Golden Rules for Creating an Article in this Wiki

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Artikel mit move auf den englischen Artikel-Namen für „Wiki:Golden Rules for Creating an Article in this Wiki“ verschieben/umbenennen. --Horemu 19:35, 26 October 2006 (CEST)

Observe the following golden rules, which should always be in the back of your mind when creating or editing a Wiki article.

1. Start by performing a search in this Wiki for keywords from the planned article. If an article already exists on the topic in question, extend the existing article rather than creating a new one.
2. If you think a new article makes sense, you must create it by adding a link in an existing article. Add further links to this article later if possible.
3. Give the article a suitable name. This should be as short as possible, but as long as necessary. An English article should have an English name, a German article a German name. Make sure that you use the same spelling for recurring terms. Do not use any unnecessary abbreviations or colloquial expressions.
4. Try to grab the reader's attention by writing an introductory paragraph at the start of the article. This should include a keyword in bold print and at least one return link.
5. If external content that appeared previously in other media or documents is to be included in the article, make sure that it is released and suitable for this purpose. Only include content that you yourself understand and reformulate it if necessary to suit the article.
6. Give your article a meaningful structure by using headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables. A long passage of continuous text is difficult to read and understand.
7. Only use links with a link text that differs from the link destination where absolutely necessary, as this may lead the reader astray. You should also avoid link destinations within articles, i.e. linking to article subheadings.
8. Do not create a document (e.g. PDF) in order to then offer it for downloading in the Wiki as the text it contains cannot be searched and will not be versioned. Instead create the document content directly in the Wiki.
9. Always use thumbnails when using large-format graphics in articles. The reader can then decide for themselves whether they want to view the graphic in full-screen format. You should also avoid graphics containing copious amounts of text where possible. Instead extract the text and use it as a description for the picture.
10. Strike a balance when saving changes to a page. Each time you click on Save page, another version is generated in the article history. Frequent saving inflates the versioning unnecessarily; infrequent saving poses the threat of unforeseen data loss.