- Proper Spelling and Grammar are mandatory Any author who does not take the effort to use proper spelling and mechanics in their article will have their article denied, and possibly outright deleted. Remember that articles are examples of quality content; write them as you would an English paper.
- There is a 500 word minimum
- Cite your sources
- Formatting
- Image formatting
- Always revise your own work
- Research is the author's responsibility
- Materials consisting of copyrighted material must have the original author's expressed consent and release to ZPI
- Content must always follow site rules
- During the editing process Reading the Guidelines for Editors page will give a rough overview of the editing process, and how authors will work with editors while publishing a submitted article. From the author side of the process, the editorial staff asks that when writing an article, authors keep a few things in mind:
- Writing an article takes time. If you won't be around for the editorial process, your article won't get published.
- Editors have an agenda of their own. We try to get articles published within two weeks of being submitted. If there are real life issues, we understand, but we also request that authors are as diligent as possible when updating articles.
- Communicate with editors. If there are issues that prevent continued work on an article, let editors know that progress may be stalled. If you disagree with a suggestion, let the editor know why. Also, it's helpful to let editors know when suggested revisions are complete.
- After Being Published Authors wishing to update their article in the future may do so of their own free will. The editing staff asks that you inform the editor of your article of such changes in order to keep the staff informed as well as ensuring articles remain error-free.
A good 500 words is an excellent start to sharing an idea.
A three source minimum is requested in order to convey dynamic and unbiased information and to clarify a submitting author's concepts. When citing sources, we recommend use of the [sup](number goes here)[/sup] tags to footnote sources for reader edification. For example, this is how citing this sentence would look.1 Marking citations in this way prevents potential accusations of plagiarism(however, the use of tags isn't necessary; a (1) will do just as well). The cited sources section can be in whatever format you wish, provided it provides enough information. Online sources need only a link, but printed materials should have a title, author, and if applicable, a version, journal, and/or volume number. Also include when you found the information.
[1] This is how a cited source would look if it were a link. "Otherwise, this would be a title." Author, This is. Journal of Examples, Vol/Issue 1. Version: 01. (Exact format isn't important here. Just make sure the information is all there.)
It is suggested that one uses credible sources for the material they present. For example, the use of the Zombie Survival Guide is considered both controversial and laughable as a source. The use of Wikipedia as a source is not prohibited; however, if one chooses to use it, they should verify the source of whatever information they find. Wiki's and other such sites which allow content editing by users should never be a sole source of information. If using a wiki, when citing the source, please also state when the information was accessed. For example: Wikipedia: Clayton, North Carolina. Cited at 10pm, June 2nd, 2010.
Listed below you'll find a list of acceptable sources:
-Encyclopedias
-Dictionaries
-Thesauruses
-Periodicals, such as newspapers, magazines, journals, interviews and newsfeeds (Associated Press, etc.)
-reputable online sources, i.e. Wikipedia, Webster's, etc.
-books and book chapters
-essays
-research abstracts
-unpublished materials or manuscripts can only be cited if backed with substantial respresentation of fact and data, whether unpublished manuscripts, a submitted manuscript for publication or unpublished raw data
-conferences
-ERIC documents (Educational Resources Information Center)
-any reputable information or media in the public domain, like the Library of Congress archived materials
-audio/video commentary with the proper citation
Not sure how to cite your source? We recommend the APA Citation Style. If you have any questions or need help in citing a source properly, consult any of the Editing Staff.
Colored text is reserved for revision purposes only. While the use of bold, italics and underlining are at the discretion of the author, it is strongly encouraged to use them only as necessary for emphasis and other formatting needs. Articles should be written in third person for ease of comprehension, however, How-To articles can be written in second person as the information conveyed is instructional rather than just purely informational. The use of good grammar and spelling cannot be stressed enough, and the use of effective layout and styling are strongly encouraged. Any material that lacks clarity and comprehension may warrant a rewrite prior to review.
Images within articles should not be more than 800x800 at the most. Placement of the images in relation to the information of the article may be adjusted for clarity. To cite images properly, use a title HMTL tag to state the source as an alt tag and link to the image's source. Note that some images require permission in order to use them; if this is necessary, you must obtain said permission and provide some sort of proof that said permission has been obtained.
Further explanation of image citations
Image is formatted as a hyperlink to the original source and displays an alt tag containing a link to the original source.
The ALT attribuite does NOT work with the anchor tag.
When an anchor surrounds an image tag that contains an alt attribute, the anchor is given presidence and only the hyperlink and image come through. The TITLE attribute must be used.
(This is the code used for the above picture. All < have been replaced with [ so you can see it here. The work around is in bold.)
[a href="http://www.the-goldenrule.name/Baptism-Cotytto/Bapt_Other-language-translations_files/image010.jpg"]
[img src="http://www.the-goldenrule.name/Baptism-Cotytto/Bapt_Other-language-translations_files/image010.jpg"
title="http://www.the-goldenrule.name"
width="339" height="323"]
[/img]
[/a]
The title attributes format is this:
title="...."
If this is confusing, editors can assist you during the editing process.
While an Editor will be involved in the revision process, it is ultimately the author's duty to correct all format, style, spelling, grammar and other errors. The Editor's role is merely to facilitate the needs of an author while making sure the information s/he presents is viable as suitable content. Editors will assist authors with formatting and some content needs, but most of the work must fall on the author. Editors may reserve the right to publish the material until all content issues are resolved.
The only research Editors will be expected to do is to verify and research sources provided. If an Editor chooses to aid the author with resources, that is their prerogative. It just should not be expected. If an author seeks any assistance with sources, the Editor may invoke the expertise of a member who is more seasoned in the subject matter.
Copyright infringement is a serious issue. It is the author's responsibility either to prove the information and other materials they present is of their own composition or to gain an original author's permission to use his/her work. More can be learned here about copyright and how it affects you.
Proof of permission or authorship is required upon request. A time-stamped electronic document, a fax or mailed copy of the typewritten release with letterhead may be sought to ensure such proof. The original author's full legal name, address and contact number must be included in this information for verification purposes. This document should be sent to the head of the Editorial Department by the contact information provided below in resources. Those providing falsified documentation or information could be subject to denial of publication and/or disciplinary action.
All ZPI rules and moderation policies apply within article composition as they do in the forums. Excessive use of tasteless vulgarities and profanity has no place in sharing information in the community. On this note, posting pornography and advertisements is prohibited as is any unsuitable content. Any article posts that engender prejudice or disrespect of a member or group on the basis of sex, creed, race, age, religion, class, orientation or otherwise may be subject to admonishment by Site Admin as necessary.
Miscellaneous items:
- Repeat Articles:
There is no need for an article that repeats a large portion of content which another article contains. If two members post separate articles dealing with a similar enough topic, the two would do best to work together to compose an article which combines the information of both articles. Editors will do their best to resolve such conflicts when they arise.
- Rewriting Articles:
- Co-authoring articles:
- Writing Gear Review Articles:
Dated articles which could provide a substantial amount of new information can be rewritten. When considering rewriting articles, authors should contact the original author about collaborating with them on a rewrite(or simply revision if the author wishes). If the author does not want a rewrite to occur, they may deny that permission as well. If the author does not respond within one month, consult the editor staff about a rewrite. From there, a rewrite may be approved or denied depending on the situation. All old articles will be archived and linked to on the rewrites.
It is up to authors on how to tackle co-writing articles. Note that with certain issues pertaining to the article, the posting author will take role as "head author".
There are separate guidelines for writing articles for the Gear Review category. Please read over these guidelines before posting in the Gear Review category.
