User:Monsieur Crow/Words to Watch proposal

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SmashWiki is not censored, but certain expressions and phrases should still be avoided, as they may introduce bias to an article or a viewpoint, or cause information to become unclear or inarticulate. This addendum to our manual of style is intended to help users to avoid inadvertently introducing bias to a page through improper word choice.

Note that words that are not featured on this page may still be problematic in certain contexts; similarly, some words on this page may still be usable if the context calls for it.

Words that may introduce bias

Puffery

Puffery refers to the use of words that promote or disparage a subject without summarising verifiable information. Terms that promote puffery, such as great, awesome, incredible, landmark, best, or worst, should ideally be replaced either with facts or attribution to demonstrate a point. For instance, simply stating Cloud has a horrible recovery is unacceptable; stating Cloud's recovery is poor as a result of several "blind spots" in Climhazzard's ledge sweetspots and its low vertical and horizontal distances would be acceptable.

Unsupported attributions

So-called "weasel words" are words and phrases that attempt to claim that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in reality, such claims may only have been given ambiguously. A common example would be using vague attribution, such as using phases like "some say" or "it is widely thought". For example, saying the Official Custom Moveset Project was criticised by some smashers is unacceptable; saying that it was criticised by tournament organizers, however, lends more credibility. Ideally, a specific individual or source should be given for attribution.

Editorializing

The use of certain adverbs should be avoided, as such terms can give inadvertently undue focus to a point, such as "notably", "unusually", and "interestingly". Phrases can also introduce such inadvertent focus, such as "it should be noted" or "of particular note", and they should be avoided if possible. SmashWiki should also not attempt to presume too much about the reader's perspective, and editors should avoid the use of words such as "obviously", "naturally", "clearly", and "of course". As NPoV also states SmashWiki should describe disputes, but not engage in them; as a result, SmashWiki should not take a view as to whether an event was "fortunate" or "thankful".

A particularly subtle case of editorialising can occur through the use of words that link two sentences together, such as "but", "despite", "however" and "though"; the linkage of two sentences may imply a relationship where none exists.

Expressions that lack precision

Clichés and idioms

Clichés, idioms, and similar phrases should be avoided in preference of direct, literal expressions. Outside of idioms potentially misrepresenting the scale of a viewpoint, a number of readers who may not be used a specific idiom could potentially misconstrue the meaning of a sentence, especially readers who may not be fluent in English.

Relative time references

Absolute specifications of time are preferred over relative constructions, such as "recently", "currently", and "to date", as this can lead to statements becoming outdated and can prevent readers from getting an appropriate frame of reference for older events. Specific ages should also be avoided where possible, as phrases such as "17 years old" or "2 years ago" will require constant updating to remain accurate.

While the phrase "as of" can be used to address times, by giving a concrete starting date of a certain event, its use should also be avoided where possible.

Unspecified places or events

Similar to the previous section, specific statements should be used over general ones, with specific terminology instead of vague terms such as "sometimes" or "somehow".

Neologisms and new compounds

Avoid adding prefixes onto existing terms as to create new compounds, such as anti-, pro-, post-, and -like, as they can cause undue weight to be given to such terms, and many neologisms can have definitions that are vague and unstable.

Vulgarities, obscenities, and profanities

SmashWiki is not censored, and as a result, a number of words considered rude, offensive, or crude may be used in the mainspace, such as in the terms Rapetent, Motherfucking Leaker or Death by Rape. Outside of direct contexts, however, offensive language should be avoided when possible, unless removing such vulgarities causes information to become less relevant or accurate.