Wikipedia:WikiProject Aviation/Style guide/Content
 | This is an essay on article content. It contains the advice and/or opinions of one or more WikiProjects on how the content policies may be interpreted within their area of interest. This information is not a formal Wikipedia policy or guideline, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. |
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| General information |
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| Style and formatting |
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Content edit
English edit
Articles on topics that have strong ties to a particular English-speaking nation should use the appropriate variety of English for that nation. In the handful of universal articles such as Aviation the consensus is to continue using the variety of English currently in use.
Popular culture and trivia edit
Avoid lists of trivia by working these bits of information into the main body text. Sections on history, impact or popular culture can help to structure such material.
Sections on popular culture should be avoided unless the subject has had a well-cited and notable impact on popular culture. Any popular culture reference being considered for inclusion must be attributed to a reliable source for the article topic. Items meeting these requirements should typically be worked into the text of the article; a separate section for popular culture items, and in particular the following, should be avoided:
- Compendiums of every trivial appearance of the subject in pop culture (trivia)
- Unsupported speculation about cultural significance or fictional likenesses (original research)
This tends to be a particular problem in articles on aircraft ; for example, the B-17 Flying Fortress and the Spitfire may appear in any World War II film, and their many appearances don't warrant an exhaustive list. On the other hand, the overall idea of the B-17s as a symbol of American power, is certainly notable.
See also and External links edit
Links included in the See also and External links sections should be integrated into the body of the article whenever possible and used as references. Links that are already used in the body of the article or in an infobox should not be replicated in these sections.
These sections are often used as a quick and easy way to add material to an article. This is not necessarily bad, as a maintaining editor can see the worth of such a link and incorporate it in the body of the article as needed. Links must be examined as to their relationship to the context and scope of the article; if the link does not fit the context and scope, then the link should be redacted or moved to the proper article.
Formatting edit
A best practice is to use citation templates to format external links. Web links should include the accessdate field; as these links age, they should be checked to see if they are still live or relevant and the accessdate updated. The proper use of templates also help to prevent titles and descriptions created by editors that may be exhibit POV and makes it easier for another editor to work a link in as a reference.
Sister projects edit
When there is applicable material on a sister project such as Wikiquote, Wikisource or Wikimedia Commons, then the appropriate project templates should be added to either See also or External links.
Portal edit
{{Portal|Aviation}} can be added to the beginning of the See also section. Other WikiProject portals may also apply.
Units edit
Units in specification tables and main article text should follow those used by the original manufacturer, e.g., the Supermarine Spitfire being a British aircraft uses Imperial units primarily where the Messerschmitt Bf 109 uses the Metric system. Conversions should be provided where possible using the guidelines at Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers).