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This page is a SmashWiki guideline, a principle that suggests how users should contribute and conduct themselves. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. If in doubt, consider discussing changes on the talk page. |
In a nutshell, a stub is a short or incomplete article that could be expanded. If you see an article that has not reached the needed depth for its subject, you should mark it as a stub, by typing {{stub}} at the end of the page. This template adds a couple of sentences indicating that the article is a stub. It also categorizes the incomplete article as a stub (see the stubs category), so that editors can identify and expand the needy articles.
Special stub tags exist for articles in the Smasher namespace and for articles of competitive subjects. A smasher article should be tagged by typing {{smasher-stub}}, and an article about a competitive subject other than smashers should be tagged with {{competitive-stub}}.
You should, however, hold discretion before tagging articles as stubs. Not every short page should be labeled a stub. This page provides policy on when and where to wield the stub template.
Which articles are stubs?
In terms of length, a stub is an article that is only a few sentences long. This length, however, is not a fast and steady rule. You shouldn't, for instance, add a stub tag to a short article about an unimportant topic. On the other hand, some subjects are so important (like Super Smash Bros. Melee or wavedash) that even a description of several paragraphs might be short enough for the article to be deemed a stub.
How can you figure out whether or not an article can appropriately be tagged a stub? That depends on the subject.
- Smasher articles: A regional-level player should still ideally have a fleshed out intro, a play style section that describes in detail how they approach competitive Smash, an exhaustive history section covering their entire Smash career, and a complete list of tournament results. But realistically, no one will ever add all that to the articles of most such players unless the article's subject edits it all in themself, so as long as articles about such smashers have a decently lengthed intro that adequately describes why they're notable and a reasonably complete results list, they shouldn't be tagged as a stub. On the other hand, an article for a greatly renowned top level smasher (such as Mew2King) should be tagged a stub if it has no more than just an intro and results, or a smasher that has great significance in the Smash community or tournament scene (such as Gideon) should be tagged a stub if the subject's influence isn't adequately discussed. These same guidelines apply to crews as well.
- Gameplay articles: Every gameplay-related article requires a description or definition of the subject, or else it is a stub. You should also tag important gameplay elements (such as wavedash) as stubs if they do not discuss how the subject relates to the community or to tournament play.
- Character articles: This subject is important and requires a substantial article. A character article is a stub if it does not discuss the character's most notable attributes in the game, such as their special moves. (You do not, however, need to include in-depth information about that character's appearance in other, non-Smash games).
- Stage articles: A stage article is a stub if it does not at least describe the stage's layout. This includes the movement of stages such as Brinstar Depths or Hyrule Castle. A stage article should also indicate its legality in tournaments.
Removing the stub tag
If a former stub has been lengthened so that it can no longer be considered a stub, you may remove the stub tag without requesting permission to. You should, however, first look at the talk page and the page's history to see if the article's stub status has ever been disputed; if there has been such dispute, such dispute should be addressed and resolved before removing the stub tag. You also should not remove a stub tag just for the sake of artificially "decreasing" the amount of stubs on the wiki; a maintenance category having a large number of articles in it is not inherently a bad thing, and they're necessary to divert editors' attention to articles that most need improvement. If you make a habit removing deserving stub tags without adequately expanding the article first, you will get reprimanded.