Wikisource:Multi-volume works

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This page is a Wikisource guideline. It illustrates standards or conduct that are generally accepted by consensus to apply in many cases. Feel free to update the page as needed, but please use the discussion page to propose major changes.

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Guidelines for hosting, and the lay out of, multiple-volume works on Wikisource.

Layout

Works that were published in multiple volumes should generally be hosted on Wikisource as a single overall base page in the main namespace. Each volume should be a subpage of this single page. Each chapter or section should be subpages of the appropriate volume. The base page should be the title of the overall work.

In theory

This is a general outline of the page structure that could be used for a multi-volume work. It can be adapted as needed on an individual basis.

Base page
- Base page/Volume 1
  - Base page/Volume 1/Chapter 1
  - Base page/Volume 1/Chapter 2
  - Base page/Volume 1/Chapter 3
- Base page/Volume 2
  - Base page/Volume 2/Chapter 1
  - Base page/Volume 2/Chapter 2
  - Base page/Volume 2/Chapter 3
- Base page/Volume 3
  - Base page/Volume 3/Chapter 1
  - Base page/Volume 3/Chapter 2
  - Base page/Volume 3/Chapter 3

In practice

This is a practical example of a work on Wikisource that uses this layout and page structure. Not all subpages are shown here but it should give an idea of how each page fits into the whole.

The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift

Benefits

This approach keeps everything contained and together as a single unit. It allows the whole work to be navigated and maintained much more easily. If necessary, an administrator can re-name (ie. move) the whole work, including all volumes and chapters, as a single action. Relative links can be easily placed throughout the work, allowing readers to move around; if necessary, the are also easy to fix or update. Maintaining this standard layout method across the Wikisource project makes reading and transcribing multi-volume works much more intuitive for users who are familiar with Wikisource's customs.

The Page information tool (see the Toolbox in the sidebar) and the Special:PrefixIndex special page can be used to list all current subpages, which will show all parts of a full work on one easily-checked page.

Overview of relative links

Relative wikilinks can be used within this layout to link between pages. This is simpler than entering the entire page name each time. It will also meant the wikilinks will continue to work if the page is moved, without requiring any additional editing.

For each example, assume that the link is on the page Foo/Bar/Baz.

Starting a wikilink with a slash will link to a subpage. For example: [[/Qux]] will link to the subpage Qux (ie. Foo/Bar/Baz/Qux).
A relative wikilink does not always need to be piped. A space and a slash at the end will display the page name without the slash. For example: [[/Qux /]] will display as just Qux.
Starting a wikilink with two dots and a slash will link up to a parent page. For example: [[../]] will link to the parent page Bar.
The above method can be repeated to link upwards through multiple parent pages. For example: [[../../]] will link from Baz directly to Foo.
Linking to a sister subpage can be done by combining these links. For example: [[../Nee]] (a combination of a link upwards and a link to a subpage) will link from Foo/Bar/Baz to Foo/Bar/Nee.

Examples

The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, 1801, in 19 volumes
The Statutes at Large (Ruffhead), 1763-65, in 9 volumes