User:Pentium5dot1/Essays/Advice on Wikipedia and NoWikipedia templates

This is a work in progress

Obvious rules

• Do not use {{Wikipedia}} if the corresponding Wikipedia article does not exist, except in cases of in-jokes.
• Likewise, do not use {{NoWikipedia}} if the corresponding Wikipedia article does exist, unless it is on an unrelated subject with the same title.

When {{Wikipedia}} is likely appropriate

• The Wikipedia article is a featured article.

When {{Wikipedia}} is likely inappropriate

• The topic is a very common one (e.g Dog or Cat), and an average reader would probably already know most of the information in the Wikipedia article.
• The template would disrupt the visual flow of the page.
• The Wikipedia article is a frequent target of vandalism and is not yet protected. (Remember, not all Uncyclopedia readers are sufficiently competent to be well-behaved Wikipedia editors.)

When {{NoWikipedia}} is likely appropriate

• The Wikipedia article has been deleted (but not speedily).

When {{NoWikipedia}} is likely inappropriate

• The absence of a Wikipedia article is nothing special, for example when:
  • The Uncyclopedia article has a fictitious title that is unlikely to correspond to any real subject.
  • The Uncyclopedia article is about an Internet meme which has never been mentioned anywhere on Wikipedia and will never be sufficiently notable.

What about {{Wikipediapar}} and {{NoWikipediapar}}?

• Do not use {{Wikipediapar}} solely to avoid a Wikipedia redirect, unless you have a good special reason.
• {{NoWikipediapar}} is almost never useful, except in cases of in-jokes.

General advice

• {{Wikipedia}} and {{NoWikipedia}} should be used only when the presence or absence of a Wikipedia article is relevant to the context for understanding the satire.
• Do not edit-war over these templates.
  • If the above guidelines leave significant doubt as to whether a template should be added, you probably should not add it.
  • If the above guidelines leave significant doubt as to whether a template should be removed, you probably should not remove it.