View source for VistApedia:Policies and Guidelines

OpenVistA Wiki has some policies that have been proposed by the [[OpenVistA Wiki:administrators|administrators]] and generally accepted by the members.  Please read through the policies below to familiarize yourself with our common practices and rules.  If you have any questions, suggestions, or complaints, please post them on the [[OpenVistA Wiki talk:Policies and Guidelines|talk page]].

== General Policies ==
Remember that above all else, '''OpenVistA Wiki is an information source about OpenVistA'''.  It is a community that is solely devoted to the development of the OpenVistA database; it is not a chat room or discussion forum.  The [[Help:talk page|talk page]]s are specifically for discussing the writing of articles, and nothing else.

The following are general policies concerning the overall goals and functions of OpenVistA Wiki:

* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Editing policy|Editing policy]]: A guide on how to edit articles, and how to style them.
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Naming conventions|Naming conventions]]: How to name new articles.
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Disambiguation|Disambiguation]]: For potential article title conflicts.
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Image use policy|Image use policy]]: On the rules for uploading images.
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Copyrights|Copyrights]]: That unavoidable legalese...
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Etiquette|Etiquette]]: Useful advice for when disagreements arise.
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Deletion policy|Deletion policy]]: For when deleting pages becomes necessary.
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Redirect|Redirect]]: On the rules for using redirects.

'''See also:''' [[OpenVistA Wiki:Most common OpenVistA Wiki faux pas|Most common OpenVistA Wiki faux pas]] for some useful information for newcomers.

== Enforcement ==
For day-to-day operations on OpenVistA Wiki, enforcement can be handled by the general membership.  Simply pointing out each other's mistakes (politely, of course) is generally sufficient.

For problem cases, the [[OpenVistA Wiki:administrators|administrators]] may intervene and enforce a policy, or temporarily lock a page to let things cool down.

In extreme and unusual cases, the project founders, will step in to ban a user who has proven to be unusually disruptive.

'''See also:''' [[OpenVistA Wiki:Bans and blocks|Bans and blocks]], [[OpenVistA Wiki:Protection policy|Protection policy]]

== Specific Guidelines ==

=== General Guidelines ===
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Contribute what you know or are willing to learn about|Contribute what you know or are willing to learn about]] (and create stubs responsibly)
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Be bold in updating pages|Be bold in updating pages]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Strive for community solutions|Strive for community solutions]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Build the web|Build the web]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Make omissions explicit|Make omissions explicit]]

=== Behavior Guidelines ===
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Sign your posts on talk pages|Sign your posts on talk pages]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:No personal attacks|No personal attacks]] (and move personal debates to email)
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Log in before making drastic changes|Log in before making drastic changes to existing articles]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:No offensive usernames|No offensive usernames]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Bans and blocks|Bans and blocks]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Protected page|Don't protect pages unless necessary]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Be considerate to new members|Be considerate to new members]]

=== Content Guidelines ===
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Perfection is not required|Perfection is not required]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Define and describe|Define and describe]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Establish context|Establish context]] (instead of presuming too much knowledge)
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Explain jargon|Explain jargon]]
* Deal appropriately with [[OpenVistA Wiki:patent nonsense|patent nonsense]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Check your facts|Check your facts]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Cite your sources|Cite your sources]] (and use proper references)
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Make articles useful for readers|Make articles useful for readers]] (and consider the audience in writing)
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Avoid blanket statements|Avoid blanket statements]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Inform and entertain|Inform and entertain]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Describe external links|Describe external links]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Don't use external links where we'll want OpenVistA Wiki links|Don't use external links where we'll want OpenVistA Wiki links]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Find or fix a stub|Avoid and fix stub articles]]
* Use [[OpenVistA Wiki:Template|templates]] when appropriate.

=== Style Guidelines ===
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Manual of Style|Manual of Style]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Don't include copies of primary sources|Don't include copies of primary sources]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Avoid making your articles orphans|Avoid making your articles orphans]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Always fill summary field|Always fill summary field]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Follow highlighting conventions|Follow highlighting conventions]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Balance parts of a page|Balance parts of a page]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Do not use subpages|Do not use subpages]]
* Consider writing articles in [[Wikipedia:news style|news style]]

=== Miscellaneous ===
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Dealing with vandalism|Dealing with vandalism]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Editing the main page|Editing the main page]]
* [[OpenVistA Wiki:Editing MediaWiki namespace text|Editing MediaWiki namespace text]]