User talk:Lembley/guide

Name a new article
Before creating a new article, take the time to think of a name that clearly explains in a few words the content of the article.


 * Unique titles. No two articles may have the same title.
 * A wiki search should be done for the proposed title to ensure that there is not an existing article with that title.
 * Avoid duplication of articles. If an article already exists for the same topic, contributors should edit the existing article rather than create 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. Remove any unnecessary words or punctuation.
 * Common terms. Titles should use common terms that users might search for. A well formatted 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.
 * You may want to run it by experienced wiki contributors.

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: Cemetery records for St. Joseph County, Michigan


 * Correct: Finding newspaper records


 * Incorrect: Finding Newspaper Records


 * Correct: Franklin County, Illinois Court House


 * Correct: Using GEDCOM files to share family history


 * Incorrect: FAMILY HISTORY CENTERS


 * Correct: Canada Ontario Births (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Although the above rules apply when creating an article title, other rules apply when citing sources. 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, Include the word "county" 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: Utah Salt Lake County Death Registers (FamilySearch Historical Records)


 * Correct: Canada Ontario 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: Birth records for Farmington, Utah, from 1890 to 1925


 * Correct: Orange County, California


 * Incorrect: Orange, California

Diacritics and quotation marks
In article titles, you may use words with diacritics 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: Finding newspaper records


 * Incorrect: 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 (moving) an article or page means giving it another name. In other words, the content on a page contained under one title is moved to a new page with a different title. The page is "renamed." Renaming an existing article may be desired if you find that the article title was misspelled or is ambiguous.

Geographical Names
A proposed style guideline Naming Conventions for Geographic Names is being discussed. Once a consensus is reached a guideline will be adopted.

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.