RationalWiki:Help/New Article

From RationalWiki

Creationism is good -- when it comes to words, that is.

So you want to create a new article?

First check that it doesn't already exist - search for the subject. You'll probably find that there are related subjects already there which you could add a contribution to. Don't forget to check off other other relevant namespaces in before re-searching^[1]. If you still think that you have a valid article subject, decide where you want to put it then - STOP.

Read RW's standards and What is an RW article

Once you have read and absorbed the RW ethos (such as it is) you are ready to start:

• don't begin your first edit in a wiki edit box; use an editor or word processor.
• decide on a title
  • this will be in large bold letters at the top of the page and also in any category you assign it to. So make sure it's relevant and spelled correctly. It'll take a sysop to mend it (sysops don't bite but you'll feel a little silly).
  • only use capital letters where "required" - this makes the article title easier to link to if it occurs in text elsewhere. E.G. this help file should have been called "new article" or "New article" not "New Article".
  • if possible, make your article title singular.
• type your words of wisdom.
  • it is customary for the first instance of the subject within the body of the article to be in bold type. Use three apostrophes before and after it to do this: '''word for bolding''': word for bolding.
• don't forget to include references.
• if your article is only a start on the subject and you believe that other input might help to improve it then include at the end: {{Stub}}. This will transclude (import) a box saying STUB and add it to the list of articles for expansion.
• All articles are patrolled at intervals by a 'bot' - an automatic program that, in this case, measures the length of the article. Articles below a certain length are presumed to be Stubs, and therefore to be in need of expansion, and will be categorised as very short articles; slightly longer articles will not be stubbed but will still be flagged. If you consider that an article, although very short, is not in need of expansion, a brief description of a topic with deeper reference elsewhere for example, then the expression: {{nostub}} should be placed on the page, normally at the foot, this will cause the bot to ignore the article. The expression will not be visible on the page. You should only do this if your "relatively short" article is fairly complete on its subject, is well-linked to the rest of the wiki, and properly categorized.
• whenever possible without exception you should put your article in a category. This is simple: add as many of these: [[category:the relevant cat]] as required, down the end of your page. A list of categories is at Cat list.
• [[RationalWiki:Help/Links|links are good, for references and explanations, but try to avoid links without valid targets, these are redlinks and are anathema. If you do create an article with red links it is considered good form to write a stub for the red links you have created.
• remember: apart from the "Essay" namespace, once you've clicked that "Save page" button it's fair game for anyone to edit, so make it purrfect (sic) before you Select, Copy and Paste.
• the easiest way to create the page is to "search" for the title using "Go" and click on "create this page". (Make sure your title's pretty though.)
• once the edit box appears, click on it and Paste your masterpiece.
  • Take note of the copyright © advice on the edit page^[2]
• please click for a preview first, check and edit, repeat as often as it takes before finally clicking Save
• within seconds you'll have typo, spelling, grammar and general nerdy geeks landing on it. Don't worry that no-one actually reads it for a while, if it's any good (or really bad) the talk page should open up sometime during the next few hours and keep you occupied.
• forget not: unless it's an essay, once you've saved it, it's not yours any more, your baby's left home.

[edit] References

1. ↑ There is a category (Category:Articles needing expansion) which is added to articles in need of expansion i.e. where the subject would be improved by application of some (your?) expert knowledge. Another category (Category:High priority) is of articles deemed to be in need of improvement.
2. ↑ Copyright material is OK only if you have the copyright owner's explicit permission to reproduce. If you have this permission it must be included either in the body of the article or as a reference.

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