WikiPilipinas:Write

1. WikiPilipinas is a Philippine Encyclopedia. Articles inside it are expected to be about the Philippines. Only Philippine-related contributions will be hosted in the website.
2. Same as with any other printed or online encyclopedia, the standard style of articles in WikiPilipinas is in formal third-person point-of-view.
3. Controversial materials about people, events, places, and issues should be written sensitively and objectively. Remember that if you add any information to an article, it is necessary that you mention your source. Unreferenced materials in WikiPilipinas are subject to deletion.
4. The best articles are well-written and well-researched. While it is recommended that you draw from as varied sources as possible, the best articles are those that have the most reliable ones. Remember that gathering a few reliable references is better than building a ton of undependable sources.
5. Be as responsible a writer. Do not plagiarize. If you are going to use another person’s words, works, ideas, research, or even recipes—cite your source.

What article should I write?

A: You can write any article covered by the 12 Knowledge Portals in WikiPilipinas. These portals are: Media and Entertainment, People and Society, Philippine Communities, Philippine Web Directory, Sports and Leisure, Government and Politics, Culture and Arts, Philippine History, Economy and Business, Geography and Travel, Science and Technology, and Religion and Beliefs. Explore the Portals to get an idea on the types of articles inside each. If you still cannot think of any topic to develop, try starting an article about something you can easily identify with, like your school, barangay, or company.

How do I write an article in WikiPilipinas?

A: The first thing you have to do before writing an article is to check if there is an existing one. You don’t want to create a duplicate article, so before writing anything, do a little research. Search WikiPilipinas to make sure that an article on the exact subject does not exist. If you find an existing article on your subject, you can still contribute by editing it. If you do not find an article, create one.

How do I start my own article?

A: In the search box on the upper left portion of the page, type the proper title for your article and click GO. If the Search page reports that no page of that title exists, click the “Create this page” link to start creating your article. After clicking the link, the site will bring you to the page where all articles are created and edited—the Sandbox. Type your article in the box. After finishing one or more parts of your article, it is a good idea to click the “Show Preview” button to check your work. If you are not happy with it, you can do content and lay out revisions in the sandbox. Once you have finished the article and are ready to publish it, click “Save Page”. (Only users can create an article. If you are not yet a user, REGISTER HERE.)

How do I edit existing articles?

A: Most articles in WikiPilipinas have an "edit tab" on its upper left part. If you want to edit an existing article, click the edit tab. It will bring you to the article's sandbox (which already has contents) where you can start your editing. Before you save your edits, remember that if you add any information to an article, it is necessary that you mention your source. Unreferenced materials in WikiPilipinas are subject to deletion.

How do I put a word in bold face or italics? How can I make it clickable?

A: As previously mentioned, the Sandbox is a place for typing articles in WikiPilipinas. Buttons found right above the sandbox are used for adding wiki syntax. To give you an idea of the wiki syntax, here are a few basic commands you can try:

Bold face

Bold face is used to provide emphasis or to signify the importance of a term. In WikiPilipinas, the subject title is most often the only term given such emphasis. To put a word in bold face, highlight the word and click the first button from the left (the button with the letter B). To do it manually, enclose the term you want to put in bold face with three (3) apostrophe marks.

For example, to put the word “Philippines” in bold face, type '''Philippines'''.

Italics

Italics is generally used to signify a change in context or language within an article. In WikiPilipinas, terms in languages other than English, titles of authored works, quotations, and unusual terminologies are customarily put in italics. To italicize a word, highlight the word and click the second button from the left (the button with the letter I). To do it manually, enclose the term you want to put in italics with two (2) apostrophe marks.

For example, to put the word “barangay” in italics, type ''barangay''.

Wikify

Making a word clickable in WikiPilipinas is called Wikifying. As the most distinctive feature of the Wiki platform, Wikifying makes related terms one click away from each other. Do not wikify every term. Wikify only the words you think are deserving of a separate article. To wikify a word, highlight the word and click the third button from the left (the button with an underlined Ab). To do it manually, enclose the term you want to put in bold face with two (2) square brackets.

For example, to wikify “Andres Bonifacio”, type [[Andres Bonifacio]].

A term successfully wikified appears in blue, meaning an article of such title exists in WikiPilipinas. If a wikified term appears in red, it means no article of such title exists, which means you can start the article yourself.

Where can I get sources for my article?

A: You can gather information needed for your article from print sources such as books, newspapers, magazines, and journals. Online sources can also be used as references provided the sources are reliable. Blogs, forum pages, fan sites, and single user-generated sites are usually not as reliable as news websites and online academic journals. If you want your article to stand out, use only the most reliable references.

Be Responsible

Sources, particularly those easily available online, are vulnerable to the practice of copy-pasting. Be a responsible writer, do not violate copyrights. To be safe, do not lift text from your sources verbatim. If you do need to use another person’s words, works, ideas, research, or even recipes in your article—cite the reference. Information, regardless of how big or small it is, should be attributed to its source.

How do I organize my article?

A: There are three basic elements to a good article; a good lead statement, a comprehensive body, and categories.

Lead Statement
The first paragraph read in a WikiPilipinas article is called a lead statement. A lead statement concisely describes a topic in as short as 5 to 6 sentences. A lead statement should be informative—it should provide the reader with vital pieces of information as quickly as possible. It should also be interesting—it should hook the reader from the first few lines. The best lead statements are those that not only describe or define a topic but also establish its the relevance.

Body
Articles in WikiPilipinas are fully developed and discussed in the body. The body of an article should comprehensive, cohesive, concise. For better article organization, use section headings. To add a section heading, enclose the title of your heading with two (2) equal signs. For example, to add the section heading "Professional Career" to the article on Manny Pacquiao, type ==Professional Career== before the section content.

For Articles on people, the suggested section headings are::

• Education
• Career or profession
• Highlights/achievements
• Affiliations

For Articles on places, the suggested section headings are::

• Geographic/Demographic information
• Historical background
• System of governance
• Landmarks

For Articles on organizations, and institutions, the suggested section headings are:

• Profile
• History of the institution
• Services/Projects/Products
• Highlights

Categories
Categories help users share and at the same time find information. They allow users to classify articles and compile them in a page. Articles that are 'tagged' with identical categories are automatically compiled in a category page. Clicking on the category tag of an article brings the user to the category page. Articles found inside a category page are expected to share a similarity or be related. Categories to be included, which serve as classifications, should be the most useful topics to which the subject of the article most closely belongs to as a member, and where users are most likely to look if they can't remember the name of the thing they are trying to look up. Every WikiPilipinas article should have at least two categories. Categories are customarily placed at the end of articles.

Categories are added manually. To put in a category to your article, type “Category”, then “:”, and then type the category you want your article to belong to.

For example, to add the category “Philippine Dances” to the article Tinikling, type [[Category:Philippines Dances]].

Will my contribution be accepted if it is just one paragraph long?

A: Yes. Long articles are not necessarily good articles. Short articles that are written and researched well are better than lengthy articles lacking substance. Incomplete articles—either lacking research, contributions that need to be developed are called stubs. Try to write a good short paragraph that says something about the subject. We welcome good short articles, called "stubs", that can serve as launching pads from which others can take off. If you don't have enough material to write a good stub, do more research before creating an article. To be expanded.