Harry Potter Wiki:Notability guidelines

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Notability is a policy which states that certain subjects must meet a specific set of criteria in order to be considered important enough to warrant coverage in an article on the Harry Potter Wiki. The intent of this policy is to increase the informational value of content on the Harry Potter Wiki and prevent the proliferation of articles on low-importance subjects.

Fandom and derivative works

Fan fiction

As a general rule, fan fiction — including authors, original characters, and stories — is not covered on the Harry Potter Wiki. Wikis that cover fan fiction include the Harry Potter Fanon Wiki and the Dumbledore's Army Roleplay Wiki.

Exceptions may be made for special circumstances, such as if the work has been subject to intense media attention (e.g., James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing), or the work is of lasting, widespread popularity to a large segment of the Harry Potter community. As Harry Potter fanfiction works are numerous, please give careful consideration before attempting to add an article regarding the subject. Articles regarding fanfiction that cannot be proven to meet these criteria will be removed.

Fan sites

A fan site must meet the following criteria to have a separate article:

• Around for at least five years, or, alternatively:
  • Active for at least two years and drawing similar traffic (per Alexa rankings) to longer established sites.
  • Has won the fansite award on J. K. Rowling's Official Site
• Large-scale, active presence in the Harry Potter fan community.
• Wide readership and/or userbase.

Examples of sites that meet these criteria are the Harry Potter Lexicon, MuggleNet, and The Leaky Cauldron. Sites which do not meet all these criteria may be linked to at List of Harry Potter fan websites.

Parodies

A parody must meet one of the following criteria to have a separate article:

• Produced by a well-known creator of satirical content and released commercially.
  • Examples include: Barry Trotter and Mad Magazine.
• Produced by a fan, released non-commercially, and of lasting, widespread popularity.
  • Examples include: Potter Puppet Pals and A Very Potter Musical.

Parodies that do not meet either of these criteria are considered non-notable and will not be covered.

Podcasts

A podcast must meet the following criteria to have a separate article:

• "On the air" for at least three years.
• Episodes produced on a regular or semi-regular basis.

Podcasts that do not meet these criteria are considered non-notable and will not be covered.

Unofficial guidebooks

Unofficial guidebooks must be written by an author or authors associated with one of the major Harry Potter fan sites (see the "Fan site" section above for examples) to be covered in a separate article.

Books that do not meet this criterion may be covered briefly at List of Harry Potter unofficial guidebooks.

Wrock bands

A wizard rock ("wrock") band must meet the following criteria to have a separate article:

• Toured across a broad geographical region, such as a country or continent, not just played a few isolated shows in single city (e.g. Los Angeles or Toronto) or smaller geographical region (e.g. Florida or Ontario).
• Recorded and released at least two albums.

Bands that do not meet these criteria may be covered briefly in the "hub" article List of wrock bands.

Real people

Anyone associated with the production of an official Harry Potter release — including the novels and their companion books, the films, and the video games — is considered notable and may have a separate article.

Figures from fandom must meet the following criteria to have a separate article:

• Founded and/or helps operate a major fan site (see the "Fan site" section above for examples).
  • Examples include: Melissa Anelli, Emerson Spartz, and Steve Vander Ark.
• Produced one or more fan works that meet notability criteria.
  • Examples include: Neil Cicierega.

Unidentified subjects

Characters

An unidentified character can have a separate article if there is unique, specific information available that can be used to distinguish them from other characters in the title of their article.

For example:

• These characters' precise relation to a named character is known:
  • Bertha Jorkins's aunt
  • Molly Weasley's second cousin
  • Muriel's mother
• It is known where these characters worked and in exactly what position:
  • Headteacher of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic during 1792
  • Owner of the Railview Hotel
  • Riddles' cook

However, if the only information available about an unidentified character applies equally to other characters, such as their gender and loyalty/affiliation (e.g. "Hufflepuff girl" or "male Snatcher"), then they should be covered in a "hub" article along with all other characters matching their description.

In cases where a character does not meet the above criteria, but may still possess importance to the series, the article may be allowed to remain following the result of a community vote following the normal Voting policy.

Wands

A character's wand only warrants a separate article if it meets at least one of the following criteria:

• At least one of its characteristics is known (i.e., length, core, wood or rigidity).
• Something notable is known about other than the spells cast, such as particular design or a changing of loyalty.

Wands that do not meet either of these criteria are considered non-notable and will not be covered.

Deletion proposal and contestations

Articles which are found not to meet the above criteria will be tagged with {{notability}} and will be automatically listed in Category:Non-notable articles. The articles in this category will be deleted if the deletion proposal is not contested with valid reasons to keep the article (discussions shall be held in the category talk page).