Traveller:Referral Tree
A Referral Tree is a sort of thematic mini-index added to an article after the synopsis (...or elsewhere) to make it easier for readers to find related AAB Library Data articles.
- It is a kind of Wiki Mechanic.
Description (Specifications)
A sample of a referral tree might look like this:
---- Please refer to the following [[AAB]] [[Library Data]] articles for further information: <br> '''[[Starship]]:''' * [[Drive]]s ** [[FTL]] ** [[NAFAL]] ([[STL]]) * [[Starship|Starship Drives]] ** [[G-Drive]] ** [[HEPlaR]] ** [[J-Drive]] ** [[N-Drive]] ** [[Rocket Drive]] ** [[Z-Drive]] ----
They are placed under an infobox (...if one exists for the article type) and also under the article's synopsis at the top of an article.
Content Selection
The goal of a referral tree is to point readers towards related articles that will increase understanding of a topic, help to enrich the setting, and bring the OTU and universe of Traveller alive, which is to say Charted Space.
A referral tree doesn't need to include pointers to every content page on a topic, just a selection of the most important and Illustrative articles. This is a very subjective matter.
Principle of Referral Minimization
It is possible for multiple referral trees to be added where possible, but it is preferred to minimize the trees whenever possible. It's a very subjective matter.
However, as a generalized principle, it is preferred to have subject matter content, over method categories, tags, references, or non-thematic content. Most articles will work best with a single referral tree menu, but larger articles illustrating the vastness of Charted Space may include any number of referral tree menus. Some existing foundation pages have half a dozen or more referral trees.
Referral Tree Branching Effect
One of the goals of a referral tree is to direct traffic and interest to lesser frequented pages (...smaller branches). Each set of branches should idealy point to related pages allowing a user to easily and handily read across an entire topic. In this way, just like a biological tree, bigger branches lead to smaller ones.
History & Background (Dossier)
With several thousand articles spanning over 2,000 publications and 40 years, referral trees are a necessity to enable readers to more easily explore a thematic Traveller subject.
Most referral trees are grouped around category tags that share common subject matter or themes. Themes such as Starship, Interstellar Exploration, Military Ship, or others can be more fully explored. Themes tend to be grouped around Thematic Leitwortstil.
Common Referral Trees
Two main placements of referral trees are used at the Traveller RPG Wiki:
- Masthead AAB Library Data Referral Tree
- Background Ship Directory Referral Tree
Other kinds of referral trees can be also found at the wiki.
Masthead AAB Library Data Referral Trees
Mastheads function as content directories:
---- Please refer to the following [[AAB]] [[Library Data]] articles for further information: <br> '''[[Starship]]:''' * [[Drive]]s ** [[FTL]] ** [[NAFAL]] ([[STL]]) * [[Starship|Starship Drives]] ** [[G-Drive]] ** [[HEPlaR]] ** [[J-Drive]] ** [[N-Drive]] ** [[Rocket Drive]] ** [[Z-Drive]] ----
Background Ship Directory Referral Tree
Ship directories help to visually display the relationships between ship missions, types, and classes:
---- === Selected Variant Types & Classes === '''[[Merchant Vessel]] - [[Tramp Liner]]s:''' <br> ''[[Free Trader]] / [[Tramp Liner]]:'' # [[Type A class Free Trader]] ## [[Alexandria class Free Trader]] ## [[Basil class Merchant]] ## [[Beowulf class Free Trader]] ## [[Moraine class Free Trader]] ## [[Regni Yards Type A class Free Trader]] ## [[Treader class Free Trader]] ## [[Type A-J2 class Free Trader]] ## [[Type A-P class Free Trader]] ## [[Wulf class Free Trader]] ''[[Far Trader]] / [[Tramp Liner]]:'' # [[Type A1 class Far Trader]] # [[Type A2 class Far Trader]] ## [[Avian class Far Trader]] ## [[Empress Marava class Far Trader]] ## [[Garu class Far Trader]] ## [[Hero class Far Trader]] ## [[Jayhawk class Far Trader]] ## [[Prince Ferren class Far Trader]] ## [[Type A2L class Far Trader]] ''[[Deep Trader]] / [[Fast Trader]]:'' # [[Type A3 class Fast Trader]] ## [[Fat Cat class Far Trader]] ## [[Trojan Reaches Type A3 class Trader]] ## [[Type A3L class Far Trader]] ''[[Armored Trader]] / [[Frontier Trader]]:'' # [[Type AA class Armored Merchant]] ## [[Ronkli class Combat Transport]] ## [[Star class Armored Merchant]] ----
Referral Tree Best Practices
Since referral trees are often used across many articles/ pages, it is recommendable to locate them on a central page location and duplicate them across articles.
These pages can be used in a regular article by inserting:
{{:PAGE-NAME}}
References & Contributors (Sources)
- Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science