The Dubbing Database:Guidelines

When writing a page or simply contributing to the Dubbing Database, there are certain guidelines one must adhere to. This is a list of those set of guidelines.

For a list of suggested set of rules to follow when editing, please see here. For a list of resources that will help you research dubs, please see here.

General
These are a list of general guidelines that you may want to keep in mind as you edit on the wiki.
 * 1) Do be descriptive: Do not assume everyone who reads your article knows what you are talking about. Elaborate on the dub using information and reliable resources that you can find online. Think of these questions: Who participated in the dub? What characters did they play? When or where did the dub air, and during what time period? A dub page as detailed as possible is encouraged!
 * 2) Do cite your sources: A reader can understand and believe what is being discussed more clearly when the editor cites reliable sources for the information. Third party sources where the information is not officially covered is allowed. One exception is that you should not cite Wikipedia, but you are allowed to use information from it provided it is correct.
 * 3) Do not be subjective: We're sure that if you're making an article on something, you are passionate about it. Try not to inject any opinions into your articles. Avoid words such as "sadly" and "unfortunately"; Others may not feel the same way as you do, and it is not encyclopedic to use them.
 * 4) Do use proper formatting: As we will go into more detail below, do adhere to the proper formatting employed by any of the recommended pages on the wiki. Using the proper format, as well as using proper grammar, is very important for the wiki and integral for the reader's sake.
 * 5) * Using source editor instead of visual editor helps to maintain a consistent and clean format when editing. It is the preferred editing method for many of the editors on this wiki. You can switch to primarily use source editor here; it is under the "Editing" tab → "Preferred editor" → "Source editor"
 * 6) Do not include links to pirated content: On this wiki, we do NOT want to encourage piracy. Using material such as audio, images, and clips from the dub, as well as linking to videos on YouTube of the dub, are completely fine as long as it is for encyclopedic purposes. However, outright linking to pirate an entire dub is simply not allowed, and several fellow wikis will tell you the same.
 * 7) Do make pages with a purpose: Please do not create pages just for the pure sake of creating pages. Have some reason and passion about the page you are creating; Otherwise, just do not bother at all. Someone else who is more passionate and knowledgeable about the subject will.
 * 8) In the article guys.pngDo not forget that you can edit!: This is a collaborative wiki. While it is advised you use the comment section to ask about something you are not sure of, if something is undoubtedly true, then help out by editing the pages instead of asking a hypothetical reader (with less of a chance of seeing your comment) to do it for you. The same goes for making pages, if you know how to, then go ahead! We encourage it!

What dubs should be tackled?
First and foremost, we want to tackle dubs that have a sense of official status. So that means no fandubs, where it is clear that the dub is faked and made up. Please head to the Fandub Database for that. We have no tolerance for fake dubs being added to pages.

This also includes fanmade logos. It is not always easy to tell when a logo was made unofficially, but if an admin is made aware, it will be removed and replaced with either the proper logo, or the logo of the original version if one was not ever used for the dub.

That being said, unofficially produced/non-licensed/"illegal" dubs are still allowed on the wiki (Persian and Albanian dubs being two prime examples), as long as they were made with some form of profit in mind. Ergo:
 * The dub in question has aired on TV, automatically making it allowed to be tackled here.
 * The dub is on some kind of streaming service that you have to pay for.

An example of "illegal" dubs that we normally should not tackle are most Russian voice-overs from casino sites, as they were not made to make a profit; These dubs are free to view for everyone and get all their "profit" instead from gambling ads.

We do allow very slight exceptions (such as a dub that seems valid enough to be tackled with enough voice acting alumni but do not necessarily fit any of the criteria above), so please contact an admin to clear up any dubs that should or should not be tackled, if you are unsure if they still count as fandubs or not.

Character images

 * Character images on the wiki must be 300x300, or at least a perfect square (the height and the width should be the same as 300x300, so for example, 400x400, 500x500, etc.)
 * The image cannot be transparent, it must be a clear screenshot from the show, movie, or video game in question.
 * Focus on the character only, preferably without anything else in the image (such as another character or an object).
 * Ensure that the background in the image contrasts nicely with the character in focus.
 * Only upload .png files, for character images specifically. Not .jpg images, not .webp's.

A useful site to use would be Pixlr X, where you can load up a proper character image from the wiki, remove it, and put whatever image you have to crop it perfectly. You can also use the Lightshot extension, which allows you to take images in the exact length that you want it to be. Photopea operates similarly to Photoshop, and any number of other free cropping sites will work nicely. You can even use the default editing app on your phone or MS Paint to edit screenshots to suit the needs of the wiki.

Naming conventions
It is important to us that on this wiki, we respect the scripts of the articles that we discuss. If the page is about a Japanese TV show (anime or otherwise), we should use the Japanese script and titles. If we make an article on a Russian dub or TV show, it should be using Cyrillic. And so on.

In the very specific case of Serbian text (and other languages like it) where two official scripts are used, try to go with the script officially used by the show/movie/etc. or the TV channel that refers to the title (if any). The two scripts can be used interchangeably for the language as long as you respect what the original intended script was. If the title was never officially referred to, then it is recommended to use Latin.

There are a few exceptions in which the wiki will use Latin transliterations/romanizations for names in other scripts: If there is a chance you cannot find the proper transliterations/romanizations for these types of names, you may put down the name in its original script so someone can come and correct it.
 * For actor names (ex. "גילן שחף" should be written as Gilan Shahaf)
 * For channel names (ex. "Карусель" should be written as Karusel)
 * For studio names (ex. "مؤسسهٔ فرهنگی هنری سورن" should be written as "Soren Art Cultural Institute")

In all of those cases, we also use the official English names if one is available, and not what you think they "should" be. If an actor goes by a certain English name, we will use that one, even if another proposed way to write it would make more sense.

On the topic of actor names, the wiki also respects stage names and they will be used primarily, as that is what the person prefers to go by. For examples, William Jonathan Drayton Jr. goes by "", so use that one. Ken'ichirō Ōhashi goes by "", so use that one.

File naming conventions
The proper file naming system is important to us as a wiki. Please follow them accordingly:
 * Poster files and other similar images such as banners: ORIGINAL MEDIA NAME - poster (LANGUAGE).png (ex. "Pikwik Pack - poster (Catalan).png")
 * In cases in which the poster in question is the original version, and only then, can you exclude the language and just put either "MEDIA - poster" or "MEDIA poster". Both are acceptable.
 * Logo files: ORIGINAL MEDIA NAME - logo (LANGUAGE).png (ex. "Trolls The Beat Goes On! - logo (European Spanish).png")
 * Character files: CHARACTER NAME (ORIGINAL MEDIA NAME).png (ex. "Frankie Pamplemousse (The ZhuZhus).png")
 * It can be just the first name or a shortened version (but not an abbreviation) of the media ("Frankie" for the former, "Miraculous Ladybug" for the latter) in rare occasions such as either case being way too comfortably long, but the full titles and names should be used as often as possible.

The file names above can of course, be adjusted if needed, such as to clarify if there is a second version of the logo/poster, or a second form of the character in question, and so on.

Any other image can be named as you want it, but we only ask that the names make sense and are easily findable and at the least, comprehensible.

Common language names that tend to trip people up: Do keep in mind that the above refers only to file names; Using most language shortcuts will display automatically in the proper way on templates.
 * "Spanish (Spain)" is supposed to be typed in as European Spanish in file names
 * "Spanish (Latin America)" is supposed to be typed in as Latin American Spanish in file names
 * "Portuguese (Brazil)" is supposed to be typed in as Brazilian Portuguese in file names
 * "Portuguese (Portugal)" is supposed to be typed in as European Portuguese in file names
 * "Mandarin (Taiwan)" is supposed to be typed in as Taiwanese Mandarin in file names
 * "Mandarin (China)" is supposed to be typed in as Chinese Mandarin in file names
 * "French (Canada)" is supposed to be typed in as Canadian French in file names
 * Any French from Europe (France, Belgium) is supposed to be typed in as European French in file names
 * Of course, if there are two dubs from Europe, and one of them happens to be from Belgium, then you may specify as Belgian French and so on, while dubs in France stay as European French

Original pages
These pages are the original versions of the media that you would make dub pages about. This is where you list all of the international versions of a show/film/video game, which is one of the main purposes of the wiki.
 * Considering this is what the wiki is about, there must be at least one dub listed in order to qualify for a page being made on the subject. Otherwise, it goes here.
 * Obviously, the staff does not expect every single dub of the piece of media ever to be listed on the page, if and only if you had no way of knowing it exists. This is a collaborative wiki, after all. But please use your resources thoroughly before publishing; if a valid dub was listed on Wikipedia ages ago, and your page does not have it listed, that may reflect poorly on your research skills.
 * The cast list is not necessary on original pages, as the point of the Wiki is to document dubs.
 * We are not Wikipedia. Please do not list every single detail ever about the show if it is not relevant. You may include some information about the plot or premise of the media, but please limit this to a few sentences.

Dub pages

 * These must have at least some detail. If a page on a dub is just "(media) is the X dub of (media)" with no further information regarding the dub itself, it does not qualify for a page.
 * Most dub pages will be kept if they have at least one known voice actor; This is the bare minimum. Otherwise, it may be best to put your page in here, where you can list off dubs that do not have much information known.
 * However, there are very few occasions where if enough information about the dub is provided, even without at least one known voice actor, it can stay. Such examples include Arabic Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese, Chinese Mandarin Miraculous Ladybug, etc. Still do keep in mind this is not the norm, and that the aforementioned pages still count as stubs.
 * After closing the "Infobox media" template at the beginning of the page, make a prose that details the key parts or an overview of the dub article you are creating (examples include but are not limited to: where it aired and for how long, what studios had recorded the dub, any important details that help differentiate the dub, why the dub is notable). The dub page should then elaborate on those details if needed in any section below, such as a "Broadcast" section (right below the cast list) if there is more detailed information about how the dub aired and what times, or a "Notes" (otherwise known as "trivia") section.
 * Open each page with the "Article/dubbing start" template. This ensures proper categorization, and makes the article beginnings the same across the entire wiki.
 * There is absolutely no excuse for a dub page that is missing information that can easily be found online, or on the list of resources. Laziness will not be accepted. Feel free to add as MUCH information as you can to make the dub page feel informative and lively, in a neat, organized way that fits the overall tone and feel of the wiki.
 * That includes cast lists. As a contrast to the original pages, no character is "too unimportant" tackled on the wiki.
 * Keep in mind that it is never good if you can find more information online on the page using other sources (even including those that are used on references on the very page), than what is on our wiki.
 * Be flexible with your cast lists. If the original page does not have a character that the resource does (whether it doesn't list it at all, or said character just does not have their image uploaded), that is okay. Each dub page will be different, and may even differ from the original version. List as many characters as the source of information provides, be extensive.
 * Not every cast list will require a character image, especially if the character is extremely minor.
 * There can be more than one cast list on a page if needed, such as an entirely different cast and crew took over for another season. Examples include Romanian SpongeBob and Portuguese The Looney Tunes Show.

Actor pages

 * Be as descriptive as possible about the actor or person in question, any biography that can be found online, and so on.
 * Please list all roles for each subject on them that you can find, no matter if the dub/media or character in question is listed on the wiki already.

Recording studios

 * Recording studios are meant to go into detail about the studio that records these dubs, its history and how it formed, any previous names, and so forth.
 * This information cannot always be found through Wikipedia, so it is important that these articles are well put together and as detailed as they can be.
 * At the start of the "Content" section, we expect a link to the Category page of studio, as it provides an automatic list of any dub that the studio has produced.
 * No "list of dubs produced" is necessarily needed because of the above point, however one can still be had if the studio has produced dubs which cannot have pages made on them due to them being Unknown dubs, or simply because the dub articles do not exist yet.

TV channels

 * TV channel and streaming service pages are expected to go into detail about how the channel relates to dubbing (see Disney+ for a streaming service related example, which explains what the service provides in the context of dubbing). This can be elaborated on in a "Content" section.
 * Information on the channel itself and its history can normally be found on Wikipedia, so do cut that part down, and do not lazily copy and paste what the Wikipedia article on the channel says, otherwise the page is pointless.
 * At the start of the "Content" section, we expect a link to the Category page of the channel, as it provides an automatic list of any article where the media is hosted.
 * No "list of programs" is necessarily needed because of the above point, however one can still be had if the channel has dubs which cannot have pages made on them due to them being Unknown dubs, or simply because the dub articles do not exist yet (see Çufo).

Song pages

 * We are not creating pages for every single song in the media in question. This would lead to a lot of stubs. Make pages for some of the most important, well-documented songs in the media, with lyrics for a good majority of them that can be easily found online.
 * If you feel like a page will turn out ultimately not helpful and will be a stub, you may create a blog post of your song page as a work in progress, so others can pitch in through the replies with lyrics.
 * Audio files only please. Video links (through the "YouTube" template only) may only be used if the song was officially uploaded and has no chance of getting taken down anytime soon. YouTube links may also be used if an extended version was officially uploaded, as it may be overkill to upload an audio file of a song that is longer than 3-4 minutes on the wiki.
 * The reason for prioritizing audio files is because with an overuse of unofficial YouTube links, they are often subject to channel terminations and getting removed, leading to song pages becoming a graveyard of dead links.

Template guide
Proper template usage on the wiki is essential to ensuring that the page looks good. A lot of the wiki is, as of writing, extremely outdated, so do make sure you are using the right templates as you edit.

Please click on the following links below which explain in more detail what each template is being used for:
 * Infobox media serves as the main infobox for any media, including shows and films, which can now be clarified under "type".
 * Do not add the "type" part for dub pages, only original show pages, so that the categories can work correctly.
 * For the "Release date" part of the template, only put when the show or dub began and finished (which can also be estimations and do not have to be exact dates, if that information is not online), not the last time it reran. You can also put just the premiere date if only that is known. More than one release date can be put if needed.
 * Important things not to forget on the template, if they are available, are the recording studio and the channel, as well as the premiere date/original run.
 * Cast list offers the cast list of a media in a neatly organized way.
 * We have sections to divide character types up, however we prefer not to use them unless absolutely necessary (aka the cast list is too long or disorganized without them). Ask an administrator when using these would be necessary.
 * Article/dubbing start ensures proper categorization, and makes the article beginnings the same across the entire wiki. This template should always be used no matter what after the "Infobox media" section of a dub page.
 * The "current and former channel" part of the template should only be used when there is no extra information about how the dub was broadcast (such as the air date being the bare minimum).
 * Actor list offers the actor list for an actor page.
 * Flag icon is the main infobox for country flags (in the rare case where you may need to put one in a page manually).
 * Infobox studio is the main infobox for recording studios.
 * Infobox person is the main infobox for actors and other people involved in the dubbing process.
 * Infobox network is the main infobox for TV channels and streaming services.
 * Infobox song is the main infobox for song pages.
 * The Clear template helps ensure that the sections are displayed nicely in certain places. On an original media page, please only use them right before the "International versions" section. On a dub page, please only use them right before the "Episodes" section. Doing otherwise will look improper to most users.

Other templates to mark articles as:
 * Preliminary: So information about a show or a dub got out, and you've made the article before it premieres. It happens. Mark the page as preliminary so people know that the media is upcoming (of course, you still need to specify that on the prose).
 * About: In cases where a dub/media has a exact same name with another dub, and needs to be clarified.
 * This does not apply for dubs that use the original media's title as their own, that will not be necessary.
 * Confused: In cases where a dub/media has only a similar name as another dub, or otherwise can simply be confused with something else.

In terms of quality control:
 * Stub: For when an article does not have enough information, especially that of which could easily be retrieved online.
 * Quality: For when an article uses incredibly wrong formatting, or badly outdated templates, but can still be salvaged.
 * Delete: The page either cannot be salvaged, or is just plain wrong, and needs to be deleted as soon as possible.

Outdated templates
In regards to any article still using outdated templates, if you feel the need to help convert them to the correct templates listed above, do NOT simply change the name of the template and leave it like that. You need to change the contents within them accordingly, too. A quick list of abandoned templates (alongside the proper templates) can be seen below:
 * Cast/Cast table ➜ Cast list
 * Actor table ➜ Actor list
 * Infobox crew ➜ Infobox person
 * Infobox recording studio ➜ Infobox studio
 * Infobox television channel ➜ Infobox network
 * Infobox TV show/Infobox film/Infobox video game ➜ Infobox media
 * The Df templates for dates. Write them out plainly instead.

Pages to use as bases
To include a laid-out template of coding for you to base an article on would be tedious (do refer to any of the template pages listed here if you needed one), however we do have plenty of examples of good pages that follow the format we are looking for perfectly.

Reminder! If you want to properly use these to kickstart your page, you'll need to use source editor instead of visual editor, in order to copy and paste the coding of the page to work off of. Source editor helps greatly to maintain a consistent and not messy format when editing, and has proven to be convenient for various editors. You can switch to use source editor primarily here; it is under the "Editing" tab → "Preferred editor" → "Source editor"

Films:
 * Original pages
 * Encanto
 * My Little Pony: A New Generation
 * Vivo
 * The Bad Guys

TV shows:
 * Sherlock Yack : zoo-détective
 * Guess How Much I Love You
 * Miraculous, les aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir
 * ポケットモンスター (2019)
 * ドラえもん (2005)

TV specials:
 * Trolls Holiday
 * My Little Pony: Rainbow Roadtrip

Video games:
 * My Friend Peppa Pig
 * 쿠키런: 킹덤
 * My Little Pony: A Maretime Bay Adventure

Films:
 * Dub pages
 * De Bad Guys
 * Encanto (Danish)
 * My Little Pony: Новое поколение

TV shows:
 * Sonic X (English)
 * Ositos Cariñositos: Libera la magia
 * SpongeBob Pantaloni Pătrați
 * Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
 * マイリトルポニー〜トモダチは魔法〜
 * אגדות לופין
 * Kitty non è un gatto
 * GoGoRiki
 * Filly Fantázia

TV specials:
 * My Little Pony: El mejor regalo
 * Én kicsi pónim: Equestria lányok – A legeslegjobb ajándék
 * Pushimet e Trolëve

Video games:
 * My Little Pony: Przygoda w Zatoce Grzyw
 * Cookie Run: Kingdom (English)


 * Actor pages
 * Kaycie Chase
 * Lauren Savir


 * TV channels
 * Çufo
 * Hop!
 * Disney+


 * Recording studios
 * “Jess” Discographic


 * Song pages
 * Hair in the Air (Trolls: The Beat Goes On!)