The following is a proposed Wikipedia policy, guideline, or process. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption.

This page in a nutshell: If a fictional topic has received verifiable coverage in reliable sources published independently of the work itself, it is presumed to satisfy the inclusion criteria, either as a stand-alone article or as a redirect to another article.

This page gives some rough guidelines intended to be used by Wikipedia editors to decide whether a fictional element should or should not have an article on Wikipedia; this guideline does not pertain to lists of such items. While satisfying these notability guidelines generally indicates an element warrants an article, failing to satisfy them is not a criterion for speedy deletion.

This guideline may be considered a specialized version of Wikipedia:Notability, applied to fictional elements, reflecting the following core Wikipedia policies and guidelines:

• Wikipedia articles must not be vehicles for advertisement
• Verifiability
• Reliable sources
• No original research
• Wikipedia is not a soapbox
• Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information
• Wikipedia is not a crystal ball

Claims of notability must adhere to Wikipedia's policy on Verifiability; it is not enough to simply assert that an element meets a criterion without substantiating that claim with reliable sources.

"Notability" as used herein is not a reflection of an element's appeal. An element may be brilliantly created, envisioned and visualized, fascinating and identifiable, while still not being notable enough to ensure sufficient verifiable source material exists. Notability is not a measure of how important an element is to the work itself; rather it serves as a guide on whether to create an article in an encyclopedia.

[edit] General principles

As with all subjects, an element should satisfy the general notability guideline.

The general guideline for notability shared by most of the subject-specific notability guidelines and Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not, is that:

A topic is presumed to be notable if it has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject.

This guideline includes published works such as books, television documentaries, full-length featured newspaper articles from large circulation newspapers, full-length magazine reviews and criticism excluding the following:

• Media reprints of press releases, trailers, and advertising for the work in which the element features.^[1]
• Trivial coverage, such as newspaper listings of screening times, "capsule reviews", plot summaries without critical commentary, or listings in comprehensive guides such as "Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide", TV.com or Gamespot.^[2]

The following are attributes that generally indicate, when supported with reliable sources, that the required sources are likely to exist:

1. The element is a titular character in a number of widely distributed works which have received full length reviews by two or more nationally known critics.
2. The element is historically notable, as evidenced by one or more of the following:
   • Publication of at least two non-trivial articles.
   • The element was deemed notable by a broad survey of critics, academics, or professionals, or a poll of the public organised by a national broadcaster or publication, when such a poll was conducted at least five years after the work's release.^[3]
   • The element has been the subject of a television retrospective, at least five years after initial release.
   • The element was featured as part of a documentary, program, or retrospective on the history of fiction or a particular genre or form.
3. The element was selected as a cultural icon by a national body. ^[4]
4. The element is "taught" as a subject at an accredited university or college with a notable program relevant to the form.

[edit] Other criteria

The following are attributes that generally indicate, when supported with reliable sources, that the required sources are likely to exist:

• The fictional element has established a tradition in a particular genre
• A major character of a multi-media franchise series.
  • Note: A major character is one mentioned multiple times in unrelated non-trivial reliable sources. Licensed works are considered related sources.
• The element has entered the cultural lexicon. This can be substantiated through multiple mentions of the term in context; for example the British press will talk of a "Roy of the Rovers" moment in a football report.
• An actor has won an award for their portrayal of the character.

[edit] Derivative articles

Wikipedia articles tend to grow in a way which lends itself to the natural creation of new articles. However, the consensus at Wikipedia is that articles about fictional works should not be split and split again into ever more minutiae of detail treatment, with each split resulting in undue weight being given to insignificant details or trivial coverage. This means that while a book or television series may be the subject of non-trivial real-world coverage, care should be taken when creating separate articles about individual characters or episodes by providing evidence that the subject matter is notable in its own right, and that the new article does not comprise nothing more than a plot summary.

For this reason, it is not normally advisable to set out from the start with the intention of creating derivative articles for every fictional character, episode, scene or chapter derived from it. Rather, avoid splitting articles if the new article cannot meet inclusion criteria for topics about fiction. Such splits may give rise to the creation of an unintentional content forks whose subject matter is already be featured in a related article that does provide evidence of notability.

[edit] Articles that don't meet the inclusion criteria

Articles that do not meet the inclusion guidelines above may be redirected and/or merged with a related article that does provide evidence of notability. Whilst this guideline is intended to be used by Wikipedia editors to decide whether a fictional topic should or should not have an article on Wikipedia, it should not be used as a set of deletion criteria. Although satisfying these notability guidelines generally indicates a fictional topic warrants an article, failing to satisfy them is not a criterion for speedy deletion.

Before proposing that an article is to be deleted, it is important to not just consider whether an article meets these inclusion criteria, but whether it has the potential to do so. Remember that all Wikipedia articles are not a final draft, and an article can be notable if such sources exist even if they have not been added at present.

In addition, no part of this guideline is meant to preempt the editorial decision of content selection and presentation; for example, a topic may meet all the criteria, but may be decided by consensus to merge the article with an article on the work of fiction itself instead of a separate article if there is limited information available.

Articles covering fictional elements that are deletion candidates are generally merged or retained temporarily if their coverage can meet some of these criteria:

1. Real-world coverage: To establish real-world importance, or to provide appropriate context for understanding real-world importance, rather than detail the fictional adventures of imaginary characters. Articles written in the appropriate style, which expand upon relevant points of a main topic to further the reader's understanding, are more likely to find acceptance among the Wikipedia community;
2. Importance of the fictional work: To justify articles on individual elements, the fictional work from which they come must have produced non-trivial artistic impact, cultural impact, or general popularity described in a secondary source. Creator commentary on specific elements may still hint at the likelyhood of the element being notable;
3. Role within the fictional work: The element must be an important element, and its importance must be verifiable. The importance of characters can be demonstrated when a character or other element in a book/film is referred to in a reliable source review of the book/film, or there is a reference to the casting of the character in a reliable source.

These criteria are not exhaustive, nor agreed by all, but can help to concentrate editorial discussion regarding the merger or deletion of specific articles and help editors reach conclusions as to how to best organise content.

[edit] References

[edit] Further guidance