My Time at Sandrock Wiki:Manual of Style

The Manual of Style is the set of guidelines for producing exemplary articles with consistency, professionalism, and organization on Sandrock Wiki. The Manual of Style does not have to be followed, but it is recommended for success. All articles are subjected to the Manual of Style; articles not up to the standards will be revised to meet such standards.

To understand the Manual of Style, some guidelines will show correct or incorrect.
 * Correct will be colored green.
 * Incorrect will be colored red.

This Manual of Style is directly copied from Skylines Wiki. All attribution is given to the editor: Bermuda. Last revision: 24 September 2015

Language
The typical language of MTaS Wiki is modern American English. It is important to note that English is different among each English-speaking countries, where spelling and grammar usage, such as "color" in American English and "colour" in other versions of English, may mean the same but have different spelling. To remain consistent, we will be using the American English language, therefore "color" is the correct form.

Usage of non-American English requires the use of italics.

Formality
As a professional database, formality is a necessity. Grammar must be proficient level, yet understandable. Words and acronym need to be spelled out completely, unless otherwise noted. Slang and non-official abbreviation must be avoided.

Contractions must be written formally.
 * Incorrect: don't, won't, it's
 * Correct: do not, will not, it is

Furthermore, rarely shall the word "it" be used in an article as "it" is vague unless a subject is noted beforehand. The word "it" is not completely banned from the wiki, but we suggest using a more-appropriate, descriptive term in replacement.
 * Incorrect: It is colored red. (What is "it"?)
 * Correct: The stop sign is colored red.

Simplistic
Even though MTaS Wiki is a professional database, be as simple as possible. English is not always the first language learned; not everyone will understand each word. Use simple, clever words rather than words that are too complicated, or otherwise too confusing.

When referring to the player character, the player should be referred to as "they", "their", and "them", rather than writing "he or she" or the like. This allows the sentence to "get to the point."

Point of view
There are three types of point of view: The point of view of MTaS Wiki is third-person. Third-person writing allows for more flexibility, credibility, and objectivity. First-person and second-person should be avoided as it becomes narrative, directive, or opinionated (biased). As a professional wiki, information should be factual and unbiased (not favoring one or more sides) and should not narrate the writer or reader nor direct the reader to "take action".
 * First-person - uses pronouns that describe the writer/narrator (I, me, we, etc.)
 * Second-person - uses pronouns that describe the reader (you, your, etc.)
 * Third-person - uses pronouns that describe the subject (he, she, it, they, etc.)


 * Incorrect: I travel across the Eufaula Desert. (First person)
 * Incorrect: You travel across the Eufaula Desert. (Second person)
 * Correct: The player travels across the Eufaula Desert. (Third person)

Quotes and dialogue are exempt from the third person point-of-view rule, as these must be written as given.

Biased vs unbiased
MTaS Wiki is an unbiased source, providing factual information by being impartial, or "equal/fair", towards the subject rather than being biased by stating opinions, or "favoring one side", that can be argumentative. When an information becomes biased, it directs the reader to "join that side" instead of allowing them to "make their own judgment".


 * Incorrect: Gale is the best to befriend, because his perks provide discounts on purchasing land. (biased and argumentative, because it is insisting the reader to befriend Gale by stating he is "the best"; other readers may disagree)
 * Correct: Befriending Gale provides perks that allow for purchasing land at a discounted price. (unbiased, because it allows the reader to make their own judgment if they should befriend Gale; there is nothing to agree or disagree on as it is clearly only stating facts)

Capitalization
Capitalization is when all articles are subjected to sentence-case, where capitalization is written in a way it would be written in a sentence. Non-proper nouns need to be lowercased. Proper nouns or the first letter of a sentence need to be capitalized. Avoid unnecessary capitalization.
 * Incorrect: the ruins were Abandoned.
 * Correct: The ruins were abandoned.

Places in-game are treated as proper nouns. Names of items are to be capitalized for clarity.
 * Incorrect: abandoned ruins, stone furnace
 * Correct: Abandoned Ruins, Stone Furnace

Definite articles are the words "the", "a", and "an". Definite articles should not be capitalized, unless it is the first word of a sentence or title.

Conjunctions and prepositions should not be capitalized either, unless it is the first word of a sentence or title.

Numbers
In most cases, numbers need to be written out as words or as numerals depending on the situation.

Numbers from one to nine (1-9) need to be written out completely. Some exceptions apply:
 * Dates (ex: 1 February 2018)
 * Currency (ex: $9)
 * Or as noted by the editor, if appropriate

Whole numbers that can be said in two words or less can be written as words or numerals. Numbers that take more than two words to say should be written as numerals to get to the point.
 * Two words or less: 1/2 or one-half, 47 or forty-seven
 * More than two words: 487 (not four hundred eighty seven), 7.89

Numbers that contain five digits or more should be delimited for clarity by placing a comma after every third number starting from the right. Four digits with a comma is under the editor's discretion.
 * Example: 574,000 or 1,000,000

Article titles
Article titles follow the same rules as if it were a sentence - titles need to be written in sentence case. Exceptions apply if necessary.
 * All titles need to be capitalized properly. The first letter of each title and proper nouns should be capitalized.
 * Titles should be in singular form at best. If completely necessary to be pluralized, then exceptions may be placed.
 * Use parenthesis to distinguish articles with the same name but different purposes.
 * See section for more information

Article headers
Article headers, such as sections, should never contain links, images, nor citation. Headers follow the sentence-case rule. Headers may be singular or plural form, whichever makes sense.

Article bodies
The article body is the main content space of an article, including descriptive information, usage of various tools, and more.

Bold
Bold is the process of making a text appear like this. To bold, the text or texts should contain three single quote marks (') at each end. Do not use double quote marks (").
 * Example:

Bolding is commonly used for the first appearance of the subject's name.
 * Example:

Bolding should not be used for emphasis or attention-grabbing.

Italics
Italics allows texts to appear like this. To italicize, the text or texts should contain two single quote marks (') at each end. Do not use double quote marks (").
 * Example:

Italicizing is commonly used for emphasis, quotes, or for long works. Do not italicize surrounding punctuation marks or words that do not require it.
 * Incorrect: My Time at Sandrock
 * Correct: My Time at Sandrock

Links
Links should be added to the first appearance of a word, if applicable. Do not link the same word or name multiple times in the same article.
 * To add a link, add double brackets on each end. For example:
 * To link to a category or file, add a colon before the prefix. For example:  will be Category:Characters.
 * To link a category or file without the prefix, add a pipe  at the end. For example:   will be Characters.
 * Different names for links can be added for clarity if needed by adding a pipe  at the end of the article name and before the different name. For example:   will appear as "different name".
 * Be clear when adding links. Do not use a different name that puts the subject out of context.
 * Incorrect: This and this can be obtained from kicking an apple tree.
 * Correct: Apple and Aroma Apple can be obtained from kicking an apple tree.


 * Blend linking are endings added immediately after a link (without a space after the link). These endings will be included in the link. For example:  will appear as Apples.
 * Avoid linking unnecessary words or punctuation.
 * Incorrect: will appear as Masonis OR Mason.
 * Correct:


 * Captions in images should contain links if possible.

Section linking
Section linking can be used to direct the reader to the appropriate part of the page, rather than the beginning of the page. Section linking can be used on the same page or on a different page. Section linking is accomplished by placing a number sign  in the beginning of the link, after the opening brackets [[, or after the link name. However, to omit the   sign, you must use a different name.

If used on the same page, the  is added at the beginning of the section name.
 * For example, on this page, rather than, you can do   instead. Both accomplish the same task, but the latter is shorter and quicker.

If section linking to a different page, you must first include the page name followed by the  sign and lastly the section name.
 * For example, to link to the "History" section of Sandrock, use.

Files
Files are images, videos, or audio that help readers visualize the subject better. They should be high quality and pertain to the article. Avoid redundancy, irrelevancy, clutter, or otherwise unnecessary or obtrusive.

Articles do not need to have multiple images of the subject. If necessary, galleries can be used to place all relevant images together without cluttering the article body.

Additionally, follow these principles pertaining to files:
 * Avoid "sandwiching", or the act of placing text between two or more images.
 * Avoid "stacking", or the act of placing images on top of each other. If an image is right-aligned, the next image should be left-aligned, unless there is a clear amount of distance between each image.
 * When using bulleted or numbered lists, images should be placed on the right.
 * Images should be the right size - size should not exceed half the page's width or be too small to see.
 * Captions should be clear and to-the-point.
 * File names should be clear, appropriate, and named properly. If you can't find an image through the search, then the file name is not appropriate. Name the file in a way it is relevant, clear, and can be easily searched in the wiki.

Templates
Templates should be added when necessary and avoided where it would detract from the actual content. All infoboxes need to use the infobox tags.
 * The prefix  inside curly brackets   are not necessary.
 * Infoboxes should be placed at the top.
 * Maintenance templates, such as Template:Stub, should be placed at the bottom.

Trivia
Trivia are miscellaneous facts that are relevant to the article but do not meet the standards of being placed in the main body of the article.
 * Opinions are not allowed to be added. Opinions include but not limited to: "I think", "most players think", etc.
 * Do not be redundant. If the fact is already in the article, do not add it again.
 * All pertaining facts should be grouped together.
 * Do not add speculation.

Categories
Categories allow readers to navigate to different, related articles on the wiki. Add only related, relevant categories. Do not add redundant categories. Categories must be added at the end of the page, if typing in the page editor; if you are using the category tool on the right-hand side of the page editor, it will automatically put the category on the bottom.

To add a category, use the prefix  and an existing category page name. For example:.

Category pages
Category pages are the navigator pages of a wiki. They list all articles containing the category, allowing readers to read other related articles.

Like articles, category pages should be categorized under specific categories and should never be categorized under themselves.

Redirects
Redirects are pages that direct readers to another page if the initial page no longer exists or is applicable. Rather than being deleted, redirects help divert the reader to the correct page. For example, if the article was formerly named "City of Sandrock" and was changed as a redirect to "Sandrock", old links that had linked to "City of Sandrock" will redirect all readers to "Sandrock". You can also redirect to a section of a page, see section.

To create a redirect, add.
 * For example,

Indentation
To indent a line, add a colon  at the beginning of the line. For further indentation, add more colons.
 * This line is indented.
 * This line is indented twice.
 * This line is indented even more.
 * This line is back to one indentation.

Would result in...

Definition list
Definition lists begin with a bolded statement, followed by an indented statement or definition. Rather than using single quote marks to bold a line, use a semi-colon  at the beginning instead.
 * Statement
 * Definition
 * Sub statement
 * Sub definition

Would result in...

Numbered list
To add a numbered list, use a hashtag (#) at the beginning of a line. Do not separate each line with a space as it will break the numbering system.

Bullet points
To create bullet points, use an asterisk (*) at the beginning of the line. Do not separate each line with a space.