Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
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Encyclopedia SpongeBobia
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This is the manual of style for Encyclopedia SpongeBobia. Please do not do any reorganization or cleanup of wikitext on the wiki unless you are fixing things to follow this style guideline.

Writing style

  • Articles should be written in present tense, not past or future tense. The only exception to this rule is when referring to something in-universe that happened in the past.
  • Articles should be written in an in-universe style and not refer to the reader or viewer in any way when talking about events.
  • Remove Incorrect: If you look closely after SpongeBob leaves his house, Squidward's house is missing.
  • Remove Incorrect: If one looks closely after SpongeBob leaves his house, Squidward's house is missing.
  • Remove Incorrect: If the viewer looks closely after SpongeBob leaves his house, Squidward's house is missing.
  • Keep Correct: After SpongeBob leaves his house, Squidward's house is missing.

Punctuation

  • 1. Under no circumstance should you ever use more than one exclamation point (!), nor should you use all-caps to highlight shouting.
  • Remove Incorrect: Overtime!!!!!
  • Remove Incorrect: OVERTIME!
  • Keep Correct: Overtime!
  • 2. Use apostrophes in contractions.
  • Remove Incorrect: wont
  • Keep Correct: won't
  • 3. Always put commas, periods, and exclamation points inside quotation marks.
  • Remove Incorrect: This is revealed in the episode "Help Wanted".
  • Keep Correct: This is revealed in the episode "Help Wanted."
  • 4. Put question marks inside quotation marks when the quoted words is a question. Put question marks outside quotation marks when the entire sentence is a question.
  • Remove Incorrect: SpongeBob asks "I how do that"?
  • Keep Correct: SpongeBob asks "I how do that?"
  • Remove Incorrect: Does SpongeBob say "I'm ready?"
  • Keep Correct: Does SpongeBob say "I'm ready"?
  • 5. Always put colons and semicolons outside quotation marks.
  • Remove Incorrect: "I'm losing my footing!;" "Yay, life insurance!"
  • Keep Correct: "I'm losing my footing!"; "Yay, life insurance!"
  • 6. Do not put a comma before the name of an episode, unless you specify exactly which SpongeBob SquarePants episode.
  • Remove Incorrect: The Krusty Krab first appears in the episode, "Help Wanted."
  • Remove Incorrect: The Krusty Krab first appears in the pilot episode, "Help Wanted."
  • Keep Correct: The Krusty Krab first appears in the episode "Help Wanted."
  • Keep Correct: The Krusty Krab first appears in the SpongeBob SquarePants pilot episode, "Help Wanted."
  • Keep Correct: The Krusty Krab first appears in the first episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, "Help Wanted."
  • 7. Always use a comma before an "and" when listing more than two things. In other words, always use the Oxford Comma. The only exception to this rule is quoting written work where the author did not use the Oxford Comma.
  • Remove Incorrect: I bought bread, milk and eggs.
  • Keep Correct: I bought bread, milk, and eggs.
  • Keep Correct: SpongeBob wrote "I bought bread, milk and eggs." (This is only correct if this is how SpongeBob wrote it.)
  • 8. Always use a comma before an "or" when listing more than two things. In other words, always use the Oxford Comma. The only exception to this rule is quoting written work where the author did not use the Oxford Comma.
  • Remove Incorrect: Did you buy, milk, eggs or bread?
  • Keep Correct: Did you buy, milk, eggs, or bread?
  • Keep Correct: SpongeBob wrote "Did you buy, milk, eggs or bread?" (This is only correct if this is how SpongeBob wrote it.)
  • 9. Always use double quotation marks and then single quotation marks if there are quotations within quotations.
  • Remove Incorrect: My friend told me 'SpongeBob says "Overtime!" with a ridiculous face.'
  • Keep Correct: My friend told me "SpongeBob says 'Overtime!' with a ridiculous face."

Word usage

  • 1. It's is the contraction of "it is" or "it has" and its is used for the possession of "it."
  • Remove Incorrect: This cheese is past it's expiration date. Its time to get rid of it.
  • Keep Correct: This cheese is past its expiration date. It's time to get rid of it.
  • 2. Then is a transitional word and than is a comparison word.
  • Remove Incorrect: I went to see a movie, than I went to the mall. The mall was more fun then the movie.
  • Keep Correct: I went to see a movie, then I went to the mall. The mall was more fun than the movie.
  • 3. When writing an article, particularly a character article, refer to the character by the most common name to which the character is referred.
  • 4. Whenever you refer to something that people wrote, use the word "wrote."
  • Remove Incorrect: Tom Kenny said, in his official synopsis on his website, "This was a good episode."
  • Keep Correct: Tom Kenny wrote, in his official synopsis on his website, "This was a good episode."
  • 5. When one is writing about words that are on the screen, one should use "read" or "reads" instead of "said" or "says."
  • Remove Incorrect: The sign says "Delicious Krabby Patties!"
  • Keep Correct: The sign reads "Delicious Krabby Patties!"
  • 6. Do not use opinion words, unless you are giving a review, quoting a character, writing a transcript (only in the vocal part or if a written thing says an opinion word), or giving a written thing that has an opinion word in it.
  • Remove Incorrect: Krabby Patties are a delicious and popular burger at the Krusty Krab.
  • Keep Correct: Krabby Patties are a popular burger at the Krusty Krab.
  • Keep Correct: SpongeBob says "Krabby Patties are the best thing in the whole sea."
  • Keep Correct: The sign reads "Delicious Krabby Patties!"
  • 7. When you write articles, always use present tense. The only exceptions to this rule are transcripts/quotes that use past tense and when things are known to have ended. For example, since Glove World was shut down in "Glove World R.I.P.," everything associated with it must be in the past tense.
  • Remove Incorrect: Lamps was a magazine that appeared in "Sponge-Cano!"
  • Keep Correct: Lamps is a magazine that appears in "Sponge-Cano!"
  • 10. Don't use "time" to describe the occurrence of an event in the series.
  • Remove Incorrect: This is the first time SpongeBob says "I'm ready!"
  • Keep Correct: This is the first episode in which SpongeBob says "I'm ready!"

Title case

  • 1. The following are to be quoted and not italicized:
  • Individual episode names
  • Remove Incorrect: Help Wanted
  • Keep Correct: "Help Wanted"
  • Individual short names
  • Remove Incorrect: The Endless Summer
  • Keep Correct: "The Endless Summer"
  • Songs
  • Remove Incorrect: Campfire Song Song
  • Keep Correct: "Campfire Song Song"
  • Associated production music
  • Remove Incorrect: Hello Blues
  • Keep Correct: "Hello Blues"
  • 2. The following are to be italicized and not quoted:
  • Movie names
  • Remove Incorrect: "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"
  • Keep Correct: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
  • Computer games and computer-game applications
  • Remove Incorrect: "SpongeBob Moves In!"
  • Keep Correct: SpongeBob Moves In!
  • Books
  • Remove Incorrect: "Hooray for Dads!"
  • Keep Correct: Hooray for Dads!
  • Magazines
  • Remove Incorrect: "Toxic Waste Monthly"
  • Keep Correct: Toxic Waste Monthly
  • 3. The following are not to be quoted nor italicized:
  • Rides
  • Remove Incorrect: "Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast"
  • Remove Incorrect: Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast
  • Keep Correct: Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast
  • Applications
  • Remove Incorrect: "Facebook"
  • Remove Incorrect: Facebook
  • Keep Correct: Facebook

Common or other spelling mistakes

  • 1. SpongeBob SquarePants should always have the words "Bob" and "Pants" capitalized.
  • Remove Incorrect: Spongebob Squarepants
  • Keep Correct: SpongeBob SquarePants
  • 2. Mr. Krabs and the Krusty Krab do not have the letter "c;" they have the letter "k."
  • Remove Incorrect: Mr. Crabs
  • Keep Correct: Mr. Krabs
  • Remove Incorrect: The Crusty Crab
  • Keep Correct: The Krusty Krab
  • 3. All characters with "Mr." "Mrs." or "Ms." must have a period (full stop) after their person title abbreviations.
  • Remove Incorrect: Mrs Puff and Mr Krabs like to date with each other.
  • Keep Correct: Mrs. Puff and Mr. Krabs like to date with each other.
  • 4. The word "okay" should always be spelled out and should never be abbreviated.
  • Remove Incorrect: Sandy asks SpongeBob if he is ok.
  • Remove Incorrect: Sandy asks SpongeBob if he is OK.
  • Keep Correct: Sandy asks SpongeBob if he is okay.
  • 5. The word "whoa" is commonly misspelled as "woah." The correct spelling must always be used.
  • Remove Incorrect: SpongeBob exclaims "Woah!"
  • Keep Correct: SpongeBob exclaims "Whoa!"

Other grammar mistakes

  • 1. "You're" is short for "you are" and is a conjunction. "Your" is used for a belonging, or anything else that isn't an abbreviation for "you are."
  • Remove Incorrect: Your a great editor here!
  • Keep Correct: You're a great editor here!
  • Remove Incorrect: I love you're userpage!
  • Keep Correct: I love your userpage!
  • 2. "They're" is short for "they are" and is a conjunction. "Their" is used for a belonging. "There" is for anything else.
  • Remove Incorrect: There house is very nice!
  • Keep Correct: Their house is very nice!
  • Remove Incorrect: I can't choose between SpongeBob and Patrick. Their both equally amazing!
  • Keep Correct: I can't choose between SpongeBob and Patrick. They're both equally amazing!
  • Remove Incorrect: They're was a crazy story on TV recently!
  • Keep Correct: There was a crazy story on TV recently!
  • 3. "Who's" is short for "who is" and is a conjunction. "Whose" is used for a belonging, or anything else that isn't an abbreviation for "who is."
  • Remove Incorrect: Whose coming to the chat party tonight?!
  • Keep Correct: Who's coming to the chat party tonight?!
  • Remove Incorrect: Yes, I've heard of that user who's edits really helped the wiki!
  • Keep Correct: Yes, I've heard of that user whose edits really helped the wiki!
  • 4. When referring to a date, use "on this date," not "in this date."
  • Remove Incorrect: "Squid Defense" is the first episode to air in the United States in January 1.
  • Keep Correct: "Squid Defense" is the first episode to air in the United States on January 1.

Wikitext style

  • Headers should be in the form ==Header==, not the form == Header ==. This only applies to articles, image pages use == Summary == automatically and talkpages are free form and no changes should ever be made to header style.
  • Things like [[Gary|Gary]] and [[Gary|gary]] are pointless, only [[Gary]] should be used.
  • Don't bypass redirects using things like [[SpongeBob SquarePants|SpongeBob]] make use of the redirect properly with [[SpongeBob SquarePants]].
    • It is recommended to use linking templates rather than redirects. See ESB:Links for more info.

Common improper style changes

  • Do not add last names to links unless you have a valid reason to do so (full character name has not been used earlier in the article). Full names should not be abused to bypass redirects.
  • Do not change page numbers in ref tags to have a leading zero. Going around the wiki and changing 3 to 03 despite most pages sticking to 3 does not improve the wiki at all and just adds pointless edits, just stick with 3.
  • Do not place logic into humor, examples are: "How can fire be underwater?"
  • Do not write SpongeBob's name with a lowercase "B." The "B" should always be capitalized.
  • Do not list an episode, short, song, book chapter, or game level without including quotation marks around the title.
  • Do not list a movie, book, comic, or game without italicizing the title.
  • Do not place punctuation outside of quotation marks. The correct placement is inside. Example: "Help Wanted."
  • Do not use more than one question mark or exclamation point in a row. One is all that is ever needed.
  • Do not add captions to images in gallery pages.
  • Do not use British English spelling or grammar. SpongeBob SquarePants is an American series, so therefore American English spellings and grammar conventions should always be used.

Specific article guidelines

Episodes

Main article: ESB:Episodes

Characters

Each character article must include:

  • An infobox with all known information.
  • A character biography.
  • Trivia - Trivia items. Organized in list format using * at the start of the line.
  • Quotes - Character quotes. The character's catchphrase shouldn't be on the list of quotes.
  • References - Just the ==References== section with a {{Reflist}} template below it to collect the <ref></ref> tag info in the page. Individual bits of info should be tagged with specific citation other than just the general sources section.
  • If the character's biography consists of just a few sentences, please do not create an article for them. Instead, put the character's information on the character list, List of characters.
  • Every character article must be categorized with this category: Category:Characters.

Video games

Each video game article must include:

  • An infobox with all known information
  • A description of the video game
  • Every video game article must be categorized with this category: Category:Video games.

Songs

Each song article must include:

  • A description of the song, including the writer(s), performer(s), and episode(s) featured in
  • The lyrics
  • Every music article must be categorized with this category: Category:Music.

Books

Use the following infobox template on articles about SpongeBob books:

{{Book
|title = 
|cover = 
|author = 
|illustrator = 
|country = 
|language = 
|publisher = 
|pub_date = 
|pages = 
|isbn = 
}}

People

Use the following infobox template on articles about people involved with SpongeBob, including cast members and crew members.

{{Person
|name = 
|image = 
|birth = 
|death = 
|gender = 
|credits = 
|portrays = 
|years = 
|cast = 
|crew = 
}}

Use this template at the bottom of people articles:

{{People}}

See also

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