Wikipedia:Spoiler: Difference between revisions

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This page documents an English Wikipedia style guideline.

Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page.

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This page in a nutshell: Wikipedia contains revealing plot details of fictional works; this is expected. Concerns about spoilers must not interfere with article quality.

A spoiler is a piece of information in an article about a narrative work (such as a book, feature film, television show or video game) that reveals plot events or twists.

Spoilers on the Internet are sometimes preceded by a spoiler warning.^[1] In Wikipedia, however, it is generally expected that the subjects of our articles will be covered in detail. Therefore, Wikipedia carries no spoiler warnings except for the Content disclaimer.

As an exception, some recently released work of fiction may carry a {{current fiction}} tag, which is usually removed a certain period of time (approximately 2 months, but this is disputed) after the work has been published.

It is not acceptable to delete information from an article about a work of fiction because you think it spoils the plot. Such concerns must not interfere with neutral point of view, encyclopedic tone, completeness, or any other element of article quality (for example, WP:LEAD).

Notes

^ Examples include IMDB, GameFAQs, Television Without Pity, and TV.com.

[1] Examples include IMDB, GameFAQs, Television Without Pity, and TV.com.

[1]

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 {{subcat guideline|style guideline|Spoiler|WP:SPOILER|WP:SPOIL|WP:SW}}
-{{nutshell|Wikipedia contains revealing plot details of fictional works; this is expected. Spoiler warnings should only be used in articles about fictional subjects. When adding or removing a spoiler tag, be prepared to obtain consensus.}}
+{{nutshell|Wikipedia contains revealing plot details of fictional works; this is expected. Concerns about spoilers must not interfere with article quality.}}
+A '''[[spoiler (media)|spoiler]]''' is a piece of information in an article about a narrative work (such as a book, feature film, television show or video game) that reveals [[plot (narrative)|plot]] [[event]]s or [[twist ending|twist]]s.
-Wikipedia allows the use of spoiler tags to mark off certain significant plot details ("[[Spoiler (media)|spoilers]]") in articles about fictional works. This is an ''exception'' to the style guideline [[wikipedia:no disclaimers in articles|no disclaimers in articles]]. However, since Wikipedia is a user-created and user-edited encyclopedia, there is never a guarantee that any given article will be tagged for spoilers; [[caveat lector]]!
+Spoilers on the Internet are sometimes preceded by a spoiler warning.<ref>Examples include [[IMDB]], [[GameFAQs]], [[Television Without Pity]], and [[TV.com]].</ref> In Wikipedia, however, it is generally expected that the subjects of our articles will be covered in detail.  Therefore, Wikipedia carries no spoiler warnings except for the [[Wikipedia:Content disclaimer|Content disclaimer]].
-==Usage==
-To insert a spoiler tag, enter the text '''<nowiki>{{spoiler}}</nowiki>''' before the passage to be marked off, and close the tag with '''<nowiki>{{endspoiler}}</nowiki>'''. For further details on syntax, see the [[Template:Spoiler|template page]].  Since the {{tl|spoiler}} tag exists, it should never be necessary to add homebrew spoiler protection to articles.
+As an exception, some recently released work of fiction may carry a {{tl|current fiction}} tag, which is usually removed a certain period of time (approximately 2 months, but this is disputed) after the work has been published.
-Spoiler tags should only be used when there is a reasonable expectation that [[Suspense|narrative suspense]] is a significant element in the appreciation of the work.  Often they will not be necessary at all if the article is well-structured.  As with all Wikipedia edits, spoiler tags should be guided by [[Wikipedia:Consensus|consensus]] editing; if you are in doubt, discuss the matter first on the article's talk page.
+It is not acceptable to delete information from an article about a work of fiction because you think it spoils the plot. Such concerns must not interfere with [[WP:NPOV|neutral point of view]], encyclopedic tone, completeness, or any other element of article quality (for example, [[WP:LEAD]]).
-Below are some questions to ask before adding, deleting, or moving a spoiler tag:
+==Notes==
-===Is it widely known?===
-*If a plot point has made significant penetration into popular culture (such as [[Darth Vader]]'s line ''I am your father'' in ''[[Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back|The Empire Strikes Back]]''), it is often no longer necessary to mark it off with spoiler tags. The existence of well-known parodies and other unconnected pop-culture references is evidence for "significant penetration".
-*The older a work is, the more likely its plot details are to be widely known. After a certain point, the age of a work usually makes spoiler tags completely unnecessary — nobody needs to be warned about the ultimate fate of Hamlet — but age alone is not always sufficient for lesser-known works.  (A newly discovered Shakespeare play could conceivably have a spoiler warning for a while.)
-*A very new work may be better served by the {{tl|current fiction}} tag, which duplicates and adds to the information in the {{tl|spoiler}} tag. A {{tl|current fiction}} tag should be added to the beginning of the article, whereas {{tl|spoiler}} tags are used within an article to mark off particular passages.
-===Are spoilers implied by the section title?===
-*A section header such as "Plot summary," "Detailed summary," or "Synopsis" can be considered a de facto spoiler notice — a synopsis will necessarily describe the entire plot, so there is usually no need to repeat the warning.
-*A section header such as "Plot" or "Overview" can be ambiguous as to the presence of detailed spoilers, particularly for a newcomer to Wikipedia. If that section contains significant spoilers, consider changing the header to something clearer. Sometimes, a separate "Overview" paragraph may be appropriate (or may be included in the lede), containing a "back-of-the-book" style overview of the story, in which case significant plot details should be moved to a more clearly labeled section.
-*If separate plot-related sections are not appropriate for the article, you may consider merging them into a single section: an opening paragraph that offers an overview of the plot, then a detailed passage marked off with spoiler tags.
-*If a plot detail that arises in an ''unexpected'' place — a "Cast of characters" or "Setting" section, for instance — consider moving that detail to a more appropriate section, or changing the section title.  Alternatively, the unexpected plot detail may be marked off with spoiler tags.  (Remember that those who are likely to be surprised are those who are unfamiliar with the work, so they may not know where to expect spoilers!)
-*In a work that is uncommonly reliant on the impact of a plot twist or surprise ending — a murder mystery, for instance — a spoiler tag may be appropriate even within a properly labeled "Synopsis" section.  These should be sourced when possible (e.g., by citing a professional reviewer who describes the impact of the surprise).
-==Examples==
-{{spoiler}}''Spoiler text goes here.''{{endspoiler}}
-For very new works:
-{{current fiction}}
-''Article goes here.''
-==Should this article contain spoilers?==
-*Yes! It is almost never acceptable to delete information from an article because it constitutes a spoiler. Consider moving it or marking it off with spoiler tags — that is why they exist, after all!
-*Spoiler tags should not be used in articles on non-fictional subjects. If explicit spoilers<ref>An explicit spoiler mentions the work of fiction concerned.</ref> are mentioned in non-fiction articles (''e.g.'' articles on authors, actors, real-life locations in which fictional texts are set, or literary concepts like [[climax]]), consider whether that plot detail improves the encyclopedic quality of the article. It may be better to remove the example.
-==Notes==
 {{reflist}}