Wikipedia:Update/1/General style changes during March 2009

• Wikipedia:Avoid peacock terms
  • Added: "[it is] generally [unhelpful to prefix a fact or development with comments like] ... [“interestingly”, “ironically”, “surprisingly”,] "the researchers were shocked to find" or ..."

• Wikipedia:Avoid weasel words
  • Removed: "[Weasel words are] generally considered to be [words or phrases] ..."
  • Added to WP:WEASEL#Examples: "Clearly..."
  • Added See also link: Plain English Campaign

• Wikipedia:Citing sources
  • Substantial changes to WP:CITE#Parenthetical referencing
  • New section: WP:CITE#Over-referencing [now removed]
  • Substantial changes to WP:CITE#Use of terms
  • New subsection: WP:CITE#Citation export tools

• Wikipedia:External links
  • Removed from WP:EL#What should be linked: "Sites with other meaningful, relevant content that is not suitable for inclusion in an article, such as reviews and interviews."
  • In WP:EL#Linking to user-submitted video sites, added: "[There is no blanket ban on linking to these sites as long as the links abide by the guidelines on this page (see Restrictions on linking),] which is rare.", and "These links must also identify the software necessary for readers to see the content."
  • New subsection: WP:EL#Linking to databases

• Wikipedia:Layout
  • In WP:LAYOUT#Standard appendices, removed "further reading" from: "With some exceptions, any links to other Wikimedia projects appear in further reading or external links sections."

• Wikipedia:Lead section
  • Moved to WP:LEAD#Provide an accessible overview: "Accordingly, editors should avoid lengthy paragraphs and over-specific descriptions, especially if they are not central to the article as a whole."
  • Added to WP:LEAD#First sentence: "If the page is a list, do not introduce the list as "This is a list of X"."

• Wikipedia:Linking
  • Page moved to WP:Linking
  • Added to lead section: "Wikipedia has a hyperlinking feature, an important advantage of an online encyclopedia. It is an important Wikipedia guideline that editors should build the Web by creating articles and adding appropriate links between them, thus increasing the extent and interconnectedness of Wikipedia. Care should nonetheless be taken to avoid overlinking, as described below."
  • Moved up in WP:LINKING#What generally should not be linked: "Unless they are particularly relevant to the topic of the article, [it is generally inappropriate to link:]"
  • Added to WP:LINKING#Piped links: "(See also: Wikipedia:Principle of least astonishment)"

• Wikipedia:Manual of Style (capital letters)
  • Added to lead section: "[Capital letters are sometimes a matter of regional differences;] for example, British writers and editors are more inclined to use them than their North American counterparts."
  • Some additional explanation added to WP:MOSCAPS#Titles

• Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers)
  • The page is no longer protected, except for the section WP:MOSNUM#Dates.
  • In WP:MOSNUM#Longer periods, changed "A slash may be used to indicate regular defined yearly periods that do not coincide with calendar years (the financial year 1993/94, the 1999/2000 snooker season)." to "2005–06 is a two-year range, whereas 2005/06 is a period of twelve months or less such as a sports season or a financial year."
  • Removed: "Do not capitalize century or millennium unless other circumstances require it."
  • Several changes to WP:MOSNUM#Numbers as figures or words
  • Several changes to WP:MOSNUM#Decimal points
  • WP:MOSNUM#Unit symbols changed to WP:MOSNUM#Unit names and symbols, and minor changes to this section

• Wikipedia:Manual of Style (spelling)
  • Added: "tyre - tire: In American and Canadian English, tire is used to refer to 'to fatigue' and the inflated rim of a wheel. In British and other forms of English, tire means 'to fatigue' and tyre is the inflated rim of a wheel."
  • Added: "advise, devise"

• Wikipedia:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)
  • Moved page to this name

• Wikipedia:Words to avoid
  • Added "surmise" to WP:AVOID#Point out, note, observe, reveal, expose, report, surmise
  • WP:AVOID#Extremist, terrorist or freedom fighter? moved up, with some changes
  • In WP:AVOID#Adverbs that editorialize, changed "Adverbs are rare in encyclopedic writing, because they are too easily used to express a point of view without providing a source for it." to "The use of certain adverbs requires care in encyclopedic writing, as they can imply an opinion or viewpoint without providing a source for it."
  • Added to WP:AVOID#Solutions: "Solution often is used simply as a buzzword that can be eliminated altogether with no loss of meaning."
  • Added to WP:AVOID#See also: "The Elements of Style has a section on words that are commonly misused"