TenthFleet:Manual of Style: Difference between revisions
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::''The following Manual of Style is adapted from the document written and executed by [[memoryalpha:Memory_Alpha:Manual_of_Style|Memory Alpha]].'' | ::''The following Manual of Style is adapted from the document written and executed by [[memoryalpha:Memory_Alpha:Manual_of_Style|Memory Alpha]].'' | ||
The | The Tenth Fleet Wiki's '''Manual of Style''' is a collection of guidelines and rules of thumb that are designed to set a rough standard for the appearances of all articles. Although style is generally not considered the most important factor in the writing of an article, it ''is'' an important factor in the writing of good articles (or even [[TenthFleet:The Perfect Article|the perfect article]]). The manual of style is designed to make articles easier to read and comprehend, to make articles better organized and easier to edit. | ||
Above all, realize that ''these rules are not set in stone!'' They are considered ''guidelines'' for making an article appear more attractive to the reader, to make them easier to work with. If you think you have a better way of writing an article, by all means go ahead and [[ | Above all, realize that ''these rules are not set in stone!'' They are considered ''guidelines'' for making an article appear more attractive to the reader, to make them easier to work with. If you think you have a better way of writing an article, by all means go ahead and [[TenthFleet:Be bold in updating pages|be bold]]! Copy-editors will come along later and start the weeding process, and rework pages to better conform to the guide if necessary. Better yet, add your own idea [[TenthFleet talk:Manual of Style|on this page]] as an additional option for adding style to an article. (However, please don't remove existing guidelines, just add your own new ones.) | ||
If you're looking for information on how to write an article in wiki markup, please see [[Help:Editing|how to edit a page]] for instructions. As that article is more about ''how'' to use markup, this article is concerned about the ''when'', ''where'', and ''why'' of using specific markup. Please also read the [[ | If you're looking for information on how to write an article in wiki markup, please see [[Help:Editing|how to edit a page]] for instructions. As that article is more about ''how'' to use markup, this article is concerned about the ''when'', ''where'', and ''why'' of using specific markup. Please also read the [[TenthFleet:Guide to layout|Guide to Layout]] for suggestions on how to ''organize'' your article. | ||
In all cases, '''examples''' of styles will be indented from the main margin for emphasis. | In all cases, '''examples''' of styles will be indented from the main margin for emphasis. | ||
==Introducing an article== | ==Introducing an article== | ||
At the beginning of every article, the title or subject of that article should be '''bold''' in the first line. Even though the article title is already listed, it is useful to emphasize the article's subject for the reader. (Don't forget to also use '''''italicized''''' text when necessary. See [[ | At the beginning of every article, the title or subject of that article should be '''bold''' in the first line. Even though the article title is already listed, it is useful to emphasize the article's subject for the reader. (Don't forget to also use '''''italicized''''' text when necessary. See [[TenthFleet:Manual of Style (titles)|Manual of Style (titles)]] for further information.) | ||
:"The '''Tenth Fleet''' is one of the [[List of | :"The '''Tenth Fleet''' is one of the [[Fleet#List of Numbered Fleets|numbered fleets]] within {{trmn}}. " | ||
If the subject of the article has more than one name, each new form of the name should be in bold on its first appearance. | If the subject of the article has more than one name, each new form of the name should be in bold on its first appearance. | ||
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:"'''Bureau of Ships''', also known as the office of the '''Third Space Lord'''..." | :"'''Bureau of Ships''', also known as the office of the '''Third Space Lord'''..." | ||
In most cases, it is useful to [[ | In most cases, it is useful to [[TenthFleet:establish context|establish context]] in the first line or two of the article. | ||
===Chapters=== | ===Chapters=== | ||
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===Ranks=== | ===Ranks=== | ||
All Ranks, when not being used on their subject articles (ie: [[Captain]]), shall be abbreviated, using this [[ | All Ranks, when not being used on their subject articles (ie: [[Captain]]), shall be abbreviated, using this [[TenthFleet:Rank_abbreviation_guide|guide]]. This is especially helpful in terms of lists of persons who are notable and/or subject to a specific article (ship's command staff, list of honorees for an award, etc). | ||
===Post-Nominals=== | ===Post-Nominals=== | ||
Award recipients that are entitled to suffix their name with post-nominal honors shall always be abbreviated and linked to the relevant award page (ie: [[QCB]], [[KDR]], [[KCE]], etc). Furthermore, post-nominals should only be used in the body of an article, never in an infobox/sidebox/navbox, to allow the nature of such boxes to remain succinct in presenting information. | Award recipients that are entitled to suffix their name with [[post-nominal]] honors shall always be abbreviated and linked to the relevant award page (ie: [[QCB]], [[KDR]], [[KCE]], etc). Furthermore, post-nominals should only be used in the body of an article, never in an infobox/sidebox/navbox, to allow the nature of such boxes to remain succinct in presenting information. | ||
Lastly, on award pages, please only use the post-nominal germaine to the article itself. If we add a full set of post-nominals to every page, this will be an added editing point every wiki editor must check if more awards are received by the subject. | |||
===See Also=== | ===See Also=== | ||
*[[ | *[[Post-nominals]] | ||
*[[TenthFleet:Rank abbreviation guide|Rank Abbreviation Guide]] | |||
*[[List of TRMN Awards]] | *[[List of TRMN Awards]] | ||
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The wiki engine will automatically create a table of contents based on the headers in an article. | The wiki engine will automatically create a table of contents based on the headers in an article. | ||
In all cases, you should capitalize the first word and all proper nouns of the header, and leave all other words lowercase | In all cases, you should capitalize the first word and all proper nouns of the header, and leave all other words lowercase. | ||
Avoid using links in headers. Depending on the browser's default settings, some users may not be able to see the links properly. It is much more useful to place the appropriate link in the first sentence after the header. | Avoid using links in headers. Depending on the browser's default settings, some users may not be able to see the links properly. It is much more useful to place the appropriate link in the first sentence after the header. | ||
===See also=== | ===See also=== | ||
* [[ | * [[TenthFleet:Manual of Style (headings)|Manual of Style (headings)]] | ||
==Paragraphs and formatting== | ==Paragraphs and formatting== | ||
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==List style== | ==List style== | ||
*'''See''' [[ | *'''See''' [[TenthFleet:Manual of Style (lists)|Manual of Style (lists)]] | ||
===List of Members Policy=== | ===List of Members Policy=== | ||
====Ranks, names, and post-nominals general use==== | ====Ranks, names, and post-nominals general use==== | ||
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==Title style== | ==Title style== | ||
*'''See''' [[ | *'''See''' [[TenthFleet:Manual of Style (titles)|Manual of Style (titles)]] | ||
When titling an article on | When titling an article on the Tenth Fleet Wiki, please keep in mind the following: | ||
* Make sure your article title is easily searchable by being unambiguous. Ambiguity in titles leads to search result confusion and reduces the effectiveness of the wiki. | * Make sure your article title is easily searchable by being unambiguous. Ambiguity in titles leads to search result confusion and reduces the effectiveness of the wiki. | ||
** If your title has ambiguity (example: {{hms|Medusa|SD-316}} and [[MEDUSA]]), then | ** If your title has ambiguity that is unavoidable (example: {{hms|Medusa|SD-316}} and [[MEDUSA]]), then be helpful by creating a disambiguation page and link to it accordingly (example: [[Medusa (disambiguation)]]) from both the disambig page and the subject articles affected by the ambiguity. | ||
* Do not use period (.), colon (:), or slash (/) in your titles; all are control characters for the Mediawiki software. | * Do not use period (.), colon (:), or slash (/) in your titles; all are control characters for the Mediawiki software. | ||
==Table styles== | ==Table styles== | ||
*'''See''' [[ | *'''See''' [[TenthFleet:Manual of Style (tables)|Manual of Style (tables)]] | ||
==Dash style== | ==Dash style== | ||
Dashes and hyphens can be used in a number of ways, including to connect words, split sentences, and show a range of numbers. The | Dashes and hyphens can be used in a number of ways, including to connect words, split sentences, and show a range of numbers. The Tenth Fleet Wiki has chosen to use the standard hyphen (-) to connect words and for number ranges. Instead of the standard long dash to split sentences, the Tenth Fleet Wiki has chosen to use the shorter dash in this respect. This is rendered with the – code, which renders a dash such as –. | ||
==Quotations== | ==Quotations== | ||
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:Honor first appeared in the novel, "On Basilisk Station". | :Honor first appeared in the novel, "On Basilisk Station". | ||
For uniformity and to avoid problems with the wiki software and the [[Help:Search|search]] utility, use '''straight''' quotation marks and apostrophes, and avoid curved marks such as the backtick or so-called "smart quotes". Punctuation marks should be placed inside of the quotation marks, unless the quotation marks surround a title (i.e., | For uniformity and to avoid problems with the wiki software and the [[Help:Search|search]] utility, use '''straight''' quotation marks and apostrophes, and avoid curved marks such as the backtick or so-called "smart quotes". Punctuation marks should be placed inside of the quotation marks, unless the quotation marks surround a title (i.e., a novel, short story, etc.), as shown in the third example above. | ||
==Citations== | ==Citations== | ||
See [[ | See [[TenthFleet:cite your sources|cite your sources]] for reference formatting. | ||
=="See also" and "Related topics"== | =="See also" and "Related topics"== | ||
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==Spelling and style choices== | ==Spelling and style choices== | ||
Because {{trmn}} is an American fan association, the | Because {{trmn}} is an American fan association, the Tenth Fleet Wiki has chosen to use American spellings of words rather than British spellings. Some examples of the [[TenthFleet:List of common misspellings|common misspellings]] have been collected to help you out. Note that this also applies to grammar and usage. | ||
Names that end in "s" or an "s"-sound should not have an "apostrophe s" ('s) added in the possessive form. Names that end in "x" or "z" should have an "apostrophe s" unless they are either silent or sound like an "s". For example, "Max" and should be "Max's" when using the possessive but "Sanchez" should be "Sanchez'''{{'}}'''" for the possessive. | Names that end in "s" or an "s"-sound should not have an "apostrophe s" ('s) added in the possessive form. Names that end in "x" or "z" should have an "apostrophe s" unless they are either silent or sound like an "s". For example, "Max" and should be "Max's" when using the possessive but "Sanchez" should be "Sanchez'''{{'}}'''" for the possessive. | ||
== Disambiguation Pages == | |||
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billet_(disambiguation) Example Disambiguation page for Billet]<br /> | |||
Referencing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Disambiguation_pages Wikipedia's documentation] on '''Disambiguation pages''', the following layout structure has become a familiar format: | |||
=== Page Naming === | |||
The page name should generally be named with the ambiguous term itself, unless there's a primary topic for that term. | |||
=== At the top of the page === | |||
* Optional: link to term in [https://en.wiktionary.org/ Wiktionary] | |||
* If a primary topic exists, a link to the primary topic | |||
** A link back to the primary topic, in bold, should appear at the top, in a brief explanatory sentence. | |||
* The introductory line (<nowiki><Ambiguous Term></nowiki> may also refer to:) | |||
=== Individual entries === | |||
A list of entries which direct the reader to various individual pages similar to the disambiguation page's page name. | |||
* Preface each individual entry with a ''bullet'' | |||
* Start each entry with a ''capital letter'', unless it specifically begins with a lowercase letter (eg iMac) | |||
* Insert a ''comma'' after an entry when a description is included | |||
* Use ''exactly one'' navigable (gold) link to direct the reader specifically to the single page the individual entry is there for | |||
** Good example: * [[Maat]] - A junior non-commissioned officer in the Imperial Andermani Navy. | |||
** Bad example: * [[Maat]] - A junior non-commissioned officer with the paygrade of [[E-4]] in the [[Imperial Andermani Navy]]. | |||
* Avoid descriptions that simply repeat information | |||
** Good example: HMS Atropos (BC-363), the Homer-class battlecruiser assigned to the Third Fleet | |||
** Bad example: HMS Atropos (BC-363), a ship in TRMN | |||
* Keep the description associated with the link concise; just enough for the reader to differentiate between the individual ambiguous entries | |||
=== Wikipedia Detailed Disambiguation Page info === | |||
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Disambiguation_pages Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Disambiguation_pages] | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Before you start editing or creating new pages, we encourage you to read through and understand the following documents (if you haven't already): | Before you start editing or creating new pages, we encourage you to read through and understand the following documents (if you haven't already): | ||
* [[ | * [[TenthFleet:Introduction|Introduction]] is a basic primer to what the Tenth Fleet Wiki is about and where you should look to find the information you need. | ||
* [[ | * [[TenthFleet:Be bold in updating pages|Be bold in updating pages]] is a guideline for a basic attitude you should have towards updating articles. | ||
* [[ | * [[TenthFleet:Policies and guidelines|Policies and guidelines]] contains the complete set of rules that the Tenth Fleet Wiki operates under. | ||
* [[Help:Editing|How to edit a page]] is a basic introduction to wiki markup. | * [[Help:Editing|How to edit a page]] is a basic introduction to wiki markup. | ||
* [[ | * [[TenthFleet:Naming conventions|Naming conventions]] is an article on how to properly name articles. | ||
== External Links == | |||
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:MediaWiki_order_of_page_names Wikipedia:MediaWiki order of page names] | |||
[[Category:Wiki guidelines|Manual of Style]] | [[Category:Wiki guidelines|Manual of Style]] | ||