Difference between revisions of "Help:Entering non-genre periodicals"

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==What are non-genre magazines?==
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==What are non-genre periodicals?==
  
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A non-genre magazine is one that did not specialize in Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror, or any other form or forms of speculative fiction, but included much fiction and other content that was not speculative fiction. The early general pulps such as ''Argosy'' and ''All-Story''; the "slick" fiction magazines such as ''The Saturday Evening Post'' and ''Collier's''; children's magazines such as ''Boys' Life''; "men's" magazines such as ''Playboy''; general interest magazines such as ''The Strand'', ''Punch'', and ''Life''; even mostly non-fiction magazines such as ''Scientific American''; all have published SF at one time or another, and all would be considered "non-genre" magazines. General newspapers, such as the ''New York Times'' and the ''London Times'' have occasionally published SF. Any issues of any periodical containing works of speculative fiction can also be entered in the same way as a non-genre magazine. So can anthologies that have some SF content, but contain mostly general fiction. For the rest of this help page, "magazine" should be understood to include any periodical, including newspapers.
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A non-genre periodical is one that did not specialize in speculative fiction. Early 20th century American general pulp magazines such as ''Argosy'' and ''All-Story''; the "slick" fiction magazines such as ''The Saturday Evening Post'' and ''Collier's''; children's magazines such as ''Boys' Life''; "men's" magazines such as ''Playboy''; general interest magazines such as ''The Strand'', ''Punch'', and ''Life''; even mostly non-fiction magazines such as ''Scientific American''; all have published SF at one time or another, and all are considered non-genre periodicals for the purposes of the ISFDB project. General newspapers, such as the ''New York Times'' and the ''London Times'', which have occasionally published SF, are also considered non-genre periodicals. Anthologies that contain mostly general fiction, but also have some SF content, can also be entered using the data entry rules for non-genre periodicals. To confirm a non-genre periodical's eligibility consult [[ISFDB:Policy#Rules_of_Acquisition]].
  
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See [[Magazines#General Interest Magazines with SF Content (SF content only)]].
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Also see [[Magazines#General Interest Magazines with SF Content (SF content only)]].
  
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== Why one should enter non-genre magazines ==
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== Why one should enter non-genre periodicals ==
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In many cases a work of speculative fiction has been published in a magazine that does not specialize in such works. In particular, many well-known (and many not so well-known) stories were first published in non-genre magazines. In such cases it is desirable to record such publications in order to make the bibliography of the story complete. However, the ISFDB is not a general-fiction index and the non-speculative-fiction contents of such a magazine should not be entered.
 
  
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It is in no case essential that an entry for a non-genre magazine be created. A note in the title record for the work is an acceptable alternate way of recording the information. (See [[#The Alternative: Title notes|below]].)  But whenever a non-genre magazine (or newspaper, or anthology, much the same principles apply in each case) has in fact published a work of speculative fiction, creating an entry to record this is acceptable. It is particularly desirable when the non-genre magazine is the first or only publication of the work. It is less important if the non-genre publication was a later reprint, particularly if the story has often been reprinted in genre anthologies or collections. But in any case, whether to create such an entry is a matter that any particular editor can decide for him or herself.
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In many cases a work of speculative fiction has been published in a periodical that does not specialize in such works. In particular, many well-known (and many not so well-known) speculative fiction stories were first published in non-genre periodicals. In such cases it is desirable to record such publications in order to make the bibliography of the story complete. However, the ISFDB is not a general-fiction index and the non-speculative-fiction contents of such a periodical should not be entered.
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It is in no case essential that an entry for a non-genre periodical be created. A note in the title record for the work is an acceptable alternate way of recording the information. (See [[#The Alternative: Title notes|below]].)  But whenever a non-genre periodical (or anthology) has in fact published a work of speculative fiction, creating an entry to record this is acceptable. It is particularly desirable when the non-genre periodical is the first or only publication of the work. It is less important if the non-genre publication was a later reprint, particularly if the story has often been reprinted in genre anthologies or collections. But in any case, whether to create such an entry is a matter that any particular editor can decide for him or herself.
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== How to enter non-genre periodicals ==
  
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== How to enter non-genre magazines ==
 
 
(If you have questions about this process, ask for assistance at the [[ISFDB:Help desk|Help desk]].)
 
(If you have questions about this process, ask for assistance at the [[ISFDB:Help desk|Help desk]].)
  
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Often you will be working from a secondary source, for example, a note in an anthology that "This story was first published in the November 1928 issue of ''Argosy''". Very occasionally, you will have an actual copy of the magazine, a facsimile reprint, or a e-reprint. In all of these cases, there are a few key pieces of information that you must have.
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Often you will be working from a secondary source, for example, a note in an anthology that "This story was first published in the November 1928 issue of ''Argosy''". Occasionally, you will have an actual copy of the periodical, a facsimile reprint, or a e-reprint. In all of these cases, there are a few key pieces of information that you must have.
  
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If a secondary source lists the publication of a story by a known author of SF in a non-genre magazine, but does not clearly indicate whether the story is SF or not, creating an entry for it is a judgment call. Additional research, or the locations of other publications of the story, may give a clue as to whether it is SF (and therefore should be included) or not.
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If a secondary source lists the publication of a story by a known author of SF in a non-genre periodical, but does not clearly indicate whether the story is SF or not, creating an entry for it is a judgment call. Additional research, or the locations of other publications of the story, may give a clue as to whether it is SF (and therefore should be included) or not.
  
 
===Required data===
 
===Required data===
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If any of the required data is unknown or is not reliable, do not create a non-genre magazine entry. Instead use a title note. Any additional data is strictly optional, and entries including only the required data are perfectly acceptable.
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#The title of the magazine, as accurately as possible. See [[Magazines#General Interest Magazines with SF Content (SF content only)]], to see what forms may already have been used. See [http://www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/0start.htm The FictionMags Index] and [http://www.philsp.com/index.html Galactic Central]'s Magazine Checklists. If they do not agree, try {{OCLC}} or the {{LOC}} or other sources. See [[Sources of Bibliographic Information]] for more sources.
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If any of the required data is unknown or is not reliable, do not create a non-genre periodical entry. Instead use a title note. Any additional data is strictly optional, and entries including only the required data are perfectly acceptable.
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#The title of the periodical, as accurately as possible. See [[Magazines#General Interest Magazines with SF Content]] (SF content only), to see what forms may already have been used. See [http://www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/0start.htm The FictionMags Index] and [http://www.philsp.com/index.html Galactic Central]'s Magazine Checklists. If they do not agree, try {{OCLC}} or the {{LOC}} or other sources. See [[Sources of Bibliographic Information]] for more sources.
 
#The date of the issue (or issues, if you are entering more than one) where the work was published. This may be:  
 
#The date of the issue (or issues, if you are entering more than one) where the work was published. This may be:  
 
##A day, month, and year ("January 17, 1925")
 
##A day, month, and year ("January 17, 1925")
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##A season ("Spring 1925")
 
##A season ("Spring 1925")
 
##Failing any date, the volume and issue number (or whole issue number) may be used instead
 
##Failing any date, the volume and issue number (or whole issue number) may be used instead
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##:If the date is not reliably known with sufficient precision to identify a specific issue, do not create an entry for the magazine. (Unless a specific issue number can be used instead.) Instead record the available data and source in a note on the title record of the story in question. (See [[#The Alternative: Title notes|Below]].) This is always an acceptable alternate procedure. For a quarterly magazine "Spring" may be sufficient; for a weekly magazine a specific week must be known.
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#*If the date is not reliably known with sufficient precision to identify a specific issue, do not create an entry for the periodical. (Unless a specific issue number can be used instead.) Instead record the available data and source in a note on the title record of the story in question. (See [[#The Alternative: Title notes|Below]].) This is always an acceptable alternate procedure. For a quarterly periodical "Spring" may be sufficient; for a weekly periodical a specific week must be known.
 
#The title of the work, as originally published: note that sometimes early publications were under titles different from those commonly used later. If there is no information about a variant title, you should use the known later title, which may be changed should evidence of a different form turn up.
 
#The title of the work, as originally published: note that sometimes early publications were under titles different from those commonly used later. If there is no information about a variant title, you should use the known later title, which may be changed should evidence of a different form turn up.
 
#The name(s) of the author(s), if possible as credited in the initial publication. Sometimes a different form of the name or a pen name was used for early or non-genre publication. For example, a number of Robert A. Heinlein's early works were published under the name of Anson McDonald. If there is no reliable information about a variant author credit, you should use the canonical name, or the name associated with later publications of the story in question, pending further evidence.
 
#The name(s) of the author(s), if possible as credited in the initial publication. Sometimes a different form of the name or a pen name was used for early or non-genre publication. For example, a number of Robert A. Heinlein's early works were published under the name of Anson McDonald. If there is no reliable information about a variant author credit, you should use the canonical name, or the name associated with later publications of the story in question, pending further evidence.
  
 
===Steps to take===
 
===Steps to take===
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First, search the database to see if we already have an entry for the particular issue you want to enter. It may be that there was a different work of SF in that issue, and another editor has already created an entry for it. Go to "Advanced Search" and enter a key word or phrase from the title of the magazine into the "title" search field. Optionally, you can also enter "EDITOR" into a "title type" search field.
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First, search the database to see if we already have an entry for the particular issue you want to enter. It may be that there was a different work of SF in that issue, and another editor has already created an entry for it. Go to "Advanced Search" and enter a key word or phrase from the title of the periodical into the "title" search field. Optionally, you can also enter "EDITOR" into a "title type" search field.
  
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If you find an entry for the particular issue you wish to enter, go to the section [[#Adding content to an existing entry|''Adding content to an existing entry'']] below. Otherwise, if you find entries for other issues of the same magazine, open at least one of them and take note of the formats used, so that your entry can be consistent.
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If you find an entry for the particular issue you wish to enter, go to the section [[#Adding content to an existing entry|''Adding content to an existing entry'']] below. Otherwise, if you find entries for other issues of the same periodical, open at least one of them and take note of the formats used, so that your entry can be consistent.
  
 
Second, from any publication display or the main menu, click "New Magazine" under Editing Tools.  
 
Second, from any publication display or the main menu, click "New Magazine" under Editing Tools.  
  
 
Third, enter the minimal required meta-data. See [[Help:Screen:NewPub]] for additional details on the various fields.
 
Third, enter the minimal required meta-data. See [[Help:Screen:NewPub]] for additional details on the various fields.
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*Enter the title of the magazine, followed by a comma, and the date or dates of the issue in the "title" field. If the date is not available, use the issue number (which may include a volume number). If other issues of the same magazine are on file, try to use the same form of the name and date format as they used, unless the magazine's actual name changed (For example, ''Argosy'' was ''The Golden Argosy'' early in its history and became ''Argosy-All Story'' after its merger with ''All-Story''). If you are using a date, be sure that the year is specified as a full 4 digits. "The Strand, September '60" could be either 1860 or 1960, for example.  
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*Enter the title of the periodical, followed by a comma, and the date or dates of the issue in the "title" field. If the date is not available, use the issue number (which may include a volume number). If other issues of the same periodical are on file, try to use the same form of the name and date format as they used, unless the periodical's actual name changed (For example, ''Argosy'' was ''The Golden Argosy'' early in its history and became ''Argosy-All Story'' after its merger with ''All-Story''). If you are using a date, be sure that the year is specified as a full 4 digits. "The Strand, September '60" could be either 1860 or 1960, for example.  
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*:The ISFDB standard format for this field is "Magazine Name, Month Day, Year" for dailies or weeklies, "Magazine Name, Month Year" for monthlies, or "Magazine Name, Month1-Month2 Year" for bimonthlies. See [[Help:Screen:EditPub]] for more details. Follow the ISFDB standard insofar as possible. Check other issues of the same magazine for models to follow, if available. If you are not sure exactly how to enter a particular issue, get it in as best as you can, and call attention to the matter at the [[ISFDB:Help desk|Help desk]].
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*:The ISFDB standard format for this field is "Periodical Name, Month Day, Year" for dailies or weeklies, "Periodical Name, Month Year" for monthlies, or "Periodical Name, Month1-Month2 Year" for bimonthlies. See [[Help:Screen:EditPub]] for more details. Follow the ISFDB standard insofar as possible. Check other issues of the same periodical for models to follow, if available. If you are not sure exactly how to enter a particular issue, get it in as best as you can, and call attention to the matter at the [[ISFDB:Help desk|Help desk]].
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*Enter in the "Editor" field "Editors of MAGAZINE NAME".  If the actual editor is known with reasonable certainty, you may '''optionally''' enter the name(s) of the editor(s) as co-editors, but leave "Editors of MAGAZINE NAME" as one of the editors in any case. For the "Editors of" line, get the actual magazine name as correct as possible.
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*If credited in the periodical, enter the editor name(s) exactly as printed with the following caveat:
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*In the "year" field enter the date of publication in YYYY-MM-DD format as closely as it is known. As usual, leave any unknown fields as all zeros.
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**"Editors of PERIODICAL NAME" may be used instead of some or all editor names if they are unknown or unclear or not of genre interest. If using the "Editors of ..." format, get the actual periodical name as correct as possible.
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*:Note that the date must be known precisely enough to identify a specific issue, or no entry should be created at all, as mentioned above. With a magazine of daily or weekly frequency, a specific day should normally be known. With one of monthly frequency, a specific month should be known. With a bimonthly, normally use the earlier of the two listed months. With a quarterly or annual, it may not be possible to be more precise than the year. Also, if the issue is identified by issue number rather than date, the date may not be known more precisely than the year. The year must in any case be known with reasonable assurance. See [[Help:Screen:EditPub]] -- the section on the Year field -- for the normal ISFDB standards for entering magazine dates.
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*In the "Date" field enter the date of publication in YYYY-MM-DD format as closely as it is known. As usual, leave any unknown date components as zeros.
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*If the formal name of the publisher of the magazine is known, enter it in the "publisher" field. Otherwise, leave this field blank. Stay consistent in form with other entries for the same magazine, so as not to create multiple publisher records (except where the actual publisher is known to have changed). If in doubt, leave blank.
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*:Note that the date must be known precisely enough to identify a specific issue, or no entry should be created at all, as mentioned above. With a periodical of daily or weekly frequency, a specific day should normally be known. With one of monthly frequency, a specific month should be known. With a bimonthly, normally use the earlier of the two listed months. With a quarterly or annual, it may not be possible to be more precise than the year. Also, if the issue is identified by issue number rather than date, the date may not be known more precisely than the year. The year must in any case be known with reasonable assurance. See [[Help:Screen:EditPub]] -- the section on the Year field -- for the normal ISFDB standards for entering periodical dates.
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*If the accurate page count (including front and back covers) of the magazine is reliably known, enter it here, otherwise leave it blank. Mostly this will be blank unless you are working from a facsimile or original copy. (See [[Help:Screen:EditPub]] if working from an original or facsimile.)
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*If the formal name of the publisher of the periodical is known, enter it in the "publisher" field. Otherwise, leave this field blank. Stay consistent in form with other entries for the same periodical, so as not to create multiple publisher records (except where the actual publisher is known to have changed). If in doubt, leave blank.
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*Leave the "Pub Format" field blank.  
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*If the accurate page count (including front and back covers) of the periodical is reliably known, enter it here, otherwise leave it blank. Mostly this will be blank unless you are working from a facsimile or original copy. (See [[Help:Screen:EditPub]] if working from an original or facsimile.)
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*Leave the "Pub Type" field as "MAGAZINE".
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*Select the appropriate "Pub Format" value from the drop-down list. For details, see the Help page that is linked from the mouse-over help.
 
*If you know the cover price of the issue, enter it in the price field with a proper currency symbol, otherwise leave it blank. It will usually be blank.
 
*If you know the cover price of the issue, enter it in the price field with a proper currency symbol, otherwise leave it blank. It will usually be blank.
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*Do not enter a cover artist, nor a cover image URL. Leave both fields blank. Exception: if the cover art illustrates the SF content, or is by a well known SF artist, enter the credit, and if an image is available, enter the URL (See [[ISFDB:Image linking permissions]].)
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*Enter the cover artist if known. If an image is available, enter its URL - see [[ISFDB:Image linking permissions]] for details.
 
*In the "Notes" field enter the source from which your information is derived, and any other relevant information. If you have used multiple sources, mention this. If such sources are somewhat contradictory or seem unreliable, you can use a vague indication ("Based on data from several online vendors"). In particular, the source(s) which lead you to believe that the specific story is contained in the specific issue should be noted. Sources for metadata that are not required anyway are much less important. Also, a note such as "The listing for this non-genre publication is intentionally incomplete, only SF content is listed." is strongly recommended. Please sign your note with your ISFDB User ID, initials, name, or the like so that other ISFDB editors will know who to ask about any doubtful points. A rough date (month and year) in the note is also helpful.
 
*In the "Notes" field enter the source from which your information is derived, and any other relevant information. If you have used multiple sources, mention this. If such sources are somewhat contradictory or seem unreliable, you can use a vague indication ("Based on data from several online vendors"). In particular, the source(s) which lead you to believe that the specific story is contained in the specific issue should be noted. Sources for metadata that are not required anyway are much less important. Also, a note such as "The listing for this non-genre publication is intentionally incomplete, only SF content is listed." is strongly recommended. Please sign your note with your ISFDB User ID, initials, name, or the like so that other ISFDB editors will know who to ask about any doubtful points. A rough date (month and year) in the note is also helpful.
  
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**If a serial is being entered, add "(part n of m)" to the title
 
**If a serial is being entered, add "(part n of m)" to the title
 
**If a novel-length work published in a single issue is being entered, add "(Complete Novel)" to the tile, and use a type of "SERIAL".
 
**If a novel-length work published in a single issue is being entered, add "(Complete Novel)" to the tile, and use a type of "SERIAL".
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***Note that early magazines often listed a work as a "Complete Novel" on the cover or in the ToC when by current standards it is a Novella or even a Novelette. Please do not use the "(Complete Novel)" tag unless you have reason to believe that the work counts as a novel by current standards, that is, it consisted of 40,000 words or more. Otherwise just list it as a work of shortfiction. See [[Help:Screen:EditPub]] on the length standards for novel and the various shortfiction lengths.
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***Note that early periodicals often listed a work as a "Complete Novel" on the cover or in the table of contents when by current standards it is a Novella or even a Novelette. Please do not use the "(Complete Novel)" tag unless you have reason to believe that the work counts as a novel by current standards, that is, it consisted of 40,000 words or more. Otherwise just list it as a work of shortfiction. See [[Help:Screen:EditPub]] on the length standards for novel and the various shortfiction lengths.
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*Enter the length field (Shortstory, novelette, or novella) if known, otherwise leave it blank. (See [[Help:Screen:EditPub]])
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*Enter the length field (short story, novelette, or novella) if known, otherwise leave it blank. (See [[Help:Screen:EditPub]])
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*Leave the page field blank unless the page number where the story started in the magazine is known. If it is known, enter the starting page.
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*Leave the page field blank unless the page number where the story started in the periodical is known. If it is known, enter the starting page.
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*Leave the date field blank. The software will automatically fill in the date of the magazine from the metadata area (Year field). (Exception: If the story is a reprint and the date of original publication is known, enter the date of original publication. If the story is already in the ISFDB, merging will take care of this, see below.)
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*Leave the date field blank. The software will automatically fill in the date of the magazine from the Date field in the "Publication Data" section. (Exception: If the story is a reprint and the date of original publication is known, enter the date of original publication. If the story is already in the ISFDB, merging will take care of this, see below.)
  
 
Fifth, in the unusual case that more than one work of speculative fiction was published in the same issue, and you have data for both, enter the 2nd (and any subsequent) stories in the same way as the first.
 
Fifth, in the unusual case that more than one work of speculative fiction was published in the same issue, and you have data for both, enter the 2nd (and any subsequent) stories in the same way as the first.
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Seventh, after the edit has been approved, check the author's page (or do a title search) to see if the edit may have created a duplicate entry. If it has, merge the duplicates, or ask for assistance (at the [[ISFDB:Help desk|Help desk]]) to merge them. Instructions on merging duplicates may be found at [[Help: How to merge titles]].
 
Seventh, after the edit has been approved, check the author's page (or do a title search) to see if the edit may have created a duplicate entry. If it has, merge the duplicates, or ask for assistance (at the [[ISFDB:Help desk|Help desk]]) to merge them. Instructions on merging duplicates may be found at [[Help: How to merge titles]].
 
   
 
   
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Eighth, after the edit has been approved, if a series exists for the magazine in question (See [[Magazines#General Interest Magazines with SF Content (SF content only)]] for links to several such series), add the title record for your newly created issue to the relevant series. Ask for assistance if needed at the [[ISFDB:Help desk|Help desk]]. This step may be left for another editor, if you find it daunting or onerous.
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Eighth, after the edit has been approved, if a series exists for the periodical in question (See [[General Interest Magazines]] for links to several such series), add the title record for your newly created issue to the relevant series. Ask for assistance if needed at the [[ISFDB:Help desk|Help desk]]. This step may be left for another editor, if you find it daunting or onerous.
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==Genre special issues==
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Sometimes, a non-genre periodical will devote an entire issue to speculative fiction and/or articles about it. This can be regarded as a genre publication and genre non-fiction should be cataloged along with the fiction (even though we do not normally catalog non-fiction from non-genre magazines).
  
 
== Serials ==
 
== Serials ==
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If you know that a story or novel was serialized in a non-genre magazine or periodical, but do not have reliable information sufficient to enter all the issues involved, you may create entries for those issues for which reliable information is available, or you may instead use a title note (see below). Do not create entries for issues for which the required information is not reliably known. Do not assume that a serial started in one issue must have been continued in the next. There are cases where a serialization was started but never completed.
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If you know that a story or novel was serialized in a non-genre periodical, but do not have reliable information sufficient to enter all the issues involved, you may create entries for those issues for which reliable information is available, or you may instead use a title note (see below). Do not create entries for issues for which the required information is not reliably known. Do not assume that a serial started in one issue must have been continued in the next. There are cases where a serialization was started but never completed.
  
 
== Adding content to an existing entry ==
 
== Adding content to an existing entry ==
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If it is reliably known that the non-genre publication of a story was significantly different in content (longer, shorter, or simply different), this should be noted in a title note (see below). Optionally, a designation in parentheses may be appended to the title of the work, such as "(condensed)", "(expanded)" "(1938 version)" or whatever will simply but clearly indicate the nature of the difference. If you are in any doubt, discuss the matter on the [[ISFDB:Community Portal|Community Portal]], or ask for assistance on the [[ISFDB:Help desk|Help desk]].
 
If it is reliably known that the non-genre publication of a story was significantly different in content (longer, shorter, or simply different), this should be noted in a title note (see below). Optionally, a designation in parentheses may be appended to the title of the work, such as "(condensed)", "(expanded)" "(1938 version)" or whatever will simply but clearly indicate the nature of the difference. If you are in any doubt, discuss the matter on the [[ISFDB:Community Portal|Community Portal]], or ask for assistance on the [[ISFDB:Help desk|Help desk]].
  
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== Editor Pseudonyms ==
 
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If the actual name of the editor (or editors) of a non-genre magazine is entered (instead of using the "Editors of Magazine Name" format), it may be desirable to make such a name a pseudonym of "Editors of Magazine Name". (see [[Help:How to record a pseudonym]] for the procedure.) However, this cannot currently be undone, and if it later proves that the person involved ought to have an ISFDB record in his or her own right, an unfortunate and unfixable situation would occur. So it is probably best not to create such pseudonyms without first discussing the matter, probably at the [[ISFDB:Community Portal|Community Portal]].
 
  
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Alternativly the actual editor may be listed as a second editor (co-editor) along with "Editors of Magazine Name"
 
  
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== The Alternative: Title notes ==
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== The alternative: Title notes ==
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As mentioned above, it is always acceptable to add a mention of a non-genre publication, particularly a first publication, to the notes field of the title ("Bibliography") record of a story (or other work). To do this, display the title record, and click "Title Data" in the "Editing tools" section of the sidebar. Add the information to the notes field and click "Submit Data".
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As mentioned above, it is always acceptable to add a mention of a non-genre publication, particularly a first publication, to the notes field of the title ("Bibliography") record of a story (or other work). To do this, display the title record, and click "Title Data" in the "Editing tools" section of the sidebar. Add the information to the notes field and click "Submit Data".
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Of course, the title note method cannot be used if the '''only''' place that an SF work has been published is in a non-genre periodical, collection, or anthology, unless a title record for the work is first created. There are several ways to do this.
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In many cases, it will be a good idea to create a title note in addition to an entry for a non-genre periodical, rather than instead of such an entry. Having both in the database is perfectly acceptable.
  
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In many cases, it will be a good idea to create a title note in addition to an entry for a non-genre magazine, rather than instead of such an entry. Having both in the database is perfectly acceptable.
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[[Category:Magazines]]

Latest revision as of 09:04, 23 November 2022

This page is a help or manual page for the ISFDB database. It describes standards or methods for entering or maintaining data in the ISFDB database, or otherwise working with the database. Other help pages may be found via the category below. To discuss what should go on this page, use the talk page.

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What are non-genre periodicals?

A non-genre periodical is one that did not specialize in speculative fiction. Early 20th century American general pulp magazines such as Argosy and All-Story; the "slick" fiction magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and Collier's; children's magazines such as Boys' Life; "men's" magazines such as Playboy; general interest magazines such as The Strand, Punch, and Life; even mostly non-fiction magazines such as Scientific American; all have published SF at one time or another, and all are considered non-genre periodicals for the purposes of the ISFDB project. General newspapers, such as the New York Times and the London Times, which have occasionally published SF, are also considered non-genre periodicals. Anthologies that contain mostly general fiction, but also have some SF content, can also be entered using the data entry rules for non-genre periodicals. To confirm a non-genre periodical's eligibility consult ISFDB:Policy#Rules_of_Acquisition.

Also see Magazines#General Interest Magazines with SF Content (SF content only).

Why one should enter non-genre periodicals

In many cases a work of speculative fiction has been published in a periodical that does not specialize in such works. In particular, many well-known (and many not so well-known) speculative fiction stories were first published in non-genre periodicals. In such cases it is desirable to record such publications in order to make the bibliography of the story complete. However, the ISFDB is not a general-fiction index and the non-speculative-fiction contents of such a periodical should not be entered.

It is in no case essential that an entry for a non-genre periodical be created. A note in the title record for the work is an acceptable alternate way of recording the information. (See below.) But whenever a non-genre periodical (or anthology) has in fact published a work of speculative fiction, creating an entry to record this is acceptable. It is particularly desirable when the non-genre periodical is the first or only publication of the work. It is less important if the non-genre publication was a later reprint, particularly if the story has often been reprinted in genre anthologies or collections. But in any case, whether to create such an entry is a matter that any particular editor can decide for him or herself.

How to enter non-genre periodicals

(If you have questions about this process, ask for assistance at the Help desk.)

Often you will be working from a secondary source, for example, a note in an anthology that "This story was first published in the November 1928 issue of Argosy". Occasionally, you will have an actual copy of the periodical, a facsimile reprint, or a e-reprint. In all of these cases, there are a few key pieces of information that you must have.

If a secondary source lists the publication of a story by a known author of SF in a non-genre periodical, but does not clearly indicate whether the story is SF or not, creating an entry for it is a judgment call. Additional research, or the locations of other publications of the story, may give a clue as to whether it is SF (and therefore should be included) or not.

Required data

If any of the required data is unknown or is not reliable, do not create a non-genre periodical entry. Instead use a title note. Any additional data is strictly optional, and entries including only the required data are perfectly acceptable.

  1. The title of the periodical, as accurately as possible. See Magazines#General Interest Magazines with SF Content (SF content only), to see what forms may already have been used. See The FictionMags Index and Galactic Central's Magazine Checklists. If they do not agree, try OCLC Fiction Finder or the Library of Congress Online Catalog or other sources. See Sources of Bibliographic Information for more sources.
  2. The date of the issue (or issues, if you are entering more than one) where the work was published. This may be:
    1. A day, month, and year ("January 17, 1925")
    2. A range with two exact dates ("January 10 - 17, 1925")
    3. A month ("January 1925")
    4. A range of two months (("January-February 1925")
    5. A season ("Spring 1925")
    6. Failing any date, the volume and issue number (or whole issue number) may be used instead
    • If the date is not reliably known with sufficient precision to identify a specific issue, do not create an entry for the periodical. (Unless a specific issue number can be used instead.) Instead record the available data and source in a note on the title record of the story in question. (See Below.) This is always an acceptable alternate procedure. For a quarterly periodical "Spring" may be sufficient; for a weekly periodical a specific week must be known.
  3. The title of the work, as originally published: note that sometimes early publications were under titles different from those commonly used later. If there is no information about a variant title, you should use the known later title, which may be changed should evidence of a different form turn up.
  4. The name(s) of the author(s), if possible as credited in the initial publication. Sometimes a different form of the name or a pen name was used for early or non-genre publication. For example, a number of Robert A. Heinlein's early works were published under the name of Anson McDonald. If there is no reliable information about a variant author credit, you should use the canonical name, or the name associated with later publications of the story in question, pending further evidence.

Steps to take

First, search the database to see if we already have an entry for the particular issue you want to enter. It may be that there was a different work of SF in that issue, and another editor has already created an entry for it. Go to "Advanced Search" and enter a key word or phrase from the title of the periodical into the "title" search field. Optionally, you can also enter "EDITOR" into a "title type" search field.

If you find an entry for the particular issue you wish to enter, go to the section Adding content to an existing entry below. Otherwise, if you find entries for other issues of the same periodical, open at least one of them and take note of the formats used, so that your entry can be consistent.

Second, from any publication display or the main menu, click "New Magazine" under Editing Tools.

Third, enter the minimal required meta-data. See Help:Screen:NewPub for additional details on the various fields.

  • Enter the title of the periodical, followed by a comma, and the date or dates of the issue in the "title" field. If the date is not available, use the issue number (which may include a volume number). If other issues of the same periodical are on file, try to use the same form of the name and date format as they used, unless the periodical's actual name changed (For example, Argosy was The Golden Argosy early in its history and became Argosy-All Story after its merger with All-Story). If you are using a date, be sure that the year is specified as a full 4 digits. "The Strand, September '60" could be either 1860 or 1960, for example.
    The ISFDB standard format for this field is "Periodical Name, Month Day, Year" for dailies or weeklies, "Periodical Name, Month Year" for monthlies, or "Periodical Name, Month1-Month2 Year" for bimonthlies. See Help:Screen:EditPub for more details. Follow the ISFDB standard insofar as possible. Check other issues of the same periodical for models to follow, if available. If you are not sure exactly how to enter a particular issue, get it in as best as you can, and call attention to the matter at the Help desk.
  • If credited in the periodical, enter the editor name(s) exactly as printed with the following caveat:
    • "Editors of PERIODICAL NAME" may be used instead of some or all editor names if they are unknown or unclear or not of genre interest. If using the "Editors of ..." format, get the actual periodical name as correct as possible.
  • In the "Date" field enter the date of publication in YYYY-MM-DD format as closely as it is known. As usual, leave any unknown date components as zeros.
    Note that the date must be known precisely enough to identify a specific issue, or no entry should be created at all, as mentioned above. With a periodical of daily or weekly frequency, a specific day should normally be known. With one of monthly frequency, a specific month should be known. With a bimonthly, normally use the earlier of the two listed months. With a quarterly or annual, it may not be possible to be more precise than the year. Also, if the issue is identified by issue number rather than date, the date may not be known more precisely than the year. The year must in any case be known with reasonable assurance. See Help:Screen:EditPub -- the section on the Year field -- for the normal ISFDB standards for entering periodical dates.
  • If the formal name of the publisher of the periodical is known, enter it in the "publisher" field. Otherwise, leave this field blank. Stay consistent in form with other entries for the same periodical, so as not to create multiple publisher records (except where the actual publisher is known to have changed). If in doubt, leave blank.
  • If the accurate page count (including front and back covers) of the periodical is reliably known, enter it here, otherwise leave it blank. Mostly this will be blank unless you are working from a facsimile or original copy. (See Help:Screen:EditPub if working from an original or facsimile.)
  • Select the appropriate "Pub Format" value from the drop-down list. For details, see the Help page that is linked from the mouse-over help.
  • If you know the cover price of the issue, enter it in the price field with a proper currency symbol, otherwise leave it blank. It will usually be blank.
  • Enter the cover artist if known. If an image is available, enter its URL - see ISFDB:Image linking permissions for details.
  • In the "Notes" field enter the source from which your information is derived, and any other relevant information. If you have used multiple sources, mention this. If such sources are somewhat contradictory or seem unreliable, you can use a vague indication ("Based on data from several online vendors"). In particular, the source(s) which lead you to believe that the specific story is contained in the specific issue should be noted. Sources for metadata that are not required anyway are much less important. Also, a note such as "The listing for this non-genre publication is intentionally incomplete, only SF content is listed." is strongly recommended. Please sign your note with your ISFDB User ID, initials, name, or the like so that other ISFDB editors will know who to ask about any doubtful points. A rough date (month and year) in the note is also helpful.

Fourth, enter the speculative fiction content in the "Content" section. See Help:Screen:NewPub#General contents for additional details on the various fields.

  • Enter the story title (as originally published) in the title field of a content section.
  • Enter the story's author (as originally credited, if known) in the matching author field.
  • Leave the "Entry Type" field as "Shortfiction" unless (rarely) the entry is a poem, or is part of a serial, or is a novel-length work published complete in one issue.
    • If a serial is being entered, add "(part n of m)" to the title
    • If a novel-length work published in a single issue is being entered, add "(Complete Novel)" to the tile, and use a type of "SERIAL".
      • Note that early periodicals often listed a work as a "Complete Novel" on the cover or in the table of contents when by current standards it is a Novella or even a Novelette. Please do not use the "(Complete Novel)" tag unless you have reason to believe that the work counts as a novel by current standards, that is, it consisted of 40,000 words or more. Otherwise just list it as a work of shortfiction. See Help:Screen:EditPub on the length standards for novel and the various shortfiction lengths.
  • Enter the length field (short story, novelette, or novella) if known, otherwise leave it blank. (See Help:Screen:EditPub)
  • Leave the page field blank unless the page number where the story started in the periodical is known. If it is known, enter the starting page.
  • Leave the date field blank. The software will automatically fill in the date of the magazine from the Date field in the "Publication Data" section. (Exception: If the story is a reprint and the date of original publication is known, enter the date of original publication. If the story is already in the ISFDB, merging will take care of this, see below.)

Fifth, in the unusual case that more than one work of speculative fiction was published in the same issue, and you have data for both, enter the 2nd (and any subsequent) stories in the same way as the first.

Interior art specifically associated with a speculative fiction story may be entered, if the data is available. Otherwise do not enter any interior art. Normally no editorials, letters, or essays will be entered. Reviews of SF works may be entered, but this will be rare. Significant essays specifically connected with SF works may optionally be entered, but this also will be rare.

Sixth, when all relevant and available data has been entered click "Submit data". The edit will now be reviewed by a moderator and added to the database when approved.

Seventh, after the edit has been approved, check the author's page (or do a title search) to see if the edit may have created a duplicate entry. If it has, merge the duplicates, or ask for assistance (at the Help desk) to merge them. Instructions on merging duplicates may be found at Help: How to merge titles.

Eighth, after the edit has been approved, if a series exists for the periodical in question (See General Interest Magazines for links to several such series), add the title record for your newly created issue to the relevant series. Ask for assistance if needed at the Help desk. This step may be left for another editor, if you find it daunting or onerous.

Genre special issues

Sometimes, a non-genre periodical will devote an entire issue to speculative fiction and/or articles about it. This can be regarded as a genre publication and genre non-fiction should be cataloged along with the fiction (even though we do not normally catalog non-fiction from non-genre magazines).

Serials

If you know that a story or novel was serialized in a non-genre periodical, but do not have reliable information sufficient to enter all the issues involved, you may create entries for those issues for which reliable information is available, or you may instead use a title note (see below). Do not create entries for issues for which the required information is not reliably known. Do not assume that a serial started in one issue must have been continued in the next. There are cases where a serialization was started but never completed.

Adding content to an existing entry

If an entry for a specific issue already exists, and you have data on an additional story published in that issue, display the publication record and click "Edit this Pub"

Click "Add title" at the end of the "contents" section and add the data for the additional story or stories as described above. Click "Submit data" when the data has been entered, as above.

Revised works

If it is reliably known that the non-genre publication of a story was significantly different in content (longer, shorter, or simply different), this should be noted in a title note (see below). Optionally, a designation in parentheses may be appended to the title of the work, such as "(condensed)", "(expanded)" "(1938 version)" or whatever will simply but clearly indicate the nature of the difference. If you are in any doubt, discuss the matter on the Community Portal, or ask for assistance on the Help desk.


The alternative: Title notes

As mentioned above, it is always acceptable to add a mention of a non-genre publication, particularly a first publication, to the notes field of the title ("Bibliography") record of a story (or other work). To do this, display the title record, and click "Title Data" in the "Editing tools" section of the sidebar. Add the information to the notes field and click "Submit Data".

Of course, the title note method cannot be used if the only place that an SF work has been published is in a non-genre periodical, collection, or anthology, unless a title record for the work is first created. There are several ways to do this.

In many cases, it will be a good idea to create a title note in addition to an entry for a non-genre periodical, rather than instead of such an entry. Having both in the database is perfectly acceptable.

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