CreationWiki:Policy

This page contains information regarding CreationWiki policies, codes of conduct, editing guidelines and terms of service. Failure to abide by these written criteria may result in a suspension or loss of editorial privileges. Violations may be reported either by contacting a CreationWiki administrator, using the procedure for recommending article for deletion, or submitting the act as vandalism.

Participation
 * Main Article: Creationist Editors
 * ''Main Article: Guidelines

The purpose of the CreationWiki is to provide an encyclopedic archive of information relevant to the study of creation apologetics. We are explicitly attempting to move away from the Neutral Point of View policy adopted by Wikipedia because of the unique purpose of CreationWiki. Articles should be written from the "Creationist point of view" (CPOV), which holds that the universe and life on Earth are the result of an act of creation by God. The young earth creationism position will remain the principal perspective on the CreationWiki, but any creation apologetics related topic or content can find a home on this site.

Autoregistration of CreationWiki editors has been disabled. To join the editorial staff, please request an account using our online application. All contributing editors must believe the universe and life on earth were created by God. Non-creationists are prohibited from editing articles, except for spelling and grammar corrections. However, anyone is permitted to review articles using the discussion pages adjoining any specific article. Continued participation is reliant upon the careful observance of CreationWiki policies and administrative directives. Violations will be handled on an individual basis and may result in either a temporary or permanent ban. All members are encouraged to report vandalism.

Editing Please view our Editing Style guide for instructions on specific editing formats.

References

All article content must be supported by references where the information can be verified. This should be done by providing in-text references and a full citation in a Bibliography at the footer of the article. The preferred formats for the in-text and Bibliographic references is specified here.

Reviews

The discussion or "Talk pages" are used to discuss the content of articles with other editors. All reviewers are expected to behave in a civil manner. Personal attacks are not tolerated and will result in account suspension. Before you make major changes to an article it is advisable to find out how others would react. If you are not convinced that the information in an article is correct, the discussion pages can be used to request verification or citations from the original author. Using the discussion pages can prevent editors from stepping on toes, and help avoid conflicts.

Edit Summary

Users are asked to provide the monitoring Admins a brief summary of their edits in the "Summary" field below the edit window. Before saving your changes, we ask that users enter a very brief summary of their change(s) in the Edit summary box. The Edit Summary box can be found below the edit window between the Save and Preview buttons. For example, if you just enter "typo", the administrators will know you made a minor spelling or punctuation correction, or some other small change.

If your change to a page is small, such as correcting grammar or spelling mistakes, then please check the "This is a minor edit" box at the bottom. You can mark an edit as "Minor edit" by checking the appropriate box before you save. This is used to show others that your edit is not something substantive. There's no strict guideline on when to do this, but certainly spelling corrections and minor format changes are minor edits. Changing page content is not considered a minor edit.

Prohibitions
 * Editors may not reverse actions or edits made by the CreationWiki administrators.
 * It is not permitted to delete content where you are at odds. For example: old earth creationists should not edit young earth content or vice versa. Instead you should simply add to what has been previously written with explanatory headings.
 * Do not edit new articles for a minimum of three days after their creation (except for typos, grammar, or formatting help).

Formatting Style


 * Main Article: Style Guide

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

1 Titles / Headings

2 References


 * 2.1 To cite a reference within the paper


 * 2.2 To cite the references in the bibliography

3 Quotations

4 Use of Pronouns


 * 4.1 Avoid self-referential pronouns


 * 4.2 Avoid the second person

5 National varieties of English

6 Miscellaneous Formats

Uploading Files


 * Main Article: Upload policy

All files uploaded to the CreationWiki must be free of copyright restrictions. When uploading a file, users are required to specify the copyright status of the file along with the necessary reference where verification can be obtained.

Acceptable files include Creative Commons Licensed, those that qualify for fair use, or those that are in the public domain. The latter include files for which the copyright has expired or the file is uncopyrightable as with U.S. national government agency publications. For assistance in locating usable images, browse through our list of sites.

Please upload original articles only. The CreationWiki discourages the use of this site to mirror works that exist elsewhere. Links to online article should be placed in the footer of a related articles under the heading - "References" or "External Links".

Discussion


 * Main Article: Discussion policy

The CreationWiki is not a discussion forum or bulletin board and we discourage our editorial staff from using it as such. The discussion pages are only to be used for CreationWiki article reviews or other topics specifically related to CreationWiki content. To engage in a more a general dialogue, creationists are encouraged to join our email list.


 * Discussion category - browse the article discussions
 * Village pump - general CreationWiki discussion.
 * CreationTalk - email list for general creation discussion.

Before you make major changes to an article it is advisable to find out how others would react. If you are not convinced that the information in an article is correct, the discussion pages can be used to request verification or citations from the original author. Using the discussion pages can prevent editors from stepping on toes, and help avoid conflicts.


 * Please maintain a professional decorum while reviewing articles.
 * Personal attacks will not be tolerated.
 * Derogatory comments directed at the creationist community are not permitted.
 * Discussion must remain on the topic of CreationWiki and its content.

After adding comments to a page, please sign and date your message by typing four tildes ( ~ ) at the end of your message.

Consult the discussion help page for assistance.

Page Protection


 * Main Article: Page Protection


 * 3 Day Protection: All editors are asked to avoid editing new articles for a minimum of three days after their creation (except for typos, grammar, or formatting help). This is a courtesy to allow authors an opportunity to finished their intended work.
 * 30 Day Protection: It is permissible that authors of works in progress request a 30 day maximum hold on other editors while an article is under construction. This should be done by placing the Active edit template at the top of the article in question. To use the template simply type or paste   at the top of the article you wish protected.
 * Permanent Protection: In rare cases, articles may be granted permanent protection status. However, this is generally considered a violation of the purpose of a collaborative site like the CreationWiki, and is typically reserved for administrative pages. Contact the CreationWiki administrators to request a permanent protection status. In your request, you must provide written justification for disallowing other editors from contributing to the work.

Vandalism


 * Main Article: Vandalism

Acts of vandalism will result in immediate and permanent banning by IP. Vandalism is expected on any open Wiki, but even more so if the topic is contested. Please report vandalism of this site.

Vandalism would be considered, but not limited to:
 * Spamming - placing redundant links, content, or messages on numerous pages.
 * Unauthorized Bot activity - requires administrative approval.
 * Deletion of content - deletion of article or significant content requires that a recommendation for deletion be filed and approved by administration.
 * Atheistic propaganda - editing page content in favor of atheistic positions.
 * Anticreation activities - editing page content in favor of anticreationist positions.
 * Derogatory comments - explicit insults are considered inappropriate. Those directed at the CreationWiki administration, content, or mission are specifically forbidden.
 * Defying administration directives - instructions put forth on policy pages or by individual contact must be followed.
 * Reversing administrative actions - page edits restored by administrators should be considered final.

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