The Manual of Style is currently under construction. Please make minor spelling and grammar edits ONLY. To help the Dollhouse Wiki community create it, please click the discussion tab above.
This page represents the community's opinion of how articles in this wiki should be written. Please use this page as a guide for how to write and edit articles. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave them on the discussion page for this article.
English Grammar and Conventions[ | ]
Style[ | ]
Verb Tense[ | ]
All articles, both in-universe and real world, should be written in the present tense. Describe current events and events on the show as happening. For example:
- In the episode "Ghost," Echo becomes Eleanor Penn to help rescue Davina Crestejo.
- Psychology plays a large role in Dollhouse.
The appropriate tense for events in real history or the show's past is, therefore, the past. For example:
- Before the events of Dollhouse, Alpha was an active. (Note that this is NOT: Before the events of Dollhouse, Alpha had been an active.)
- Freud wrote many essays on psychology.
Capitalization[ | ]
For show terminology, do as Fox does. Capitalize Dollhouse and Active. Do not capitalize doll, imprint, or wipe.
Treat article headings as titles. Capitalize the first letter of each word, except for minor words (if, and, but, etc.).
Personal Pronouns[ | ]
Personal pronouns are encouraged on talk pages, but are not allowed in main articles. If necessary, use that pesky passive voice all your English teachers told you to avoid.
Do not say:
- "I believe Echo will have a composite event."
- "In 'Ghost,' we are first introduced to the concept of an engagement."
Instead, say:
- "Echo's memory glitches suggest that she may have a composite event."
- "The concept of an engagement is first introduced in the episode 'Ghost.'"
Grammar and Spelling[ | ]
Standard Written English conventions apply to all main articles. Note that the funny red dotted line means that you've made a spelling error. Please preview and review your changes for typos and errors before your save your edits.
American English[ | ]
We recognize that nobody's version of English is any better than anybody else's, that American English is a mere child of its mother tongue, and that English was German long before it was English anyway. That having been said, however, all main articles should conform with American English spelling and grammar, as Dollhouse's country of origin is America. Below you will find some common and not-so-common differences between American English and British (and other) English that should help you Americanize your English if needed.
Spelling[ | ]
Most people know that Americans dropped the "u" from words like "colour" and "honour," and swapped 'round the "re" of "metre" and "theatre." Americans like bright colors, honorable people, and going to the movie theater, and they don't like measuring things in meters. Here are a few less commonly known structural differences in American and British spellings:
- Use a "z" in words that end in "ize." (recognize instead of recognise)
- Use an "s" in words that end in "se/ce." (defense instead of defence)
- Check if you need that "o." (maneuver instead of manoeuvre)
- Keep the "a" in "around."
Punctuation[ | ]
It doesn't matter that Americans say "periods" instead of "stops," but it does matter were they put them.
- Where the British put end marks outside of quotation marks, Americans are supposed to put them inside. This is a tricky one to watch out for; many Americans also muck this one up, especially on wikis where the quotes in wiki code play with your eyes.
- Where the British use single quotes to indicate dialogue or quotations, Americans use double quotes.
- If quoting inside a quotation or line of dialogue, then use single quotes.
- Quotes should read like this:
- John said, "So I said to Davina, 'Go away,' but she stuck around, anyway."
- Quotes should not look like this:
- John said, 'So I said to Davina, "Go away", but she stuck around, anyway".
Resources[ | ]
For spelling, see Merriam-Webster. For grammar, see the grammar link at the Owl at Purdue.
Standard Article Formats[ | ]
Below are types of articles which should conform to a single format.
Note: numbers are given as a reference and should not be included in headings.
Episodes[ | ]
- Dollhouseepisode-Infobox
- General Description (Name, episode number, writer, director, airdate)
- 1 Premise (Press release summary of the episode)
- 2 Plot (Extended description)
- 3 Engagements
- 4 Cast
- 4.1 Main Cast
- 4.2 Recurring Roles
- 4.3 Guest Stars
- 5 Background Information
- 5.1 Production
- 5.2 Reception
- 5.2.1 Cast & Crew
- 5.2.2 Critics
- 5.2.3 Ratings
- 5.3 Trivia
- 5.4 Quotes
- 5.5 Music
- 5.6 Promotional Photos (the gallery taken from the Photos page)
- 6 Notes & References (should at least contain "<small>{{reflist|2}}</small>" if the article has footnotes)
- 7 External Links (at least links to the official Wiki, imdb and tv.com)
Cast and Crew[ | ]
- 1 General Description
- 2 Previous Work
- 3 Dollhouse
- 4 After Dollhouse
The "Previous Work" section should be a short description of the career of the cast/crew-member, but already written from a Dollhouse-point of view, mentioning collaborations with Dollhouse-cast/crew-members. For an example, see Tim Minear or Jane Espenson.
The Dollhouse section contains a general description of how the person got into the show, what they did on the show, and interesting trivia such as how roles were changed to suit actors. If the person in question is attached to specific episodes (as for instance writers, directors or guest stars often are), a complete list of these episodes (organized by seasons) should be included here too.
The fourth section (After Dollhouse) only comes into play, if the person has already left the show (such as Jane Espenson or Steven DeKnight).