Ballotpedia:Article Guidelines
From Ballotpedia
List of articles with guidelines for writing various types of articles
- How to create lists of initiatives
- Ballotpedia:How to write articles about ballot measures
- How not to write articles about ballot measures
- How to write articles on newspapers that cover ballot measures
- How to write activist profiles
- Supporting or Opposing Initiative and Referendum
- How to write about the history of the I&R movement
- How to write about local or statewide I&R law
- Quick guide to editing
- Editorial discussions and questions
- All articles on Ballotpedia about writing
Style guidelines
The "writing" template
There's a template on Ballotpedia that can be added to the discussion or talk page of any page about a specific ballot measure.
To add the template to a page, type {{writing}}.
When added to a page, what appears is this:
Writing articles about ballot measures
- Naming the article
- Including hyperlinks and footnotes.
- Strive for a neutral point of view and Avoid weasel words.
- Long lists of supporters, opponents are to be eschewed.
- Avoid edit wars. Deleting relevant, sourced information is often a step on the way to an edit war.
- Before making edits that are likely to be controversial, discuss the issue on the article's talk page.
- In general, strive for neutrality, balance, and fairness of tone.
- Add useful information...links to campaign finance filings, links to the websites of the organizations that support and oppose the ballot measure.
- What are the main arguments that are being made for and against? Incorporate this information in bullet-pointed lists with references to primary source material. Write about the arguments others are making, and clarify where necessary that that's what you're doing.
- Use subsections and bullet points liberally.
- Read articles like Proposition 93 to get ideas of what to include and for style tips.
