MormonWiki.org:Writing guide
cmonalbodo
[edit] Reference your work
Being a wiki does not relieve contributors from academic rigor. As much as possible, contributors must cite their sources and respect copyright.
It is, of course, preferable that you write articles in your words; however, sometimes we all find articles, webpages or books which just put it so well that we couldn't possibly improve upon it. In cases where this happens, you may want to copy that source directly. Before doing so, you must ensure that you have the relevant permissions. When copying the text, you should make it quite plain where you are getting it from, with a link or a clear reference in case of hard copy. You can use the {{reference}} template to achieve this, as in the following example.
- Portions of this material have been adapted from the Wikipedia article Joseph Smith.
{{reference}} ''the Wikipedia article [[wikipedia:Joseph Smith|Joseph Smith]]
Checking before copying, and referencing your sources, are not optional extras: they are part of a good Christian witness towards others who have put in hard work on articles, web pages and books, showing honesty and good manners in crediting those who deserve it. They also help to keep us on the right side of the law!
When you do add text from Wikipedia, make sure to put a note in the Summary field so that it can be referenced from the history of the article.
[edit] Citation Formats
We have not been consistent in the way we cite resources, references and/or footnotes. However, as we move forward we should strive for consistency. The following is from the Chicago Manual of Style, which also agrees with the Turabian Style Guide:
Bibliographic entry for Book, Journal article, and Website:
- Hodge, Alexander. Outlines of Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980. ISBN 0-310-26200-3
- Cowen, Stephan B. "Common Misconceptions of Calvinism" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vol. 33, No. 2 (June 1990): 124-130.
- University of Georgia, "Points of Pride," University of Georgia, http://www.uga.edu/profile/pride.html
Footnote entry for Book, Journal article, and Website:
- 1. Alexander Hodge, Outlines of Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980), 159.
- 2. Steven B. Cowen, "Common Misconceptions of Calvinism" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vol. 33, No. 2 (June 1990): 124.
- 3. University of Georgia, "Points of Pride," University of Georgia, http://www.uga.edu/profile/pride.html (accessed October 30, 2003).
