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{{icons|bfo}}[[Category:Infobase Policies|{{PAGENAME}}]]

This article provides guidelines and requirement for contributing to the wiki by adding new articles or contributing to existing articles. Please refer to the [[Intelligence Office Policy]] for broad guidelines on Bravo Fleet canon and its creation.

==Overview==

Most important of all: if you're not sure, please reach out to the [https://bravofleet.com/staff?department=Intelligence+Office Intelligence Office] for assistance, and we will be happy to provide guidance.

There are two main principles of this wiki. The first is that Bravo Fleet maintains a cohesive canon; the Intelligence Office decides on our version of {{year}}, and that is the standard to which all stories in the Fleet must adhere. This includes the timeline of recent events, the nature of modern governments, and Starfleet activities and engagement. Articles that dictate Bravo Fleet canon bear an icon in the top-right of the Bravo Fleet logo, a Task Force logo, or the flag of a government power. These articles are considered 'fleet canon,' relevant to all members.

The second is that the wiki is collaboratively developed by members as well as the Intel Office. Articles not explaining the status quo of the 'big picture' content, but providing background to a story are welcome. These articles should not include the icon unless explicitly ratified by the Intel Office, and adherence to their content is 'opt-in' by other members. They should be smaller, more personal incidents. Think of the difference between a stand-alone episode of ''The Next Generation'' dealing with one lone planet in the galaxy, and an episode of ''Deep Space Nine'' that develops galaxy-shaping events such as the Dominion War. These articles are considered 'member canon,' relevant only to their creator but may be incorporated or used by others.

==Style Guide==

Please check with other articles of the same type when creating or editing. While their outline is flexible, consider these useful starting points for what to include. Please use the [[:Category:Infobox Templates|correct template]] where applicable. If editing, please be mindful of our [[:Category:Maintenance templates|maintenance templates]] if any are in place.

Wiki articles should be written from an In-Character perspective. This does not mean that the article should sound like a text that has been written in the 25th century, but it should discuss the current state of affairs in the present tense, not include references to TV episodes, BF missions, or back stage material by name or from a production perspective, and so forth. Where relevant, the default assumption is that an article is written from the perspective of what Starfleet knows. This is most pertinent if there is intentional ambiguity around a topic (see the article on the [[Gorn Hegemony]], a power Trek canon is still developing in ''Strange New Worlds''), where it can be useful to explicitly frame ideas or theories as just that. But again, this is to give guidance for writers, not to feel like an in-universe piece of text.

It is ''essential'' to note that the wiki exists to establish a status quo of the galaxy so more storytelling can be done. This is worldbuilding for a purpose: to give writers essential information so they can write. We are not interested in vast articles giving minute detail on every nuance of a culture, useful or otherwise. Think of this as a sourcebook for a roleplaying game, rather than one of Tolkien's appendices. The Intel Office recognises this is a highly subjective distinction and is happy to provide guidance.

Many pages include an 'In Play' section, which explicitly lays out how the subject of this article should be portrayed. It should be brief, around a half-dozen points at most, and can outright say things like, 'These people will attack on sight; negotiation is impossible.' Think of this as providing the cardinal rules, the do's and don'ts. This is also the place to summarise or explain ideas Out of Character if ideas or guidance could not be effectively conveyed in the main article - see, again, the Gorn Hegemony article.

==Creating an Article==

This wiki does not wish to replicate general Star Trek canon information which can be found elsewhere. If Memory Alpha can provide all relevant information, please simply link accordingly. This is why there are very few 'species' pages on the wiki, for example; there is rarely new information on a species' biology or psychology that the Intel Office deems worth adding. General Trek canon is useful only in giving context to current information (for example, the short history section of the [[Klingon Empire]] article) or condensing essential information that is useful for writing (for example, the [[Bravo Fleet Timeline]], which focuses on galactic events, compared to the Memory Alpha timelines which include the events of every incidental ''Voyager'' episode alongside key incidents of the Dominion War and is less useful for canonical reference).

Please consider the following categories, and their caveats, for member-created articles:
*'''Locations:''' Planets, regions, starbases, systems, etc. Please specify where this location is situated, and add it to the category of the relevant Quadrant.
*'''People:''' These should be NPCs such as Starfleet staff, heads of government, notable civilian figures. These should '''not''' be player characters or a fiction's main characters - ie, characters that are already listed on BFMS. Please link to those BFMS articles instead using the following code example: <nowiki>[[bfms_char:13085|Teylas Ramar]]</nowiki>
*'''Governments:''' Political groups, such as the Klingon Empire. Distinct from species, though in cases of limited but key information, descriptions of a species can be contained in a sub-section of the government page. Non-government factions (such as the [[Fenris Rangers]]) can also be added.
*'''Species:''' Where relevant, information on a species' biology and psychology can often be included on the relevant government page. Please do not unnecessarily add articles when a link to Memory Alpha would suffice.
*'''Ships:''' Every ship which exists in the Bravo Fleet registry is entitled to an article (see below). Articles for other Starfleet ships require ratification by the Intel Office. Articles may be created for notable alien ships without necessarily requiring ratification by the Intel Office.

While there may be other kinds of pages, please think hard or consult the Intel Office before creating a page which does not fit within these guidelines.

===Ship Articles===
As above, every ship in the Bravo Fleet registry is entitled to an article. It is the intention of the Intel Office that these ships will have and develop a rich history as they pass between members. These ships exist so COs can keep a more succinct and IC summary of their stories than BFMS missions, to flesh out details about the ship's layout or appearance, to list details like the class, name, and usage of auxiliary craft, and so forth. Some examples of good practice of ship articles can be found here:

*[[USS Arcturus]]
*[[USS Atlantis]]
*[[USS Endeavour]]

Ship articles must use the [[Template:Starship]], which should list the Task Force to which they're assigned, and any other pertinent detail. Remember that links to crew bios should go to their BFMS page, not a wiki article. It is not necessary for a ship article to go into great detail, nor is it necessary for COs to write about their ship at all.

Articles should include a section listing command history (see, [[USS Endeavour#Commanding Officers|here]], for example). This ''must'' include, where possible, any Bravo Fleet members who have held a command since 2399 (April 2020), and include a link to their BFMS Command. In most cases the Intelligence Office has already created this section - you may edit or expand it, but ''do not delete'' this listing and especially not the links - they are the easiest and clearest way for anyone to access a ship's past missions on BFMS.

If your ship has no apparent BFMS history, make sure you look at sources like the specifications article when creating it. Many older ship classes, for instance, will not still be in production in {{year}}, and if so that ship is unlikely to be newly commissioned. You do not have to create a whole history spanning decades, but details like your commission date should reflect this. On a similar note, if specifying details like ''where'' your ship was constructed, bear in mind the destruction of Utopia Planitia in 2385!

Your ship article is not an appropriate place to list your entire crew roster. The BFMS Command page already does so. If you want to add further detail, including listing crewmembers who may exist but do not have a BFMS page, or the history of who has held certain roles, consider using your Wiki User Sandbox for a separate article to link to ([[User:CrimsonTacit/Arcturus/Arcturus Full Crew Roster|like this]]). Many ships may have a 'Notable Crew' section, which is usually where command history goes - use your judgement on what characters constitute 'notable.'

Similarly, there may be other information that is useful for your reference but could be lengthy or detailed, and would result in undue bloat if included in a ship's article. This might include detailed lists of auxiliary craft on very large ships, or deck listings. Consider the examples of the auxiliary pages of the USS ''Arcturus'' [[User:CrimsonTacit/Arcturus|here]] and make appropriate choices on relevance and streamlining.

Articles are a good place to write a succinct summary of any stories and missions, especially when you've held a ship for some time. This should, as with the whole wiki, be done in an IC manner. As such, it should not include in-text references to OOC details like mission names. You may include links to BFMS missions, however. Ship wiki articles are also a good place to write a 'true' IC history of your ship, if for whatever reason you have needed to retcon past events (such as fleet or Trek canon changing). Rather than rewrite entire missions that may be OOC years old, the wiki article can be a place to summarise the new member canon of this ship.

Above all, please consider what is relevant. The Sandboxes, like ''Arcturus's'', are great places to add a lot of detail that might be useful for your own reference but dense and irrelevant reading to anyone else. There is certainly no obligation to write content for the sake of it.

====Taking Over a Ship Article====
If you're a new captain and your ship already has a wiki article, you shouldn't fret ''nor'' feel obligated to keep all of the information left by a previous CO. Most of it should be considered member canon. The only things you ''must'' keep when you take on a pre-owned ship are:

*Post-2399 Command History, with BFMS links (make sure you add your own!);
*Key details like launch date and construction location;
*The broad strokes of post-2399 events in which the ship has participated.

In this last case, you don't necessarily need to keep that written history. Your article can make no mention of prior Bravo Fleet COs outside of the Command History if you wish. But you shouldn't create a new history between 2399 and {{year}} if you are not the ship's first BF CO.

Anything else is yours to do with as you see fit. This includes layout details, lists of names and classes of auxiliary craft, or even pre-2399 history. Not only are they all considered member canon, and thus do not bind you, it is very feasible for ships to have undergone minor refits or have new shuttlecraft assigned in between captains. You are, however, free to reuse any of it! This includes rewriting or editing things like the history, keeping what you want or simply cutting out details that might remain accurate but you don't feel have a place in your wiki article.

Still, while you have a lot of freedom - this is ''your'' ship, now - it's worth considering how to incorporate past events and captains, and really give your ship a sense of history. Some ships, for example, may have participated in major fleet events and still hold according honours that you might want to acknowledge. Otherwise, get-to, and enjoy the legacy you have inherited! 
==Editing/Contributing to a Bravo Fleet Canon article==

If an article contains an icon denoting it as BF Canon ratified by the Intelligence Office, do not edit it without consulting a member of the Intel Office first. Please only bring up specific suggestions that could enrich the extant article, and remember that we are not trying to replicate Memory Alpha. Ultimately, we encourage you to tell your own stories within the world we've set out, rather than get caught up in worldbuilding.

The events of these stories are of great interest to us, however. While you are encouraged to record your ship's adventures in its article, if your story includes, for example, an encounter between a Starfleet ship and that of another government that might have lasting implications, please bring this to the Intel Office's attention. We will be happy to add or create a 'Recent Encounters' section, for eg, as the writing of members spices up the ongoing narrative. This is ultimately the best way to have an impact on canon.

== Generative AI Content ==
All content on the wiki must adhere by the [[Creative Integrity Policy]] when using generative AI (meaning both text-generation LLMs, such as ChatGPT, and AI image generation software, such as Midjourney). All AI-generated images on the website must be credited as such on the image description, specifying which generator was used.

AI-generated text is forbidden on the Bravo Fleet wiki. The purpose of this wiki is to provide information members find useful in developing and understanding the Bravo Fleet setting. The use of AI-generated text undermines the wiki's purpose of being relevant and concise. Even edited, AI-generated text runs the risk of contravening Trek and fleet canon, and prioritising content production and quantity over quality and pertinence. Simply put, if an author does not feel the text is worth writing themselves, why should a wiki reader find it useful?

Members may use LLMs such as ChatGPT to help develop ideas for articles. They must, however, be the authors of the content itself. See the [[Guide:Generative AI in your Writing|Generative AI in your Writing]] guide for support in how to use LLMs in your creative writing in-line with the Creative Integrity Policy.