Editing guidelines

Welcome to Arkham Wiki.

Arkham Wiki is an independent, evidence-based encyclopedia for the Batman: Arkham universe. Editors are encouraged to improve articles, add reliable sources, document contradictions, and correct unsupported information.

You do not need to know everything about MediaWiki before contributing.

Before editing

Editors should be familiar with:

The most important rule is simple:

Do not present unsupported information as fact.

Good first contributions

Useful contributions include:

Adding citations
Correcting spelling or grammar
Improving unclear wording
Creating redirects
Adding missing appearances
Adding sources to existing claims
Identifying contradictions
Adding archived sources
Improving image captions
Linking related articles
Adding information directly established by a game, comic, novel, or reliable official source

Small edits are welcome.

Adding new information

When adding factual information, ask:

Where did this information come from?
Is the source reliable?
Does the source actually say what I am claiming?
Is the claim confirmed, implied, disputed, or unknown?
Can another editor find the source?

If possible, cite the source immediately after the relevant sentence.

Example:

Batman investigated the Lacey Towers crime scene.<ref>{{Cite game
 | game = Batman: Arkham Origins
 | section = Lacey Towers crime scene
}}</ref>

Do not copy other wikis

Other fan wikis may contain useful leads, but their text and claims should not simply be copied into Arkham Wiki.

Instead:

Find the original source.
Verify the information.
Rewrite the information independently.
Cite the original source.

This helps prevent old errors from being carried into Arkham Wiki.

Unsourced information

If a claim seems plausible but you cannot verify it, do not invent a source.

You may use:

{{Citation needed}}

Example:

This character met Batman before the events of ''Arkham Origins''.{{Citation needed}}

If the claim appears clearly incorrect and reliable evidence contradicts it, it may be better to remove or correct it rather than leave a citation-needed tag.

Speculation

Do not present theories or assumptions as established fact.

Bad:

The password "Sarah" confirms that Sarah Essen existed in the Arkham universe.

Better:

The password "Sarah" appears in ''Batman: Arkham City''. No official source has established whether it refers to Sarah Essen.

Arkham Wiki should document evidence separately from interpretation.

Canon disputes

Do not declare something non-canon simply because it contains a contradiction.

If reliable sources conflict:

Cite both sources
Explain the contradiction
Avoid inventing a solution
Use Template:Canon status when appropriate

Example:

{{Canon status
 | status = disputed
 | note = Official sources provide conflicting information.
}}

Developer statements

Developer and writer statements should be attributed.

Prefer:

Writer Jane Doe stated in a 2014 interview that...

rather than:

It is canon that...

unless released material independently establishes the same information.

Cut content

Cut or unused material should be clearly identified.

Use:

{{Canon status|status=cut}}

Do not insert cut events directly into a character biography as though they occurred in the released continuity.

Creating new articles

Before creating a page, check whether an article already exists under another title.

Useful article subjects include:

Characters
Games
Locations
Organizations
Gadgets and equipment
Missions
Comics
Novels
DLC
Important development topics

Very minor subjects may be better covered inside a larger article.

Article introductions

A new article should begin with a short explanation of its subject.

Example:

'''Arkham Asylum''' is a psychiatric hospital located in [[Gotham City]] and a major location in the ''Batman: Arkham'' series.

Do not begin with trivia or a long plot summary.

Infoboxes

Use the appropriate infobox when available.

Current templates include:

Unused parameters can be omitted.

Do not guess values simply to fill every field.

Images

Upload images that are useful to the article.

Use descriptive filenames.

Good:

Batman-Arkham-Origins-Blackgate.jpg

Avoid:

Screenshot1234.png

Image captions should explain what the image shows.

Edit summaries

Use an edit summary whenever practical.

Good examples:

Added source for Joker identity reveal
Corrected release date
Added Arkham Origins appearance
Removed unsupported continuity claim
Archived dead developer interview

This makes it easier for other editors to understand changes.

Major disagreements

If editors disagree about a significant claim:

Discuss the evidence.
Provide sources.
Focus on the claim rather than the editor.
Avoid edit wars.
Leave uncertain information labeled as uncertain until better evidence is found.

The goal is to determine what the sources support, not to win an argument.

Research notes

Editors are encouraged to preserve useful research, including:

Dead URLs
Archived interviews
Exact timestamps
Comic issue and page numbers
Contradictory sources
Developer quotations
Sources that were checked but did not support a claim

This information can save future editors significant time.

Need help?

Useful pages:

When uncertain, favor accuracy over completeness.