WikiQueer:Tutorial/Keep in mind
Help index: Ask questions · Learn wikicode · View FAQ · Read Glossary ·
Live WikiQueer related help via web chat · Help desk · Reference desk · Tutorial
| Introduction | Editing | Formatting | WikiQueer links | Citing sources | Talk pages | Keep in mind | Registration | Wrap-up |
|
There are some things to keep in mind when editing WikiQueer.
Editorial policies
Subject matter
WikiQueer is an editable encyclopedia and resource hub specifically for and about the queer communities. Hence, articles should consist of encyclopedic information about "notable" queer subjects. What exactly constitutes notability is the subject of constant debate on WikiQueer, but in no case should there be (per WikiQueer rules) an article for every queer person on the planet, or for every company that sells anything to queer people, or for each street in every town in the world.
WikiQueer is also not the place for new theories that have not been published in a peer-reviewed medium. For more details about what WikiQueer should include, see What WikiQueer is not and Notability (people).
We also tend to discourage authors from writing about themselves or their own accomplishments, as this is a conflict of interest. If you have made notable accomplishments, someone else will write an article about you (eventually). WikiQueer:Autobiography has more detail on this.
Neutral point of view
WikiQueer's editorial policy is that articles must be written in "neutral point of view," often abbreviated "NPOV." This policy says that we accept all the significant viewpoints on an issue. Instead of simply stating one perspective, we try to present all relevant viewpoints without judging them. Our aim is to be informative, not persuasive. Our policy does NOT mean that our articles are expected to be 100% "objective," since in any dispute all sides believe their view to be "true."
It is okay to state opinions in articles, but they must be presented as opinions, not as fact. Also, it is a good idea to attribute these opinions, for example "Supporters of this say that..." or "Notable commentator X believes that..."
You might hear WikiQueer users referring to an article as having a "POV" problem. This is WikiQueer slang for a biased article, or one obviously written from a single perspective. Advertising copy would fall in this category, as would a political diatribe. In a less extreme case, an article might have "POV" problems if it spends significantly more time discussing one view than another view of equivalent significance, even if each view is presented neutrally, or if the article gives excessive coverage to a minor viewpoint.
If you are going to spend time on controversial articles in subjects like religion or politics, it is important that you read the neutral point of view policy page as soon as possible. You should probably also read the essay Staying cool when the editing gets hot. If you are going to spend your time on less emotional topics such as math, or video games, you should still read the policies, but it is a less pressing concern. Keep in mind the advice here, and read the full policy if an NPOV issue comes up. See also the NPOV tutorial.
Citing sources
WikiQueer requires that you cite sources for the information you contribute, preferably by adding a footnote, as discussed in the "Citing Sources" page of this tutorial. Citations help our readers verify what you have written and find more information.
If any websites would be of particular interest to a reader of an article, they should be listed and linked to in an "External links" section. Books of particular interest should be listed in a "Further reading" section, but only if they were not used as sources for the article.
Copyrights
Do not add copyrighted materials to WikiQueer without permission from the copyright owner. When adding information to articles, make sure it is written in your own words. Remember that all information found on the Internet is copyrighted unless the website specifically states otherwise.
English dialects
All common forms of words are welcome on WikiQueer. An abridged version of the policy here could be stated as:
- 1. Do not edit a page simply to "correct" a spelling that is correct in another language.
- 2. If the subject of an article is related to the U.S., then U.S. English is preferred:
- 3. If the subject is related to an organization using British English (UK, Commonwealth, Ireland, UN, etc.) then British English is preferred.:
- 4. If the subject is not a regional one ("astronomy," for example), the original contributor's usage should be followed. See American and British English differences if you have difficulty with this.
- 5. The usage should be consistent throughout an article, unless it mentions both US- and Britain/Commonwealth-related topics. In that case, Policies 2 and 3 prevail.
- 6. When you create a new article, generally the most commonly used title is preferred. A simple way of testing this is to try a Search engine test on one of the common search engines, and see what generates more results.
Conduct
WikiQueer encourages an atmosphere of friendliness and openness. Of course, in practice there are sometimes disagreements and even an occasional heated argument, but members of the community are expected to behave in a generally civil manner.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you should always assume good faith on the part of other editors. Do not assume that someone is acting out of spite or malice. If someone does something that upsets you, leave a polite message on the relevant article's talk page or on the user's talk page, and ask why. You may find that you have avoided a misunderstanding and saved yourself some embarrassment.
Creating articles
When creating articles on WikiQueer, try to take the advice given in the tutorial and to follow the policies mentioned here, such as neutrality. It is important to cite sources to establish the notability of the topic and make the article verifiable. You need to be registered to directly create an article in the encyclopedia, but if you are not, you can still use the articles for creation process.
Renaming articles
If you find an article that you believe is mis-named, please do not copy and paste the contents of the old article into a new article — among other things, it separates the previous contributions from their edit history (which we need to keep track of for copyright reasons). The preferred method is to move the page to the new name, you need to be registered for that. If it is your first move, please read the warnings on the move page carefully, as there are a number of issues to consider before moving a page. If a "disambiguation" page is involved, it is best to review WikiQueer:Disambiguation.
