User:Mjb/Advice for Wikipedians

Advice for Wikipedians

I hate to be the grammar and style police, but there are some words you should never put in an encyclopedia. Among them:

• "legendary"
• "unfortunately"
• "interesting"
• "please"
• "national" without mention of which nation
• "not to be confused with"
• "it should be noted that"
• "note", "note:", "notice", "N.B.", or any other instruction to the reader
• "you", "your", "our", "we", or "us"
• "probably", "maybe", "likely", "could", or other indications of speculation

Scrutinize any use of "should"—in general, articles should make statements, not give advice. There are probably exceptions to this rule, though.

If you begin a sentence with "if", then it is sometimes better to make sure it also contains a "then", even if the sentence is understandable without it. Sentences involving lists tend to benefit from this.

People also use parentheses way too much. Never put a phrase in parentheses if it is crucial to understanding the text. Parentheses should only be used for asides and information that can be skipped without consequence. Commas, semicolons, and em dashes work much better for offsetting phrases that embody a tangential, but important thought. Sometimes, a fully separate sentence is justified.

I may update this page from time to time. — mjb