View source for GW2 Wiki English Mirror:Practices and processes

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[[File:Consensus flowchart.svg|thumb|Consensus as part of the editing process]]
As the Guild Wars 2 Wiki has developed over time, certain actions, practices and processes have become commonplace. Core principles in any area include being bold with contributions, and discussing changes with other users when disagreements arise. The [[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:Community portal]] is the primary channel used to facilitate agreement.

This article attempts to document common practices that have been agreed upon or proved effective in the past and may prove to be effective in future. As practice can change and evolve over time, this documentation might often be a step or two behind. As with any article on the wiki, be bold and correct mistakes or improve outdated information here.

== Page and image formatting ==
These sub-articles facilitate organization and consistency of pages and images. Keep in mind these articles can become out of date as time passes, consensus changes, and new elements are introduced to the game.

=== General ===
*[[Help:Editing|Wiki editing]] - Basic guide to editing and using wiki code
*[[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:General formatting|General formatting]] - General information on grammar, linking, images, references, and verbatim from the game
*[[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:Image formatting|Image formatting]] - Information on taking and uploading screenshots, other ArenaNet images, and user images
*[[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:References|References formatting]] - How to cite references in articles
*[[Help:Tables|Table formatting]] - How to use tables in articles
*[[Damage calculation]] - Practices on the wiki related to [[damage]] calculation, such as skill effects and testing

=== Specific article types ===
{{see|Guild Wars 2 Wiki:General formatting#General page layouts by content type|label=See}}

== Verification ==
Information added to the wiki should be accurate and avoid misleading players. Content that exists in the game does not require [[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:References|references]] as the game itself provides the source. Editors should use [[Help:Editing|wiki links]] to direct readers to the relevant information.

Upcoming features and content may come directly from ArenaNet, game websites, interviews, or directly from users and must be tagged with {{tl|future content}} to indicate such. If existing content will be changed, such as [[skill]]s and [[trait]]s for game balance, changes are made after the game update.

[[Lore]] should be added, modified, and removed through consensus and supported by references when possible. Ultimately, the wiki is written and interpreted from the perspective of the players; be flexible with other users when discussing lore. As information is often lacking on a subject, the article may be improved by omitting or rewriting a particular section.

Be careful of information obtained from websites, interviews, forums, leaks, players, or any other sources not directly from ArenaNet. Even if the information is accurate at the time, changes may be made before the content is added to the game. A contributor on the wiki can be contacted on their talk page about their edits, but external sources may be difficult or impossible to verify. As an official wiki, readers give the same weight to information found here as the official Guild Wars 2 website.

== Talk pages ==
[[Help:Signatures|Signing]] of your own comments when editing talk pages is a common practice. You can sign your comments by adding four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>) at the end of the comment. If someone else's comment has not been signed, use the <code><nowiki>{{subst:</nowiki>[[template:unsigned|unsigned]]|''username or IP''}}</code> template for them.

''Non''-user talk pages are often used for discussion of topics that pertain to wiki documentation. Irrelevant topics, like speculation and game balance, can make talk pages less effective, particularly if they're on large/popular talk pages. New discussions go to the bottom of the page, and discussions that don't belong on a talk page are sometimes moved away: either to a relevant user's user talk page, or to an [[Help:Archiving|archive]]. This helps to keep talk pages on-topic and facilitates easier improvement of wiki content.

Generally, talk pages, unless their contents are either spam or of vandalizing nature, are preserved as they are. It is discouraged to remove comments even if they have been addressed.

== Personal conduct ==
Edit warring and revert warring often occur when users disagree with others' edits: edits might be constantly reversed or otherwise changed (usually in a short amount of time). To avoid this, edit summaries are used to explain changes and talk pages are used to resolve differences. It is usually recommended to halt changes to the contested parts of articles until a consensus is reached. The importance of assuming good faith on editors' parts is always stressed - most users intend to improve the wiki, but they just have different opinions on how to do so.

Users are encouraged to be civil in discussions to resolve disputes effectively. [[wikipedia:Ad hominem|Ad hominem arguments]] and [[wikipedia:Pejoratives|pejorative remarks]] (usually known as personal attacks) are disruptive, both towards the community of users and the documentation of Guild Wars 2.

Disruptive users are typically warned to refocus on improving the wiki, and persistent disruption has led to blocks on editing.

== Administrators ==
Administrators are users who help to ensure the Guild Wars 2 Wiki documents the game without problems. They are chosen and reconfirmed via [[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:requests for adminship|requests for adminship]].

Adminship is not regarded as a "reward" for good contributions nor does it represent additional authority in content discussion/decision-making. There is no inherent limit on the number of sysops or bureaucrats. 

[[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:Admin noticeboard]] can be used to notify or request help from administrators.

=== Sysops ===
[[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:Sysops|Sysops]] are users who have the tools to block/unblock IP addresses and registered users, delete/undelete pages and protect/unprotect pages. With CheckUser, they are able to view contributors' IP addresses.

=== Bureaucrats ===
[[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:Bureaucrats|Bureaucrats]] are sysops with additional tools to modify user rights: these include changing users to sysops, bureaucrats or [[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:bots|bots]] (and vice versa). They can also merge the contribution/log list from one account to another, based on the [[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:requests for user merge|requests for user merge]].

{{List of administrators}}

== Retention and deletion ==
The main aim of the wiki is to document [[Guild Wars 2]], but this is a broad objective. Some content is relevant, some less so. Therefore, articles that are not relevant or appropriate can be deleted.

Candidates for deletion are tagged with <code>{{tl|delete|<reason>}}</code>, discussed, and then deleted by an [[#Administrators|administrator]] when supporting consensus is evident (or when there is no opposition). At least three days are usually available to allow time for a discussion to start. Administrators typically don't delete pages while this discussion is unresolved. After being deleted, the attached talk page is often deleted as well; however, if the discussion could set a precedent, or be a useful read in the future, it can be kept and categorized in [[:Category:Orphaned talk pages]].

When the reason given for the deletion is relatively unobjectionable (spam, vandalism, move remnant or author request) then the page qualifies for speedy deletion, and may be deleted sooner than 3 days.

Potential [[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:Copyrighted content|copyright violations]] are tagged with <code>{{tl|copyvio|<original source>}}</code> and are deleted in much the same way.

Deletion tags are to be placed at the top of a page.

Any page that is a candidate for deletion should be left otherwise intact for other contributors and administrators to review before deletion. Some exceptions to this are extremely offensive vandalism or vandalized pages with external links. These should be cleared out or reverted to a previous version immediately.

Requests to restore a [[Special:Log/delete|deleted page]] can be made on the [[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:admin noticeboard|admin noticeboard]]. Pages to be deleted can be found at [[Guild Wars 2 Wiki:List of candidates for deletion]].

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