FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject Iowa - Style and Guidelines

WikiProject Iowa Style and Guidelines

Project Guidelines
The following guidlines will be followed by the WikiProject Iowa members until end of the project, tentatively scheduled for Spring 2013.

Style
Style includes but is not limited to:


 * Headings (anything that would appear in a table of contents) match across all counties.
 * Heading levels: use levels three, four or five; avoid levels one and two
 * Order of presentation - matching other Iowa counties
 * Table of contents style or position - matching other Iowa counties
 * Image, table, or template positions or size; prefer sharp images relevant to the topic on the page
 * Italic for titles of published books
 * Bullets. Items under headings on county pages will be bulleted lists. Information describing the headings themselves will not be bulleted.*image, table, or template style
 * Internal link style
 * External link style including brief annotation. Prefer http:// links over https:// links. (take out the "s" from FamilySearch.org urls)
 * Use of standard Iowa templates

Citations and Sourcing

 * Please use the full Chicago Manual of Style footnote style (modified):


 * Author(s), followed by a comma
 * Title (book titles in italics)
 * Publication data in parenthesis:
 * - Publication place, followed by a colon
 * - Publisher
 * - Year of publication
 * - comma, and the the page number(s) followed by a period
 * Access information:
 * - link to free online copy, if any. IF a free online copy is available no further access data needs to be added.
 * - IF NO free online edition is available, then add:
 * - WorldCat template:.
 * - FS Library template:.
 * - Brief annotation explaining the content, or why, or how a reader would want to use the source.

Example of bibliographic entry in article:  As it appears on the page:


 * Carpenter, V.K. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850, Fentress County, Tennessee. (Huntsville, Arkansas: Century Enterprises, Genealogical Service, 1969). - Book online at Google books;

In wikitext:


 * :*Carpenter, V.K. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850, Fentress County, Tennessee. Huntsville, Arkansas: Century Enterprises, Genealogical Service, 1969. - Book online at Google books;

Example of bibliographic citation at the end of the article - using &lt;R&gt;: 

As it appears on the page:


 * P. William Filby, A Bibliography of American County Histories (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1985), 99–100. ;

In wikitext:


 * P. William Filby, A Bibliography of American County Histories (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1985), 99–100. ;

Links with Purpose
The Wiki is not a links repository. It uses links to support the genealogical educational purpose of a page or section of a page. Show and explain links with an educational purpose in mind. Annotate each external link briefly but well enough for the reader to realize what they will be getting if they click that link.

Seek out Local and Unique
Seek out local and unique genealogical search strategies, records, or repositories and explain them to readers.

Wording Changes
Before changing the saved wording of another team member who followed these rules you must get their consent (except for obvious minor typos).

Describe Each Edit - Summary
Describe each edit in theSummary field before clicking the Save button.

Non-compliance
Non-compliance will result in work being reverted, or changed to follow these rules.