Rubric of Professional Guide Writers (RPGW) [Updated 2010-08-09]
Welcome to MapleGuides, the only place for high-quality content. In this rubric, I will detail the basic structure that all guides for this MapleGuides (MG) board to follow. This RPGW will most likely go under severe editing over the coming weeks. Please make sure to read this document as time progresses. I will edit the thread title to state any changes made within this document.
This is a basic outline of topics that will be listed in this document. I will flesh out many of these features in the week to come.
- Guide layout
- Header
- Abstract
- Table of Contents
- Body
- Table of Credits
- Contact Information
- Request of Moderation
- Peer Review
- Challenge
- Plagiarism
- The Guide Writer's Progression
- Professionalism and Etiquette
- Closing
1. Guide Layout
Your guide layout is the most critical element to every guide. If your guide cannot be easily parsed for information, then it is unlikely that people will want to read your guide at all. Following this simple rubric for guides will aide you in creation of your own guide.
For the following elements of a good guide, each section will be described as optional or required.
A. Header
Required? - If header is present, must have no "Abstract". Header is required if no Abstract is present.
The header will welcome your readers to your guide. The purpose of the header is the following:
- Clearly identify your audience (for funded users? Newcomers? For people of another class?)
- Intent of writing (This is your thesis. What are you trying to argue?)
- Preview of topics (Clearly state the main points of how you will argue your thesis. This statement should NOT be a summary of your Table of Contents!)
- Statement of experience (How are you knowledgeable on the subject matter?)
B. Abstract
Required? - If Abstract is present, must have no "Header". Abstract is required if no Header is present.
Abstracts are used in more professional writing circumstances. This writing style is typically better for longer guides and to convey seriousness to your reader. For example, a "Header" might be better for a "How to have fun with your I/L Archmage!" guide, but an Abstract would be better for, "Determining the absolute stance - I/L vs. F/P". Abstracts are written in a very objective stance. Use the following rubric:
- Abstracts must be centered and at the very top of your document.
- Abstracts must begin with the [b]Abstract:[/b] tag.
- Abstracts may not contain any BBCode elements save for the ones explicitly mentioned in this rubric.
- Abstracts must be fewer than 200 words.
- Abstracts must follow all guidelines in this rubric as well.
C. Table of Contents
Required? - Yes.
A Table of Contents (ToC) is imperative in every guide. It creates a special roadmap for your reader to follow and makes it easier for your reader to find information quickly. Use the following rubric:
- All ToCs must use [list] BBCodes.
- If you do not know how to create a proper table of contents, click on the "Quote" button in this post and view the ToC I've created for this topic.
- Using bold and italics tags are good, but certainly not required.
- Also, using FastFind tags is not required but is very helpful for larger guides.
D. Body
Required? - Yes.
There are no specific requirements on how the body of your guide should be written. I will give you a few guidelines, though:
- Use an easy to read font
- Do NOT use small text sizes!
- It might help in some areas of your guide to use the [table] tag. Check it out.
- The maximum size of a post is limited to 200k characters.
- [spoiler] tags help as a selection query!
Will finish the rest later
2. Request of Moderation
At times, you will find your guide getting quite large or unwieldy. The moderation team can be engaged to help with your guide.
For a Request of Moderation (RoM) to take place, you must report it to using the "Report Post". If you have multiple accounts, the username that submits the RoM must have the same username as the guide which requires moderation. Use the following form for your RoM.
