Good edits share the same traits: sourced, accurate, neutral, and formatted to match the content around them. Follow these to get your edits approved quickly.
Sources#
Strong sources get edits approved faster. Prefer the top of this list when you can.
Primary, the most reliable:
- Official publisher websites (Marvel.com, DC.com, Image Comics, etc.)
- Printed comic books: credits pages and indicia
- Publisher press releases and solicitations
- Creator statements from verified interviews or official social media
- ISBN records, Library of Congress data
Secondary, good for backing up a primary source:
- Comic databases: ComicVine, Grand Comics Database, League of Comic Geeks, Metron
- Established comic news outlets (CBR, Comics Beat, Bleeding Cool)
- Published reference books
Tertiary, check these against a primary source:
- Wikipedia
- Fan wikis
- Retailer listings
Never use as the main source: unverified social posts, personal blogs, rumors, fan theories, leaked scans, or unpublished material.
Descriptions and solicitations#
The Description field (Biography on creators and characters) is for text you write in your own words. Sources give you the facts. The sentences are yours.
An issue also has a Publisher Solicitation field. The publisher's own text announcing the book goes there, copied exactly as the publisher published it. Say where you found it (the publisher's page or press release) in your edit notes.
Marvel's solicitation for an issue goes in Publisher Solicitation, word for word. Your summary of what happens in the issue goes in Description.
Relationships (creators, characters, arcs, teams)#
Before adding any relationship, check that the link exists in official content, search VerseDB to avoid duplicates, confirm you have the right entity (watch for two with the same name), and choose the correct role or type.
Creators: pick the role from the list (Writer, Penciller, Inker, Colorist, Letterer, Editor, Cover Artist, and variants). Prefer printed credits when you have them, and match the credited spelling exactly.
Characters: only add characters who appear in the issue. Separate cameos from major appearances when the difference is clear. Don't add characters who are only mentioned.
Removing a relationship is for real errors: a wrong link, a duplicate entity, a character who doesn't appear, a miscredited creator. Explain why in the edit notes, and think about variants, reprints, and retcons before removing an established link.
Common mistakes#
These reasons account for most rejections.
Guessing. Don't invent dates, page counts, or credits you can't check. Leave the field blank; incomplete data beats incorrect data.
Copying into Description. Never paste text from Wikipedia, other databases, stores, or the publisher into a description. Write it in your own words.
Publisher text in the wrong field. A solicitation pasted into Description gets rejected. Put it in Publisher Solicitation.
Opinions. Avoid "best run", "poorly written", or any value judgment. Stick to facts you can check and documented reception.
Overwriting good content. Build on what's there. Don't rewrite a solid description without a reason, and look for pending edits before you submit.
Final checklist#
Before clicking submit:
- The information is accurate and can be checked
- Sources are reliable and named in your notes
- Descriptions are in your own words, and publisher text is in Publisher Solicitation
- Formatting matches the content around it
- Language is neutral and factual
- Spelling and grammar are checked
- You'd trust this edit if someone else had sent it