Memory Alpha:Example article

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This help page is a how-to guide.

It details processes or procedures of some aspect(s) of Memory Alpha's norms and practices. It is not one of Memory Alpha's policies or guidelines, and may reflect varying levels of consensus and vetting.

The following is an example article based on various policies, guidelines, and standards that apply to article layout See the Manual of Style and the guide to layout for more information.

Green text:

explanations/comments

The article type template, for different universes, realities, etc, should be placed at the top of the page if warranted. See the article type template for more info.

Important messages, such as: spoiler notices, PNAs regarding questionable content or copyright issues, pending deletion notices, etc. These notices should be put above any sidebar or opening image but below the article type template. See message templates for a full list of options.

For other examples, please use actual articles similar to the one you wish to write.
Disambiguation links fit in below any sidebar or opening image, preferably via one of the available templates.

"Something relevant or important was said once."

– Blue guy, while talking, 2160s (ENT: "These Are the Voyages...")

A fun and relevant in-universe quote may be included using the article quote template below any disambiguation links.

This page showcases an example article layout for Memory Alpha, including the correct order of standard sections.

Short summary/definition of the scope of this article, consisting of one or two sentences, including the article title (bold).

Overarching topic[]

First custom section[]

Longer articles should make use of headers to split the text in various sections or subsections. In this case, start the first section directly under the header for the overarching topic after the summary. Use headers only if there are at least two sections including standard sections.

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), DS9 — A starship of some sort...
Images placed in articles should be close to the text relevant to them and formatted as thumbnails. Alternating the side of the article the image is on can make the article layout more interesting. Outside of list pages, thumbnails should never need a specified size.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Proin condimentum, sapien quis elementum sagittis, lorem quam rhoncus eros, ac tempor wisi mauris non augue. Morbi sollicitudin eros vitae sem mattis egestas. Nulla ac dui vitae tellus tincidunt lobortis. Donec magna nunc, fringilla eu, varius sit amet, congue sed, massa. Cras varius, lectus ut iaculis egestas, est velit sodales tortor, ut iaculis odio sapien in nisl. (TNG: "Shades of Gray")

Make sure to include references to relevant episodes or films at the end of each sentence or paragraph to reference the source of each bit of information.

Donec porttitor fringilla neque. Pellentesque quis wisi. Mauris ullamcorper, urna dapibus dapibus egestas, turpis felis sollicitudin nunc, ac convallis mauris dui at lorem. Nam turpis purus, iaculis at, rutrum at, hendrerit sed, pede. Morbi erat. Etiam in eros.

Use {{bginfo}} to identify any brief real world info or elaborations related to the last paragraph. Use this feature sparingly - don't include personal speculation and try not to exceed the length of the preceding paragraph.

Last custom section[]

After the last custom section, place any in-universe navigation templates and then start with appendix sections.

If the article is considered incomplete, include this message at the bottom of the in-universe sections of the article.

Appendices[]

This section contains important meta-information about the subject. Use any or all of the following subsections in this order:

Appearances[]

List of episodes the article subject appeared in organized by production dates. These should not to be confused with "references" sections, which should not be added, especially as an alternative to adding article content. All references should be summarized in the article. If they are not, establish a PNA and put the list of missing references on the article's talk page. Make sure to wrap appearances lists in <div class="appear">...</div>

Background information[]

Additional real world information, especially behind-the-scenes information. Use if the background information is over the bginfo template's capacity or if other appendix sections are used.

Apocrypha[]

Brief summaries of information from books or games about the article subject.

External links[]

List of external articles on the same topic.

www.lipsum.com

At the end of an article, place any real world navigation templates or the feature article template if they apply. Interwiki language links and categories would also be placed here.