Bharatpedia:Mos: Difference between revisions

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== Article titles ==

== Capital letters ==

Do not capitalize the first letter in a word or the entire word to add importance to it. For example, "aardvarks, which are Not The Same as anteaters" and "aardvarks, which are NOT THE SAME as anteaters" are both wrong. If a word needs to show added importance or emphasis, use italics ("aardvarks, which are ''not the same'' as anteaters").

== Italics ==

For italics, use the <code><nowiki>''</nowiki></code> (italic) markup on both sides of the text to be italicized. For, example:

=== Foreign terms ===

Foreign words or phrases that have common use in English — such as [[Gestapo]] and [[samurai]] — do not need to be italicized.  

== Punctuation ==

=== Quotations and quote marks ===

The guideline is to use the double-quotes ("&nbsp;") – they are easier to read on the screen – and use single-quotes (‘&nbsp;’) for quotations that are within quotations. Quotation marks that are next to each other should be separated by a space. This best way to do this is to type ''&amp;nbsp;''.  

* The items in the list can be presented using a formatted list.

The names of railroads and railways do not generally use the serial comma (for example, ''Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad''). This is also the standard for law firms (for example, ''Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom'').

=== Dashes ===

The en dash ({{ndash}}) used to show sequences and ranges, e.g. ''A{{ndash}}Z'', ''1999{{ndash}}2003''. The en dash is also used in compounds when the connection might otherwise be expressed with ''to'', ''versus'', ''and'', or ''between''. (Here the relationship is thought of as parallel, symmetric, equal, oppositional, or at least involving separate or independent elements.) For example, ''boyfriend–girlfriend problems''; ''the Paris–Montpellier route''; ''a New York – Los Angeles flight'' or ''iron–cobalt interactions''. In these cases, there are no spaces around the dash if it is separating single words. Spaces are added on both sides of the dash if the thing you are dashing has more than one word, e.g. ''north pole {{ndash}} south pole''.

=== Contractions ===

=== Slashes ===

The [[exclamation mark]] should not be used as punctuation, unless it is in a quotation. This is because exclamation marks are an expression of surprise or emotion that is not appropriate for a 'neutral' encyclopedia.

== Date and time ==

===Dates===

::{|style="background:transparent"

* In rare cases, a night may be indicated using a slash, like this: "the bombing raids of the night of 30/31 May 1942".

* '''Yearless dates''': Do not use dates without years ("5 March", "March 5") unless the reader can tell what the year is from the rest of the sentence or paragraph. It is all right to use yearless dates when talking about events that happen every year, like this: "January 1 is New Year's Day".

===Longer time periods===

==Scientific style==

*In articles about chemicals and chemistry, use the style of the [[IUPAC|International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry]] (IUPAC) for chemical names. In article titles, the common name should be used if it is different from the IUPAC name. The common name should then be followed in the article by the IUPAC name.

*In periodic table groups, use the IUPAC names (these use [[Arabic numerals]], not [[Roman numeral]]s or letters).

===Avoid first-person pronouns and ''one''===

However, it is sometimes okay to use ''we'' or ''one'' when referring to an experience that ''anyone'', any reader, would be expected to have. For example, although it is probably best to write, "When most people open their eyes, they see something", it is not wrong to write, "When we open our eyes, we see something". Using ''we'' in this case is much better than using the [[passive voice]]: "When the eyes are opened, something is seen."

==National varieties of English==

* '''The same spelling system and grammar rules should be used throughout an article.'''

For pages on the different varieties of English, see [[:Category:Dialects of English]].

==Big, little, long, short==

==Images==

:''For general help on how to use images see [[:en:Bharatpedia:Picture tutorial]]''

{{shortcut|MOS:IMAGES}}

**''Exception:'' Pictures of people with the head looking to the right can be left-aligned (looking into the text of the article). In such cases it may be appropriate to move the Table of Contents to the right by using <nowiki>{{TOCright}}</nowiki>.  

*If there are very many images in a given article, consider using a gallery. (Example: [[Valentine's Day]])

*The easiest "image markup language", or format for images is:

*Also a sentence fragment

Use numbered lists instead of bulleted lists only if you will be talking about the items by number, or if the order of the items is important (for example, you are explaining step 1, step 2, etc. of a process).

==Identity==

*If possible, use English words that subjects would use for themselves, to avoid using terms that may be pejorative (insulting). For example: The French people call themselves "''les Français''", but this term is not used in English, so they are called "the French".  

*Use more specific wording, where possible: People from Ghana (a country in Africa) should be described as "Ghanaian", not just "African".

;Main biographical article on a person whose gender might be questioned

:Any person whose gender might be questioned should be referred to by the pronouns, possessive adjectives, and gendered nouns (for example "man/woman", "waiter/waitress", "chairman/chairwoman") that reflect that person's {{em|latest}} expressed gender self-identification. This applies in references to any phase of that person's life, unless the subject has indicated a preference otherwise. Avoid confusing constructions ({{!xt|Jane Doe fathered a child}}) by rewriting (e.g., {{xt|Jane Doe became a parent}}). Direct quotations may need to be handled as exceptions (in some cases adjusting the portion used may reduce apparent contradictions, and "[''[[sic]]'']" may be used where necessary). Where there are two names, mention the earlier name of a transgender person if they were notable under that name. In other respects, the MoS does not specify when and how to mention former names, or whether to give the former or current name first.

===Formatting issues===

==== Color coding ====

==Linking to other websites==

{{main|Bharatpedia:Links to other websites}}

=== List of links at the end of an article ===

*[[:en:Bharatpedia:Avoiding common mistakes]] gives a list of common mistakes and how to avoid them.

*[[:en:Bharatpedia:Be bold in updating pages]] should define your attitude toward page updates.

*[[:en:Bharatpedia:Perfect stub article]] shows the minimum things that should be on a new article.

*[[Bharatpedia:Citing sources]] explains how to cite references in articles.

*[[Bharatpedia:Guide to layout]] is an example of how to lay out an article.

*[[Bharatpedia:How to write Simple English pages]] is a guide on how to write in Simple English.

*[[Bharatpedia:Words to avoid in Simple English]]

*[[Bharatpedia:Rules|Bharatpedia:Policies and guidelines]] is the main page for policies and guidelines.

*[[Meta:Reading level]] (discussion)

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<includeonly>[[Bharatpedia:Manual of Style]]</includeonly>