Memory Alpha:Cite your sources

Memory Alpha doesn't exist in a vacuum. There are a great deal of other sources of information out there, many of which are used in writing articles for Memory Alpha. It's always important to cite your sources when you use external works. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and may be a copyright violation.

For the sake of consistency, please adhere to the system described through the examples below for any citations you add.

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Episodes and films

All canon information comes from the various Star Trek episodes and films and these should be referenced when writing an in-universe article.

Whenever possible try to keep the reference at the end of a paragraph. At the end of a body paragraph, the following format is preferred, adding the episode reference parenthesized at the end of the statement it refers to, so as not to break the "perspective" of writing about Star Trek from a character's point of view:

She adjusted phaser banks to emit a power beam. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")

The wiki code is:

She adjusted phaser banks to emit a power beam. ({{TNG|Encounter at Farpoint}})

To cite two or more episodes of the same series:

On two occasions she visited the Enterprise-D. (TNG: "The Emissary", "Reunion")

On two occasions she visited the ''Enterprise''-D. ({{TNG|The Emissary|Reunion}})

Use a semicolon to cite two or more episodes of different series:

He worked as a diagnostic engineer, sometimes assigned to projects involving advanced holography. (TNG: "Hollow Pursuits", "Realm of Fear"; VOY: "Projections")

He worked as a diagnostic engineer, sometimes assigned to projects involving advanced
holography. ({{TNG|Hollow Pursuits|Realm of Fear}}; {{VOY|Projections}})

In "background" sections, however, it is not necessary to parenthesize an entire episode reference if it is part of a statement, occurring within the body of a sentence (every part of the background note is from the same POV). In this case, it could be formatted like this:

The actors both went on to appear in "Conspiracy".

The actors both went on to appear in {{e|Conspiracy}}.

References can also be in a list or at the end of an article in which case the following format is preferred:

• TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint"
• DS9: "Emissary"
• VOY:
  • "Caretaker"
  • "Dark Frontier"
  • "Endgame"

*{{TNG|Encounter at Farpoint}}
*{{DS9|Emissary}}
*{{VOY}}
**{{e|Caretaker}}
**{{e|Dark Frontier}}
**{{e|Endgame}}

This is recommended especially if a single phrase has more than three or four episode references relevant to it. Note the format of multiple episodes from the same series with the VOY examples.

To cite a film use the {{film}} template; the first parameter is the number of the film: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

{{film|5}}

A more complex example:

Zefram Cochrane invented warp drive on Earth. (TOS: "Metamorphosis"; Star Trek: First Contact)

He later appeared in Star Trek: Enterprise.

[[Zefram Cochrane]] invented [[warp drive]] on [[Earth]]. ({{TOS|Metamorphosis}}; {{film|8}})

He later appeared in ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]''.

Please note that, even though American English (MA's standard) recommends placing punctuation within quotation marks, episode title links are an exception: commas, semicolons and periods are outside of the quotes (when used against a linked episode or story name).

Italics should only be used in citations when referring to a movie or series title, not individual episode citations.

See also

• Linking to episodes and films

Secondary sources

Information from a "real-world" point of view should also be referenced where applicable. This is done with an in-text citation immediately following the statement or paragraph.

Books

The citation for a book should include a link to the work:

• The Crazy Horse was named for Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Sioux tribe, who resisted American takeover of his people's lands in the 1870s. (Star Trek Encyclopedia)
• According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, this episode was a homage to Frankenstein.

Web sites (not from periodicals)

Although a great deal of information circulates relatively freely and without credit throughout the web, at Memory Alpha we consider it important that all information be credited to the best extent possible. Web sites and other online message board postings may be referenced by adding a direct link in the text:

• The Borg tactical cube was designed by Doug Drexler at the request of the producers who wanted some ideas pitched for a new Borg cube design. Drexler incorporated in his design the notion that the Borg performed tactical updates after their recent beating by Species 8472.[1]

Journals

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DVD/Blu-ray special features

The citation for a DVD or Blu-ray special feature should include the title of the feature and a link to the DVD or Blu-ray:

• "Shuttlepod One" was created as a bottle show, and, as such, includes no guest stars, background performers, or unique sets. It was filmed to lower the costs of the production and became the favorite episode of several cast and crew members. (Inside Shuttlepod One, ENT Season 1 DVD special features)

Commentaries

Audio or text commentaries from DVDs or Blu-ray can be cited in the following manner:

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Online chats

To cite an online chat archived on Memory Alpha, use the {{AOLchat}} template:

• Ronald D. Moore made some comment related to this episode or topic. (AOL chat, 1997)

Citing Memory Alpha

For suggestions on how to cite Memory Alpha, see Citing Memory Alpha.