Wuffesan: Created page with "This is the '''Manual of Style''' for all articles on the ''Zombie Panic!'' Wiki. This wiki is generally written in American English — in accordance with the English localization of ''Zombie Panic!'' — and may use some specific rulesets which may be different from other wikis or communities. Please read this page carefully to maintain the consistency across the wiki. More content should be added to this page should style issues arise. Feel free to discuss improveme..."

2025-06-11T00:17:23Z

Created page with "This is the '''Manual of Style''' for all articles on the ''Zombie Panic!'' Wiki. This wiki is generally written in American English — in accordance with the English localization of ''Zombie Panic!'' — and may use some specific rulesets which may be different from other wikis or communities. Please read this page carefully to maintain the consistency across the wiki. More content should be added to this page should style issues arise. Feel free to discuss improveme..."

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This is the '''Manual of Style''' for all articles on the ''Zombie Panic!'' Wiki. This wiki is generally written in American English — in accordance with the English localization of ''Zombie Panic!'' — and may use some specific rulesets which may be different from other wikis or communities. Please read this page carefully to maintain the consistency across the wiki.

More content should be added to this page should style issues arise.

Feel free to discuss improvements to this guide through this page's [[Zombie Panic!_talk:Manual_of_Style|Talk page]], or the wiki's [https://discord.gg/zps Discord server].

==Section Order==
For consistency, all articles must follow a general layout:

# Notices
# Hatnotes
# Infobox
# Introduction or general description
# Article content (See the [[:Category:Page Layout Guides|Page Layout Guides]] for specific sections)
# Trivia
# Gallery
# Video Guides
# Notes
# Other Languages
# Change History
# References
# Navboxes
# Categories
# Interwikis

==Article Titles, Sections, and Headings==
===Titles and Headings===
* Use {{w|title case}} for article titles and section headings, unless the in-game title is not in title case.
* Page titles must be singular by default; page introductions may be plural if desired.
** For example: {{color|new|nobold=1|Satchel|link=1}}, not {{color|old|nobold=1|Satchels}}
* Do not use "{{color|old|nobold=1|A}}," "{{color|old|nobold=1|An}}," or "{{color|old|nobold=1|The}}," as the first word of an article title or section heading, unless it is inseparable or part of the in-game title.
** For example: {{color|new|nobold=1|Roanoke Police Department|link=1}}, not {{color|old|nobold=1|The Roanoke Police Department}}, but {{color|new|nobold=1|A Hand Grenade|link=1}}, not {{color|old|nobold=1|Hand Grenade}}.
* Do not use links or references in section headings.
* Do not add whitespaces before or after section headings.
** For example: <code>==Section==</code>, not <code>== Section ==</code>.

===Section Organization===
{{main|Category:Page Layout Guides}}

===Redirects===
* Do not create redirects or disambiguation pages for generic titles, even if they have only ever been used by one character.
* Do not create redirects for {{w|forms of address}}.
* Full name and alias redirects of characters should only be made if they are used in in-game material such that a link would be convenient to use.
* For technical reasons, appropriate redirects may be created when any of the following is true of a page name:
** Contains a {{w|diacritic}}
** Begins with any punctuation mark
** Ends with a question mark

==Article Content==
* Bold the first use of the page title in the article, which is typically in the first sentence.
** Do not include links within this bolded portion.
* The usage of most [[mw:Help:Magic words|magic words]] in articles is disallowed, with the exception of the following:
** Behavioral Switches
*** {{F|<nowiki>__TOC__</nowiki>}} — shows the Table of Contents at the position of its usage
*** {{F|<nowiki>__NOTOC__</nowiki>}} — hides the Table of Contents
** Technical Metadata Variables
*** {{F|<nowiki>{{DISPLAYTITLE:</nowiki>((text to display as the page's title))<nowiki>}}</nowiki>}} — commonly handled by [[:Category:Infobox Templates|infoboxes]]
** Page Name Variables, only to be used with {{F|subst:}} to avoid issues on transclusion, should be used inside {{F|<nowiki>{{subst:#titleparts:</nowiki>((magic word))<nowiki>}}</nowiki>}} to avoid HTML entities being left on the article.
*** {{F|<nowiki>{{subst:PAGENAME}}</nowiki>}} — full page name without namespace (e.g., {{F|Module:Weapon Information and Stats/data}} → {{F|Weapon Information and Stats/data}})
*** {{F|<nowiki>{{subst:FULLPAGENAME}}</nowiki>}} — full page name with namespace (e.g., {{F|Module:Weapon Information and Stats/data}} → {{F|Module:Weapon Information and Stats/data}})
*** {{F|<nowiki>{{subst:BASEPAGENAME}}</nowiki>}} — full page name without the lowest subpage (e.g., {{F|Eugene Grant/Lore}} → {{F|Eugene Grant}})
*** {{F|<nowiki>{{subst:SUBPAGENAME}}</nowiki>}} — lowest subpage's name (e.g., {{F|Eugene Grant/Lore}} → {{F|Lore}})
*** {{F|<nowiki>{{subst:ROOTPAGENAME}}</nowiki>}} — root page's name (e.g., {{F|Eugene Grant/Lore}} → {{F|Eugene Grant}})

===Vocabulary===
* Avoid using second person (i.e., "{{color|old|nobold=1|you}}"). Possible alternatives include using "{{color|new|nobold=1|players}}" or "{{color|new|nobold=1|the Carrier}}" or rephrasing the sentence to use passive voice.
** For example, replace "{{color|old|nobold=1|(If you have completed [[Map/zpo_shreddingfield|Shredding Field]])}}" with "{{color|new|nobold=1|(If [[Map/zpo_shreddingfield|Shredding Field]] has been completed)}}."
** Second person in the form of commands is acceptable in the following cases:
*** Navigational aids (e.g., "See also").
* Avoid using contractions (such as "{{color|old|nobold=1|can't}}," "{{color|old|nobold=1|shouldn't}}").

===Italics===
Italics must be used in the following types of names or titles:
* Achievement categories
* Achievement titles
* Video games

==Grammar and Spelling==
In accordance with the English localization of the game, the ''Zombie Panic!'' Wiki follows the following rules:
* Use the {{w|American and British English spelling differences|American spelling}} of words.
* Use the {{w|serial comma}} (also known as the Oxford comma).
* Use "neutral" (straight) quotation marks ({{color|new|nobold=1|" "}} and {{color|new|nobold=1|' '}}, not {{color|old|nobold=1|“ ”}} and {{color|old|nobold=1|‘ ’}}) and apostrophes ({{color|new|nobold=1|'}}, not {{color|old|nobold=1|’}}).
* Use double quotation marks for quotations. When nesting quotations, use single quotations. For example: {{color|new|nobold=1|Paimon exclaimed: "What do you mean 'hehe'!?"}}
* Place commas and periods {{w|Quotation marks in English#American style|within}} the quotation marks. ({{color|new|nobold=1|"Like this,"}} not {{color|old|nobold=1|"like this".}}) This does not apply to other punctuation.

===Date and Numbers===
* Present dates in the format <code>YYYY/MM/DD</code>, or <code>Month DD, YYYY</code> when written out.
** Never use <code>MM/DD/YYYY</code> or <code>DD/MM/YYYY</code> due to the format's inherent ambiguity.
* Present times in the format <code>HH:MM AM/PM (UTC±X)</code>. The hour should always include a leading zero when it is a single digit. When presenting a time in the 24-hour clock format, omit the AM/PM.
** This rule does not apply when referencing the in-game [[Time System]].
* Delimit numbers exceeding 999 into {{w|Decimal separator#Digit grouping|groups}} of three digits with a comma.
** For example: {{color|new|nobold=1|1,000,000}} but not {{color|old|nobold=1|1000000}}

===Symbols===
* Use a proper multiplication symbol ({{color|new|nobold=1|×}} or {{color|new|nobold=1|<code>&<wbr>times;</code>}}), not the letter X ({{color|old|nobold=1|x}}).
* Transcribe {{w|em dash}}es (—) as they are shown in the game (written {{color|new|nobold=1|<code>&<wbr>mdash;</code>}}). Do not replace it with the en dash ({{color|old|nobold=1|–}}) or two hyphen-minuses ({{color|old|nobold=1|--}}).

===Deviation from In-Game Text===
Grammar and spelling errors in transcriptions of official ''Zombie Panic!'' material should not be corrected, but rather highlighted using the {{t|sic}} template. Erroneous translations should also be noted using a reference note or added to the Trivia section if they impact understanding of the game's gameplay or lore. The Wiki will be updated after HoYoverse (miHoYo) corrects the localization errors.

==References==
* Add references after punctuation (E.g., {{color|new|nobold=1|<nowiki>Biotec is located north of Barlowe.<ref>Reference to Biotec</ref></nowiki>}}, not {{color|old|nobold=1|<nowiki>Biotec is located north of Barlowe<ref>Reference to Biotec</ref>.</nowiki>}}.)
* Do not add explanatory notes into references. Create a reference group for these notes and display them separately.
** The reference group and the section heading for these notes should usually be named {{F|Note}} and {{F|Notes}}, respectively.
* No more than 2 references should be used for the same claim.
* When placing references or notes in the same group together, they must be ordered in ascending numerical order. (E.g., {{color|new|nobold=1|[2][5]}} and {{color|new|nobold=1|[Note 2][Note 5]}}, not {{color|old|nobold=1|[5][2]}} or {{color|old|nobold=1|[Note 5][Note 2]}}.) Note that numbers are automatically assigned, so it is strongly recommended to preview the page to help order references.
* When references and notes are used together, references must be placed before notes. (E.g., {{color|new|nobold=1|[2][Note 1]}}, not {{color|old|nobold=1|[Note 1][2]}}.)
* When placing notes in different groups together, they must have the same order as the invoked lists of notes. For example, if a page lists notes from the Note group first and the Assumption group second, then a claim that has notes from both groups should look like {{color|new|nobold=1|[Note 5][Assumption 3]}}, not {{color|old|nobold=1|[Assumption 3][Note 5]}}.
* Notes should be used sparingly. While attaching something like {{F|[1][5][Note 2][Note 3][Assumption 2]}} to a claim would technically be correct and compliant, there might be better ways to present that information. Alternatives that can be considered are condensing notes, directing readers to Trivia, and even integrating the information into the article body when appropriate.
* {{T|Ref}} templates are used to automate reference formatting for editors.

==Interwiki==
* Interwikis must be added at the end of the page, after categories if there are any.
* List each language in a new line and in alphabetical order.
* Template and module interwikis are listed in the documentation page inside a {{F|<nowiki><noinclude></nowiki>}}.
* If the template or module has no documentation, add the interwiki inside an {{F|<nowiki><includeonly></nowiki>}} in the main template page.
* Do not add interwikis in File namespace.

==See Also==
* [[Zombie Panic! Official Wiki:Wiki Syntax Formatting Guidelines|Wiki Syntax Formatting Guidelines]]

==Navigation==
{{Maintenance Navbox}}

[[Category:General Style Guides]]
[[Category:Administration]]

Zombie Panic! Official Wiki:Manual of Style - Revision history