CZ:Start Article

The easy way

If you don't like long instructions and you learn by doing, just type in the title of the article you want to start, and get to work! That is the kind of boldness we like.

Do use the search box (upper left) to check for related articles that already exist, though.

A longer way

Let's begin with the mechanical procedure of making a new page, for folks who haven't used the software before. If you want to follow along, open a new window or print out a copy of this page first.

1. Let's make a test article, not a real article. Start in the Sandbox. Notice the "edit" tab near the top of the page? You can click that. Go ahead and click it. That big text box that pops up is where you can edit the page, about as easily as you edit an e-mail.
2. To create a new article, all you have to do is type "test article" (or the name of the article you want to create), but place [[ and ]] around it, so you get something like this: [[test article]] That will create a link. (For pointers on article naming, see Topic Choice and Naming Conventions.)
3. Next, look (or scroll) down below the text box you're writing in. Look for the "Save page" button. Press it. Voila, you have edited the Sandbox! You have also created a link to an as-yet nonexistent article. On the Sandbox page, look for the text you added. It should be there as a red link.
4. Click on the red link. This pulls up another text box, just like the one you saw before, except that it is completely empty. So now you can go to town writing your new article. Then press "Save page."
5. Add the checklist. (If you're brand new to the Citizendium, you can skip this--someone else will help, and we don't want to overwhelm you.) Add The Article Checklist to the talk page.

When you start new pages, please make a habit of doing it from other pages, just as the above demonstrates. For example, if I wanted to start an article about a famous philosopher, I might add a link to the (as-yet nonexistent) page from the philosophy article. Then, to start the page, I click on the link I just added. Of course, a link to the page I want might already exist.

Using Subpages

For the hard way--which you'll learn eventually, but don't have to learn right away--see Start article with subpages. Or you can just get started with them--see Using the Subpages template or go right to the instructions.

Markup basics

When you work on your article, you'll be using wiki "markup." That's the code that makes text bold or italicized, that creates links, and other things. If you've never used this before, don't worry--it's not complicated!

There are just a few bits of code you need to learn, which you'll be using over and over again:

• To start a new paragraph, simply skip down two lines. Skipping down one line has no effect on presentation.
• To make text bold, put three single quotes around the text: '''bold'''
• To italicize text, use two single quotes: ''italicize''
• To link to a page, surround the text to be linked with left and right double brackets: [[link]]
• To make a link that points to an article that is different from the text of the link, you use a "pipe," like this: [[Biology|link]]
• To start a new section, surround the section title on both sides by two equals signs (flush left): == My New Section ==
• To make a bulleted list, precede a list item with * and make sure it's flush left: * My bullet point
• To make a numbered list, do the same but with #, like this: # My numbered point

Here's a handy hint: if you see some bit of formatting you'd like to replicate, click the "edit" button and look to see how it's done. This is how many of us learned the code--which, again, isn't hard!

See How to edit an article for a more complete list.

What's a good article like?

Here are some basics about content and formatting of articles. There are many small issues here, but here are a few important ones you should know about.

A good article satisfies many standards. It is an encyclopedia article, first of all, and it is accurate, neutral, coherent, comprehensive, well-written, pitched at the university student level, not original research, family-friendly, and legal and responsible.

Here are some essential points:

• Don't create "orphans"--i.e., pages that aren't linked from any other page. In other words, always create a new page by creating a link to it from an existing page.
• The article title should be lowercase unless it is typically written uppercase when used in a regular sentence. So: computational complexity theory; but American Chemical Society. Unless there is a compelling reason not to, articles about people should begin with the person's first name first, e.g., Albert Einstein.
• Copy and paste the following text onto the bottom of any new articles: [[Category:CZ Live]]. This adds the article to the "live articles" category (which you can view by clicking "Live articles" on the left). This helps mark articles we've actively worked on.
• The first use of the title word, phrase, or name should be bold. For example: "Biology is the science of life."
• Start the article with a definition, if it concerns a concept or general category, or else an explanation of what the person, place, event, etc., is best known for. For example: "Achillea is a genus of flowering plants, commonly referred to as yarrow, that are frequently used in garden borders and beds in ornamental horticulture."
• Link words and phrases (by surrounding the phrases with left and right double brackets: [[ ]]) where, and only where, the links are relevant to the point being made in a sentence, and where following a link will shed important light on the subject of the article.
• Remember that we employ a Neutrality Policy. The policy requires that we include all significant viewpoints on a subject, stated as fairly and sympathetically as possible. It does not mean that we take a mainstream, scientific, skeptical, or "intermediate/compromise" point of view; it means we write neutrally. So we "take a step back" if necessary, and describe any controversies fairly, rather than trying to settle them in any way at all.

For other tips, see Dozen Essentials, Approval Standards, and Article Mechanics.