should be sorted by date of publication.
• May be sourced as a reference and displayed in sources and references instead.

Sources and referencesEdit

• List of sources for information in the "Behind the scenes" section and other sections goes here.
• Items are added to the list by placing <ref>Source goes here</ref> after the information tidbit in question (place it mid article).
• To get the references to show up in this section, insert the following code:

{{Reflist}}

• For further help see Ratchet & Clank wiki:Sourcing.
• This is used as a way of proving that content is canon, by linking to a source, or listing where a source can be found.

StubEdit

• Used when an article is too vague or brief, and when there is clearly more information that can be added.
• To add, type {{Stub}}, don't just categorise the article! The template does it for you.

CategoryEdit

• Every article should have at least one category
• Categories should be listed in alphabetical order
• People should be categorized by their last name; for example, [[Category:Characters|McMarxx, Skidd]] or [[Category:Bosses|Gears, Courtney]].
• Articles beginning with an article ("a," "an," or "the") should be categorized by the first significant word; for example, [[Category:Weapons|Harbinger, The]]
• Please categorise categories in the same way!

Walkthrough content and layout guideEdit

(Example article)

1. To create a walkthrough for a particular game go to the article based on the game you wish to write about. Then either follow a link or create the page titled: Game title/Walkthrough (make sure it has a link to the walkthrough on the actual game article in the see also section).
2. Then create a list of links that lead to pages for each level, or just add the one you wish to make if it has not already been created. For example, a link to the walkthrough for the first level of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction would be titled: Metropolis/Walkthrough. If a planet or location appears in several games, then the /walkthrough page would be a disambiguation page, that links to pages titled Level name/Walkthrough/Game name ending for example, Metropolis/Walkthrough/Tools of Destruction.
3. Also, if you are creating a new walkthrough page for a game, make sure you make a prologue page for the walkthrough, that will outline the story, the controls, the basics and tips.
4. Then from the list, create the page! Follow the general layout guide's order where applicable, however the tense is present as it is from the gamer's perspective and it is therefore a real world article rather than an in-universe article.
5. Try to follow these walkthrough guidelines:

• Create a new section in the article for each route on a planet. Most planets have two or more routes with different objectives at the end of each one.
• Create sub-sections within the main sections to seperate objectives, missions and milestones.
• Have a collectables section after the main walkthrough content, here briefly describe the location of items such a gold bolts. Remember to also include these locations in the main walkthrough though, the player doesn't want to complete the mission and then have to do it again for an item!
• Place Template:Walkthroughbox at the top of the article. Not all fields are applicable. For example, Nanotech Boosts only appear in Going Commando.
• Remember to include links! Just because it's a walkthrough doesn't mean it can't have links.
• See the example page for more tips.

Guide article content guideEdit

Guide articles are articles that explain how a weapon or gadget is used in a game, for example how to use a gadget and tips on doing so. To create a guide page, title it Weapon or Gadget name/Guide. When adding content follow the general layout guide's order where applicable, however the tense is present as it is from the gamer's perspective and it is therefore a real world article rather than an in-universe article. All usage articles should be categorized into either of the following categories: Gadget guide articles or Weapon guide articles.