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Revision as of 12:05, 16 September 2015

This sub-section handles all the basics of creating an article and editing it.

The 6 basic rules of wiki editing

  1. All writing in the wiki should be formal, clearly written, and neutral in nature. Statements on subjective elements without proper referencing should be avoided.
  2. Text should be free of grammar and spelling errors.
  3. Text should always be written in the third person (i.e. never directly reference the reader).
  4. Research the topic thoroughly. Wikipedia and any search engine are the greatest tools available to a contributor.
  5. When in doubt, leave the field blank/unknown.
  6. Ask the moderators for help if needed. They will be happy to assist.

Creating a new article

Note that as part of the wiki's anti-spam measures, new accounts must make at least 1 edit to an existing page and wait 2 hours before new articles can be created or upload a new file.
  1. First, type in the name of the article to be created in the search box (for the wiki) and then press Enter.
    Creating Articles Guide Step 1.png
  2. If this article already exists, it will show it or show similarly-titled articles. If not, click the red "Create Article" link.
    Creating Articles Guide Step 2.png
  3. Type in the desired text into the text box and format the article nicely if possible. If not possible, do not worry; just pop onto IRC, and ask a mod for assistance.
    Creating Articles Guide Step 3.png
  4. Type in a Description for it (1).
    Creating Articles Guide Steps 4 and 5.png
  5. Click "Save Page" to save the article (2). To see what it looks like before submitting it, click "Preview".

Wiki markup cheat sheet

Editing a wiki is slightly more complicated than a standard content management system. There is no WYSIWYG ('What you see is what you get') view of the document, and all layout is controlled through 'wiki markup'.

Editing

Simply click on the "Edit Page" tab on the top of the wiki page. A new page with a text box containing the editable text of the current page will be presented. In this box, the desired text can be added in. The toolbar above the text box can help with formatting. It can also auto-generate common sections and elements of an article.

Tips:

  • Never start a line with a leading space unless the special formatting it causes is required. Paragraphs can be separated with a blank line.
  • When editing is finished, a short edit summary should be written up in the small field below the edit-box.
  • To see how the page looks with the proposed changes, press the "Show preview" button.

Minor Edit

A check to the "minor edit" box signifies that only superficial differences exist between the version with the current edit and the previous version: typo corrections, formatting and presentational changes, rearranging of text without modifying content, etc. A minor edit is a version that the editor believes requires no review and could never be the subject of a dispute.

Major Edit

Before engaging in a major edit, it is recommended that the proposed changes be discussed on the article discussion/talk page.

Once the edit has been completed, the inclusion of an edit summary will assist in documenting the changes. These steps will help all to ensure that major edits are well received by the community. A major edit should be reviewed to confirm that it is consensual to all concerned editors. Therefore, any change that affects the meaning of an article is major (not minor), even if the edit is a single word. There are no necessary terms the editor has to agree to when doing major edits, but the recommendations above have become best practice. If done in a style not consistent with the guidelines set out in the Editing Guide, the likelihood of the editor's work being revised will be higher.

When performing a large edit, it is recommended that the edits (before pressing the "save page" button) are periodically copied into an external text editor (preferably one without formatting, such as Notepad). This ensures that in the case of a browser crash, work is not lost. If substantial amounts of work is being added, it is also a good idea to save changes in stages.

Protected Pages

Some pages are protected from editing. These pages have a View source tab instead of an Edit tab. These pages can still be edited indirectly by submitting an "edit request" - an editor with the ability to edit the protected page will respond to the request. A request can be submitted by clicking on the View source tab on that page and using the "Submit an edit request" link at the bottom right.