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SF:BOOK

Style and formatting for books is fairly straightforward. It includes the following information:

  • Proper template: use {{Book}} by copy-pasting the variables from the documentation and filling in the information.
  • A brief summary or synopsis, background information, or if the book is part of a volume of books.
  • Skill effects, if that book increases a skill
  • Locations, besides random loot-generated chests and crates
  • The full book's contents, formatted appropriately as the book is formatted in-game
  • Other related books or articles

Key things to remember

  • NEVER, under any circumstances, correct spelling errors or lore inconsistencies made by the authors of an in-game text. Instead, place a "note" next to the entry by typing <ref group=note>, a brief statement about the error, and the closing ref tag </ref>. Be sure to add the proper references coding to the bottom of the article under a header labeled "Footnotes". The proper coding for this is: <references group=notes/>. For an example of how this is properly done, see Guide to Leyawiin. If it is simply a grammatical or spelling mistake, however, it is appropriate to use {{sic}} to address this.
    • Additionally, while the prose of The Elder Scrolls Wiki needs to be written in American English, with all the standard spellings and rules of grammar applying, do not mend in-game text if its is written with British spelling. For example, American English spells the word "flavor." If in-game writings spelling it "flavour," leave it as such.
  • Always insert {{Esbook}} at the bottom of the article, below the "Appearances" header. This ensure that all copyrighted text is properly attributed. For more information about attribution and copyright, see our sourcing policy and our media policy.
  • All articles need a lede. Even articles about books. For an exemplary lede in a book article, see Cicero's Journal, Volume I.
  • Some books say their title in the text itself, whereas others may only have it in a popup when the book is approached. Therefore, it is important to record all content that appears on a page in a book, including the title and author, if necessary.

Lede paragraph

All articles require a lede. At the bare minimum, a book lede should contain a description of what it is (a book, with a link to the appropriate book page) and the game that it appears in.

'''{{subst:PAGENAME}}''' is a [[Books (Skyrim)|book]] in {{Skyrim}}.

More descriptive ledes describing the author, date(s) of publication, and even a brief summary of the book's key points are welcome, although a detailed synopsis of the entire text is not necessary. A good summary should highlight the main events, main characters, and core concepts of the work, but should not comment on every detail that it contains. This way, readers can read through the lead to quickly ascertain and verify whether it is the text they are looking for. This helps save time for researchers looking up sources for citing other articles.

Buying and selling prices should also be listed along with the Gold symbol. Other points to consider are skills that increase upon reading the book and quests involving the book. Opinions other characters have on the book or the cultural impact made by the text should also be identified in the opening paragraph. If the book appears in a series, list and link to the other books in that series here as well. An example of a well-written lede paragraph for a book article is Cicero's Journal, Volume I.

Locations

Book locations should not be placed in the lede, but instead in a dedicated "==Locations==" header. Only static locations should be listed here; randomized ones should not, although a note that it may be found randomly (without specific reference to those locations) would be appropriate.

Categories

Copyright categories are automatically added to the article when the mandatory template {{esbook}} is placed at the foot of the article. Game-specific categories are added through the infobox templates and do not need to be added manually. Categories pertaining to the book's subject matter, however, need to be added by the editor. Placing book articles in these categories aids researchers who are looking for specific material to help with the citing of other articles. For a list of topics, see Category:Books by Topic. If a trend of book types is discovered, consult an admin or start a thread on the Consensus Track as to the creation of another book topic category. Popular book topics include areas such as: Books about Ayleids and Books about Daedra, for example. Adding a category denoting the book as a quest item is also acceptable.

Images

To accompany the written text of a book, images of the book's cover and each page of the book are ideal for every article. When the actual pages of a book are to be added to an article, add a gallery to the |image= parameter of the infobox template. Here is an example of the correct way to format a gallery in the infobox of a book article:

|image = <gallery>
Journal03.png|Cover 1
CicerosJournalVolume1 1-2.png|Cover 2
CicerosJournalVolume1 3-4.png|Cover 3
CicerosJournalVolume1 5-6.png|Cover 4
CicerosJournalVolume1 7-8.png|Cover 5
CicerosJournalVolume1 9-10.png|Cover 6
</gallery>

Images that appear inside the book can be added as a slideshow in the infobox, but it may serve the reader best to insert the images in the article body, placing the image on what would be the equivalent of its corresponding page to simulate how the image-text arrangement appears in-game. Take Treasure Maps for example. Although adding images that do not appear in the book to the article may help illustrate the book's topic, it is not ideal, but not forbidden. Always ensure that uploaded images are sourced according to our media policy.

Book templates

Example

Wiki markup

Place appropriate Template
{{Book
|title            = 2920, Frostfall, v10
|fulltitle        = Frostfall, Book Ten of 2920
|image            = [[File:SpellTomeConjuration.png|250px]]
|author           = Carlovac Townway
|skyrim/lead      = 1
|skyrim/skill     = [[Conjuration (Skyrim)|Conjuration]]
|skyrim/weight    = 1
|skyrim/value     = 50
|skyrim/id        = {{ID|0001AFEA}}
|oblivion/lead    = 1
|oblivion/skill   = [[Conjuration (Oblivion)|Conjuration]]
|oblivion/weight  = 1
|oblivion/value   = 100
|oblivion/id      = {{ID|000243F5}}
|morrowind/lead   = 1
|morrowind/skill  = [[Conjuration (Morrowind)|Conjuration]]
|morrowind/weight = 3
|morrowind/value  = 275
|morrowind/id     = 
}}

==Locations==
===Morrowind===
*Location A, this portion can be left out if not relevant
*Location B, inside the cabinet, behind the boxes

===Oblivion===
*Location C, this portion can be left out if not relevant
*Location D, inside house

===Skyrim===
*Location E, this portion can be left out if not relevant
*Location F

==Quests==
*Find the Helm of Wikia (Only directly involved quests)

==Contents==
The actual content of the book, formatted in the same way as the book is in 
(if different than standard left alignment).

==See also==
*Related books or other things here

==Appearances==
*Game title here
*Another game title here
*Another game title here. All are ordered by sequence of appearance.
{{Esbook}}
[[Category:Morrowind: Books]]
[[Category:Morrowind: Letters]] (Only if relevant)
[[Category:Oblivion: Books]]
[[Category:Oblivion: Letters]] (Only if relevant)
[[Category:Skyrim: Books]]
[[Category:Skyrim: Journals]] (Only if relevant)
[[Category:Skyrim: Letters]] (Only if relevant)
[[Category:Skill Books]] (Only included when the book increases a skill)

What it looks like in your browser

Main article: Books (Skyrim)
Main article: Books (Oblivion)
Main article: Books (Morrowind)

Locations

Daggerfall

Daggerfall book locations are randomized. Do not list them.

Morrowind

  • Location A, this portion can be left out if not relevant
  • Location B, inside the cabinet, behind the boxes

Oblivion

  • Location C, this portion can be left out if not relevant
  • Location D, inside house

Skyrim

  • Location E, this portion can be left out if not relevant
  • Location F

Quests

  • Find the Helm of Wikia (Only directly involved quests)

Contents

The actual content of the book, formatted in the same way as the book is in (if different than standard left alignment).

See also

  • Pages relevant to the book.

Appearances

Bethsoftblack
This book was taken from The Elder Scrolls series of video games or from websites created and owned by Bethesda Softworks, the copyright of which is held by Bethesda Softworks. All trademarks and registered trademarks present in the image are proprietary to Bethesda Softworks, the inclusion of which implies no affiliation with The Elder Scrolls Wiki. The use of such images is believed to fall under the fair use doctrine of copyright law.
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