User:Teryls/Sandbox/FS Manual of style

General Principles Respectful interactions: Comments and edits should be made with respect for other users and contributors. FamilySearch Wiki:Etiquette Guidelines

Alternate research techniques: 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 for finding alternate information or different 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 appropriate to the FamilySearch Research Wiki. Inappropriate content or links will be deleted.

Neutrality: Articles should be as neutral as possible. Descriptions should state facts and avoid negative or positive judgements. Using phrases such as "settlers from western Europe" rather than "poor, uneducated peasants" presents factual information without negativity. Avoid hype and exaggeration.

Simplicity: Writing should be clear and simple. When a term is used that may be unfamiliar to readers (for example, "gazetteer"), it should be defined the first time it appears in the body of an article as in this sentence: "In some areas newspapers were called gazetteers." 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 when English is not the user's first language.

Bylines Everyone can contribute to FamilySearch Wiki. Pages are not owned by anyone exclusively. Since anyone can work on a page, the original author of a page may see work expanded and changed by others. When a contributor adds to or edits a wiki page, ownership of the content is relinquished to the community. This relinquishment of content to the community is stated not only in a policy page but also in the editing screen everyone uses to add content. For these reasons, bylines are not appropriate on wiki pages. If information is added to the wiki from a specific published work, it is appropriate to cite that work in a footnote, but it is not appropriate to "retain ownership" of a page through use of a byline.

Grammar and Style Every contributor is important: Even though users may be concerned about their writing skills and may feel inadequate for the task, their contributions are needed. 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 original information intact. Consistent grammar style within an article: Grammar styles may vary by 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. 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 reader's native language. The command form (which has an implied subject) is considered a complete sentence.

Correct Parish records were kept from 1770 to 1932. Shorter sentences that express one idea: As much as possible, write with shorter sentences that express one idea. They are easier to understand, especially when English is not a user's native language.

Correct This is an index to some birth and christening records from Arizona. The records cover 1909 through 1917. The index is not necessarily complete for any particular place or region. Neutral tone: Writing should be factual and avoid stereotypes, judgments, and gender bias. However, quotes should not be changed to meet this guideline. If the quote has the potential to offend, find another quote. Avoid using “he or she": As much as possible, avoid using “he or she” and “his or hers" (for example, “He or she can use the index to find his or her ancestor’s record quickly”). Do not use the plural pronoun “they” to replace “he or she.” Often, the problem can be solved by rewriting the sentence:

Correct Indexes can be used to find ancestral records quickly. Avoid mixing pronouns and antecedents. For clarity, pronouns should be used correctly. If needed, rewrite the sentence or repeat the noun. Incorrect If a person wants to succeed in genealogy, you have to know how to search the records. Correct If you want to succeed in genealogy, you have to know how to search the records. Avoiding “we” and “I”: Contributors should not use “we” or “I” to refer to themselves and others in the wiki community.

Correct Differing opinions can be added to the Talk page to get input from the wiki community. Incorrect We want differing opinions added to the Talk page to get input from the wiki community. Ampersand (&): Do not replace the word “and” with an ampersand (&).

Exception If the ampersand is part of an official name, use the ampersand. Accepted authority: When there is uncertainty about grammar, follow an accepted authority such as the Chicago Manual of Style.

Using the Talk page: If differing opinions about a grammatical issue cannot be resolved by referring to an accepted authority, the opinions should be added to the Talk page for input from the wiki community.

Naming Name a new article Main article: Help:Name a New Article Before creating a new article, check to ensure that another article does not already exist for the topic. Unique titles: No two articles may have the same title. Avoid duplication: If an article already exists for the same topic, edit the existing article rather than creating a new article. Specific but short titles: Titles should be as short as possible but specific enough that users can identify the topic of the article when it appears in the search results. Avoid clever but unclear titles as they will be difficult to find using the search feature. Remove unnecessary words or punctuation. Common terms: Titles should use common terms that users might search for. A well chosen name for a new article can be very helpful to users and make it easier for search engines to guide users to the most relevant wiki article. Get input: Consider consulting with an experienced wiki contributor if you have questions. Capitalization in article titles In titles, use sentence-style capitalization, which means that only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized. (For some wiki capabilities, sentence capitalization is required.) Do not list words all in capitals unless the word is an acronym. Exception: The historical records collections in FamilySearch.org use book title capitalization. Correct Incorrect Finding newspaper records Finding Newspaper Records Cemetery Records for St. Joseph County, Michigan Cemetery records for St. Joseph County, Michigan Franklin County, Illinois Court House	Franklin County, Illinois court house Canada Ontario Births (FamilySearch Historical Records)	Canada Ontario births (FamilySearch historical records) Other rules apply when citing sources within wiki articles. See FamilySearch Wiki:Source Citation Format.

Place names Places listed in ascending order: If a city or county is listed in a title, at least the state, province, or country where the place is located should also be listed. The place is listed in ascending order (smallest place to largest). Unlike most genealogy software place name conventions, the word "county" should be included in the title of an article about a particular county.

Exception: The titles of historical records collections in FamilySearch.org list places in descending order. Correct Incorrect Cook County, Illinois Illinois, Cook County Canada Ontario Births (FamilySearch Historical Records)	Ontario Canada births (FamilySearch historical records) Places that have had different names or jurisdictions: If a place has had more than one name or been in more than one jurisdiction (county, state, province, country, and so on), the current name and jurisdiction should be used in the title. If the article gives information about the place only when it had a specific name or jurisdiction, use those in the title. Redirects can be used to make sure users will find the article regardless of the name or jurisdiction they search for.

Non-English place names: Generally, if a country is listed in the title, use the English name (for example, Germany rather than Deutschland). Search engines pull up a different list of articles depending on the place that is listed in the title. Redirects can be used to make sure users will find the article regardless of which spelling is used. Places and dates in titles: If the place, country, or time period is important to the content of the article, include them in the title of the article. Add the word "county" in the title if the article is about a county. Correct Incorrect Utah Birth Records, 1890 to 1925 1890 to 1925 Birth Records for Utah Orange County, California	Orange, California Diacritics and quotation marks: In article titles, you may use words with diacritics (symbols used in other languages) or letters that do not appear in the English alphabet. However, the search engine may not display the article if users search for the English version of the word. Quotation marks should be avoided in article titles. Punctuation in the title: Do not end the title with punctuation.

Correct Incorrect Finding newspaper records Finding newspaper records.

Abbreviations Abbreviations, including US postal codes, should not be used in article titles or text because abbreviations can mean different things in different parts of the world. For example, the abbreviation CA could mean either California or Canada, depending on the reader's nationality.

For more information about naming conventions, see also Help:Naming Conventions.

Italics In a title, italicize only the titles of books and ships. Rename an existing article Renaming an article requires moving the content of the article to a page with a different name. Articles may need to be renamed to correct an error, or to better state the purpose of the article. If it is likely that the page has been widely viewed and bookmarked, a "redirect" should be placed on the old article following the move. After the content has been moved to a new article, some old articles can simply be marked for deletion. Main article: Help:Renaming a page  Naming subheadings within articles Organizing information In an article, subheadings or sections should be used to organize the content and keep similar information together. Subheadings should help users scan an article to find the information they need.

Guidelines for subheadings/section titles Use the guidelines for article titles with the following differences. Once you put in a title it can't be changed by you but subtitles can be changed, removed and reorganized by you.

There are many templates that will help to organize a page. Two great examples: FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject County Page Template FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject U.S. Counties Use Help pages. They are guides to assist in the detailing of a page. An example: Help:Updating a Family History Center page Another guide that will help you organize a page is Headings for Articles about Records Then go to Editing the Wiki. This page gives many ways to add to your page and options to use. Punctuation Punctuation style. The rules of punctuation vary greatly (for example, whether a comma is placed before “and” in a series of items: red, white, and blue). Whatever style is chosen by the original contributor should be maintained throughout the article. Other contributors should follow the original style. Commas. Commas are frequently used at the end of introductory phrases and to separate the items in a list. In a list, a comma may either be used before “and” or left out. Whatever style is chosen by the original contributor should be maintained throughout the article.

Correct At that time, immigrants from Eastern Europe either sailed directly to the United States or changed ships in Liverpool, England, before sailing to the United States. Correct This collection includes birth, death, and marriage records. Correct This collection includes birth, death and marriage records. Commas with places. When a place is listed, each jurisdiction (governmental divisions such as country, province, state, county, and so on) is separated by a comma. In a sentence, a comma also comes after the final jurisdiction unless it ends the sentence.

Correct Bannow, County Wexford, Ireland Correct He was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, in an area that is now part of LaRue County, Kentucky. Incorrect Bannow County Wexford Punctuation in numbers. Use commas in numbers over 999 (for example, 1,000, 1,000,000, and so on). Use a period to indicate a fraction of a digit (for example .25, 3.76, and so on). Punctuation within quotation marks. English-speaking areas follow differing guidelines for adding punctuation within quotation marks (for example, whether the period is placed within or outside of the final quotation mark). When editing, contributors should follow the existing style in the article.

Correct Lincoln began the Gettysburg address by referring to the Revolutionary War, which occurred “Four score and seven years ago.” Correct Lincoln began the Gettysburg address by referring to the Revolutionary War, which occurred “Four score and seven years ago”. Ampersand. Do not replace the word “and” with an ampersand (&).

Exception If the ampersand is part of an official name, use the ampersand. And/or. Do not use “and/or.” Rewrite the sentence, or use just one word. If items are frequently together, use “and.” If items are seldom together, use “or.”

Correct Each record has a death and burial date. Correct Each record has either a death or burial date. Some records have both dates. Incorrect Each record has a death and/or burial date. Using a slash (/) between two years. Do not use a slash between two years unless you are writing an actual double date (see guideline 15.8). Use the word “or.”

Correct In 1530 or 1531, the parish boundaries were changed. Incorrect In 1530/1531, the parish boundaries were changed. Parentheses and brackets. Use parentheses around explanatory or alternate information. If the information in parentheses is a complete sentence, the period goes within the final parenthesis. (This sentence would be an example.) Use brackets [ ] to indicate words in a quote that have been altered from the original.

Correct 10 Vendémiaire IX (2 October 1800) Correct “All men [and women] are created equal.” Incorrect 10 Vendémiaire IX [2 October 1800] Quotation marks. Use double quotation marks around quotes and titles of articles rather than single quotation marks.

Correct For more information about these records, see “Australia Census.” Incorrect For more information about these records, see ‘Australia Census.’ The “#” symbol for the word “number.” The symbol “#” does not represent the word “number” in all cultures. Instead of “#”, use “number,” “No.,” or reword the sentence.

Correct The number 1 cause of war deaths was disease. Correct The primary cause of war deaths was disease. Incorrect The #1 cause of war deaths was disease. Accepted authority. Because of the variety in the rules of punctuation, this list of guidelines is brief. When there is uncertainty about punctuation, follow an accepted authority such as the Chicago Manual of Style.

Formatting Character Formatting Font

Regardless of the font you paste into the wiki edit screen, your work will be saved in the system's default font.

Bold

To be used in headings and the beginning of collection links to emphasis information, such as, dates and surnames. Otherwise, bold should be used sparingly. Italics

Use italics if a word must be emphasized. List book titles in italics. Do not use italics for quoted text. Underline

Because the use of underline indicates text with a hyperlink, do not use underline as a way to emphasize text. Do not underline book titles. Collection Links Below is a suggested way to format a database collection. This is especially helpful for listing collections on a Wiki page.

''' Example code: Display result:
 * DATE RANGE [URL DATABASENAME] at [URL WEBSITENAME] — index & images, ($)'''
 * 1880-1920 Sweden Household Examination Books, 1880-1920 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)

1880-1920 Sweden Household Examination Books, 1860-1947 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($) Additional guidelines:

Subscription websites should have: ($) You can add additional information at the end of the database line such as information regarding how complete the collection is, what it covers, or additional helpful information. Additional examples are listed below: Additional Examples:

1840-2004 Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840-2004 at FamilySearch — index and images 1840-2004 Montana, County Births and Deaths, 1840-2004 at Ancestry — index, ($) 1639-1962 New York, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index, ($) 1847–1848 and 1908–1936 New York, County Marriages, 1847-1848; 1908-1936 at FamilySearch — index and images 1908–1927 New York, County Marriages 1908–1935 at FamilySearch – index & images; marriage license index on film goes to 1935. 1801–1890 Barber Collection- Newspaper Deaths at Ancestry – Index, ($); information extracted from the "Brooklyn Eagle" and the "New York Evening Post." Source Citations There is no one way to create a source. You will find many sources in the reference section of wiki pages are using The Chicago Manual of Style, but all are acceptable. Below are some suggested formatting regarding citations.  Reference Bibliography When adding a reference to information within a Wiki article, use the following code:

Example wikitext code: Chile’s official language is Spanish. Display result: Chile’s official language is Spanish.[1] Adding References Heading You can add a heading 2 or heading 3 (whichever is more appropriate for the page) labeled, References at the bottom of the page and additional wikitext code to ensure the references appear under this heading. Use the following wikitext code at the bottom of the Wiki page.