Formatting Documentation

The Formatting Documents are a set of the top-most documents in the hierarchy of documents about The Grand Comics Database. If anything written anywhere else contradicts this document, the Formatting Documents are deemed to have the correct information. (And please let us know if you do find any contradictions). Older records in the database may not match what is documented here. The Editors are working on correcting the records, but it is a slow process. These rules are currently being reviewed and updated on the gcd-policy mailing list. Please feel free to join if you are interested in the discussions.

The Formatting Documents are written to provide indexers, editors and tech people a common language on what should be entered into the database, where it should be entered and how it should be entered. As such, they apply to both the Online Interface (OI) and the Flat-File format.

Note: You may see notes about a rule being "approved" or "unapproved" or "under consideration by the Sr. Editors". These notes are from an earlier project and should be disregarded. We are in the process of removing them but you may still see some around.

General Indexing Format Rules

• Please do not change existing valid formats to suit your own style. Some fields in the GCD may be filled out in one of several different ways, all of which are considered correct. When editing an existing index, please try to follow its existing style and respect the decisions made by the original indexer. In return, other indexers will respect your stylistic choices when they edit your work in the future. Please note that adding more detail is always allowed and encouraged, and correcting incorrect or outdated formats is also encouraged.
• Credits that are not applicable to the story in question (colorist for black & white stories, writer or letterer for pinups) should have the No checkbox checked (previously we entered "none" in the field)
• Fields where information is required but not known should not be left blank, but should be filled with "?" unless there is an "uncertain" checkbox like "Page count uncertain"
• Multiple entries in the same field (such as stories with more than one penciller) should be separated with a semi-colon (";") not a comma.
• Square brackets are used for "also known as" or other information that is not in the actual comic, such as ("[as Joe King] ").
• Round brackets are used for further detail, such as describing a contributors exact contribution ("(co-plotter)") or information about a character ("(introduction)").

Fields available to Indexers

1.0: Edit Issue Fields Screen

 1.1: Issue Number
 1.2: Issue Title
 1.3: Volume
 1.3.1: Display Volume with Issue Number
 1.4: Indicia Publisher
 1.5: Brand
 1.6: Publication Date
 1.7: Keydate
 1.8: On-sale Date
 1.9: Indicia frequency
 1.10: Price
 1.11: Page Count
 1.12: Editing
 1.13: ISBN
 1.14: Barcode
 1.15: Notes (issue)
 1.16: Keywords
 1.17: Comments

2.0: Sequence/Story Screen

 2.1: Sequence Number
 2.2: Title
 2.3: Type
 2.4: Feature
 2.5: Page Count
 2.6: Credits
  2.6.1: Script
  2.6.2: Pencils
  2.6.3: Inks
  2.6.4: Colors
  2.6.5: Letters
  2.6.6: Editing
 2.7: Genre
 2.8: Character Appearances
 2.9: Job Number
 2.10: Reprint Notes
 2.11: Synopsis
 2.12: Notes
 2.13: Keywords
 2.14: Comments

3.0: Series

3.1: Series Name
3.2: Format
3.3: Years of Publication
3.4: Country
3.5: Language
3.6: Barcode
3.7: Indicia frequency
3.8: ISBN
3.9: Issue Title
3.10: Volume
3.11: Comics Publication 
3.12: Tracking
3.13: Series Notes
3.14: Keywords
3.15: Imprint - not accessible from this screen
3.16: Comments

4.0: Publisher

4.1: Publisher Name
4.2: Years of Operation
4.3: Country
4.4: URL
4.5: Notes (on Publisher Screen)
4.6: Keywords
4.7: Comments

5.0: Brand

5.1: Brand Name
5.2: Years of Use (Brand)
5.3: URL (Brand)
5.4: Notes (Brand)
5.5: Keywords
5.6: Comments

6.0: Indicia Publisher

6.1: Indicia Name
6.2: Years of Use (Indicia Publisher)
6.3: Surrogate
6.4: Country (Indicia Publisher)
6.5: URL (Indicia Publisher)
6.6: Notes (Indicia Publisher)
6.7: Keywords
6.8: Comments