Cyber Nations Wiki talk:Style/Proposal

It is a policy of the Cyber Nations Wiki to attempt to make articles uniform, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to read. This Manual of Style should be used alongside to help format articles.

Naming articles
There are some rules regarding how articles should be named.
 * Article names should be in singular form, not plural, unless specifically refering to a group (Example: Names of Großgermania)
 * Unless the name of the article contains (or is) a proper noun, none of the words should be capitalized.

The name of the article should be bolded in its first usage in an introduction, as should any alternate names mentioned in the intro. These bolded titles should not have links within them.

Using the #
Do not use the # in a link unless you intend to direct to a section of that article with the title after the # as a section.

Headings
Use the  (heading) markup for headings, not the   (bold) markup. Example:



which produces:


 * This is a heading 

If you mark headings this way, a table of contents is automatically generated from the headings in an article. Sections can be automatically numbered for users with that preference set and words within properly marked headings are given greater weight in searches. Headings also help readers by breaking up the text and outlining the article.
 * Avoid overuse of sub-headings.
 * Never use a singular-mark heading.

Usage and spelling
Though the readers and editors of the Wiki speak many varieties of English, we mandate standard spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word usage, except in articles regarding locations, or topics specific to locations, that specifically decree another variety of English be used (for example when writing an article on a nation that uses ).

If a word has two acceptable variants in American English, the one that is considered "more American" is to be used. Such example is the spelling of judgement as judgment. The only exception of this rule is the spelling of words ending in -ogue: while dialog is an acceptable version of dialogue, the latter is preferred.

One exception to the American English rule is the use of the word "cheque" over "check."

Units of measurement
As with spelling and grammar, units of measurement should consistently use, except when an article specifically discusses a location or a topics specifically related to a location that mandates use of the. The exception to this is when making scientific references, whereby all measurements should be in the.

Capitalization of Ranks and Titles
A rank or title is to be capitalized if it refers to a person ("The President met with...") or a specific office ("It is the duty of the President to meet with other..."). The rank or title should not be capitalized if it refers to the rank itself ("A meeting of emperors, presidents, and governors..."). Therefore, an example sentence could be:


 * "It is the duty of the President to meet with other emperors, presidents, and governors, and that is why the President met with these people."

In such a sentence, the first "President" refers to the position of the President of a country, the "presidents..." refers to people holding the title of president in general, and the second "President" refers specifically to a specific President of a nation, such as President John Smith.

Italics
Italics should be used to refer to titles of books, movies, pamphlets, plays, stories, works of art, etc., or to a specific ship, airplane, or similar vessel.

Apostrophes and Possessives ending in 'S'
Nouns ending in 'S' should be made possessive by adding only an apostrophe ("The Beatles' record," "the states' rights"). When nouns end in 'X', editors may add either an apostrophe or an apostrophe-s, but articles must remain consistent throughout.