Editorial Guidelines
The official standards for creating, editing, and maintaining content on Aevum Encyclopedia. These guidelines ensure accuracy, neutrality, and consistency across 2.4M+ articles in 140+ languages.
1. Overview
Aevum Encyclopedia v2.0 introduces a modernized editorial framework designed for the age of AI-augmented research, multilingual collaboration, and real-time knowledge verification. These guidelines replace the v1.x documentation and establish mandatory standards for all contributors, peer reviewers, and editorial staff.
These rules apply to all content types: standard articles, disambiguation pages, templates, discussion threads, and knowledge graph metadata. AI-generated drafts are explicitly covered under Section 5.
2. Core Principles
All contributions must align with the following foundational principles. Violations may result in content reversion or contributor probation.
- Verifiability: Every factual claim must be traceable to a reliable, published source. Original research is strictly prohibited.
- Neutral Point of View (NPOV): Content must represent all significant published viewpoints fairly, without editorializing or weighted emphasis.
- No Copyright Violations: All text must be either original, properly licensed, or in the public domain. Fair use applies only to images/media under strict guidelines.
- Constructive Editing: Focus on improving content, not debating in article space. Use talk pages for disputes.
- Respectful Discourse: Maintain professional, solution-oriented communication in all collaborative spaces.
3. Article Structure
Standard articles must follow a consistent hierarchical format to ensure navigability and machine-readability.
| Section | Requirements | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | 1â3 paragraphs. Concise definition, significance, and key facts. | Must include a hatnote if disambiguation is needed. |
| Body | Logical subsections (History, Theory, Applications, Controversy, etc.) | Use H2 for main topics, H3 for subsections. |
| See Also | 3â7 closely related internal links. | Avoid broad categories; prefer direct topic links. |
| References | Structured citation list using <ref> tags. |
Group by theme if >15 sources. No dead links >30 days. |
| External Links | Official sites, primary sources, high-quality encyclopedic resources. | Max 5 links. No commercial or promotional URLs. |
4. Writing & Formatting Standards
Typography & Grammar
- Use American English as the default standard. Regional variants are acceptable if consistently applied.
- Avoid contractions in formal prose. Use serial commas (Oxford commas).
- Headings must be noun phrases, not sentences. Do not use ALL CAPS for emphasis.
Formatting Rules
Never use bold for emphasis in body text. Reserve bold for defined terms on first mention, and italics for foreign phrases, titles, and taxonomic names.
5. Sourcing & Verification
Reliable sourcing is the backbone of Aevum Encyclopedia. Sources are categorized by trust tier:
| Tier | Description | Acceptable For |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Peer-reviewed journals, academic presses, official government bodies | All claims, especially controversial or scientific |
| Tier 2 | Major newspapers, established magazines, university publications | Biographical, historical, cultural claims |
| Tier 3 | Industry reports, reputable NGOs, verified expert blogs | Supporting context only |
| Rejected | Self-published, social media, forums, press releases, wikis | Never used as primary evidence |
Notability Threshold: A topic must be covered substantially by multiple independent Tier 1 or Tier 2 sources to warrant a standalone article.
6. AI-Assisted Writing Policy
Aevum recognizes the utility of generative AI while maintaining strict human oversight. The following applies to all LLM-assisted contributions:
- Drafting Only: AI may generate initial outlines or summarize verified source material. It cannot independently create novel claims or interpretations.
- Human Verification: Every sentence generated or heavily edited by AI must be cross-checked against primary sources. The contributing editor assumes full responsibility for accuracy.
- Disclosure: Submissions relying >30% on AI generation must include the template `{{AI-assisted-draft}}` on the talk page for 72-hour peer review.
- Hallucination Prevention: AI output must never be pasted directly into article space without manual citation insertion and factual validation.
Submitting AI-generated text as original human research, or failing to verify AI claims, constitutes a serious policy violation and may result in account suspension.
7. Citation Standards
All references must follow a consistent, machine-parseable format. Inline citations use the <ref> tag. Recommended structure:
Dead Link Protocol: Editors must archive URLs using the Wayback Machine within 14 days of detection. If a source is permanently inaccessible, replace it with an equivalent Tier 1/2 source or remove the claim.
8. Review & Publication Workflow
All new articles and major edits follow a four-stage pipeline:
- Draft Submission: Content posted to the Draft namespace with complete citations and talk page notes.
- Automated Check: AI scans for citation coverage, NPOV compliance, and copyright flags.
- Peer Review: 2â3 domain specialists review within 5 business days. Feedback is tracked via the revision dashboard.
- Publication: Approved content moves to mainspace. Major updates trigger a notification to subscribed readers.
Emergency corrections (e.g., factual errors affecting public health or safety) bypass standard review via the Priority-Review tag.
9. Versioning & Maintenance
Aevum Encyclopedia uses semantic versioning for guideline updates and article revisions:
- Major (v2.0): Structural overhauls, new policies, or fundamental principle changes.
- Minor (v2.1): Clarifications, formatting updates, or workflow adjustments.
- Patch (v2.0.1): Typographical fixes, broken link repairs, or template corrections.
Articles automatically inherit guideline versions at the time of their last substantial edit. Rollbacks preserve full edit history for auditability.
10. Report Issues & Feedback
Found a discrepancy in these guidelines? Have a suggestion for v2.1? Submit feedback through the following channels:
- đ§ Editorial Board: guidelines@aevumencyclopedia.org
- đŦ Community Forum: forum.aevumencyclopedia.org/editorial-v2
- đ Content Flag System: Use the "Report Issue" button on any article or guideline page.
These guidelines will undergo a scheduled community review in Q4 2025. All registered contributors will receive voting access for proposed amendments.