User:BudjarnLambeth/Notability guidelines

Todo: discuss This is not actually Xen Wiki policy currently, it is only a hypothetical proposal by one user.

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From May 2025 onwards, the Xenharmonic Wiki is introducing new notability guidelines.

These are less strict than Wikipedia's guidelines. The main goal of these guidelines is to stem the tide of dozens of very short new pages about topics of limited musical usefulness.

As a general rule: if you are at all unsure which of these categories your new page belongs to, make it a user page.

What are user and main space pages?

User pages are pages titled "User:YourUsername/Topic". For example "User:JohnDoe/Major scale".

Main space pages are pages without any prefix. For example "Major scale".

Banned content

Objectively false claims

Objectively false claims (e.g. "the octave is 1500 cents") do not belong anywhere on the wiki and should be deleted.

This includes false claims about existing musical traditions (e.g. "the Indonesian slendro scale is 5edo.")

What IS allowed though, are comparisons, as long as they are accurate. (So you CAN say "the Indonesian slendro scale is similar to 5edo.")

Offensive content

The following content does not belong anywhere on the wiki and should be deleted:

• Content which promotes or risks promoting hatred or discrimination against any group of people
• Content which is mean-spirited or in bad faith
• Content which is in any way obscene, lewd or scatological
• Anything which borders on, or hints at, any of the above

What to do if you see banned content

If you see banned content in a page, delete that content off of the page. If the entire page falls under the umbrella of banned content, put Template:Delete at the top of the page.

Always USER page content

Essays/opinion pieces

These should always be user pages.

Usually USER page content

Pages with significantly more automated template content than human-written content

These should always be user pages except if they are about a MOS with less than 40 total steps, then they can go in main space.

If the page is about an very important topic that is a priority for the wiki to cover, then include Template:Stub at the BOTTOM of the page. This will tell future authors to write more content for your page, and once it is fleshed out, it can be moved to main space.

NEW pages about intervals, commas, equal tunings, or regular temperaments

These should usually be user pages.

If the page is about an interval, comma or tuning that has been deliberately, consciously used to make music by at least 2 people, then it can be a main space page.

If it is about a very simple interval, it can also be a main space page, as long as it has at least a full paragraph of human-written content, rather than consisting mostly of just templates.

New music theory concepts you came up with yourself

These should usually be user pages.

If at least 2 people use the concept OR if actual music has been made with the concept and is linked on the page, then it can go in main space.

Either way, you should always include Template:Idiosyncratic terms at the top of the page.

Arbitrarily chosen music theory concepts

These are somewhat arbitrary or random-seeming topics.

For example, "10/9" and "30edt" are NOT arbitrary, but "420/69" and "101ed34" ARE arbitrary.

These should be user pages, unless they have been used to make music by multiple people, in which case they can be main space pages.

They should always include Template:Novelty at the top of the page.

Topics with limited musical usefulness

These are topics like "1edo" which are nonrandom, but which are difficult to actually make music with.

In most cases these should be a user page.

If the topic is a foundational building block to understanding other, more musically useful topics (which 1edo is for example), then it can go in main space, as long as it has a decent amount of human-authored content and is not just templates.

Either way, it should always include Template:Niche at the top of the page.

Topics which are more math than music

These are topics which interest mathematicians more than they interest musicians.

If such a topic is far removed from music theory, it should be a user page.

If it is still reasonably relevant to music, it can be a main space page.

Either way, it should always include Template:Mathematical interest at the top of the page.

Worldbuilding pages

These should be user pages, unless they are a collaboration between several creators, in which case they can be main space pages.

They should always include Template:Worldbuilding at the top of the page.

MAIN space content requiring extra caution

Using words or names you invented yourself

If you ever use a word or name that you invented yourself, mark it with Template:Idiosyncratic.

If you use several such terms in one section of a page, then instead of using Template:Idiosyncratic several times, instead place Template:Idiosyncratic terms at the start of the section.

General MAIN space content

Pages that typically belong in main space include but are not limited to:

• Pages about composers, theorists or musicians
• Pages about instruments
• Pages about long-standing musical traditions
• Pages about widely used tunings or intervals

In general the wiki is suffering from a lack of citations, so if you cite your sources, that is especially appreciated and goes a long way.

Entries on list and gallery pages

Gallery of just intervals

Only include intervals which are a critical component of the structure of at least one highly musically useful scale.

Temperament family, clan or collection pages

Only include temperaments which have low badness in a sensible JI subgroup with at least some substantial musical usefulness.

Tables of commas

Only include commas which are tempered out by at least one musically useful temperament, AND which are necessary for defining that temperament (not incidental).

Entries that don't meet the above criteria

List them on your own user page instead.