Help:Spoilers

Any information about unbroadcast episodes, including unseen plots, characters, events, and the like, regardless of source, is considered a spoiler. Some spoilers (those from credible sources, like official NBC episode descriptions) are more credible than other spoilers, such as those published by fan sites or bloggers. All spoilers, now matter how well supported, are still considered speculation because any information can change by the time the episode is finally aired.

It's therefore important to separate spoilers from encyclopædiac content for two reasons: one, as the name implies, such information can "spoil" upcoming episodes for readers who don't wish to learn speculative information about unaired episodes, and two, by its very nature all spoiler material is not up to the standards for encyclopædia articles in terms of canon sources.

The Spoiler Category

All articles which contain spoilers should belong to Category:Spoilers (and only to Category:Spoilers) to isolate the information from readers who do not wish to be "spoiled" and to make clear that the information is speculative. To assign an article to Category:Spoilers, simply add [[Category:Spoilers]] anywhere within the article (though for consistency's sake, all categories should be added to the very end of the article).

You should also use the spoiler templates {{spoiler}} or {{unairedspoiler}} at the top of the article to alert readers that the article contains spoilers, in case they reach the page through a poorly labeled link or the "random page" button.

Articles in the Spoiler Category

Nearly any article which could appear in the main portion of Heroes Wiki can also be made as a spoiler article. Announced characters, locations, plot points, episodes are all possible spoiler articles. In general, it's best to write articles for such subjects only when the spoiler comes from a reputable source or has been "confirmed" by multiple sources.

Be sure to use the same standard formatting you would use if the same article were in the main section of the site, including any sidebars and navigational elements. However, do not update any navigational elements to include spoiler articles. For example, if you are writing a spoiler article for a new unseen character, you should include the {{character box}} and {{characternav}} templates, but don't add a link to your article to the {{characternav}} template until the new character appears. See Help:Style for more information on standard formatting.

If your spoiler information is not substantial enough to warrant its own article, you may consider adding it to an existing spoiler article. Most of these articles reside in the Spoiler: namespace. For example, each announced episode has a spoiler article, such as Spoiler:The Fix. General spoilers can be added directly to the Category:Spoilers article itself.

Making a spoiler article into a normal article

If you have written an article for a spoiler and the spoiler has subsequently aired, you can easily make your article into a normal article. Simply remove [[Category:Spoilers]], assign appropriate categories, and add links to your article from other articles and templates as appropriate. If you created your article in the Spoiler: namespace, simply move it to a name that does not include the Spoiler: namespace. For example, an article called "Spoiler:Uluru's girlfriend" could be moved to "Uluru's girlfriend" after the character first appears in a broadcast episode.

Be especially careful to make sure your former spoiler article is added to navigational templates and portals as appropriate. Also remember to reassign any spoiler images used by your article to the appropriate image category.

Links to Spoilers

Links to spoiler articles should always be clearly labeled as such. Avoid adding spoiler articles to navigational templates. Avoid linking to spoiler articles within the body text of a non-spoiler article. If your spoiler article is related to a normal article, it's best to simply add a Spoilers section at the bottom of the main article with a link to the spoiler article.