Project:Style Manual

This is an instruction manual that addresses the conventions adopted by Kanzenshuu in writing, titles, pages, images, and linking. Please read it before you contribute to the wiki. Note, however, that this document may not updated frequently, so it is also recommended users survey prevailing conventions in addition to reading these guidelines.

Writing Style

The staff have compiled the following writing style goals and principles to help guide users in the development of the wiki. These goals will provide the foundation for what we hope will become the most accurate and reliable database of information for the Dragon Ball franchise.

Brevity

The main goal of all writing on the wiki is to present as much accurate information as possible within the smallest space possible. Conciseness is one of our most guiding principles. This has an immediate advantage when trying to create an information database covering such a large subject. Of course, any fan-made wiki is going to be read primarily by those already fairly familiar with the series, but it stands to reason that pages should be organized to be as friendly to newcomers as possible.

Rather than creating a long-winded article detailing every last little thing Son Goku ever did over the course of the series, we're aiming to simply have a few paragraphs summarizing Goku's life as concisely as possible. For example, imagine if someone who had never heard of Dragon Ball had just 5 to 10 minutes to learn about Goku, and at the end of that time they'd be tested on the major facts of his life. How can we structure our page on Goku so that this hypothetical person could learn as much about the character as possible in that brief amount of time?

Non-Opinionated

In addition information being concise and accurate, it should also be factually based. Just as dictionaries and encyclopedias are used to determine facts, the same will be so with the wiki. Opinionated and non-factual writing will not be tolerated. In order to avoid disagreements over factual accuracy, it is best to cite sources for controversial statements.

Grammar

Users are expected to adhere to recognized standards of written English usage. Non-native English speakers and those unused to formal writing are still welcome to contribute; however, they may find their contributions subsequently altered to bring them in line with the standards expected of the wiki.

We at Kanzenshuu welcome contributions from around the world, and have no preference with respect to U.S. or U.K. spellings or usage. We do ask, however, that a given article be consistent with itself, and that users try to avoid colloquialisms that might confuse speakers of other dialects.

Naming Conventions

Names of characters, locations, and techniques, as well as titles of manga chapters, TV episodes, and theatrical films, should use Kanzenshuu’s house style. In many instances, names used by Kanzenshuu deviate from official adaptations, so please check against it for reference. In an article where said item is the main focus, the naming in Japanese must always be given, both in Japanese script and romanization (see below). Names used in official adaptations may be mentioned when relevant to the subject of the article, but are not the focus of Kanzenshuu and should not be relied upon out of convenience.

Japanese Names & Titles

When applicable, all Japanese names and titles should be provided in native Japanese text, including kanji, katakana, or hiragana. Japanese text should not be provided in the form of an image, but written with actual Japanese unicode characters. Japanese names will be written in their Western order (given-name family-name) and all retained honorifics (sama, san, kun, etc.) will be italicized.

Romanization

Romanization of Japanese words is expected to follow Modified Hepburn romanization and be italicized. As Hepburn is the most widely used romanization of Japanese, users are likely to be already familiar with its basic form. However, note the following:

• し (shi), ち (chi), or じ (ji) followed by small ゃ (ya), ゅ (yu), or ょ (yo) contains no "y": Shū, Chaozu, Janken, etc.
• The -u syllable in the d-row should be written zu (not du or dzu): Tsuzuku
• Long vowels should be written with a macron (ā, ī, ū, ē, ō), except in the following circumstances:
  • for long "i" in a native Japanese word, two i’s should be used: Shōzō Iizuka, Niigata
  • when two vowels in a proper name belong to separate syllables, they should be written separately and also separated by an apostrophe, to aid in syllabification: Chiho Kiyo'oka, Ja'akuryū, Kinto'un
  • in native Japanese common nouns derived from phrases, apostrophes are not necessary: mizūmi ("lake"; not mizu'umi or mizu-umi, "freshwater sea"), honō ("flame"; not hono'o or ho-no-o, "tail of fire").
• Other vowel combinations may be written normally, but apostrophes should be applied, as above, where there would otherwise be ambiguity in syllabification: Tenka'ichi Budōkai (Ten-ka-ichi, not ten-kai-chi)
• Obvious phrases of distinct native-Japanese words that nevertheless form a semantic unit may be separated by hyphens.
• Nasal n before b or p should remain as n in direct romanization (although the Kanzenshuu spelling, distinct from pure romanization, may use m as the curators see fit)
• Hiragana を should be customarily written as o; hiragana は and へ should be written as ha and he as part of words, but as wa and e when functioning as grammatical particles.
• Compound particles should be given a space in between their elements. では de wa (not dewa), にも ni mo (not nimo), でも de mo (not demo)

Image Preferences

Main page: Project:Style Manual/Images