Help:References

References are important because they allow readers to look up information from the Ars Magica books in context. They also provide some confidence that the information in Project: Redcap is accurate.

Because our copyright policy forbids quoting extensively from the rule books, the next best way to clarify and explain the rules is through the use of references.

Inserting References

Adding references to a page is a two-step process.

1. Add the following WikiText near the bottom of the page:
   

  == References ==
   <references /> 

1. Insert references inline in the text by surrounding each with the following tags:

  <ref>Your reference goes here</ref>

Reusing the Same Reference

If you use the same reference multiple times, the best way to do this is to give the reference a name. The first time the reference appears, type in the full reference. For all subsequent appearances, use the name only.

The name of a reference goes inside the <ref> tag. In technical terms, the name of the reference is an XML attribute. The markup for a named reference looks like this:

  <ref name="foo">Your reference goes here</ref>

The next time you want to refer to a named reference, use just the <ref> tag (including the name attribute), like this:

  <ref name="foo" />

Note that there is no second <ref> tag, and there is a slash before the closing angle bracket.

The name of a reference can be anything. It's easier if you choose something that's all one word, without spaces; this reduces the likelihood of formatting errors.

Preferred Reference Format

Project: Redcap is not Wikipedia, nor is it an academic publication. We do not require formal reference style. As long as your reference helps the reader find an exact paragraph in the source material, you've done it correctly.

One format that works quite well for Ars Magica books is:

  ''[[Book title]]'', page number, "section heading"

For the book title, use the full title as it appears on the Products page, punctuation included.

If you're referring to a form post on the official forum, the recommended format is:

  Post author, "thread subject", 4 January 2014, [link to the post]

For other sources, like non-Ars Magica books, Web sites, and articles, you may use whatever reference style you're comfortable with: Chicago style is reasonably easy to learn and use, but is not required.

Example

Here is an example of a short page containing three references, one of which is named "core".

  
   The Order of Hermes was founded in 767 AD.<ref name="core">''[[Ars Magica Fifth Edition]]'',
   p. 9, "The Foundation of the Order."</ref> It was founded at Durenmar, in the Black 
   Forest.<ref name="core" />

   The covenant of Harco was founded three years later.<ref>''[[Houses of Hermes: True
   Lineages]]'', p. 144, "Timeline"</ref>. 

   == References ==
   <references />

To see what this would look like on the final page, please see Help:References example.