The Vault:Editing guideline

General

 * The Vault uses all of the same writing conventions found in the Wikipedia:Manual of Style.
 * In general, content should be written in a style appropriate for an encyclopedia. Descriptions should be clear and precise; speculations or uncertain facts should be avoided.
 * Do not be overly specific when writing, only as specific as necessary.
 * Use full sentences where possible.

Language

 * American English is preferred at this wiki as it is the spelling most Fallout games use.
 * Colloquialisms, slang, l33t speak and other informal styles are not acceptable.
 * Game-specific words should always use the ingame spelling, even in cases when it is incorrect. This does not include capitalization which should always follow the rules in the relevant section below.

Perspective

 * Contributions should use second-person ("you") or third-person ("the player"; not "this editor").
 * Keep first-person sentences out of articles. Talking about your own experiences in a familiar way should be kept to the discussion pages.

Tense

 * Articles should generally be written in present tense.
 * The only exception are articles relating to events which took place before any of the Fallout games, i.e. before 2161; these may be written in past tense.

Capitalizing

 * Article page names and links should not be overcapitalized, regardless of whether they relate to in-game subjects or not, and regardless of in-game spelling.
 * Incorrect: Fallout 2 is part of the Fallout Series of games.
 * Incorrect: The Fallout World exists in an alternate timeline.
 * Correct: Fallout 2 is part of the Fallout series of games.
 * Correct: The Fallout world exists in an alternate timeline.


 * Proper names, such as Pancor Jackhammer, Ranger Sequoia, or Stealth Boy should be capitalized. But common words or descriptive names, like combat shotgun, hunting revolver, or stimpak should not. This also includes names where part of the names constitutes a proper name, like Gannon family Tesla armor.
 * Incorrect: A Stimpak is a type of hand-held medication used for healing the body.
 * Incorrect: The Gannon Family Tesla Armor is a piece of armor in Fallout: New Vegas.
 * Correct: The RobCo Stealth Boy 3001 is a personal stealth device worn on one's wrist.
 * Correct: The Gannon family Tesla armor is a piece of armor in Fallout: New Vegas.


 * Generic character names should not be capitalized.
 * Incorrect: A Raider killed a Super Mutant with an Assault Rifle.
 * Correct: A raider killed a super mutant with an assault rifle.


 * Species names should not be capitalized. In the same way as cat or dog would not be capitalized, deathclaw and ghoul are also not capitalized.
 * Incorrect: The Deathclaws were originally created before the Great War.
 * Incorrect: As with normal Ghouls, Feral Ghouls are extremely resistant to radiation.
 * Correct: The deathclaws were originally created before the Great War.
 * Correct: As with normal ghouls, feral ghouls are extremely resistant to radiation.


 * Names of statistics, perks, traits, skills etc. (e.g. Charisma, Medicine, Fast Shot) should be capitalized when referring specifically to game mechanics. The same words, however, should not be capitalized in other uses.
 * Incorrect: Joe is an Intelligent or Charismatic character.
 * Correct: The player will need high Intelligence or Charisma to convince Joe.


 * If it's not clear whether a name is a proper name or a common one, naming should be discussed and decided on a case by case basis.

Linking

 * Do not overlink. Generally, a page should be linked from a given article only once, on its first occurrence. Links may be repeated if the first link is far up the page or if the manner the word is used in makes it necessary (e.g. in summary lists).

Attribution

 * Do not add any attributions (like "written by XYZ") or dates ("written on 14/02/09") to articles. An accurate record of all contributions to an article is available via its "History" page.

General

 * If you are new to wikis, you may want to read the help pages.
 * To learn the basics of editing a wiki, go to the page editing guide.

Bold

 * Bold the article name the first time it appears in the article itself. Any alternative names should also be bolded at their first occurrence.
 * Keywords for which readers are likely to be scanning may be in bold for emphasis, but this should be used sparingly.
 * Avoid using bold formatting for general emphasis.

Italics

 * Italics should be used for the titles of books and games.
 * Italics can be used for general emphasis, but should be used sparingly.

Emphasis

 * Avoid using ALL CAPS.
 * Avoid using quotation marks for emphasis.
 * Avoid bolding words for general emphasis.
 * Avoid using double emphasis (i.e. combining bold and italics).
 * Use emphasis sparingly and only when necessary.

Tables

 * The Vault has a custom CSS class for tables called "va-table". It should be used for all visible tables in articles.

Referencing
Referencing is an important tool to prove information that is otherwise not obvious or well known. References should be concise enough as to not clutter pages, yet sufficient enough to prove whatever needs to be proven. References come in a variety of sources such as, but not limited to, non-player character dialogue, computer terminal entries and in-game notes. Detailed information on how to reference certain sources is found in the main article, linked above.