Help:Wiki University Contributors--Wiki Policies





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What is the Wiki?
The FamilySearch Research Wiki (Wiki) is a free, online genealogical guide created and maintained by FamilySearch, a non-profit organization. The Wiki provides links to genealogy databases, websites, resources, research strategies, and genealogical guidance to assist in the search for your ancestors. Wiki articles included are locality pages for countries around the world that contain topic pages which include pertinent genealogy record types explaining how to use the record, what it contains, and how/where to find it.

Here is a short video that previews the Wiki: Using the Research Wiki video

Why have Wiki guidelines and what are they?
Wiki is open to anyone who wants to use it and edit it. We desire that the Wiki be accurate and universally helpful for genealogical research and that it be free of offensive material. Published policies provide contributors with guidelines that assure article changes or additions meet with standards and formats practiced within the Wiki.

All contributors agree to abide by these guidelines. The following sections provide a short summary and link to three articles of importance:

Conditions of Use
When you were approved for login access to the FamilySearch website, you agreed to the Conditions of Use policy. The same conditions apply to using the Wiki website. The policy contains the following notices:


 * Privacy Notice: how your personal data is processed and used.
 * Terms of Use: restrictions on data submitted with respect to licenses, copyrights, trademarks, and other data protection agreements governed by law.
 * Submission Agreement: your responsibility and rights as a contributor.

Wiki Policies
We anticipate contributors will add relevant content to the Wiki pages they edit. To do so, one needs to know the purpose of the Wiki, who the audience is, and how that audience can derive benefits from using Wiki. Our Wiki Policies  address these concerns and serves as a guide in answering the following questions:


 * What is Wiki and who maintains it?
 * What kind of content is allowed or not allowed in the Wiki?
 * What kind of behaviors are not allowed and how are disputes handled?

Manual of Style
A Wiki Manual of Style  (or style guide) is a set of standards used for the design and writing of Wiki articles. The guide provides directon for visual and technical aspects, as well as, prose style, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and Wiki etiquette. The consistent use of style guidelines provides uniformity in style and formatting of Wiki articles, making them easier for readers to understand and use.

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