User:Mjb/Advice for Wikipedians

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[edit] 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", or any other instruction to the reader
• "you", "your", "our", "we", or "us"

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