UniWiki:Manual of Style: Difference between revisions

Several of the above provisions are also applicable to table headers, including sentence case and redundancy. Table headers are often useful places for citations (e.g., the source of all the data in a column), and many do begin with or are numbers. Table headers do not automatically generate link anchors. ''(For more information see {{Section link|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Tables|Captions and headers}}.)''

For some elements of style, there is more than one format that is acceptable.  In general, editors should not change articles between acceptable formats unless there is some substantial reason for the change (unrelated to the choice of style or the preference of the editor), and edit-warring between optional styles is unacceptable.

* [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Citing sources#WP:CITEVAR|Variations of citation style]] (where applicable)

{{see also|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Spelling}}

The UniWiki prefers no major national variety of the language over any other. These varieties (e.g., [[Wikipedia:American English|American English]], [[Wikipedia:British English|British English]], etc.) differ in many ways, including vocabulary (''elevator'' vs. ''lift''), spelling (''center'' vs. ''centre''), date formatting ("April 13" vs. "13 April"), and occasionally grammar (see {{section link||Plurals}}, below). The following subsections describe how to determine the appropriate variety for an article. (The accepted style of punctuation is covered in {{section link||Punctuation}}, below.)

{{hatnote|See also [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Consistency|Wikipedia:Consistency]] for additional policies and guidelines on consistency.}}

* '''URLs:''' Changing the spelling of part of an external link's URL will almost always break the link.

{{main|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Capital letters}}

The word ''the'' at the start of a title is usually uncapitalized, but follow the institution's own usage ({{dothis|a degree from the University of Caille}}; but {{dothis|researchers at The Leisure Group}}).

{{main|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Abbreviations}}

In normal text and headings, the word ''and'' should be used instead of the [[Wikipedia:Ampersand|ampersand]] (&); for example {{dothis|January 1 and 2}}, not {{notthis|January 1 & 2}}. Retain an ampersand when it is a legitimate part of a proper noun, such as in ''[[Up & Down (album)|Up & Down]]'' or [[AT&T]]. Ampersands may be used with consistency and discretion in places where space is extremely limited (i.e. tables and infoboxes).

:''Further information: [[UniWiki:Manual of Style/Text formatting]]''

:''Correct'': {{dothis|<code><nowiki>The [[USS Adder (SS-3)|USS ''Adder'' (SS-3)]] was a submarine.</nowiki></code>}}

{{see also|Wikipedia:Line-break handling}}

Always insert hard/thin spaces symbolically (<code>&amp;nbsp;</code>, <code>&amp;thinsp;</code>), never by entering them as literal Unicode characters entered directly from the keyboard.

* Consistent use of the ''straight'' [[Wikipedia:Apostrophe|apostrophe]] ({{xt|&nbsp;<big>'</big>&nbsp;}}) is recommended, as opposed to the ''curly'' apostrophe ({{!xt|&nbsp;<big>‘ ’</big>&nbsp;}}). For details and reasons, see {{section link||Quotation marks}}, below.

: Do not use [[Wikipedia:grave accent|grave]] and [[Wikipedia:Acute accent|acute accents]] or backticks ({{!xt|<big>'''`'''</big>text<big>'''´'''</big>}}) as quotation marks (or as apostrophes). Likewise, avoid using the low-high ({{!xt|„&nbsp;“}}) or [[Wikipedia:Guillemet|guillemet]] ({{!xt|«&nbsp;»}}) quotation marks that are common in [[Wikipedia:Non-English usage of quotation marks|several foreign languages]]. Editors may see {{!xt|′}} and {{!xt|″}} under the edit window as characters available for insertion; however, these are [[Wikipedia:prime (symbol)|prime]] and double-prime symbols, used to indicate subdivisions of the [[Wikipedia:degree (angle)|degree]], and should not be used to mark quotations.

Typographical, or curly, quotation marks and apostrophes might be read more efficiently, and many think they look better. However, for practical reasons the straight versions are used on the UniWiki.

: {{dothis|"Why", asked Darla, "are you sleeping?"}}

The rules in this section apply to both round brackets {{xt|(&nbsp;)}}, often called [[Wikipedia:Bracket|parentheses]], and square brackets {{xt|[&nbsp;]}}.

* To make the grammar work. (Referring to someone's statement {{xt|"I hate to do laundry"}}, one could properly write {{xt|She "hate[s] to do laundry"}}.)

* If any sentence includes material that is enclosed in square or round brackets, it still must end—with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation mark—{{em|after}} those brackets. This principle applies no matter what punctuation is used within the brackets:

:: {{xt|She refused all requests (except for basics such as food, medicine, etc.).}}

:: {{xt|Clare demanded that he drive to the supermarket; she knew he hated driving.}}

Brackets inside of links require special handling:

If a URL itself contains square brackets, the wiki-text should use the [[Wikipedia:URL encoding|URL-encoded]] form <code><nowiki>http://</nowiki>example.site/foo.php?query={{xt|%5B}}xxx{{xt|%5D}}yyy</code>, rather than ...<code>query={{xt|&#91;}}xxx{{xt|&#93;}}yyy</code>.  This will avoid truncation of the link after <code>xxx</code>.

Use an ''[[Wikipedia:Ellipsis|ellipsis]]'' (plural ''ellipses'') to indicate an omission of material from quoted text or some other omission, perhaps of the end of a sentence, often in a printed record of conversation. The ellipsis is represented by ''ellipsis points'': a set of three dots.

: An ellipsis does not normally need square brackets around it, because its function is usually obvious—especially if the guidelines above are followed. Square brackets, however, may optionally be used for precision, to make it clear that the ellipsis is not itself quoted; this is usually only necessary if the quoted passage also uses three periods in it to indicate a pause or suspension. The ellipsis should follow exactly the principles given above but with square brackets inserted immediately before and after it ({{xt|Her long rant continued: "How do I feel? How do you {{em|think}} I&nbsp;... look, this has gone far enough!&nbsp;[...] I want to go home!"}}).

[[Wikipedia:Comma|Commas]] are the most frequently used punctuation marks and can be the most difficult to use well. Some important points regarding their use follow below and at {{section link||Semicolons}}.

* A comma may be included before a quotation embedded within a sentence (see {{section link||Quotation marks}} above).

A [[Wikipedia:Serial comma|serial comma]] (also known as an ''Oxford comma'' or a ''Harvard comma'') is a comma used immediately before a conjunction (''and'' or ''or'', sometimes ''nor'') in a list of three or more items: the phrase {{xt|ham, chips, and eggs}} includes a serial comma, while {{xt|ham, chips and eggs}} omits it. Editors may use either convention so long as each article is internally consistent; however, there are times when the serial comma can create or remove confusion:

**: Clearer: {{xt|The author thanked President Obama, Sinéad O'Connor, and her mother}}; or {{xt|The author thanked President Mary McAleese, Sinéad O'Connor, and her mother}}.

A [[Wikipedia:Colon (punctuation)|colon]] ({{xt|:}}) informs the reader that what comes after it demonstrates, explains, or modifies what has come before, or is a list of items that has just been introduced. The items in such a list may be separated by commas; or, if they are more complex and perhaps themselves contain commas, the items should be separated by semicolons:

No sentence should contain more than one colon. There should never be a hyphen or a dash immediately following a colon. Only a single space follows a colon.

:''For usage in marking up description (definition) lists, see [[Wikipedia:Help:List#Description lists|Wikipedia:Description lists]]''.

As seen in the examples above, a semicolon does not automatically require the word that follows it to be capitalized.

The meaning of a sentence containing a trailing clause that starts with the word "however" depends on the punctuation preceding that word. A common error is to use the wrong punctuation, thereby changing the meaning to one not intended.

|}

[[Wikipedia:Hyphen|Hyphens]] ({{xt|-}}) indicate conjunction. There are three main uses:

Hyphenation involves many subtleties that cannot be covered here; the rules and examples presented above illustrate the broad principles.

Two forms of dash are used on the UniWiki: '''[[Wikipedia:En dash|en dash]]''' ({{xt|–}}) and '''[[Wikipedia:Em dash|em dash]]''' ({{xt|—}}). Enter them as <code>&amp;ndash;</code> or <code>&amp;mdash;</code>. Do not substitute a double hyphen (<code>--</code>).

Sources use dashes in varying ways, but for consistency and clarity the UniWiki adopts the following principles.

Dashes are often used to mark divisions within a sentence: in pairs (''parenthetical dashes'', instead of parentheses or pairs of commas); or singly (perhaps instead of a colon). They may also indicate an abrupt stop or interruption, in reporting direct speech.

* Avoid: {{!xt|First—and most spectacularly—came the bishops—then the other clergy.}} Better: {{xt|First—and most spectacularly—came the bishops, who were followed by the other clergy.}}

The [[Wikipedia:En dash|en dash]] (–) has other roles, beyond its use as a sentence-punctuating dash (see immediately above). It is often analogous to the hyphen (see {{section link||Hyphens}}, above), which {{em|joins components}} more strongly than the en dash; or to the slash (see the section [[#Slashes|below]]), which {{em|separates alternatives}} more definitely. Consider the exact meaning when choosing which to use.

{{hatnote|Here the ranges are ranges of numbers, dates, or times. For other ranges, such as ranges of physical locations, see {{section link||In compounds when the connection might otherwise be expressed with to, versus, and, or between}}.}}

* {{xt|wavelengths in the range 28 mm – 17&nbsp;m.}}

Here the relationship is thought of as parallel, symmetric, equal, oppositional, or at least involving {{em|separate or independent elements}}. The components may be nouns, adjectives, verbs, or any other independent part of speech. Often if the components are reversed there would be little change of meaning.

Do not use spaces around en dash in any of the compounds above.

* {{xt|ex–prime minister Thatcher}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|pre–World War II aircraft}}

The en dash in all of the compounds above is unspaced.

Spaced en dashes are sometimes used between parts of list items. Below are two examples.

** {{xt|"Bird on the Wire"&nbsp;– 6:14.}}

Do not use substitutes for em or en dashes, such as the combination of two hyphens ({{!xt|--}}). These were [[Wikipedia:Typewriter#Typewriter conventions|typewriter approximations]].

For a negative sign or subtraction operator, use a minus sign: {{xt|−}}. Input by clicking on it in the insert box beneath the edit window or by typing <code>&amp;minus;</code>.

Generally, avoid joining two words with a [[Wikipedia:Slash (punctuation)|slash]], also called a forward slash or ''solidus'' ({{xt|&nbsp;/&nbsp;}}), because it suggests that the words are related without specifying how. Replace with clearer wording.

Prefer the division operator ({{xt|&nbsp;÷&nbsp;}}) to slash or fraction slash when representing elementary arithmetic in general text: {{xt|10 ÷ 2 = 5}}. In more advanced mathematical formulas, a [[Wikipedia:Vinculum (symbol)|vinculum]] or slash is preferred: {{xt|<var>x</var>^<var>n</var>/<var>n</var>!}}. ''(See {{section link|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers|Common mathematical symbols}} and [[Wikipedia:Help:Displaying a formula]].)

Avoid writing {{!xt|and/or}}: Instead of {{!xt|Most suffered trauma and/or smoke inhalation}}, write simply {{xt|trauma or smoke inhalation}} (which would normally be interpreted to imply ''or both''); or, for emphasis or precision, write {{xt|trauma or smoke inhalation or both}}. Where more than two possibilities are present, instead of {{!xt|x, y, and/or z}} write {{xt|one or more of x, y, and z}} or {{xt|some or all of x, y, and z}}.

Avoid using the {{!xt|[[octothorpe|#]]}} symbol (known as the [[Wikipedia:Number sign|number sign]], hash sign, or pound sign) when referring to numbers or rankings. Instead write "number", "No." or "Nos."; do not use the symbol {{!xt|№}}. For example:

|}

* [[Wikipedia:Full stop|Periods]] ("full stops"), [[Wikipedia:Question mark|question marks]], and [[Wikipedia:Exclamation mark|exclamation marks]] are [[Wikipedia:Terminal punctuation|terminal punctuation]]&mdashb;the only punctuation marks used to end English sentences.

** {{xt|The door flew open with a BANG! that made them jump.}} (Not encyclopedic, but acceptable in transcription from audio, or in direct quotation.)

In normal text, never put a space {{em|before}} a comma, a semicolon, a colon, or a terminal punctuation mark (even in quoted material). Put a space {{em|after}} these, unless they end a paragraph or are followed by a closing parenthesis, quotation mark, or similar.

The number of spaces following the terminal punctuation of a sentence in the wiki markup makes no difference on the UniWiki; the MediaWiki software condenses any number of spaces to just one when rendering the page (see [[Wikipedia:Sentence spacing|Sentence spacing]]). For this reason, editors may use any spacing style they prefer on the UniWiki. Multiple spacing styles may coexist in the same article, and adding or removing a double space is sometimes used as a [[Wikipedia:Help:dummy edit|dummy edit]].

Where a word or phrase that includes terminal punctuation ends a sentence, do not add a second terminal punctuation mark. If a quoted phrase or title ends in a question mark or exclamation mark, it may confuse readers as to the nature of the article sentence containing it, and so is usually better reworded to be mid-sentence. Where such a word or phrase occurs mid-sentence, new terminal punctuation (usually a period) must be added at the end.

|}

:''See also: [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Citing sources|Wikipedia:Citing sources]]''

A sentence that ends with a formula should have terminal punctuation (period, exclamation mark, or question mark) after the formula. Within a sentence, place other punctuation (such as commas or colons) after the formula just as if the text were not a formula.

{{main|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Chronological items}}

|}

{{main|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Numbers}}

* [[Wikipedia:Fewer vs. less|Fewer vs. less]]: In most cases, use ''fewer'' with [[Wikipedia:count noun|countable]] nouns and ''less'' with [[Wikipedia:mass noun|non-countable]] ones. However, ''less than'' (not ''fewer than'') is recommended before nouns that denote distance or time. For example, {{xt|I picked fewer than one hundred apples}}, but {{xt|we go on our trip in less than four weeks}}, and {{xt|he can run the 100 m in less than ten seconds}}, because the word ''time'' can be understood to be implied after ''less''. In short, if you'd count it, say ''fewer''. If you'd measure it, say ''less''.

{{main|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Currencies and monetary values}}

* In the context of the UniWiki, ISK is understood to mean "InterStellar Kredits", the in-game currency of EVE, as opposed to the Icelandic krona.

{{main|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Units of measurement}}

** When discussing in-game concepts (particularly drones), megabits (Mbits) should be used.

* For a negative sign or subtraction operator, use a minus sign ({{xt|−}}, Unicode character U+2212 <small>MINUS SIGN</small>). Input by clicking on it in the insert box beneath the edit window or by typing <code>&amp;minus;</code>.

* Variables are italicized, but digits and punctuation are not; only ''x'' and ''y'' are italicized in {{xt|2(5''x''&nbsp;+&nbsp;''y'')²}}. The [[Wikipedia:Semantic HTML|semantic HTML]] element {{tag|var}} can be used to distinguish variables from other uses of italics, as illustrated in the code example above.

{{hatnote|For thorough treatment of the English possessive, see [[Wikipedia:Apostrophe|Apostrophe]].}}

* For the possessive of most singular nouns, including proper names and words ending with a double-s, add ''<nowiki />'s'' ({{xt|my daughter's achievement}}, {{xt|my niece's wedding}}, {{xt|Cortez's men}}, {{xt|the boss's office}}, {{xt|Glass's books}}, {{xt|Illinois's largest employer}}, {{xt|Descartes's philosophy}}, {{xt|Verreaux's eagle}}).

: '''Exception:''' Abstract nouns ending with an /s/ sound, when followed by ''sake'' ({{xt|for goodness' sake}}, {{xt|for his conscience' sake}}).

: Apply just {{em|one}} of these two practices consistently within an article.

* For a normal plural noun, ending with a pronounced ''s'', form the possessive by adding just an apostrophe ({{xt|my sons' wives}}, {{xt|my nieces' weddings}}).

* For a plural noun {{em|not}} ending with a pronounced ''s'', add ''<nowiki />'s'' ({{xt|women's careers}}, {{xt|people's habits}}, {{xt|the mice's whiskers}}; {{xt|The two Dumas's careers were controversial}}, but where rewording is an option, this may be better: {{xt|The career of each Dumas was controversial}}).

* Official names (of companies, organizations, or places) should not be altered. ({{xt|[[St. Thomas' Hospital]]}} should therefore {{em|not}} be rendered as {{!xt|St. Thomas's Hospital}}, even for consistency.)

While certain topics and articles found on the UniWiki will be based on opinion, such as fittings or guides, UniWiki articles should be written in an impersonal voice and style, so never use ''I'', ''my'', or similar forms (except in quotations). This restriction does not apply to talk or user pages.

* The author's ''we'' found in scientific writing: {{xt|We are thus led also to a definition of "time" in physics}} (Albert Einstein); {{xt|Throughout the proof of this theorem we assume that the function ƒ is uniformly continuous}}. Often rephrasing using the [[Wikipedia:English passive voice|passive voice]] is preferable: {{xt|Throughout the proof of this theorem it is assumed that the function ƒ is uniformly continuous.}}

In general, writers should avoid addressing the reader directly by using the second-person [[Wikipedia:Generic you|generic ''you'']] or ''your''; it is often ambiguous, and contrary to the tone of an encyclopedia (see also {{section link||Instructional and presumptuous language}}, below).

* The [[Wikipedia:English passive voice|passive voice]] may sometimes be used instead: {{xt|Impurities are removed before bottling}}.

:''See also: [[Wikipedia:English plurals#Collective noun|Collective nouns]]

Some [[Wikipedia:Collective noun|collective nouns]]—such as ''team'' (and proper names of them), ''army'', ''company'', ''crowd'', ''fleet'', ''government'', ''majority'', ''mess'', ''number'', ''pack'', and ''party''—may refer either to a single entity or to the members that compose it. In British English, such words are sometimes treated as singular, but more often treated as plural, according to context. Exceptionally, names of towns and countries usually take singular verbs (unless they are being used to refer to a team or company by that name, or when discussing actions of that entity's government). For example, in {{xt|[[Wikipedia:England national football team|England]] are playing [[Wikipedia:Germany national football team|Germany]] tonight}}, ''England'' refers to a [[Wikipedia:Association football|football]] team; but in {{xt|England is the most populous country of the United Kingdom}}, it refers to the country. In North American English, these words (and ''the United States'', for historical reasons) are almost invariably treated as singular; the major exception is when sports teams are referred to by nicknames that are plural nouns, when plural verbs are commonly used to match. See also {{section link||National varieties of English}}, above.

:''See also: [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Writing better articles#Tense|Tense]]

Tense can be used to distinguish between current and former status of a subject: {{xt|Dún Aonghasa '''is''' the ruin of a prehistoric Irish cliff fort. Its original shape '''was''' presumably oval or D-shaped, but parts of the cliff and fort have since collapsed into the sea.}} (Emphasis added for clarity.)

=== Contractions ===

When the notions named by jargon are too complex to explain concisely in a few parenthetical words, [[Wikipedia:Make technical articles understandable#Write one level down|write one level down]]. For example, consider adding a brief background section with <code><nowiki>{{|main}}</nowiki></code> tags pointing to the full treatment article(s) of the prerequisite notions; this approach is practical only when the prerequisite concepts are central to the exposition of the article's main topic and when such prerequisites are not too numerous. Short articles like [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Stub|stubs]] generally do not have such sections.

:''See also: [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Creation and usage of media files|Wikipedia:Creation and usage of media files]]

* Captions for technical charts and diagrams may need to be substantially longer than those for other images. Captions for technical images should fully describe all the elements of the image and indicate the image's significance.

{{main|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Lists|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Embedded lists}}

*** '''Other elements''', they are formatted consistently in either sentence case or lower case.

=== Wikilinks ===

{{main|UniWiki:Manual of Style/Linking}}

One major exception to this guideline is when referencing in-game items that do not have an entry on the UniWiki. As of this writing, the UniWiki does not have an internal item database, nor does it have pages for most in-game items. Thus, in the event that a particular item must be referenced explicitly, it is acceptable to link to an available public database of items for this purpose. This should be done sparingly&mdash;most item references do not need to be linked.

=== Keep markup simple ===

This notation can be inserted with a single click in ''Wiki markup'', just under the edit pane in edit mode.

{{Reflist}}