Forum:SH Archive/Appearances vs. Sources

Hey, everyone. I'd like to open a discussion about our definitions of Appearance and Source as they apply to our articles. I'm still really confused about what the difference is, and the only thing close to a definition I can find is what's in the Layout Guide: "These [Appearances] are de facto references or sources, but they are listed separately because they are in-universe."

But in-universe/out-of-universe does not seem to be the guiding logic for how we differentiate the two categories, since, for instance, we consider Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races, First Edition, to be a Source and not Appearance, despite its in-universe nature. There are tons of other examples of in-universe works being considered Sources, so something else must be at play.

I've been told that the distinction is whether a particular item is an in-universe narrative, which helps clarify things somewhat. But, then, what differentiates an IU narrative from an OOU one? The distinction seems arbitrary at best; we tend to include roleplaying adventures among Appearances, yet screenplays among Sources. A game like Knights of the Old Republic (which we include among Appearances) includes gobs of OOU material, like Hit Points, character stats, etc. Meanwhile, we include "Dex's Diner" among Appearances, despite the fact that it tells no story at all.

In sum, our way of distinguishing Appearances from Sources seems to be arbitrary in many cases; it seems that one person starts listing a particular category of material a certain way, others follow suit, and no one ever really questions the logic of that designation. Is it time to rethink how we differentiate Appearances from Sources? Why not use some metric like "narrative" vs. "non-narrative" to distinguish Appearance from Source? Whatever happens, it might be a good idea to add a definition of Appearance and Source to the Layout Guide, or to create a special page that designates what counts as what. What say you, teeming dozens? ~ Savage   17:48, May 14, 2011 (UTC)