This writing style guide should provide all of the basic guidelines for writing effective wiseGEEK articles. Perhaps the best way to get a sense of our style is to browse through some of our existing articles. Here are some good ones:
- What is the most humane way to euthanize a fish?
- What is a meme?
- What is chaos theory?
- What is a red eye tree frog?
- What is a scramjet?
- What is fuzzy logic?
- What should I bring on cruise trips?
Overview
Articles written for wiseGEEK are primarily judged on clarity, accuracy, and quality of writing. wiseGEEK articles should also be informative, useful, and accessible. The content should progress in a logical fashion so that it is easy to understand. Articles are expected to be well-written and contribute to the overall professionalism of wiseGEEK.
Each article must be written as a stand-alone entity. You can assume that the reader has general knowledge, but any specific details about the topic should be directly addressed in the article.
Length
Articles must be at least 400 words long and should address all fundamental aspects of the topic. There is no maximum length but articles that are 1,000 words long are probably too broad. If you can answer the question in less than 400 words, use up the remaining word quota with additional information that might be of interest to a person who would ask the question posed in the article's title.
Sentences
Sentence length should be varied to make the copy interesting. Excessively long and run-on sentences should be avoided because they are usually difficult to understand. Occasional short sentences and sentences separated with a semicolon are acceptable. One-word sentences - such as: Why? - should be used sparingly.
Technical Terms
Use of technical terms should be minimized, but they should be included when necessary. Complex terms should be clearly defined immediately following their first instance in any article.
Spelling
Proper spelling is required.
Examples
Examples are acceptable whenever they help make a point clearer. In an article about biometrics, for example, you could walk us through the life of an ordinary person to show how biometrics may eventually pervade our daily activities. Examples should not form the base or majority of your article; they should be used to illustrate, not answer or explain.
Dates
If a historical date is required, use the following format: 29 February 2004. You can also use specific time periods like "in the 1960s" or "beginning in the spring of 1947."
Timelessness
Articles should be as timeless as possible to ensure their accuracy over the long term. Please refrain from using phrases such as "2 years ago" because as the article ages it will no longer be accurate.
Units
If measurements are required, use imperial (US) units followed by metric units in parentheses. The metric conversion should immediately follow the imperial unit: for example, "These insects are typically 3 inches (7.6 cm) long." Please provide conversions for all units including temperature, distance, weight, volume, etc. You can perform unit conversions directly in Google's search box. You can consult their calculator guide for more information.
Monetary values should be expressed in American Dollars and formatted as follows: "$2,500 US Dollars (USD)." USD can be used in subsequent instances.
Acronyms
If acronyms are used, they should be defined in their first instance, followed by the acronym in parentheses, e.g., Short Message Service (SMS). Thereafter, you may use the acronym alone.
Paragraphs
The content should be broken up into easily-digestible paragraphs. Paragraph length should usually range from 3 to 5 sentences.
Plagiarism
Needless to say, plagiarism is absolutely not acceptable. All content must be original. Ideally, articles will be drawn from common knowledge, but any required specific information must be cited.
Sources
Whenever specific information (e.g., a quotation or a particular person's theory) is used, the source must be cited. General information does not need to be cited. Only reputable sources are suitable sources. If specific information from a reputable source is used, the content should be thoroughly rephrased. If rephrasing the content is not the most effective method for answering the question, or if the content of an article relies heavily on specific content from a particular source, the source should be cited. This Resource Citation Guide provides some details on how to cite a source using the MLA citation format.
Parentheses
Use of parentheses should be minimized. If a phrase is set inside parentheses, then it probably isn't that important (and can be omitted); if the phrase is important, then it shouldn't be in parentheses.
Language
Articles should be written in American English (e.g., airplane, not aeroplane; cookie, not biscuit).
Audience
wiseGEEK's audience, like the general Internet community, varies in such demographics as age, religion, politics, education, and citizenship. wiseGEEK articles, therefore, should usually be written to a general, international audience.
