Bulbapedia:Manual of style

This is an instruction manual that addresses the conventions adopted by Bulbapedia in titles, articles, and linking. Please read it before you contribute to the Bulbapedia project.

Titles, Redirects, and Names

The conventions for titles dictate that all proper nouns are capitalized, as are all locations, and names unless specifically not capitalized. Titles are not written in the style of English conventions with most words capitalized; note the title of this page as Manual of style, not Manual of Style. Uniformity in the titling of pages is much appreciated in that it makes for a much more professional appearance with regards to the public perception of Bulbapedia. Any page title that includes a name should not be stored in a biographical format; i.e., "Gary Oak", not "Oak, Gary" as the page title for Ash's rival. In cases where only a first name (Bill) exists, or where a character is known by a title (Professor Oak) more than their proper name, those should be used as the sole title of the page. In the case of Professor Oak, redirects from "Prof. Oak" and "Samuel Oak" may be used.

Also, only link to a page once from the existing page; if you say "Ash" twice, only linkify it the first time.

The é and Special Characters

The é is always used in a title where appropriate; pages are titled "Pokémon", not "Pokemon." When the é is used in a title, for instance in Pokémon or Pokédex, please create a redirect from the title that doesn't have the accented é. Pokedex redirects to Pokédex, for instance; this allows for people who don't know how to add the special characters the same access as the rest of us. The same would apply for any other special characters that may occur in a title.

Naming conventions

Naming conventions in Bulbapedia have been determined to go by English names of characters unless a character is more widely known by his or her Japanese name. An example of this would be Jirarudan for Lawrence III; however, for "main" characters like Ash, English names are always used. Redirects from the name of the other language should be created in order to alleviate confusion. For instance, the page Satoshi redirects to "Ash Ketchum", and the page "Lawrence III" redirects to Jirarudan.

Also, an article titled with a Pokémon name with a very well known instance in the canon will redirect to the article for that character. Therefore, the article Meowth will redirect to Meowth (Team Rocket), and the article Mewtwo will redirect to Mewtwo (character). The articles on the Pokémon in general should be titled Meowth (Pokémon) and Mewtwo (Pokémon) respectively.

This trend should be continued if possible throughout Bulbapedia for ease of use to all involved. If there is debate as to which name is more proper, contact a Bulbapedia administrator.

Items, locations, and specific terminology

Items and all words in them are always capitalized; they are considered proper nouns for the purposes of Bulbapedia. "Leftovers", "Escape Rope", or "Water Stone" are all correct as written; a page would not be titled "Water stone".
Locations should also be capitalized in a manner consistent with English grammar; Ruins of Alph has the A in Alph always capitalized.
Specific terminology is different; leveling up has a lowercase L, as would "starter Pokémon" have a lowercase "s" (but, of course, a capital P in Pokémon.)
Specific element types are called "Water-type" and "Rock-type" when used as nouns and their subject pages are Water (type) and Rock (type), respectively. Squirtle is a "Water type" is not correct; Squirtle is a "Water-type" is.

Remember that consistency with these conventions is very important, and your cooperation is appreciated.

Regarding specific topics

Topics such as the Anime should link to the page "Pokémon anime"; topics for the game should either link to that game's generation or its specific page. Topics about the Manga should link to Pokémon manga, and so on; linking to just "anime" or "games" or "manga" is incorrect. Please take note of the already-existing pages regarding a topic and be sure to try and link to them; it makes for less fixing of broken, bad, and misdirected links. The staff of Bulbapedia is trying to keep options open to expand beyond a Pokémon context and into a more general encyclopedia topic; using the specific titles for Pokémon topics instead of making them overly vauge helps in organization.

Style of Writing, Editing, Bias, and Opinion

Please remember that Bulbapedia is designed to be an encylopedia, and as such should contain the best possible level of literary style. Check for spelling and grammatical errors before entering a page; if you notice factual or spelling errors on a page other than the ones you have created, feel free to correct the problems. This is, after all, an open project. Another thing to remember is that slanted articles, towards or against a point of view, look sloppy and should be avoided. Try to take any possible bias out of your articles, even if it's difficult to write about Ash's Pikachu with a straight, honest, objective style. Injecting one's opinion ties in closely with bias; ensure that your feelings or opinions about a character do not come out solely, making it appear as if the article is editorializing. Saying "the fans hate Ash" is opinionated and unwanted in the Bulbapedia project; saying "numerous fans have a strong dislike of Ash due to his tendency to show weakness and ineptitude" is perfectly acceptable, because it's a fact.

Episode Titling

The Bulbapedia rules of episode titling dictate that the order in which the episode aired in Japan is its title. Episodes prior to the Advanced Generation will be titled "EP001, EP002," and so on, with the numbering system being that of, again, Japanese-aired episodes. Episodes considered to be in the "Advanced Generation" will be titled "AG001, AG002", etc. Titles as aired in English should redirect to the page of the respective episode page, i.e. the page "The Battle for the Badge" would redirect to EP063. Special episodes and movies will be stored according to their English title, with redirects going from their translated Japanese title. If no English title is available, the best possible translation should be used.

Element Names (Technical Description)

When referencing a type, like Steel or Water, put in the brackets Steel (type), not Steel Type. However, you can use the | seperator to write "Steel-type" so it appears as such in the text, i.e. [[Steel (type)|Steel-type]] . This is due to the fact that moves may be defined as "Steel-type", but typically Pokémon of a certain element may be referred to (in this case) as "Steels" or other abbreviations. To avert confusion, pages regarding the elements are therefore titled as such, Steel (type), Water (type), Normal (type), etc.

We at Bulbapedia are here create, provide, and upkeep an enormous database filled with Pokémon information. Your help is appreciated more than you know; contributions extend beyond just Bulbapedia to the entire online Pokémon Commuinty.