FamilySearch Wiki:Manual of Style: Difference between revisions

FamilySearch Wiki:Manual of Style (view source)

Revision as of 22:33, 25 April 2014

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-A '''wiki''' '''manual of style''' (or style guide) is a set of standards for designing and writing wiki articles.&nbsp; The guide provides direction for visual and technical aspects, prose style, best usage, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and fairness. The consistent use of the style guidelines provides uniformity in style and formatting of wiki articles, which makes the articles easier for readers to understand and use.
+A '''wiki''' '''manual of style''' (or style guide) is a set of standards for the design and writing of wiki articles.&nbsp; The guide provides direction for visual and technical aspects as well as prose style, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and wiki etiquette. The consistent use of the style guidelines provides uniformity in style and formatting of wiki articles making them easier for readers to understand and utilize.
 == General Principles  ==
-'''Respectful interactions.''' Comments and editing should be made with respect for other users and contributors. [[FamilySearch Wiki:Etiquette Guidelines]]
+'''Respectful interactions.''' Comments and edits should be made with respect for other users and contributors. [[FamilySearch Wiki:Etiquette Guidelines]]
-'''Alternate opinions of information.''' How genealogists choose to work on their family histories is very individualized. Rather than editing and reediting an article to suit an individual method of building family trees, alternate information or methods may be added in a section such as "Other ways to find the information".
+'''Alternate opinions of information.''' The techniques that genealogists employ while working on their family histories are very individualized. Rather than editing and reediting an article to suit an individual method of finding alternate information or additional techniques these things may be suggested in an additional section such as: "Other ways to find the information".
 '''Appropriate content.''' Content and images must be [[FamilySearch Wiki:Purpose and Appropriate Topics|appropriate]] to the FamilySearch Research Wiki. Inappropriate content or links will be deleted.
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 '''Neutrality.''' Articles should be as [[FamilySearch Wiki:Neutral point of view|neutral]] as possible. Descriptions should state facts and avoid negative or positive judgements.&nbsp; Using phrases such as "settlers from western Europe" rather than "poor, uneducated peasants" presents factual information without negativity. Avoid hype and exaggeration .&nbsp;
-'''Simplicity.''' Writing should be clear and simple. When a term is used that may be unfamiliar to people (for example, "gazetteer"), it should be defined the first time it appears in the body of an article. Avoid using specialized terms or acronyms when a common term is available. As much as possible, the information should be understandable by every reader, even if English is not the user's first language.
+'''Simplicity.''' Writing should be clear and simple. When a term is used that may be unfamiliar to people (for example, "gazetteer"), it should be defined the first time it appears in the body of an article as in this sentence:&nbsp; "In some areas newspapers were called gazetteers" &nbsp; Avoid using specialized terms or acronyms when a common term is available. As much as possible, the information should be understandable by every reader, even if English is not the user's first language.
 == Bylines  ==
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 == Grammar and Style  ==
-'''Important:''' Even if users are concerned about their writing skills, the FamilySearch Research Wiki wants them to contribute. The information they possess may not be obtainable by other users and is valuable to the wiki in any form. Other members of the wiki community can edit and polish the writing while keeping the content and information intact. <br>
+'''Important:''' Even though users may be concerned about their writing skills and may feel inadequate for the task the FamilySearch research wiki needs their contributions. The information they possess may not be obtainable by other users and is valuable to the wiki in any form. Other members of the wiki community can edit and polish the writing while focusing on keeping the content and information intact. <br>
-'''Consistent grammar style within an article.''' Grammar styles may vary by a contributor’s location and preference. Whatever style is chosen by the original contributor should be maintained throughout the article. Other contributors should follow the original style.<br>
+'''Consistent grammar style within an article.''' Grammar styles may vary by a contributor’s location and preference. Whatever style is chosen by the original contributor should be consistently maintained throughout the article. Other contributors and editors should follow the original style.<br>
-'''Complete sentences.''' Write with complete sentences (sentences that contain a subject and verb). Complete sentences are easier to understand, especially if English is not a user’s native language. The command form (which has an implied subject) is considered a complete sentence.
+'''Complete sentences.''' Write with complete sentences (sentences that contain a subject and verb). Complete sentences are easier to understand, especially when English is not the readers native language. The command form (which has an implied subject) is considered a complete sentence.
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