Guidelines to writing articles - Revision history

Ant 222: Grammar correction

2016-09-01T15:49:54Z

Grammar correction

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:49, 1 September 2016
Line 10:		Line 10:

	==Creating New Pages==		==Creating New Pages==
	* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels ~~that~~ are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.		* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.

	* When naming a new page add a (game) suffix to the page name in case the same term appears in more than one game in the series. Some examples of how to name pages would be: [[Medi-Kit (EU)]], [[Research (TFTD)]] or [[Battlescape Overview (Apocalypse)]]. In cases of specific game names like [[Snakeman]], [[Lobsterman]] or [[Megapol]] avoid using suffixes for easiness of linking.		* When naming a new page add a (game) suffix to the page name in case the same term appears in more than one game in the series. Some examples of how to name pages would be: [[Medi-Kit (EU)]], [[Research (TFTD)]] or [[Battlescape Overview (Apocalypse)]]. In cases of specific game names like [[Snakeman]], [[Lobsterman]] or [[Megapol]] avoid using suffixes for easiness of linking.

NKF: /* General Rules */ Made the old term new again.

2013-10-16T05:05:10Z

General Rules: Made the old term new again.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:05, 16 October 2013
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	* You need to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles here as we had to put certain measures in place to reduce spammers.		* You need to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles here as we had to put certain measures in place to reduce spammers.

	* For consistency the proper way to refer to X-COM ~~on the wiki~~ is '''X-COM'''~~, not~~ XCOM~~, X-Com, XCom or any other variation~~.		* For consistency the proper way to refer to X-COM is '''X-COM'''. The original unhyphenated variant '''XCOM''' can be used for articles concerning [[Enemy Unknown (2012)]] and [[The Bureau: XCOM Declassified]] and future games where applicable.

	* Remember, these are only tips and guidelines. If you have a good reason to break any for your article, do so.		* Remember, these are only tips and guidelines. If you have a good reason to break any for your article, do so.

Ditto51: /* Creating New Pages */

2013-10-15T21:54:57Z

Creating New Pages

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:54, 15 October 2013
Line 12:		Line 12:
	* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels that are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.		* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels that are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.

	* When naming a new page add a (game) suffix to the page name in case the same term appears in more than one game in the series. Some examples of how to name pages would be: [[Medi-Kit (EU)]], [[Research (TFTD)]] or [[Battlescape Overview (Apocalypse)]]. In cases of specific game names like [[~~Skyranger~~]], [[Lobsterman]] or [[Megapol]] avoid using suffixes for easiness of linking.		* When naming a new page add a (game) suffix to the page name in case the same term appears in more than one game in the series. Some examples of how to name pages would be: [[Medi-Kit (EU)]], [[Research (TFTD)]] or [[Battlescape Overview (Apocalypse)]]. In cases of specific game names like [[Snakeman]], [[Lobsterman]] or [[Megapol]] avoid using suffixes for easiness of linking.

	==Writing Style & Page Content==		==Writing Style & Page Content==

Hobbes: added new guidelines about page names and categories suffixes and decided to organize the page; added the NPOV guideline for writing articles; please discuss changes to page

2009-11-27T18:55:28Z

added new guidelines about page names and categories suffixes and decided to organize the page; added the NPOV guideline for writing articles; please discuss changes to page

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:55, 27 November 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Here are a few tips to writing articles on the X-COM Wiki:		Here are a few tips to writing articles on the X-COM Wiki:

			==General Rules==

	* You need to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles here as we had to put certain measures in place to reduce spammers.		* You need to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles here as we had to put certain measures in place to reduce spammers.

	* For consistency the proper way to refer to X-COM on the wiki is '''X-COM''', not XCOM, X-Com, XCom or any other variation.		* For consistency the proper way to refer to X-COM on the wiki is '''X-COM''', not XCOM, X-Com, XCom or any other variation.

			* Remember, these are only tips and guidelines. If you have a good reason to break any for your article, do so.

			==Creating New Pages==
			* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels that are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.

			* When naming a new page add a (game) suffix to the page name in case the same term appears in more than one game in the series. Some examples of how to name pages would be: [[Medi-Kit (EU)]], [[Research (TFTD)]] or [[Battlescape Overview (Apocalypse)]]. In cases of specific game names like [[Skyranger]], [[Lobsterman]] or [[Megapol]] avoid using suffixes for easiness of linking.

			==Writing Style & Page Content==

			* When writing articles try to keep a '''Neutral Point Of View''' (NPOV) regarding its content and avoid personal references. And remember that any content you enter can and will be discussed, edited or changed.

			* '''Don't fret too much when deciding between American and British spelling variations of the same English words'''. It does not matter. Use whatever convention is comfortable and avoid editing wars by asking for spelling confirmation from the author. The best way to avoid a spelling dispute is to refer to its in-game usage.

	* Use capital letters when needed.		* Use capital letters when needed.
Line 11:		Line 26:
	* Use ellipses (...) as a last resort and only if it cannot be avoided.		* Use ellipses (...) as a last resort and only if it cannot be avoided.

	* ~~Make wikilinks to the names of aliens, equipment, etc. ''Don't repeat wikilinks'' within an article: turn the first reference into~~ a ~~wikilink, but leave the remaining references as "plain"~~ text.		* Do not write as if you were in a chat room or text messaging. Write out your words and use complete sentences.

			* Avoid emoticons.

	* ~~If you link~~ to ~~existing articles~~, ~~but they appear red~~ (~~page does not exist~~)~~, check to see if you are using the same spelling and capitalization~~.		* Always double-check your spelling, punctuation and grammar before submitting new articles or any major edits. This helps reduce future editing work. When submitting changes to an article (no matter how minor), first preview it, then save it. Previewing catches lots of common errors (like broken/wrong wikilinks).

	* Use section headings to divide your articles into manageable segments.		* Use section headings to divide your articles into manageable segments.

	* ~~Categorize articles~~.		* When submitting in-game images from any games in the X-COM series, kindly convert it to .PNG ('''P'''ortable '''N'''etwork '''G'''raphics) format. GIF's are also tolerable, but avoid JPEG's at all costs since it is a lossy image format that is suitable for photo-realistic images, but works very poorly with images with limited palettes such as used in the first three X-COM games.
			:*For PNGs, remember that the color depth of the image greatly influences the size of the image. Set to 16 million colours, the file size can be depressingly large. Where possible, game images saved as PNG should have the color depth set to 256 color (or lesser) to keep the size small.
			:*Consider also using a PNG optimizer such as [http://advsys.net/ken/utils.htm PNGOUT] to reduce the size even further. There may also be other optimizers out there.

			==Linking Pages==
			* Make wikilinks to the names of aliens, equipment, etc. ''Don't repeat wikilinks'' within an article: turn the first reference into a wikilink, but leave the remaining references as "plain" text.

	* ~~Always double-check your spelling~~, ~~punctuation and grammar before submitting new articles or any major edits. This helps reduce future editing work. When submitting changes to an article~~ (~~no matter how minor~~), ~~first preview it, then save it. Previewing catches lots of common errors (like broken/wrong wikilinks)~~.		* If you link to existing articles, but they appear red (page does not exist), check to see if you are using the same spelling and capitalization.

	* If your article contains too many links to the same articles, consider revising it and using a ''See Also...'' section at the end of the article.		* If your article contains too many links to the same articles, consider revising it and using a ''See Also...'' section at the end of the article.

	* '''Don't fret too much when deciding between American and British spelling variations of the same English words.''' It does not matter. Use whatever convention is comfortable and avoid editing wars by asking for spelling confirmation from the author. The best way to avoid a spelling dispute is to refer to its in-game usage.		==Categorizing Pages==

	* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels that are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.

	* ~~Do not write as if you were in a chat room or text messaging~~. ~~Write out your words and use complete sentences~~.		* Categorize articles. A list of existing categories can be seen at [[Special:Categories]].

	* ~~Avoid emoticons~~.		* If there isn't a category to fit your page you can easily create one by adding the <nowiki>[[Category:NAMEHERE]]</nowiki> at the bottom of your page. If the pages belonging to that category belong to a specific game add a game suffix to the name, such as <nowiki>[[Category: Alien Life Forms (EU)]], [[Category: Alien Life Forms (TFTD)]] or [[Category: Alien Life Forms (Apocalypse)]]</nowiki>

	* When ~~submitting in-game images from any games in the X~~-~~COM series, kindly convert it to .PNG ('''P'''ortable '''N'''etwork '''G'''raphics) format. GIF's are also tolerable, but avoid JPEG's at all costs since it is a lossy image format~~ that is ~~suitable for photo-realistic images, but works very poorly with images with limited palettes such as used~~ in the ~~first three X-COM~~ games.		* When adding non-canon material that is not in the games but that you've created yourself (such as fanfiction) please add the <nowiki>[[Category:Fiction]]</nowiki> tag at the end of the text.
	~~:*For PNGs, remember~~ that ~~the color depth of the image greatly influences the size of the image. Set to 16 million colours, the file size can be depressingly large. Where possible, game images saved~~ as ~~PNG should have the color depth set to 256 color (or lesser~~) ~~to keep~~ the ~~size small.~~
	~~:*Consider also using a PNG optimizer such as~~ [~~http~~:/~~/advsys.net/ken/utils.htm PNGOUT] to reduce~~ the ~~size even further. There may also be other optimizers out there~~.

	* Remember, these are only tips and guidelines. If it is necessary to break any for your article, do so.		==Talk Pages==

	* Try not to use the main articles as a chat page. Use the talk page of that page to do so.		* Try not to use the main articles as a chat page. Use the talk page of that page to do so.

	* Do sign your messages in Talk pages. Use four tildes <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> to insert your ~~handle~~ and a timestamp. Alternately, the second to last button in the edit box will insert this for you at the cursor.		* Do sign your messages in Talk pages. Use four tildes <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> to insert your username and a timestamp. Alternately, the second to last button in the edit box will insert this for you at the cursor.

	* When adding non-canon material that is not in the games but that you've created yourself (such as fanfiction) please add the <nowiki>[[Category:Fiction]]</nowiki> tag at the end of the text.

	==See Also==		==See Also==
	* [[UFOpaedia:Community_Portal\|Community Portal]]		* [[UFOpaedia:Community_Portal\|Community Portal]]

Hobbes at 21:38, 10 October 2009

2009-10-10T21:38:57Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:38, 10 October 2009
Line 3:		Line 3:
	* You need to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles here as we had to put certain measures in place to reduce spammers.		* You need to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles here as we had to put certain measures in place to reduce spammers.

	* For consistency the proper way to refer to X-COM on the wiki is '''X-COM''', not XCOM, XCom or any other variation.		* For consistency the proper way to refer to X-COM on the wiki is '''X-COM''', not XCOM, X-Com, XCom or any other variation.

	* Use capital letters when needed.		* Use capital letters when needed.

Hobbes: guideline regarding spelling of X-COM

2009-10-06T02:22:46Z

guideline regarding spelling of X-COM

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:22, 6 October 2009
Line 2:		Line 2:

	* You need to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles here as we had to put certain measures in place to reduce spammers.		* You need to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles here as we had to put certain measures in place to reduce spammers.

			* For consistency the proper way to refer to X-COM on the wiki is '''X-COM''', not XCOM, XCom or any other variation.

	* Use capital letters when needed.		* Use capital letters when needed.

Hobbes at 02:18, 6 October 2009

2009-10-06T02:18:58Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:18, 6 October 2009
Line 38:		Line 38:

	* Do sign your messages in Talk pages. Use four tildes <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> to insert your handle and a timestamp. Alternately, the second to last button in the edit box will insert this for you at the cursor.		* Do sign your messages in Talk pages. Use four tildes <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> to insert your handle and a timestamp. Alternately, the second to last button in the edit box will insert this for you at the cursor.

			* When adding non-canon material that is not in the games but that you've created yourself (such as fanfiction) please add the <nowiki>[[Category:Fiction]]</nowiki> tag at the end of the text.

	==See Also==		==See Also==
	* [[UFOpaedia:Community_Portal\|Community Portal]]		* [[UFOpaedia:Community_Portal\|Community Portal]]

NKF: Added note about setting the right color depth for PNGs - plus recommended the use of a PNG optimizer

2009-03-03T06:13:25Z

Added note about setting the right color depth for PNGs - plus recommended the use of a PNG optimizer

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:13, 3 March 2009
Line 4:		Line 4:

	* Use capital letters when needed.		* Use capital letters when needed.

			* Punctuation. Good punctuation clarifies and eliminates potential confusion.

	* Use ellipses (...) as a last resort and only if it cannot be avoided.		* Use ellipses (...) as a last resort and only if it cannot be avoided.
Line 19:		Line 21:
	* If your article contains too many links to the same articles, consider revising it and using a ''See Also...'' section at the end of the article.		* If your article contains too many links to the same articles, consider revising it and using a ''See Also...'' section at the end of the article.

	* Don't fret too much when deciding between American and British spelling variations of the same English words. It does not matter. Use whatever convention is comfortable and avoid editing wars by asking for spelling confirmation from the author.		* '''Don't fret too much when deciding between American and British spelling variations of the same English words.''' It does not matter. Use whatever convention is comfortable and avoid editing wars by asking for spelling confirmation from the author. The best way to avoid a spelling dispute is to refer to its in-game usage.

	* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels that are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.		* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels that are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.
Line 27:		Line 29:
	* Avoid emoticons.		* Avoid emoticons.

	* When submitting in-game images from any games in the X-COM series, kindly convert it to .PNG ('''P'''ortable '''N'''etwork '''G'''raphics) format. GIF's are also tolerable, but avoid JPEG's at all costs since ~~the~~ image ~~quality~~ is ~~not~~ very ~~good~~.		* When submitting in-game images from any games in the X-COM series, kindly convert it to .PNG ('''P'''ortable '''N'''etwork '''G'''raphics) format. GIF's are also tolerable, but avoid JPEG's at all costs since it is a lossy image format that is suitable for photo-realistic images, but works very poorly with images with limited palettes such as used in the first three X-COM games.
			:*For PNGs, remember that the color depth of the image greatly influences the size of the image. Set to 16 million colours, the file size can be depressingly large. Where possible, game images saved as PNG should have the color depth set to 256 color (or lesser) to keep the size small.
			:*Consider also using a PNG optimizer such as [http://advsys.net/ken/utils.htm PNGOUT] to reduce the size even further. There may also be other optimizers out there.

	* Remember, these are only tips and guidelines. If it is necessary to break any for your article, do so.		* Remember, these are only tips and guidelines. If it is necessary to break any for your article, do so.

			* Try not to use the main articles as a chat page. Use the talk page of that page to do so.

			* Do sign your messages in Talk pages. Use four tildes <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> to insert your handle and a timestamp. Alternately, the second to last button in the edit box will insert this for you at the cursor.

	==See Also==		==See Also==
	* [[UFOpaedia:Community_Portal\|Community Portal]]		* [[UFOpaedia:Community_Portal\|Community Portal]]

Zombie: Minor rewrite/update. Added note about PNG image preference.

2008-08-04T06:12:24Z

Minor rewrite/update. Added note about PNG image preference.

Ethereal Cereal: numerous minor changes

2006-07-08T04:42:11Z

numerous minor changes

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:42, 8 July 2006
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Here are a few tips to writing articles on X-~~Com~~ Wiki:		Here are a few tips to writing articles on the X-COM Wiki:

	* Remember to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles so that your contributions can be credited to you.		* Remember to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles so that your contributions can be credited to you.
Line 5:		Line 5:
	* Use capital letters when needed.		* Use capital letters when needed.

	* Use ~~ellipsis~~ (...) as a last resort and only if it cannot be avoided.		* Use ellipses (...) as a last resort and only if it cannot be avoided.

	* Make wikilinks to the names of aliens, equipment etc. Don't repeat wikilinks.		* Make wikilinks to the names of aliens, equipment, etc. Don't repeat wikilinks: turn the initial reference into a wikilink, but leave the remaining references "plain".

	* If ~~your links~~ to articles ~~that you know~~ exist ~~are not working properly~~, check ~~your spelling and that~~ you are using the ~~right naming convention~~.		* If you link to existing articles, but the links appear red (page does not exist), check to see if you are using the same spelling and capitalization.

	* ~~Categorize articles.~~ Use section headings to divide your articles into manageable segments.		* Use section headings to divide your articles into manageable segments.

	* Always try to double check your spelling, punctuation and grammar before submitting new articles or any major edits. This helps reduce future editing work.		* Categorize articles.

			* Always try to double-check your spelling, punctuation and grammar before submitting new articles or any major edits. This helps reduce future editing work.

	* If your article contains too many links to the same articles, consider revising it and using a ''See Also...'' section at the end of the article.		* If your article contains too many links to the same articles, consider revising it and using a ''See Also...'' section at the end of the article.
Line 19:		Line 21:
	* Don't fret too much when deciding between American and British spelling variations of the same English words. It does not matter.		* Don't fret too much when deciding between American and British spelling variations of the same English words. It does not matter.

	* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels that are available to you ~~- such as a~~ discussion ~~thread on~~ a ~~web forum, personal messaging, e~~-~~mail, etc~~.		* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels that are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.

	* Try not to write as if you were in a chat room or text messaging. Write out your words and use complete sentences.		* Try not to write as if you were in a chat room or text messaging. Write out your words and use complete sentences.

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:12, 4 August 2008
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Here are a few tips to writing articles on the X-COM Wiki:		Here are a few tips to writing articles on the X-COM Wiki:

	* ~~Remember~~ to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles ~~so that your contributions can be credited~~ to ~~you~~.		* You need to log on to your account before posting or editing new articles here as we had to put certain measures in place to reduce spammers.

	* Use capital letters when needed.		* Use capital letters when needed.

	* Use ellipses (...) as a last resort and only if it cannot be avoided.		* Use ellipses (...) as a last resort and only if it cannot be avoided.

	* Make wikilinks to the names of aliens, equipment, etc. Don't repeat wikilinks: turn the ~~initial~~ reference into a wikilink, but leave the remaining references "plain".		* Make wikilinks to the names of aliens, equipment, etc. ''Don't repeat wikilinks'' within an article: turn the first reference into a wikilink, but leave the remaining references as "plain" text.

	* If you link to existing articles, but ~~the links~~ appear red (page does not exist), check to see if you are using the same spelling and capitalization.		* If you link to existing articles, but they appear red (page does not exist), check to see if you are using the same spelling and capitalization.

	* Use section headings to divide your articles into manageable segments.		* Use section headings to divide your articles into manageable segments.

	* Categorize articles.		* Categorize articles.

	* Always ~~try to~~ double-check your spelling, punctuation and grammar before submitting new articles or any major edits. This helps reduce future editing work.		* Always double-check your spelling, punctuation and grammar before submitting new articles or any major edits. This helps reduce future editing work. When submitting changes to an article (no matter how minor), first preview it, then save it. Previewing catches lots of common errors (like broken/wrong wikilinks).

	* If your article contains too many links to the same articles, consider revising it and using a ''See Also...'' section at the end of the article.		* If your article contains too many links to the same articles, consider revising it and using a ''See Also...'' section at the end of the article.

	* Don't fret too much when deciding between American and British spelling variations of the same English words. It does not matter.		* Don't fret too much when deciding between American and British spelling variations of the same English words. It does not matter. Use whatever convention is comfortable and avoid editing wars by asking for spelling confirmation from the author.

	* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels that are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.		* If you are unsure about creating any new articles, or are having second thoughts about the content, discuss it with other article writers before proceeding. Do this through whatever channels that are available to you. The "discussion" (or "talk") pages of articles is a good place for this; [[Talk:Main Page]] is where site-wide editing issues are discussed. Users' individual Talk pages are also a good place to conduct editing discussions.

	* ~~Try~~ not to write as if you were in a chat room or text messaging. Write out your words and use complete sentences.		* Do not write as if you were in a chat room or text messaging. Write out your words and use complete sentences.

	* Avoid emoticons.		* Avoid emoticons.

			* When submitting in-game images from any games in the X-COM series, kindly convert it to .PNG ('''P'''ortable '''N'''etwork '''G'''raphics) format. GIF's are also tolerable, but avoid JPEG's at all costs since the image quality is not very good.

	* Remember, these are only tips and guidelines. If it is necessary to break any for your article, do so.		* Remember, these are only tips and guidelines. If it is necessary to break any for your article, do so.