Wikipedia:WikiProject Television/Lost task force/Episode guidelines

Overview
This page gives guidance and instructions on how to create and maintain articles for the television series Lost. This format was developed based on guidelines at Centralized discussion/Television episodes and extensive discussion at Talk:Episodes of Lost and Wikipedia talk:Requests for mediation/Lost episodes.

See also: Manual of Style (writing about fiction)

Title
The title of the article should be the name of the episode. If no other article shares that name, then no disambiguation is needed. If disambiguation is required, it should be the name of the episode followed by the word " ". See also: Naming conventions (television) and WP:D

General article guidelines

 * 1) Season articles (Episodes of Lost (season 1), etc) are deprecated, and should be phased out, after carefully merging their content with the individual episode articles.
 * 2) In lieu of Episodes of Lost (season X), Lost season X may be created, consisting of a summary of the main themes and developments of the season, for the reader who wants a broad overview before diving into the individual articles. These season wraparound articles should be relatively brief, link to the individual episode articles where appropriate, and should not attempt to summarize individual episodes but rather emphasize broad themes, plot arcs and character developments.
 * 3) To maintain article quality, episode summaries
 * should not contain brilliant prose, speculation, fancruft or original research
 * should only mention events important to the central character and his/her flashback, events that relate to the ongoing or future story lines, and events that emphasize the story elements and thematic motifs sections in the main Lost article
 * should contain little or no references to actual dialog, other than (as a rare exception) lines that are pivotal to plot swerves or character revelations
 * It is expected that following these guidelines, episode summaries should be limited to 500 words per hour, more or less.
 * 1) Trivia sections should be kept to a minimum, since the preceding guidelines are paramount. Trivia, if included, should follow the following guidelines:
 * 2) *Trivia that exists entirely within the fiction of the story (e.g. The song John sings while exploring the jungle is The lion sleeps tonight. ) should be avoided. Insignificant details do not meet guideline 4, while significant information should be included in the main summary.
 * 3) *Trivia that exists entirely outside the narrative of the episode (e.g. The underground scenes were filmed in an air-raid shelter built for families of sailors stationed at Pearl Harbor. ) may have a place somewhere but not in the episode summary article.
 * 4) *Trivia that crosses the fourth wall (e.g. The storm was written into the episode after a real storm damaged the sets on location. ) may be included provided it is properly sourced.

Article sections

 * Opening paragraph: This should include the name of the episode, where it is in the series, the names of the writers and directors, the original airdate, and the name of the episode's main flashback character.  It should stick to a format such as this:


 * For a single episode:


 * "Tabula Rasa" is the 3rd episode of Lost. It is the third episode of the show's first season.  The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by Damon Lindelof.  It first aired on October 6, 2004 on ABC.  The character of Kate Austen is featured in the episode's flashback.


 * For more than one episode:
 * "Pilot" constitutes the 1st and 2nd episodes of Lost. They are the first and second episodes of the first season. The episodes were directed by J.J. Abrams, and written by J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof. They first aired on September 22, 2004 and September 29, 2004 on ABC. The characters of Jack Shephard, Kate Austen and Charlie Pace are featured in the two episode's flashbacks.


 * Plot: Summaries must avoid speculation and original research. Further, they should not be a detailed "step by step" description of the episode, but instead, only mention notable events.  For example, events that relate to the storyline, the central character's flashback, and other events that emphasize story elements and thematic motifs in the series. There should be little or no references to actual dialog, unless there are lines that are or appear to be pivotal or episode-defining in some way.  Events should be described as they happened, without any speculation about a character's internal thoughts or motivations, unless the motivations are explicitly stated as part of the episode.


 * Significance to the ongoing storyline: Important references to events in other episodes may be mentioned here. Great care must be taken that this does not include original research or fan speculation. Use of reliable sources is preferred.  Comments by the series producers may be included if properly sourced.


 * Media and fan reaction: If an episode prompts a particularly notable reaction from fans or professional TV reviewers, this may be discussed if properly sourced through reliable sources (i.e. no blogs or fan sites).


 * Trivia: Keep this to a minimum, and follow the general guidelines named above.

Templates to include on the article page

 * Lost (TV series)
 * Lost episodes

Templates to include on the talk page

 * If it's an article about a future episode, please also add: WP:WikiProject Television/Lost task force/Policy
 * If it's an article about a future episode, please also add: WP:WikiProject Television/Lost task force/Policy

Category

 * Category:Lost (TV series) episodes

Images
The use of television screenshot images on Wikipedia is very controversial, and as such, their use is discouraged except for very rare and specific situations. Any image used in an episode article must include a rationale that it is needed to illustrate some relevant point in the article, such that a simple text description would not suffice. For example, the image of the Dharma logo on the shark, in Adrift (Lost). Images should never be used for simple decoration.

Future episodes
Descriptions on future episodes should be limited as follows, per consensus achieved in November 2005:


 * Information on future episodes must be limited to official broadcasts, information taken from the ABC website, official LOST websites, official episode descriptions, and interviews with cast/producers/writers/directors.
 * Information extrapolated from commercials or previews, or spoiler websites will NOT be included. This includes unverified episode titles, plot elements or flashback information.

Summary
The goal in providing Lost episode articles on Wikipedia is not to provide a replacement for seeing the actual show, or to provide a central location for speculative observations, but simply to provide a useful additional resource of information, which includes only factual and verifiable data.