Wikipedia:WikiProject Micronations/Micronation convention

This proposed convention is intended to apply to all relevant articles in the Micronations category.

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Subject definition

Micronations are entities that resemble independent sovereign states but are not recognised as such by any existing states or international organisations.

Some micronations possess a physical presence, occupy geographical territory, and issue stamps, coins, banknotes, passports, medals and similar items. However, most contemporary micronations exist only on paper, on the Internet, or in the minds of their creators.

Micronations differ from secession and self-determination movements in that they are typically created and maintained by a single person, family or small group of collaborators, and as a consequence they are generally viewed by external observers and commentators as being eccentric and ephemeral in nature.

Micronations in Wikipedia

The inclusion of content documenting micronations in Wikipedia was initially a contentious issue. The fact that this is no longer so is largely attributable to the evolution of a number of informal conventions specific to micronation articles. These have had the practical effect of excluding inappropriate content and ensuring that appropriate content is in general compliance with Wikipedia's neutrality and verifiability policies.

Generally speaking, in order to warrant a dedicated Wikipedia article, a micronation should have been documented as the main subject of reportage in multiple non-trivial third party sources, in multiple countries, over a period of years. Reportage in major national broadsheet daily newspapers, and in non-fiction works released under the imprint of respected publishing houses might reasonably be considered to be non-trivial.

Some exceptions to this guideline may apply - for example a micronation may have existed for only a brief period, but nonetheless become the subject of national or international media coverage or notoriety. Reasons for this may include the micronation being linked to allegedly contentious activities or the judicial prosecution of its members, as a consequence of effective promotion of its activities by its founder/s, or because the reasons for its creation reflect broader contemporary political, social, economic or philosophical trends, in its locality, or in the wider world. Under the circumstances of these exceptions it might be argued that such a micronation warrants a dedicated article.

General considerations pertaining to micronation articles

All micronation articles should use the full name of the micronation as the article name. This differentiates micronation articles from articles about recognised sovereign states. Third party sources also almost always use the full name of micronations when reporting on them (i.e. Kingdom of Pumpernickle, not Pumpernickle), so the use of the full name accurately reflects cited sources. The shorter form of that name can be used elsewhere in the article.

Any article in the Micronations category should state categorically that the article subject is a micronation. If the micronation itself considers itself to be something other than a micronation, then this must also be mentioned in the article, and the micronation infobox should be used in all micronation articles.

Sources that comply with WP:SOURCE, WP:CITE and WP:RS must be cited to support all of the above.