This PipeProject is devoted to get rid of the many stubs that have accumulated and preventing new stubs from being created. Adding information is the priority, but SMWikifying the articles is also important. Any questions that come up can be asked at the talk page.
Shortcut
Goals
The goals of this PipeProject are to....
- To provide more info for stubs.
- To add as many categories as possible that fits the article.
- To add as many templates as possible that fit the article.
- BONUS – Add more images.
- BONUS – Rewrite the article if needed.
- BONUS – Increase navigation by adding more links from other articles.
Basic Article Format
There are five basic things every article should have (numbers 2-4 do not necessarily have to be in order):
- Explain the origin of the subject (The '''Main Page''' is the primary portal of the ''[[Super Mario Wiki]]''.).
- Where is it located? How is it accessed? How can it be unlocked? (It can be accessed by typing in the URL http://www.mariowiki.com/Main_Page.)
- What does it do? What is its purpose? (The Main Page is used to announce news, both about the [[wiki]] and [[Mario]]. It also serves as a hub for [[Users]] and [[Guests]].)
- Which characters can it be used by? What things are a part of it? What appearance does it have? (The Main Page can only be edited by [[Sysop]]s due to a large potential of [[vandalism]]. The Main Page includes [[link]]s, [[Featured Content]], [[Mario News]], and a [[Did You Know?]] section. The top of the Main Page also displays the number of articles on MarioWiki.)
- What templates can be applied? What categories can be applied? If possible, what images can be added?
Here's the finished product:
The '''Main Page''' is the primary portal of the ''[[Super Mario Wiki]]''. It can be accessed by typing in the URL http://www.mariowiki.com/Main_Page. The Main Page is used to announce news, both about the [[wiki]] and [[Mario]]. It also serves as a hub for [[Users]] and [[Guests]]. The Main Page can only be edited by [[Sysop]]s due to a large potential of [[vandalism]]. The Main Page includes [[link]]s, [[Featured Content]], [[Mario News]], and a [[Did You Know?]] section. The top of the Main Page also displays the number of articles on MarioWiki.
Not every article needs to use this format. This is only a guideline.
Merging
Since merging is an important way to remove stub articles, you should know how to do it properly and efficiently. Adhere to the following guidelines before merging an article:
- Do not merge without consensus – Generally, it is considered unorthodox to merge pages without approval from the community. Place {{Mergeto}} and {{Mergefrom}} on the proper articles. Provide a reason for why you feel the articles should be merged in either the editing summary or on the discussion page. If there is a majority consensus in favor of merging and discussion has gone on for at least a week, you have approval to merge the articles. Please note that lack of attention does not constitute approval for merging; one vote in approval from the proposal will not result in a majority ruling. The proposer must seek out attention and receive at least three votes either in support or oppose before the proposal can be deemed to have had significant attention.
- Do not copy & paste – A simple copy & paste will not be sufficient enough to constitute a merge. The formatting has to be changed, information needs to be relocated to the proper locations, and duplicate information must be deleted.
- Create redirects – Creating redirects will prevent other users from recreating the merged article and shows the reader the proper page for the information. Redirecting pages is easy; simply remove all the content on the page and replace it #Redirect [[Merged article]]. In some cases, redirects are not necessary. For example, if the redirect is a fan-made name, it should be deleted instead of redirected.
- Merge talk pages – After the article has been merged, be sure to merge the talk page. All discussions from the previous talk page should be moved to the merged article's talk page. Make a note of where the previous discussion began and where it ended. If the merged article's talk page has not been created yet, use the move feature instead of manually moving the talk page. However, you must still make a note of where the previous discussion began and ended. Once the talk pages have been merged, place {{Delete}} on the old talk page.
- Replace links – Look through other articles redirecting to the merged article and correct the links. An easy way to find the articles is to click on "What links here" in the toolbox. Edit any navigation templates as well. This is not required, but will make the links accurate.
Here is an example of how 2 stubs can be merged together to create a more complete article:
Featured articles are articles that represent the best the Super Mario Wiki has to offer. The Featured Article Nomination process was created in order to highlight quality articles representative of the Super Mario Wiki.
Featured Images are quality, intriguing, witty, provocative, rare, important, and otherwise simply interesting images that can be found throughout the site's articles. Users are encouraged to submit and vote on nominations for the Featured Image displayed on the Main Page.
Featured Content represents the best the MarioWiki has to offer. Featured Content consist of Featured Articles and Featured Images. Featured Articles are articles that represent the best the Super Mario Wiki has to offer. The Featured Article Nomination process was created in order to highlight quality articles representative of the Super Mario Wiki. Featured Images are quality, intriguing, witty, provocative, rare, important, and otherwise simply interesting images that can be found throughout the site's articles. Unlike Featured Articles, voters on Featured Images do not need to provide a "good reason". Users are encouraged to submit and vote on nominations for the Featured Content displayed on the Main Page.
Tips
- Don't overthink it – The unstubbed articles do not have to be perfect or extremely detailed. As long as the criteria above is covered, the article should be fine.
- Replace small words – Short words should be substituted for larger words. This makes the article longer and looks more professional. For instance, replace words like "got" with "obtained" and "beat" with "defeated". Also, don't overuse pronouns.
- Split long sentences – Short sentences which are clear and concise are better than confusing long sentences. A common problem is that all the information is written in the first sentence, depriving other sentences of info. An introductory sentence like "The '''Lucky Clover''' is an item that can prevent four missteps and can be bought in shops for 50 [[coin]]s in ''[[Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix]]''." is not acceptable. A long sentence like that should be split as "The '''Lucky Clover''' is an item found in ''[[Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix]]''. It can be bought at shops for 50 [[coin]]s. The Lucky Clover can be used to prevent up to four missteps.".
- Use available resources – Maybe you have no idea what information to add. Check "What links here" in the toolbox. Another article might have more information about the stub article.
- Use references – Usually, stubbed articles are about a relatively obscure subject with little information. As a result, some information might need references to maintain the information's credibility. See the Citation Policy for more information.
- Pace yourself – Set a realistic expectation for yourself. Maybe your goal is to unstub at least one article per week or even one stub per day.
FAQ
Q: What is a stub?
A: Any article lacking sufficient information. If you are unsure whether an article is a stub, bring it up on the article's talk page.
Q: What if I don't know anything about the stub?
A: There are always ways to look up information. Consider checking the walkthroughs on Gamefaqs or simply Google it.
Q: Why are stubs so bad?
A: They make the wiki look unprofessional and incomplete. Since over 10% of all articles are stubs, this is a serious problem.
Q: Is there a way to stop users from creating stubs?
A: As of September 2010, a new rule is being enforced regarding new stubs. Any new stubs created will be deleted immediately. As such, this should no longer be an issue. However, since judging an article as a stub is a subjective process, sysops have the final say in the deletion.
Q: What if it is nearly impossible to add more information to a stub?
A: You might want to consider merging it or deleting it. Merging works great since little information is lost and the merged article has more information. Deleting only works if the subject is extremely minor and doesn't need to be merged anywhere.
Is your question not here? Go ask on the talk page.
Members
Type #{{User|Your username}} if you want to help for any of the stubs, even for a few sentences.
This page observes the No-Signature Policy.
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- CosmicRedToad (talk)
- Toadshroom (talk)
- Boun C ball (talk)
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- Ultramariologan (talk)
Unstubify article
A list of every stub article, from the smallest stub to the largest:
{{#dpl:debug=1|ordermethod=size|category=Stubs}}