Muppet Wiki:Sources

Citing sources is crucial to Muppet Wiki. As this database has developed, we've found it ever needful to be sure of our information, and the best way to do that is to clearly identify the sources quotes, background information, and other items which are not located within a production's credits or dialogue. As the many Muppet rumors prove, what's accepted as "common knowledge" is not always fact. Citing specific episodes, books, and newspaper articles supplies a system of checks and balances, and allows for a better Wiki.

When information involves uncertainty, such as educated guesses, vague memory, or identifying a performer's voice, or contradictory information exists on separate articles, the best way to address the situation is by raising a question on Special:Forum. If a direct source is found, or sufficient consensus reached as to the accuracy of the guess, the information is incorporated. No Wiki is perfect, of course, and corrections can be made if later *reliable* sources surface to contradict such claims.

IMDb and Wikipedia (and other user generated sites like The Muppet Newsflash blog that don't cite sources) are generally not sources when it comes to Muppet/Henson productions. Such information should only be added or entries only brought up if they are confirmed by screen credits, presskits, or other reliable outside sources. Otherwise, it generally reflects what an unknown user * thinks* is correct, and in many cases reflects rumors, guesses, or even personal fantasies and outright nonsense. - (we've discussed this a number of times over the years; I'll try to dig up examples on talk pages; one source includes Talk:Roscoe Lee Browne)

• Because so many sketches were repeated over the years, and there have been so many in so many episodes, it's hard to commit to saying that "xxx" first appeared in Episode "yyyy". Instead, we list the Earliest Known Appearances, so that if an earlier appearance is found, it can easily be added to the list of appearances, or swapped out as being the Earliest Known Appearance. Citing a season as the first time a sketch appears is not sufficient. Mostly this is due to particular claims of a contributor that "Ernie looked this way is Season xx." That sort of speculation is obviously not conclusive. This dialogue is encouraged on talk pages so that an episode number may be found, but the articles themselves must be supplied with irrefutable proof of date of origin. The best way this can be done is with an episode number so that the information can be double-checked.

• An episode page must exist in order to cite it as an EKA. (no redlinked EKAs) — Update: Thread:253692

• On some sketch articles, we note that a particular segment was released on DVD. This should be done only for sketches that were released outside the context of the episode(s) they appeared in.

• We don't rely on memories for information, unless a considerable consensus can be reached. See more at Muppet Wiki:FAQ#Show your sources

• In most cases, information that's publicly verifiable (screen credit identifications, widely available biographical info from reliable sources, etc.) does not needed to be cited, or can through external links to official sites, obituaries, and so on. Anything obtained through personal correspondence, from private social media platforms, offline websites, individual interviews or articles, etc. needs to be cited in text.

What Should Be Sourced

Everything, really. Particular concerns, however, lie with changes to dates or performer info. Unless one has a direct source to back up the change (such as screen credits or interviews), it's recommended that a talk page discussion be raised first. In cases where no consensus can be reached, either Category:Unknown Performer or a {{performer-unknown}} tag will be used.

Sources

Sources should be cited using at least a rough variant of commonly accepted academic style, with the author's last name first, book and magazine titles italicized and article/story titles in quotes, dates, and when possible, publishing houses and page numbers. If a source book already has its own page on the Wiki, such as Jim Henson: The Works, citing author and title is generally sufficient

To cite a specific source for a statement or quote, the following format is used:

<ref>''The Whatever Times'' "Article Title" by John Doe, January 1, 1900</ref>

The heading used for these sections is "Sources", in contrast to Wikipedia's "References," since on Muppet Wiki, references is used to cover allusions within productions to other people, places, and things.

Cite Tag

When sources are needed for an item, the following tag is used: {{cite}} This generally applies to information which is probably correct, but a precise quotation and citation from the source (such as DVD audio commentaries or booklets) is needed. In other cases, the information has been taken from other websites or databases, such as IMDb, or from anonymous/questionable contributors. The latter situations may require access to arcane, non-Muppet materials/productions, or viewing of programs only available through the Museum of Television and Radio. The "cite" tag serves as a reminder and an acknowledgment of the situation, and should be removed as soon as the item can be either sourced, corrected, or disproven. In cases where an item is provably wrong,

See also

• Category:Citations needed