Trustworthy, administrator
6,651
edits
Changes
m
SimilarlyTo add a citation or reference, you should avoid copying text from a enter the source such as between a website, book, magazine, or so on, '''<nowiki><ref></nowiki>''' and definitely shouldn't do so without acknowledging where you got it from''<nowiki></ref></nowiki>''' tag; by convention the reference follows any punctuation. If you do need to copy a section, you should make it very clear that it is a quote (e Thus '''.g. by italicising it), and by crediting the source. Otherwise, you should attempt to rewrite the information in your own words - this often makes for a better quality page anyway - and mention your sourcefollows any punctuation. This also means that anyone wishing to research a subject in more detail then knows where to start looking, and often a source of information for one <nowiki><ref></nowiki>Editing Tips page can be used <nowiki></ref></nowiki>''' would appear as a source for another...follows any punctuation.<ref>Editing Tips page</ref>
Update as of date
The SVR Wiki is a collaborative effort, and is open to anyone who wishes to contribute to it. After creating a user account by clicking on ... in the top right corner, and then logging in, you are then able to see the "Edit" button at the top right of any page - this allows you to modify the page's content. Edits will be saved when you hit "Save page" at the bottom of the editor. There is no need to be timid about editing, as each revision of a page is saved, allowing any accidents to be undone with a few clicks of a button!
== SVR Social Media Policy ==
As this site is run by a number of SVR volunteers, its content is bound by the railway's social media policy, even if you personally are not. In short, that translates to not making "spurious, mischievous comment and the like" that would damage the reputation of the railway, and would also include not revealing sensitive information about the railway. The policy is fairly open, and a vast amount of internal information about the railway has already been made public by the SVR (e.g. on [http://www.svrlive.com SVR Live]) - to date there haven't been any problems at all!
== Editing and Formatting ==
=== Linking external pages ===
If you wish to link to a page on another website, place its address inside a single set of square brackets, e.g. '''<nowiki>[http://www.svr.soco.uk]</nowiki>'''. As with internal links, you can display custom text, although the method is slightly different - simply place the text after the link, e.g. '''<nowiki>[http://www.svr.co.uk SVR Official Site]</nowiki>'''. This displays as [http://www.svr.co.uk SVR Official Site].
Please note that it is necessary to include the http:// at the start of the link - the wiki may not detect the address otherwise, and won't create the link.
In general, you should start a page with a short introductory paragraph, and only after that place a section - this is because the page title itself is displayed at the top already, so you would display two titles in a row! Additionally, the wiki will automatically generate a Table of Contents, listing each section, just before the first section - this is designed to go after the introductory paragraph. See the top of this page for an example!
The page should end with the following sections, where appropriate:
'''<nowiki>=== See also ===</nowiki>''' (with lower case "a")<br>
Links to other relevant pages within the Wiki
'''<nowiki>=== References===</nowiki>'''<br>
'''<nowiki><references /></nowiki>'''<br>
Sources of information (see Pictures, Sources, and Copyright below)
'''<nowiki>=== Links ===</nowiki>'''<br>
Links to external internet pages
The Table of Contents is automatically generated once a page has enough length and sections to warrant it.
===Categories===
A category page automatically generates a list of pages which have been assigned to that category. To assign a page to a category, add a link to the required category page at the bottom of the chosen source page. For example, adding '''<nowiki>[[Category:Rolling stock at Kidderminster Railway Museum]]</nowiki>''' to the page [[GWR 40362 PW Brake Van]] has resulted in a link to that page appearing on the category page [[:Category:Rolling stock at Kidderminster Railway Museum]]. New category pages can be created in this manner by entering a new category page name; category page names must begin with '''Category:'''.
Once a category page is created, other information such as an introduction may be added to it as required. The source page will automatically display the category at the bottom of the page, as can be seen in the Brake Van example. If the category is not to be displayed (for example category pages relating to ‘As of’ dates), this is achieved by adding the magic word '''<nowiki>__HIDDENCAT__</nowiki>''' in the category page. To include a link to a category page in the text on another page, the link should begin with a colon, for example in the paragraph above the link is typed '''<nowiki>[[:Category:Rolling stock at Kidderminster Railway Museum]]</nowiki>'''; without the colon this page would become a member of that category instead!
Pictures may also be assigned to categories in the same manner, they will then appear in file name order. However it may be preferable to include these using a manually created gallery instead as has been done on the KRM Rolling Stock category page; this allows the inclusion of externally linked images from Wikimedia Commons and also allows for captions to be used in place of the image file name.
=== Lists ===
=== Bold and Italic Text ===
Text between two apostrophes will be displayed in italics, e.g. "<nowiki>''Italic''</nowiki>", and text between three apostropes apostrophes will be bold, e.g. "<nowiki>'''Bold'''</nowiki>". These will display as ''Italic'' and '''Bold'''.
== Style Tips ==
=== Pictures, Sources, and Copyright ===
Before adding any picture to the site, please be sure that the owner of the picture is happy for you to do so. The Quite a few images online will have a free-use license specified (for example, all images on Wikimedia Commons and some on Flickr), and in cases where an image isn't already available, the vast majority of people will respond kindly to a simple request, as long as they are acknowledged as the picture's author. A list of authors who have given permission for their work to be used on the wiki can be found at [[permission for material use]]. If you are unable to get permission for a picture you've found online (e.g. because , the author's account is no longer active), an easy best solution is to create a link to the page with the picture on - it's slightly less pretty than having the picture itself, but it does avoid copyright issues!It is not entirely clear what the legal situation regarding the use of images that are hosted externally ("inline linking" or "hotlinking") is, as whilst this avoids uploading the image to our own website, the effect (i.e. the unauthorised display of the image) is the same. [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/305165/c-notice-201401.pdf UK Government Advice] is that this may infringe copyright, and we don't feel inclined to get involved in a court battle that sets the legal precedent that changes "may infringe" into "will infringe"! You should avoid copying text from a source such as a website, book, magazine, or so on, and definitely shouldn't do so without acknowledging where you got it from. If you do need to copy a section, you should make it very clear that it is a quote (e.g. by italicising it), and by crediting the source. Otherwise, you should attempt to rewrite the information in your own words - this often makes for a better quality page anyway - and mention your source. This also means that anyone wishing to research a subject in more detail then knows where to start looking, and often a source of information for one page can be used as a source for another.
Of course, not everything can be sourced, as not everything about the SVR was written down, especially in early days (both original and preserved). Whilst memory isn't always perfect, and stories change with each telling, we do still accept un-sourced material - it's preferable to have an ''almost'' correct record of an event than no record at all!
==== Files on Wikimedia Commons ====
For content on [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Wikimedia Commons], it is possible to use images and other items as if they were uploaded on this Wiki. A simple "Use this file on a wiki" button is provided on each image. All content on Wikimedia Commons is freely licensed, mainly under the Creative Commons license (see below).
==== The Creative Commons License ====
The Creative Commons (CC) license is a commonly-used license for work released online, allowing free use (and possibly modification) for the material, providing the author is attributed. In the case of the CC license, and possibly others, it is not necessary to place an attribution on each use of an image. Instead, if the file page contains the attribution information, then the fact that the image will link to its file page is suitable attribution, per the [https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Frequently_Asked_Questions#How_do_I_properly_attribute_material_offered_under_a_Creative_Commons_license.3F Creative Commons FAQ]:
:"''You may satisfy the attribution requirement by providing a link to a place where the attribution information may be found''"
==== Ordnance Survey Maps / Crown Copyright ====
Guidance on the use of Ordnance Survey Maps is given [https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/business-and-government/licensing/crown-copyright.html here]. In summary, Crown copyright exists in Ordnance Survey mapping for 50 years from the end of the year in which it was published. You can copy mapping that is older than this without a licence.
==== Permission for use ====
In some cases, permission has been obtained to use all or parts of a collection of material on SVR Wiki. A permanent record of such permissions is kept on [[permission for material use]].
=== Dating Current Events ===
When discussing the current situation regarding an engine, project, or similar, you should mention the date at which you're writing the comment, e.g. "as of October 2021, locomotive 12345 was being overhauled...". Preferably, you should use the format <nowiki>{{As of|2021|10}}</nowiki> which will be displayed as "{{As of|2021|10}}" and will automatically create a link to [http://www.svrwiki.com/Category:All_articles_containing_potentially_dated_statements the list of all articles containing potentially dated statements], which makes it easier for editors to keep the wiki up to date. If you use phrases such as "currently" or "at the moment", it can be hard for a reader to work out whether the information is still correct. A date may also encourage someone to add more up-to-date information at a later point in time, as they will be made aware that the page hasn't been updated for a while.
==References==
<references/>
