Starting Out

From Wiki 5A

So you're ready to write your own article? Fantastic! It's probably easier than you think, but this page will help you from start to finish. Keep it close - either print this page or bookmark it so you can refer to it often.

[edit]

Starting your article

Click "create this page" to start your article.

First, you need a topic. Once you've decided on a topic, type it into the search box on the left, then hit Go.

IMPORTANT: BE SURE TO SPELL YOUR TOPIC CORRECTLY!

Assuming the topic has not already been written about, you should see something similar to this: Click create this page to get started. This will load a new page with a very large blank box. Click in the blank box and start typing.

[edit]

Finding information to add to your article

Remember, this is an encyclopedia. Articles written here must contain facts. Never write anything you think to be true. If you are not sure about what you are writing, don't add it yet. Look it up. But where? A good place to start is Ask for Kids. Look at the end of this article for additional links to reference websites. Be sure to give credit to the research website. Also make sure you don't Copyright. Copyrighting is a Federal offense.

[edit]

Writing your article

It's pretty simple to write an article here. All you have to do is type! Here are a few tips to help you make your article look "dressed up".

NEVER put any spaces at the beginning any line. It'll end up looking like this:

   This is what happens when you put spaces at the beginning of a line.

To make a word (or words) bold, put three of these: ' on both sides of the word or words you want to make bold.

To make a word (or words) italicized, put two of these: ' on both sides of the word or words you want to make italicized.

To create a list, put an asterisk: * at the beginning of each line you want in your list.

If you see something you like in an article, feel free to edit it and see how it was done.

[edit]

Finishing your article

When you are finished, you might check it over for any spelling errors. Once you've done that, highlight ALL that you have written and copy it to the clipboard (go here for help on copying to the clipboard). Then click the SAVE PAGE. This button is found BELOW the box you've been typing in.

[edit]