Fallout Wiki:Reference formatting guideline

 

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This page contains Nukapedia's reference formatting guideline. It describes how references for certain materials should be structured within articles.

• Guidelines describe desired etiquette and common practice in the creation, editing and organization of articles on this wiki.
• Any registered editor is free to edit this page to improve its readability as long as the essence of the article remains unchanged.
• If you would like to suggest content changes or propose a new policy or guideline, please use the wiki discussion forum.
• See the policies and guidelines page for an overview of this wiki's policies and guidelines.

Dialogue

Dialogue between the player character and other non-player characters is the most common source to prove claims. When referencing an NPC conversation, the full prompt and response must be retained to keep the reference in context.

General guidelines

• The reference should include the names of all involved characters, followed by a colon (:) and their respective dialogues. Character names should be displayed as their full name and link to the character's page. Dialogue should be italicized and placed inside of quotation marks.
  • For longer dialogues, full character names may be shortened to first or last names (or similar) after their first appearance in the dialogue.
• A link to the dialogue file of the character(s) must be included at the end of the reference. This link is to be within parenthesis and separated from the main text using a line break (<br />).
  • The link should describe who the dialogue belongs to; for example, instead of simply [[HAROLD.MSG]], one would write [[HAROLD.MSG|Harold's dialogue]]." This is to avoid redirects or confusion when the file name does not match that of the speaker.
  • Some dialogue pages have the ability to link to individual dialogue lines. When possible, the page link should also include an anchor (i.e. specific line link) to the first-occurring line of the reference.
    • For example, to reference lines 12-15 of Abbot's dialogue file, one would write "[[Abbot's dialogue|Abbot.txt#12]]" instead of simply "[[Abbot's dialogue|Abbot.txt]]."
• Note that older games may include brackets or other details within the dialogue reference. These details should be included in their entirety.

Therefore, a standard dialogue reference should be presented in the following format (with an included example):

Product	Code
Character name #1: "What is being said by them" Character name #2: "Their response to the prior prompt" (Character name #1 and Character #2's dialogue)	<ref>Character name #1: ''"What is being said by them"'' <br />Character name #2: ''"Their response to the prior prompt"'' <br />([[Link to dialogue file|Character #1]] and [[Link to dialogue file|Character #2's dialogue]])</ref>
Nolan McNamara: "Veronica. I hope-" Veronica Santangelo: "I brought you a present. We unlocked the secret of HELIOS One." McNamara: "What? Wonderful news!" Veronica: "No. It's not. ARCHIMEDES II is an orbital laser. Effective only outdoors in a limited radius and requiring a long recharge." (Veronica Santangelo and Nolan McNamara's dialogue)	<ref>[[Nolan McNamara]]: ''"Veronica. I hope-"''<br />[[Veronica Santangelo]]: ''"I brought you a present."''<br />Veronica Santangelo: ''"We unlocked the secret of HELIOS One."''<br />McNamara: ''"What? Wonderful news!"''<br />Veronica: ''"No. It's not. ARCHIMEDES II is an orbital laser. Effective only outdoors in a limited radius and requiring a long recharge."''<br />([[Veronica.txt|Veronica Santangelo]] and [[NolanMcNamara.txt|Nolan McNamara's dialogue]])</ref>

Player characters

• Dialogue prompts chosen by player characters are generally stored in the dialogue file of the NPC they're talking to. In other words, player characters typically don't have dialogue files of their own, so simply link to the dialogue file of the conversing NPC.
• When referencing a player character title, add "The" to the beginning of the title. This is to clarify that it is the player character and not a generic, similarly-named character.
  • For example, write "The Courier" instead of just "Courier." Similarly, write "The Vault Dweller" instead of just "Vault Dweller."
• When referencing player characters in games that have multiple of the same name (such as Fallout 76), use a more generic title. Dialogue when speaking to NPCs is singular, even though there are multiple player characters.
  • For example, write "Vault Dweller" instead of "The Vault Dweller" or "Vault Dwellers." Similarly, one would write "Vault 76 Resident" or "Resident" instead of "The Resident."

For example, an in-game conversation from Fallout between the Vault Dweller and Harold looks like:

Product	Code
The Vault Dweller: "{128}{}{Where were the mutants coming from?}" Harold: "{133}{HROLD10}{Everywhere! Hell, seemed like you couldn't fart without hitting one. But mostly in the northwest.}" (Harold's dialogue)	<ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{128}{}{Where were the mutants coming from?}"'' <br />[[Harold]]: ''"{133}{HROLD10}{Everywhere! Hell, seemed like you couldn't fart without hitting one. But mostly in the northwest.}"'' <br />([[HAROLD.MSG|Harold's dialogue]])</ref>

While an in-game conversation from Fallout: New Vegas between the Courier and Rose of Sharon Cassidy looks like:

Product

Code

The Courier: "Wait, what happened to your caravan?" Rose of Sharon Cassidy: "Mojave happened - hit by raiders packing some heavy firepower. Can't believe the Crimson Caravan haven't heard. So if you want to buy all of Cassidy Caravans, you're looking at it - and what I got in my pockets. Still, as little as that is, not looking to sell." (Rose of Sharon Cassidy's dialogue)

<ref>The [[Courier]]: ''"Wait, what happened to your caravan?"''<br />[[Rose of Sharon Cassidy]]: ''"Mojave happened - hit by raiders packing some heavy firepower. Can't believe the Crimson Caravan haven't heard. So if you want to buy all of Cassidy Caravans, you're looking at it - and what I got in my pockets. Still, as little as that is, not looking to sell."''<br />([[RoseofSharonCassidy.txt|Rose of Sharon Cassidy's dialogue]])</ref>

Multiple-NPC conversations

• Referencing dialogue between more characters is presented similarly to the standard format, but includes an increased number of characters and dialogue files.

Therefore, a multi-NPC dialogue reference may be presented in the following format (with an included example):

Product	Code
Character #1 (usually a player character): "What is being said by them" Character #2: "Their response to the prior prompt" Character #3: "Responding to Character #2's response." (Character #1, Character #2, and Character #3's dialogue)	<ref>Character #1 (usually a player character): ''"What is being said by them"'' <br />Character #2: ''"Their response to the prior prompt"'' <br />Character #3: ''"Responding to Character #2's response."'' <br />([[Character #1's dialogue file|Character #1]], [[Character #2's dialogue file|Character #2]], and [[Character #3's dialogue file|Character #3's dialogue]])</ref>
The Courier: "Energy Cells have a high expenditure rate. Some extra reserve cells could offset that." Klein: "[SUCCEEDED] HMMM. YES, I BELIEVE WATTZ ELECTRONICS TENDED TO MAKE THE BATTERY SHELF LIFE ON THE LOW END." Dala: "They certainly did. Batteries for my vib... vivisectors... would always come up short right before climax." 0: "I think Wattz manufactured holodisks. Or was it holotapes? Never can keep those two straight. Anyway, we're out of small energy cells. Dala." (Dr. 0, Dr. Dala, and Dr. Klein's dialogue)	<ref>The [[Courier]]: ''"Energy Cells have a high expenditure rate. Some extra reserve cells could offset that."'' <br />[[Klein]]: ''"[SUCCEEDED] HMMM. YES, I BELIEVE WATTZ ELECTRONICS TENDED TO MAKE THE BATTERY SHELF LIFE ON THE LOW END."'' <br />[[Dala]]: ''"They certainly did. Batteries for my vib... vivisectors... would always come up short right before climax."'' <br />[[0]]: ''"I think Wattz manufactured holodisks. Or was it holotapes? Never can keep those two straight. Anyway, we're out of small energy cells. Dala. <br />([[NVDLC03DoctorO.txt|Dr. 0]], [[NVDLC03Doctor8.txt|Dr. 8]], [[NVDLC03DoctorDala.txt|Dr. Dala]], and [[NVDLC03DoctorKlein.txt|Dr. Klein's dialogue]])</ref>

Mimed dialogue

• Rarely, a character may "mime" dialogue or perform gestures. These actions are to be italicized and placed into square brackets ([ ]).
  • Since these actions are not technically dialogue, quotation marks are not to be used.
• Apart from the performed actions, the rest of the reference is to be formatted in the same manner as standard dialogue.

A standard mime dialogue reference should be presented in the following format (with an included example):

Product	Code
Character name #1: "What is being said by them" Character name #2: [Their response to the prior prompt] (Link(s) to dialogue file(s))	<ref>Character name #1: ''"What is being said by them"'' <br />Character name #2: ''[Their response to the prior prompt]'' <br />([[Link to dialogue file]])</ref>
The Courier: "You need a battery... a Fission Battery... and Scrap Metal? And you can counterfeit the chips?" Christine Royce: [She nods, impressed. Then she points at you, then her and makes a circle.] (Christine Royce's dialogue)	<ref>The [[Courier]]: ''"You need a battery... a Fission Battery... and Scrap Metal? And you can counterfeit the chips?"'' <br />[[Christine Royce]]: ''[She nods, impressed. Then she points at you, then her and makes a circle.]'' <br />([[NVDLC03Christine.txt|Christine Royce's dialogue]])</ref>

Additional notes

• Occasionally, dialogue may not be enough to prove a point; editorial comments may be required to expand upon the dialogue's context, implications, or otherwise provide a notice to the reader.
  • Comments must be placed at the end of the dialogue reference after the link to the dialogue file(s). The comment text must use the {{Small|}} template to distinguish it from the reference itself.
• Comments should be used sparingly; only use them when the dialogue in question would be confusing without clarification or if the dialogue only occurs under certain conditions.

A standard dialogue reference with an attached editorial note should be referenced as follows (with an included example):

Product	Code
Character name #1: "What is being said by them" Character name #2: "Their response to the prior prompt" (Link(s) to dialogue file(s)) Note: The editorial note further explaining the prior dialogue.	<ref>Character name #1: ''"What is being said by them"'' <br />Character name #2: ''"Their response to the prior prompt"'' <br />([[Link(s) to dialogue file(s)]]) {{Small|'''Note:''' The editorial note further explaining the prior dialogue.}}</ref>
The Courier: "How long have you been with the Followers?" Emily Ortal: "About five years now. I have family back in Arroyo, but this is where all of the good work is being done, so to speak. NCR taxes and inflation have been hard for a lot of people to deal with, and most of the money is going to the war effort. There's not much funding for medical research with OSI or any other group - not unless it has a military application, anyway." (Emily Ortal's dialogue) Note: Emily Ortal is referring to NCR taxation and inflation in Arroyo, which is only possible if Arroyo is a part of the NCR.	<ref>The [[Courier]]: ''"How long have you been with the Followers?"'' <br />[[Emily Ortal]]: ''"About five years now. I have family back in Arroyo, but this is where all of the good work is being done, so to speak. NCR taxes and inflation have been hard for a lot of people to deal with, and most of the money is going to the war effort. There's not much funding for medical research with OSI or any other group - not unless it has a military application, anyway."'' <br />([[Lucky38FollowerEmily.txt|Emily Ortal's dialogue]]) {{Small|'''Note:''' Emily Ortal is referring to NCR taxation and inflation in Arroyo, which is only possible, if Arroyo is a part of the NCR.}}</ref>

Holodisks, notes, and terminal entries

Holodisks, paper notes, and terminals are also commonly used to prove support for claims.

General guidelines

• If referencing the entire source, simply list the name of the holodisk or note. Note that terminals have different referencing conventions than holodisks and notes.
• If only a very specific portion of the source is valuable, then the text may be directly quoted in the reference.

A standard holodisk/note reference should be formatted as follows (with an included example):

Product	Code
Link to text article	[[Link to text article]]
Note for Ted	[[Note for Ted]]

Terminal entries

• Terminal references should include the terminal's main page name followed by a semicolon (;). Next, the reference should include the terminal name itself and the name of the specific entry, separated by a comma.
  • Note that, while the terminal name is not capitalized as it is in-game, terminal entry names are. This is because entries are considered part of the terminal transcripts.
• Terminal entries should link directly to the entry being referenced. This can be achieved by appending a pound symbol (#) and the entry's name to the link of the main terminal page.
  • Rarely, a whole terminal may be referenced. In such cases, simply link to the terminal without including any specific section.

A standard terminal entry reference should be formatted as follows (with an included example):

Product	Code
Terminal location article; Terminal name, Terminal entry name	[[Terminal location article#Terminal entry name|Terminal location article; Terminal name, Terminal entry name]]
Fort Independence terminal entries; Research terminal, Critical Components	[[Fort Independence terminal entries#Critical Components|Fort Independence terminal entries; Research terminal, Critical Components]]

Portions of a text source

• Once again, if only a very specific portion of the source is valuable, then the text may be directly quoted in the reference.
• The reference should include the name of the source followed by a colon (:) and the quoted text. The text must be italicized and placed inside of quotation marks.

A portion of a holodisk, note, or terminal entry should be referenced as follows (with an included example):

Product	Code
Link to text article: "Quoted text"	[[Link to text article]]: ''"Quoted text"''
Dorsey's diary: "Greg was this guy I met on the road in Virginia. Old RobCo technician, back before the bombs fell. Used to work on Protectron units, going out to corporate customers and doing on-site maintenance, fixing broken motivators and that kind of thing."	[[Dorsey's diary]]: ''"Greg was this guy I met on the road in Virginia. Old RobCo technician, back before the bombs fell. Used to work on Protectron units, going out to corporate customers and doing on-site maintenance, fixing broken motivators and that kind of thing."''

Images

Images can often be used to refer to scenes or scenarios that are better understood visually. Depending on the complexity of the image content, images may have shorter or longer descriptions.

• Image references should always link to an image and have some amount of description or context.
• More complex images or contexts may need a longer description, clarifying the nature or context of the image in regards to the reference.

A simple image reference should be formatted as follows (with included examples):

Product	Code
Short description of image	[[:File:ImageName.png|Short description of image]]
Rocket appearance	[[:File:Fo3 Delta XI Rocket.png|Rocket appearance]]
50-star flag on the dynamite stick	[[:File:Dynamite50starflag.jpg|50-star flag on the dynamite stick]]

A slightly more complex image reference may be formatted as follows (in the included examples):

Product	Code
Barrel diameter measured with the in-game yardstick	Barrel diameter [[:File:FO4 Tank cannon measurement.png|measured]] with the in-game yardstick
Decal found above the trigger on the weapon's right side	[[:File:Survivalist Rifle detail.png|Decal]] found above the trigger on the weapon's right side

Game guides

The official game guides and manuals can provide valuable insight, history, and statistics for games in the series.

• Game guide references must include the name of the game guide, guide edition (if applicable), and page number(s) of the referenced content. The name of the guide must be linked to the relevant Fallout wiki page.
  • The guide name and edition must be in italics. They must be followed by a comma to separate this info from the page number.
  • If the referenced content spans multiple pages, then include "pp." before the page numbers. Otherwise, the content is on a single page, and "p." must be included before the page numbers.
• Small amounts of a guide's text may be included in a reference. In such a case, also include the section title, referenced content, and link to the relevant wiki page (if applicable).
  • Section titles must be both italicized and in bold. The guide text should be italicized, placed inside of quotation marks, and separated from the main text using a line break (<br />). The relevant page link should be placed inside parenthesis at the end of the reference (if applicable) and separated from the main text using a line break.

A simple reference to a game guide should be formatted as follows (with an included example):

Product	Code
Game guide <edition>, p. XXX	''Game guide <nowiki><edition>'', p.XXX</nowiki>
Fallout 76 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide, p. 486	''[[Fallout 76 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide]]'', p. 486

A quoted portion of a game guide should be referenced as follows (with an included example):

Product	Code
Game guide <edition>, p. XXX: "Section title Text of the guide book" (Link to source page (if applicable))	[[Game guide]] <edition>, p. XXX: ''"'''Section title'''''<br />''Text of the guide book"''<br />(''[[Link to source page (if applicable)]]'')
Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition, p. 457: "Equality By law, the NCR prohibits persecution and discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or religious belief (so long as said religion does not advocate violence). Legal protection of Ghouls and other mutants was added in 2205, though enforcement of these rights has been spotty. For the most part, the NCR's practices live up to its ideals, but there has been some retrenchment since the death of President Tandi. Aaron Kimball's popularity was amplified by a reactionary undercurrent, especially among males, calling out a need for a "strong man" to lead the NCR forward. In the years since Kimball took office, male military officers have been promoted disproportionately to females, and discourse arguing the differences between males and females has reappeared." (Behind the Bright Lights & Big City)	''[[Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide]] Collector's Edition'', p. 457: ''"'''Equality'''''<br />''By law, the NCR prohibits persecution and discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or religious belief (so long as said religion does not advocate violence). Legal protection of Ghouls and other mutants was added in 2205, though enforcement of these rights has been spotty. For the most part, the NCR's practices live up to its ideals, but there has been some retrenchment since the death of President Tandi. Aaron Kimball's popularity was amplified by a reactionary undercurrent, especially among males, calling out a need for a "strong man" to lead the NCR forward. In the years since Kimball took office, male military officers have been promoted disproportionately to females, and discourse arguing the differences between males and females has reappeared."''<br />(''[[Behind the Bright Lights & Big City]]'')

Adding a reference section

If references are included in an article, the correct template must be used to ensure they properly load on the article itself.

• At the bottom of the article under the "References" section, include the {{References}} template.
• Do not use the {{RT}} template version. This is simply because it lacks the individual "edit" option on the article.

Code
==References== {{References}}

See also

• Fallout Wiki:Content organization guideline
• Fallout Wiki:Editing guideline
• Fallout Wiki:Image policy
• Fallout Wiki:Video policy