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  * Clash of the Titans - Title is clearly written in the issue  
  * Clash of the Titans - Title is clearly written in the issue  
* untitled (and check the Unofficial Title box) - No title given
  * When Titans Clash (and check the Unofficial Title box) - Title made up by indexer based on content  
  * When Titans Clash (and check the Unofficial Title box) - Title made up by indexer based on content  
  * "It was a dark and stormy night..." (and check the Unofficial Title box) - First line of story used as title  
  * "It was a dark and stormy night..." (and check the Unofficial Title box) - First line of story used as title  

Revision as of 02:01, 6 March 2016

The name of the story, usually from the first page.

Required for Story, Text Story and Text Article type, optional for all others. To determine a Title, an indexer shall use the following priority list for a story-type sequences.

  1. If a Title is present on a story, use that.
  2. If no printed Title is available, use the Title from table of contents, or somewhere else in the issue. Cite the source in the Notes field.
  3. If none of the above are available, use a Title referenced only on the cover. Cite the source in the Notes field.
  4. If none of the above are available, use the apparent Title from some other publication from same publisher (such as a previous issue's "next issue" box, later reprints of the story, official index/reference, etc.). Cite the source in the Notes field.
  5. If none of the above are available, use an established title from an accepted source (such as established and accepted by fandom as canon fan indexes, interviews with creators, social media and blogs, etc.). Cite the source in the Notes field. A list of some sources is at Useful indexer links.
  6. If none of the above are available, use the first line of text/dialogue in the first panel of the story. If the first line of text is reoccurring blurbs or promotional/background text copy, then use the first line of dialogue instead. If used, the first line of dialogue shall be enclosed in quotes ("First line.") with the Unofficial Title box checked. The Title is helpful in identifying reprints or coverless comics, so using the first line of dialogue is preferred to making up a title.
  7. If none of the above are available, use a made up title referencing the plot or characters.

In all cases, check the Unofficial Title box as appropriate per the directions on the indexing page.

Further Details:

  • If the story is part of a longer story then that information is included after the chapter Title. It is included in square brackets if it is not actually listed on the page but can be inferred from the previous or next issue or an outside source (which should be noted in the Notes field). It is included as it is written in the book if it is actually on the page.
  • Title is listed following conventional grammar rules for title case as used in the language of the publication. i.e., titles from American publications will use the MLA English title case rules for English, titles from German publications will use the title case rules for German, etc.
  • Quotation marks around the entirety of a sequence Title are discarded UNLESS the indexer can make a good-faith determination that the title is intended to convey the actual quotation of something (a literary work, famous phrase, line of dialogue, etc.).
  • If you find instances of [untitled] or [none] as titles, those are remnants of previous methods of indexing and are no longer used.
  • Some sequences do not have official Titles. This story title field can be left blank for those.
  • The Title Field for Letter Columns shall be left blank unless the letter column has a separate title that is not the name of the Letter column itself. The first line of text (other than the name of the letter column) can be used as an alternate choice for letter column Title. The name of a Letter Column shall be placed in the Feature field only. This is a recurring name, usually set apart with a logo or other distinct text.
  • By long-standing convention, the preferred entry method for all text-based information is to use the language the comic was published in. English can always be used as an alternate.

Note: For company hype pages, editorials, and similar sequences, that name belongs in the Feature field. It has not yet been determined how or whether to address editorials with their own specific, recurring names WITHIN company hype pages (such as Stan's Soapbox in Bullpen Bulletins) or letters pages (such as From the Den in various places).

Examples:

* Clash of the Titans - Title is clearly written in the issue 
* When Titans Clash (and check the Unofficial Title box) - Title made up by indexer based on content 
* "It was a dark and stormy night..." (and check the Unofficial Title box) - First line of story used as title 
* Hercules Takes Revenge [When Titans Clash Part 47] - Story arc and title inferred
* When Titans Doth Clash Chapter 4 - As written in the book

(end of definition)


Policy Votes Affecting This Topic

http://www.comics.org/voting/ballot/251/ - 2015-06-09

http://www.comics.org/voting/ballot/250/ - 2015-06-09


Some discussion that should be considered as suggestions, but not officially part of the definition:

Jim Vandore: A few months ago I mentioned that I missed the rule on how to do titles where the story is part of a greater whole, i.e.

Story Title [Story Arc Part X]

and said that I been following library format

Story Arc, Part X: Story title

A couple of editors said that seemed a reasonable alternative, and I know at least one other editor also does it in library format.

Personally, I prefer library format and think it reads clearer. Maybe it could be discussed and officially deemed acceptable?

(And I could have sworn the GCD format had part x, not Part X.)

Jim Vandore: Is there a rule about "in" or "featuring" or the like? I'm thinking of cases in the Silver Age and earlier where the feature logo and the story title are linked, such as Batman in "The Case of the Silver Sword."

I would just put

The Case of the Silver Sword

but I have seen people put (the equivalent of)

"The Case of the Silver Sword"

or

In "The Case of the Silver Sword"... Ray says no "in"


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