Editing Guide
When designing the layout on a wiki page it is impossible to ensure exactly what it is that a visitor to the site may see. Different computers, phones and other devices use different operating systems that make sometimes slight and sometimes extreme changes to the appearance of a web page. As contributors, all we can do is to ensure that the format we use is consistent and designed for ease of reading across the most devices. The following specifications have been chosen as methods of minimising the difficulties sometimes encountered in web-page presentation.
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Structure and Arrangement
As a simple matter of editing, it is important that any collection looks like a collection. This is achieved by applying a basic structure and arrangement to each entry. To simplify this, templates have been provided and can be accessed by the quick links box on the left-hand side of the screen.
For entries that do not fit the provided templates, the recommended structure and arrangement is detailed below.
Overview: [Do not insert a heading for this part.] This is a synopsis of the entry that must include the most important information that a visitor will need to determine if the information they seek is possibly within the entry.
Main text (with second-level headings): [Suggested headings – History, Artefacts, Innovations, The People, Legacies.] There are no firm rules about what should be included and how it should be represented; but the suggested headings draw on the highlighted features of the Ballarat and District Industrial Heritage Project – and any entries should be sympathetic to the existing themes.
Recommended Reading: [These do not need to be references used in the entry.] The purpose of this heading is to suggest source material that can be accessed at physical locations within Ballarat and District – to encourage researchers of all kinds to undertake hands-on experiences, rather than just using the wiki.
Internal Links: This list highlights other pages in the Ballarat and District Industrial Heritage Project that relate to the entry. Any significant links that are used within the main text should be copied to here and organised alphabetically.
References: [All entries must have references.] The nominated referencing style is Chicago style. See the entry further down this page for details of how to insert notations in the text and construct full citations for the different types of source materials that may be used.
External Links: [This must always be last.] When visitors click on external links they will be navigated away from the Ballarat and District Industrial Heritage Project. Choose external links carefully – consider the validity of the link as a source. External links are useful when a good source of information already exists – and save storage space for other entries to be made. Include a description or title for the link. (Not just the link.)
Formatting Specifications
Reading from a computer screen tends to be a highly different experience to reading from the pages of a book. Readers prefer to see more spaces, less words and careful use of font sizes, bold and italics that make it easy for them to skim the screen for the data they are seeking.
- Leave a blank line between paragraphs. (In the wiki edit screen this means leaving two blank lines between paragraphs.)
- Double-space after a full stop.
Block Quotes
Block quotes can tend to make a screen appear text heavy, often causing visitors to a page to leave without reading. To overcome this, block quotes should be placed inside text boxes that create signposts for readers of sections they can skip.'
Just copy and paste the following:
{| cellpadding=5 style="margin:7px 30px 0 30px; width:95%; border:1px solid #AA6633"
|- bgcolor="#fbfeff"
| INSERT QUOTE
|}
Establishment and Closure of Businesses
If dates of establishment and closure are known enclose in round brackets only.
- e.g. Phoenix Foundry (1857-1906)
If dates of establishment and closure are not known, but some dates are known use < or > to show that their could be earlier or later dates. i.e. If you know the dates 1914 and 1915 were active, but earlier or later dates were not known type <1914-1915>.
- e.g. The Economic Drapery House was included in a directory of Ballarat businesses published in 1887. This should appear on lists and headings as 'Economic Drapery House (<1887>).
Internal Links
In page view internal links appear as blue text. In edit view, they are represented by the use of double square brackets around the name or term that is the linked page title.
e.g. [[Phoenix Foundry]]
A wiki is only as effective as the internal links that are provided.
Remember to link to:
Then be sure to add the information to the linked page and create the reciprocal internal link back to your original page.
Thesaurus
For a well-recognised thesaurus of appropriate collection terminology, the Ballarat and District Industrial Heritage Project utilises the work of the Powerhouse Museum. Powerhouse Museum Thesaurus
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the use of someone else's words, thoughts, images, etc. without proper recognition their origin. All entries must acknowledge the source of words, data or ideas if they come from someone other than the contributor of the entry.
In the event that entries are based upon the contributor’s own memories – or the memories of someone they have conversed with – the appropriate measure is to reference the person whose memories are being recorded and the circumstances and date when those memories were shared.
External Links
For a searchable database of all available editing options - MediaWiki
--Beth Kicinski 16:25, 18 June 2012 (EST)