View source for Help:References

One of the most common complaint in any wiki is that the information lacks authority/sources that verifies the content as legitimate. As such, this page attempts to address the issue: the following are guidelines on how to reference information added to the wiki.

==Basic concept==
===Reference tags===
When citing information, simply include the HTML <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code> code at the end of the sentence. The basic concept of the <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code> tag is that it inserts the text enclosed by the ref tags as a footnote in a designated section, which you indicate with the this tag <code><nowiki><references/></nowiki></code>.

If you don't include <code><nowiki><references/></nowiki></code> at the end of the article, none of the footnotes will appear.

This page itself uses footnotes, such as the one at the end of this sentence.<ref>An example source</ref> If you view the wikicode of this page by clicking "Edit this page", you can see a working example of footnotes.

*According to scientists, the Sun is pretty big.<ref>E. Miller, The Sun, (New York: Academic Press, 2005), 23-5.</ref>
*The Moon, however, is not so big.<ref>R. Smith, "Size of the Moon", Scientific American, 46 (April 1978): 44-6.</ref>

===Multiple uses of the same footnote===
To give a footnote a unique identifier, use <code><nowiki><ref name="name"/></nowiki></code>. You can then refer to the same footnote again by using a ref tag with the same name. The text inside the second tag doesn't matter, because the text already exists in the first reference. You can either copy the whole footnote, or you can use a terminated empty ref tag that looks like this: <code><nowiki><ref name="name"/></nowiki></code>.

In the following example, the same source is cited three times.

This is an example of multiple references to the same footnote.<ref name="multiple">Remember that when you refer to the same footnote multiple times, the text from the first reference is used.</ref>

Such references are particularly useful when citing sources, if different statements come from the same source.<ref name="multiple">This text is superfluous, and won't show up anywhere. We may as well just use an empty tag.</ref>

A concise way to make multiple references is to use empty ref tags, which have a slash at the end. Although this may reduce redundant work, please be aware that if a future editor removes the first reference, this will result in the loss of all references using the empty ref tags.<ref name="multiple" />

==Columns==
If you have a lot of references they can be placed in columns to save space and ease reading. Just add the following code:
<code><nowiki>{{reflist|NUMBER OF COLUMNS}}</nowiki></code>

==Format==
In order to differentiate to improve citation methods, it is recommended that editors use the following format when citing a source for an article.

===Published media===
Here, published media refers to literatures, i.e. novels, graphic books, magazines, but also includes but not limited to animation, films.<ref group="note">The format under this section would be the ''de facto'' format for all citation.</ref><ref group="note">''"Do note that the '''main format''' of citation should focus on title of novels/magazines and page numbers. If '''relevant as to providing clarification''', include the paragraph/section and quote."''</ref> For those that have been reissued/republished, i.e. updated with new information or less mistakes, and is in conflict with the previous published media, use the second format under this section.

==== Default format ====
<pre>
'''Title of media''', "chapter/section" (if needed), ''page number'' (''"Quote"'' (if needed))
</pre>
:For example, <code><nowiki>'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', "Chapter 39", ''page 372'' (Kurt-051: ''"Spartans never die"'')</nowiki></code>
:Result: '''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', "Chapter 39", ''page 372'' (Kurt-051: ''"Spartans never die"'')

==== Reissued/republished media ====
<pre>
'''Title of media''', "chapter/section" (if needed), ''page number''; '''Date of new publish''', ''page number'' (''"Quote"'' (if needed))
</pre>
:For example, <code><nowiki>'''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''', "Chapter ??", ''page ???''; '''2010''', ''page ??''</nowiki></code>
:Result: '''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', "Chapter ??", ''page ???''; '''2010''', ''page ??''

===Web content===
Web content in this section refers generally news articles, i.e. IGN articles and Bungie Weekly Update. Also included in this section are video documentaries, trailers and YouTube videos. The citation format would be as so:
<pre>
'''Title''': ''Title of article'' (''"Quote"'' (optional))
</pre>
:For example, <code><nowiki>[http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/112/1126799p3.html '''IGN''': ''Beyond the Ring: Bungie's Renegade Development of Halo's Fiction''] ('''Joseph Staten''': ''""Bungie was maintaining creative oversight over all these initiatives -- we really did have a lot of control over what stories got told. Historically, over the decade of Halo storytelling, Bungie would maintain creative ownership and direction of these various projects." "'')</nowiki></code>
:Result: [http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/112/1126799p3.html '''IGN''': ''Beyond the Ring: Bungie's Renegade Development of Halo's Fiction''] ('''Joseph Staten''': ''""Bungie was maintaining creative oversight over all these initiatives -- we really did have a lot of control over what stories got told. Historically, over the decade of Halo storytelling, Bungie would maintain creative ownership and direction of these various projects." "'')

===Gameplay content===
For information using games as citations, the citation format would be as so:
<pre>
'''Title of game''', campaign/multiplayer level ''Name of Level'' (''"Quote"'' (optional))
</pre>
:For example, <code><nowiki>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''The Truth and Reconciliation'' (''"Captain Keyes: They call it Halo"'')</nowiki></code>
:Result: '''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''The Truth and Reconciliation'' (''"Captain Keyes: They call it Halo"'')

==Notes==
<references group="note"/>

==Sources==
<references/>

== External link ==
*[http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Cite/Cite.php Cite Code]

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[[Category: Help]]