User:H*bad/Manual of Style

The Manual of Style (MOS) is a style guide that contains principles that should guide the writing of all articles on Halo Fan Fiction Wikia, and offers recommendation on particular article formatting, layout, and other general article components. This is a Sub-page by H*bad to create a better Manual of Style for the wiki. Note: This isn't Fanon for Noobs, but general Fanon layout.

General

 * 1) Please categorize articles and insert navigational templates appropriately.
 * 2) Please do not insert a heading, such as == Summary ==, if there is only a single heading within the article. Just don't put a heading until you feel the need to insert two, and then you may create two.
 * 3) Whenever inserting pictures in "thumb" format, such as [[Image:Random.jpg|thumb|left]], be sure to add a caption like [[Image:Random.jpg|thumb|left|Caption goes here.]].
 * 4) List all references at the end articles. It should not be:  Instead, use the reference tag if necessary, or else, write:
 * 5) Refrain from using slashes whenever possible. Instead, work the word "or" into the sentence, or figure out some other way of stating it.

Don't link to the current page
In other words, a page should not link to itself. If it is attempted, the link will simply turn into bold text.

Link once
A given page should only contain one link to any other page. If a page links to Captain Jacob Keyes in one place, then that should be the only link to Captain Jacob Keyes on that page. Typically this link should be the first instance of the term in the article.

Don't use conversational style

 * Check your spelling and grammar. Don't use internet slang (ex. "How r u?" or "c u 2nite"). If you're not 100% sure about the way a word is spelled, type it into Google or Dictionary.com. If you know that you're not the strongest speller, compose your edits in a word processor like Microsoft Word or use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome which has spell-checking built in.
 * Don't use "smileys" or "emoticons".
 * Don't "reply" to content others have posted. If you think a particular point warrants discussion, post on the article's Discussion page. If you're 100% sure that something should be changed and don't think a discussion is necessary, just change it. Dialogue goes only on articles' Discussion pages or the forum.

Don't sign your edits
All contributions are appreciated, but if every user left their mark on every contribution they made, the Wiki would be nothing but signatures. If you've made an edit that you're particularly proud of (such as a transcript or screenshot), the correct place to take credit is on your own user page. If you do not have a user account, we respect your anonymity, but your edits will remain anonymous, too.

Do sign your Talk posts
If you make a post on a discussion page, please sign it. If you have a user account, this is as easy as typing ~ at the end of your post. If you don't have a user account, just sign it with your name or nickname so everybody can tell who's who when reading long conversations. Even better, create an account anyway and use the signature method described. There really is no reason not to if you're going to stick around.