CreationWiki:Style guide

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This Style Guide is designed to help us standardise the way we present articles. It is not a set of absolute rules.

We recommend that you follow the Wikipedia Manual of Style where it doesn't contradict anything said here.

Titles / Headings

For more detail, see Headings at Wikipedia.

• Articles titles should be lowercase and singular. Exceptions to this include names or proper titles (e.g. Jonathan Sarfati). Note: Page links in this website are case-specific. The first word in the title of a page link is automatically capitalized. For example, [[natural selection]] will create the same link as [[Natural selection]].
• Don't use long titles when creating an internal link to a new page. Use titles that are simple yet descriptive (one or two words).
• Capitalize the first letter only of the first word, and of any proper nouns in a heading, and leave all of the other letters in lowercase.
• Avoid links within headings. Instead repeat the word or phrase in the first sentence and wikify there.

References

Main Article: Citing sources

Users are expected to supply specific references within their articles where information can be verified, and a full citation provided in a Bibliography at the footer. The preferred formats for the in-text and Bibliographic references are as follows.

To cite a reference within the paper

Webpage references - Place the internet address within single brackets at the end of sentences.

[http://www.example.com].

The website software will then automatically assign the web address a number based its order in the paper. For example the above web address would appear like this: [1].

Book / Article references - Place the authors last name and page number within parenthesis at the end of sentences.

(Purves, p89).

The full citation should then also be placed in the bibliography using standard MLA formatting.

Bible references - Link to the specific chapter and verse at Bible Gateway, along with a note on which Bible translation is being referred.

Genesis 1:1-4 (NIV).

Use the Bible ref template to automatically create a link to Bible Gateway, or the Bible quote template to create a grey quote box followed by the forementioned linked reference.

To cite the references in the bibliography

Webpage references - Place the web address in single brackets, but also include the title of the referenced article within the brackets. Then place the author's name and publisher outside the brackets. Each reference should also be placed next to an asterisk (which creates a bullet) like this:

* [http://www.example.com PageTitle] by John Doe. Chembook Online.

The above format will link the specified title to the internet address. For example the above would appear like this:

• PageTitle by John Doe. Chembook Online.
  

Book / Article references - Use standard MLA formatting.

Quotations

Main Article: CreationWiki:Quotes

Quotes should be used sparingly, and clearly identified using quotation marks or indentations to distinguish the material from other text. Properly formatted citations for the quote must also be included.

Longer quotations may be better rendered using one of the available templates. Indented style can be easily created by starting the first line with a colon or by using <blockquote> </blockquote> notation, which indents both left and right margins.

Indented quotations generally do not need to be marked by quotation marks. Double quotation marks belong at the beginning of each paragraph in a quotation of multiple paragraphs not using indented style, though at the end of only the last paragraph. There is normally no need to put quotations in italics unless the material would otherwise call for italics (emphasis, use of non-English words, etc.).

With quotation marks we split the difference between American and British usage. Though not a rigid rule, we use the "double quotes" for most quotations—they are easier to read on the screen—and use 'single quotes' for nesting quotations, that is, "quotations 'within' quotations".

Note: if a word or phrase appears in an article with single quotes, such as 'abcd', the searching facility considers the single quotes to be part of the word and will find that word or phrase only if the search string is also within single quotes. Avoiding this complication is an additional reason to use double quotes, for which the difficulty does not arise. It may even be a reason to use double quotes for quotations within quotations.

Apostrophes

Never use grave and acute accents or backticks (`text´) as quotation marks or apostrophes.

Use of Pronouns

Avoid self-referential pronouns

For more detail, see Avoid self-referential pronouns at Wikipedia

Articles must not be based on one person's opinions or experiences. Thus, "I" can never be used except, of course, when it appears in a quotation. For similar reasons, avoid the use of "we" and "one". A sentence such as "We/One should note that some critics have argued in favour of the proposal" sounds more personal than encyclopedic.

Avoid the second person

From Avoid the second person at Wikipedia

Use of the second person ("you") is discouraged. This is to keep an encyclopedic tone and also to help clarify the sentence. Instead, refer to the subject of the sentence, for example:

• "When a player moves past 'go', that player collects $200."
  • Or: "Players passing 'go' collect $200."
• Not: "When you move past 'go', you collect $200."

This does not apply to quoted text, which should be quoted exactly.

National varieties of English

For more detail, see National varieties of English at Wikipedia

• Articles should use the same dialect throughout.
• If an article's subject has a strong tie to a specific region/dialect, it should use that dialect.
• Where varieties of English differ over a certain word or phrase, try to find an alternative that is common to both.
• If no such words can be agreed upon, and there is no strong tie to a specific dialect, the dialect of the first significant contributor (not a stub) should be used.
• Consult Wikipedia articles such as English plural and American and British English differences.

Miscellaneous Formats

Dates

• Write dates in the format of "Month Day Year", e.g., "June 2nd 2005". This keeps dates in a format that will be understood internationally.

Templates

• Use the CreationWiki Templates where applicable to provide consistency among related pages.