Wikipedia:Stand-alone lists/Television

The following is a guide for those who edit television-related stand-alone lists and “lists of links”, which are articles that primarily consist of a list or a group of lists, linking to articles or lists in a particular subject area, such as a timeline of events or people and places under WikiProject Television. “List of” or “Timeline of” usually commence these articles’ titles. Stand-alone lists are Wikipedia articles; thus, they are equally subject to Wikipedia's content policies, such as verifiability, no original research and neutral point of view. Remember that Wikipedia is foremost an encyclopedia and that articles should try to be prosaïc, and his style guideline aims to create a consistent method of displaying lists of works, such as lists of videos, broadcasts, episodes and channels, instead of TV.com extracts listing arbitrary information. Articles should be verifiable and establish notability. Please cite your sources wherever possible. Your articles should be written from an out-of-universe perspective. Remember, this is only a guide, and may change depending on Wikipolicy or participant consensus.

The overall list structure should be flexible and responsive to unique or exceptional aspects, including but not limited to, filmgraphies, careers, series, or list of characters, channels or broadcasters, including any combination thereof, but the following guidelines should be followed in most cases. General guidelines are available at Manual of Style/Stand-alone lists and Manual of Style/Television.

Sections
Lists generally work better with each person, place, thing or idea presented in its own section. With respect to what to include in the individual sections, treat them as if they were mini-articles and refer to Manual of Style/Television for assistance. Given that the item is part of a list, and does not have its own article, there probably will not be a reason to have subsections underneath the header. If there is a lot of real world information available, but not enough to separate the item, then simply separate the distinctive topics into their own paragraphs.

Lead
Lists should begin with a lead section that summarizes any necessary background information, provides encyclopedic context, links to other relevant articles, and makes direct statements about the criteria by which members of the list were selected. Ideally, the selection criteria will be unambiguous, objective, and supported by reliable sources. Note that the lead sections of the lists must state what they include.

Future editors should not be left to guess about what or who should be included from the title of the page. Even if the selection criteria might seem obvious to you, an explicit standard is helpful to others. In cases where the membership criteria are subjective or likely to be disputed (for example, lists of unusual things or terrorist incidents), membership criteria should be based on reliable sources. Non-obvious characteristics of the list (for instance, regarding the list structure) should also be explained in the lead section.

For a good episode example, see List of The O.C. episodes: The O.C. is an American teenaged drama television series created by Josh Schwartz. It premiered on FOX, a terrestrial television network, on August 5, 2003 with the pilot episode "Premiere". The O.C. is set in Newport Beach, Orange County, California and follows the stories of residents in the wealthy, harbor-front community. The series mainly focuses around the Cohen and Cooper families, and the Cohen's adoption of Ryan Atwood, a troubled teenager from Chino, California. The show ran until February 22, 2007, with 92 episodes split over 4 seasons. The first season consisted of twenty-seven episodes, the second season was twenty-four episodes long and preceded by two specials that gave a retrospective look at season one, and previewed the upcoming second season. Season three was twenty-five episodes long, but only sixteen episodes were ordered for the final fourth season as falling ratings led to the show's cancellation. For a good character list example, see Characters of Kingdom Hearts, although it is not a television-related article: Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square). It is the result of a collaboration between Square and Disney Interactive Studios. Kingdom Hearts is a crossover of various Disney settings based in a universe made specifically for the series. The series features a mixture of familiar Disney and Final Fantasy characters, as well as several new characters designed and created by Tetsuya Nomura. In addition, it has an all-star voice cast which includes many of the Disney characters' official voice actors.

The series centers around the main character Sora's search for his friends and his encounters with Disney and Final Fantasy characters on their worlds. There are few playable characters in the games, though there are numerous characters that are able to join Sora's party as computer controlled members. The majority of the characters were introduced in the first game, Kingdom Hearts. Several new characters were introduced in the sequel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, which also featured alternate versions of previous characters created from Sora's memories. The third game, Kingdom Hearts II, added more Disney and Final Fantasy characters as well as introduced new antagonists.

Tables
Ideally, lists will be in a tabular format, There are various ways to the create tables. Refer to the list of featured episode lists to find the table that best represents that article you are creating. If the episode lists includes episodes from multiple seasons, give them appropriate section headers such as "Season 1", "Season 2", or "Series 1", "Series 2" if that is the identifier for the show.

Membership criteria
Just like with the other articles, which use a similar tabular format, a brief summary of the entry (100–200 words; upwards of 350 words for complex items) is applicable.

When establishing membership criteria for a list, ask yourself:


 * If this person, place, thing or idea wasn't an X, would it reduce its fame or significance?
 * Would I expect to see this person, place, thing or idea on a list of X?
 * Is this person, place, thing or idea a canonical example of some facet of X?

If it passes this criteria, then it is applicable, because it is relevant information. Therefore, include this relevant information, such as the writers, directors, airdates, episode titles and episode number along with a list of a brief summary of the item.

Common selection criteria

 * 1) All of the entries in the list may fail the notability criteria. We create these lists, such as List of minor characters in Dilbert explicitly because most or all of them do not warrant independent articles.
 * 2) If you wikilink an item in the list, you should not create a bluelink to something that will end up at Articles for deletion and later cause a red link in the list because it didn’t satisfy Notability (media). On the other hand, red-linked entries are acceptable if the entry is verifiably a member of the listed group, and it is reasonable to expect an article could be forthcoming in the future. This standard prevents Wikipedia from becoming an indiscriminate list, and prevents individual lists from being too large to be useful to readers. Most of the best lists on Wikipedia reflect this type of editorial judgment.
 * 3) Create complete lists of every item that is verifiably a member of the group only if a complete list is reasonably short (less than 32K) and could be useful (e.g., for navigation) or interesting to readers. The inclusion of items must be supported by reliable sources. For example, if reliable sources indicate that a complete list would include the names of ten businesses and two non-notable businesses, then you are not required to omit the two non-notable businesses.
 * 4) Do not create a complete list on a single page if loading it would cause the browser to hang. Instead, you have two options.
 * 5) Create incomplete lists in which case you should use the notability standard to provide focus the list.
 * 6) Use multiple pages.

Multiple pages
For very lengthy lists, it may be necessary to break a main list into individual sublists. A main list is often the first stepping stone, but it generally lacks the amount of real world information that individual sublists have. Main lists may contain some awards or a reception section, but it is generally a list of information pertaining to the respective sublists. If this is done, the main list of should still contain the entire list, appropriately sectioned, without the entry summaries. Each section should have a Main link to the sublist. These separate sublists should include a full lead, as noted above and follow the same guidelines laid out here, as they will be evaluated as stand alone articles.

For example, for long series, generally 80+ episodes, it may be necessary to break the episode list into individual seasons or story arc lists, and each individual season article will have information on production, themes, etc.

Releases
The inclusion of DVD releases in episode lists is not a requirement but up to editor preference.

If DVD releases are included, they should include all primary release dates (e.g. Region 1, Region 2, and Region 4). If the series was also released on VHS or Laser disc, name the section Home video releases instead and note the VHS releases with the DVD information. Expand the table to include a column for VHS release date, if it is different from the DVD releases. How this is presented is up to the editors of the article; feel free to look over any featured list, or featured article to find a presentation of DVD releases that is appropriate for your article. Please cite the sources for the release information using citation templates, such as the company website showing release information or the DVD, VHS or Laser disc itself.

Images
Per Non-free content, episode lists should not have multiple images. Rather, a single representative image should be place at the top of the article, aligned to the right, with an appropriate caption. Ideally, this image will be the title screen from the series. The image should be uploaded and include the appropriate non-free use rationale to comply with Wikipedia policies. Please use a citation template to verify the source of the image, for example in the thumbnail description. This also goes for a list of characters. While an image showing the whole cast is useful at the top of an article, an image for every individual character is generally not appropriate, unless the amount of critical commentary on the character's appearance warrants an illustration. When offering such commentary, cite the sources of the commentary in addition to source of the image, for example in the thumbnail of the image, in the paragraph commenting on the image or both.

Naming conventions
This naming convention generally assumes you are writing a separate article for your list, however, you may be able to use this naming convention for very, very small lists. For example, if you are writing an article about a TV show that only had three episodes until its network canceled it, then you may be able to fit the entire article, including the list of characters and episodes, into a single list, and you may be able to use this convention for the list’s headers.

An incomplete lists may not contain every possible member. For example, List of people from the Isle of Wight obviously does not include all people from the island, because it is an incomplete lists in which case we use the notability standard to provide focus the list. Because of this, “notable” is assumed, and that word (or similar subjective words such as “famous”, “noted”, “prominent”, etc.) should not be included in the title of a list article. Similarly, do not use a title like: Xs nor list of all Xs. If (as is often the case), the list has multiple columns and so is in table form, the name or title List of Xs is still better than Table of Xs or Comparison of Xs.

Also keep in mind that very lengthy complete lists make it necessary to make a main list and sublists. A list of lists of X may simply be at Lists of X or List of X, such as Lists of episodes or List of screenwriters.

Set index articles do not need to be titled with “list of” unless there is also another article using that title, such as disambiguation. For example, Alternative versions of Superman is a list of alternative versions of Superman but does not need to be titled List of alternative versions of Superman. However, since Gladiators (TV series) is a disambiguation page, the related set index article would be List of TV series named Gladiators. Therefore, Xs of Y is better than List of Xs in Y, when Y Xs does not have its own article. For example, a list of different characters in Kingdom Hearts would be Characters of Kingdom Hearts, but on the other hand, a list of psychologies in The Simpsons would be List of psychologies in The Simpsons, because The Psychology of The Simpsons is a book by Alan S. Brown, Ph.D.

Chronological ordering
Chronological lists, including all timelines and lists of works, should be in earliest-to-latest chronological order. Special cases which specifically require frequent daily additions, such as in television, may use reverse chronological order for temporary convenience, although these articles should revert to non-reverse order when the article has stabilized, such as 2003 in television.

Appropriate topics for lists
The potential for creating lists is infinite. The number of possible lists is limited only by our collective imagination. To keep the system of lists useful, we must limit the number of lists.

Complete very lengthy lists that are not split into multiple pages have little value, because they are too general or too broad in scope. For example, a list of TV characters would be far too long to be of value. If you have an interest in listing TV characters, try to limit the scope in some way, such as by TV show, universe, etc. This is best done by sectioning the general page under categories. When entries in a category have grown enough to warrant a fresh list-article, they can be moved out to a new page, and be replaced by a See new list link. When all categories become links to lists, the page becomes a list repository or list of lists and the entries can be displayed as a bulleted list.

Lists that are too specific are also a problem. Brown Orc bandits of Slayers will be of little interest to anyone (except the person making the list or maybe KanzakaDex).

Some Wikipedians feel that some topics are unsuitable by virtue of the nature of the topic. Following the policy spelled out in What Wikipedia is not, they feel that some topics are trivial, non-encyclopedic, or not related to human knowledge. If you create a list like the List of boom textures, be prepared to explain why you feel this list contributes to television.

Lists of broadcast media
Notability may be presumed for television broadcast stations based on a variety of factors, such as their importance to and history in their markets, as well as the uniqueness of their programming. A brief explanation of the broadcast market may be needed in the guideline for editors to make informed decisions.

Incomplete lists of most television stations that produce original content should be presumed notable for Wikipedia purposes, because of the public interest the television stations serve. This includes the vast majority of over-the-air television stations that serve a large regional market and national or regional cable channel, satellite or IP-TV stations or any station that is notable under Notability (organizations and companies).

Complete lists may list non-notable stations such as translator stations, subcarriers, sister stations, but if the list is very lengthy, it should be split into multiple pages.

Lists of names
Incomplete lists of names, such as names of people or pets, should be selected for importance, notability or both in that category and should have Wikipedia articles (or the reasonable expectation of an article in the future). For example, List of game show hosts doesn't include every single person with a Wikipedia article who happens to have ever hosted a game show, because not all of them are notable for hosting a game show. However, it might well include Alex Trebek. Lists may include people who are notable only for one event and therefore do not have their own article, if they are of particular importance in the context of this event or activity, such as hosting a game show. Nationality or ethnicity are exceptions. List of Albanian actors includes persons who are famous in the category of actors and who belong to Albania. The criteria for identifying as an Albanian does not solely depend upon the official citizenship laws of that country, because a person could be related to the place by birth, residency, parentage or by that person’s personal admission considers oneself to be an Albanian at heart.

Complete lists may contain entries such as non-notable actors, directors, producers and writers, but if the list is very lengthy, it should be split into multiple pages.

Lists of people must follow Wikipedia's policy st Biographies of living persons. For example, care must be taken when adding people to the List of Jewish actors, and each addition must cite reliable sources.

Lists of characters or episodes
Incomplete lists of characters or episodes need to be more than a plot summary of the work. Notability of works and elements and scenes within should be based on their impact in the real world as opposed to what occurs within the work. Even if a character or episode plays a highly significant role within a notable work, it does not necessarily make them notable for the purposes of Wikipedia. Most commonly, the impact of a character or episode or their elements or scenes are shown through commentary, criticism, and reception specific to the work in which they appear. Because this is a part of the impact of the work or larger series, the advice at Summary style applies. Less commonly, individual elements or scenes may be more notable for their impact in multiple works or media, such as the character of Superman. 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 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 television series may be the subject of non-trivial real-world coverage, care should be taken when listing characters or episodes by providing evidence that the subject matter is notable in its own right, and that the section 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 list of every character element or scene. Rather, avoid splitting lists if the new list cannot meet inclusion criteria. 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.

Complete lists of characters or episodes may contain entries such as character or episode elements or scenes or non-notable characters and episodes, but if the list is very lengthy, it should be split into multiple pages.

Lists of character or episode elements or scenes should establish real-world importance or provide appropriate context for understanding real-world importance, versus detailing only the adventures involving the elements or scenes of characters or episodes. In this care, the entries should be written in the appropriate style that which expand upon relevant points of each character or episode element or scene to further the reader's understanding. Non-trivial artistic impact, cultural impact, or general popularity of lists of character or episode elements or scenes as described in sources justify importance of the characters. Creator commentary on specific elements or scenes may suggest but not demonstrate that the element or scene is notable. The character or episode elements or scenes must be verifiably important within the work. The importance of individual elements or scenes can be demonstrated when they are referred to in more than passing in reliable sources or if there is a reference to the creation of a character or episode element or scene in a reliable source.

Lists of lists
Wikipedia has many list of lists articles. On lists of lists, nonexistent lists should not be included. That is, all the links in a "lists of lists" should be active (blue, not red).

Lists of lists should also be available as alphabetical categories. Put lists that have actual content in one of the subcategories under Category:Lists.

Lists of terms
Some lists of television terms – as opposed to lists of television articles – may be better suited to Wiktionary, in accordance with Wikipedia is not a dictionary, particularly if it is just a list of words, with little comment. However, glossaries (annotated topical lists) are an established aspect of Wikipedia, and some lists can yield an encyclopedic page, such as Glossary of professional wrestling terms.

Categories, lists and navigation templates
As useful as lists are, certain lists may get out of date quickly; for these types of subjects, a category may be a more appropriate method of organization. See Categorization and Categories, lists, and navigation templates for more information on the appropriate times to use lists versus categories.

Lists and the “Related changes” link
A very useful Wikipedia feature is to use the "Related changes" link when on a list page. This will show you all the changes made to the links contained in the list. If the page has a link to itself, this feature will also show you the changes made to the list itself.