Welcome & Mission

Aevum Encyclopedia is a living, collaborative knowledge platform built by experts, researchers, and passionate learners from around the world. Our mission is to make accurate, neutral, and beautifully structured information freely accessible to everyone.

By contributing to Aevum, you're joining a global network of 180,000+ verified editors who share a commitment to academic rigor, cultural inclusivity, and open knowledge. These guidelines will help you understand our standards, processes, and community values.

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Quick Start: New contributors should read Sections 2, 3, and 4 carefully before submitting your first draft. All edits are peer-reviewed to maintain our 99.9% accuracy standard.

Getting Started

1. Create & Verify Your Account

All contributors must register using a valid email address. Verification helps us maintain accountability and protect against spam. Experts in specific fields can apply for Subject Matter Verification, which grants additional editing privileges and visibility.

2. Familiarize Yourself with the Style Guide

Aevum uses a modified Chicago Manual of Style with custom formatting for citations, infoboxes, and multimedia. Download the Aevum Style Guide (PDF) or explore it in our interactive help center.

3. Set Up Your Workspace

  • Editor: Our markdown-based editor supports LaTeX, code blocks, and interactive elements.
  • Citation Manager: Auto-generates APA, MLA, Chicago, and Bluebook formats from DOIs, URLs, or ISBNs.
  • Sandbox: Always draft in your personal sandbox before submitting for review.

Content Standards

Every article on Aevum must meet our core editorial standards. Violations may result in reverts, warnings, or temporary suspension.

  1. Verifiability: All factual claims must be backed by reliable, published sources. Unverifiable material will be removed.
  2. Neutral Point of View (NPOV): Articles must present all significant published viewpoints fairly, without editorializing or bias.
  3. No Original Research: Do not publish novel theories, interpretations, or data not previously published in reputable outlets.
  4. Accuracy & Currency: Information must reflect the current scientific/academic consensus. Outdated claims must be flagged or updated.
  5. Proper Attribution: Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. Always paraphrase and cite. Copy-pasting from copyrighted sources without permission violates our terms.
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Red Flag: "According to my research...", "It is widely known that...", or unsourced statistics will trigger an automatic review. Always link to primary sources or peer-reviewed journals.

Citation Best Practices

  • ✓ Use inline citations immediately after claims
  • ✓ Include author, title, publication date, and URL/DOI
  • ✓ Prefer peer-reviewed journals, academic books, and official reports
  • ✓ Avoid blogs, social media, and self-published content as primary sources

Editing Process

Creating a New Article

  1. Search the encyclopedia to ensure the topic doesn't already exist or belong under a broader entry.
  2. Create a draft in your sandbox. Structure it with: Lead paragraph, Background, Key Concepts, Related Topics, References, External Links.
  3. Add at least 3 reliable sources before requesting review.
  4. Submit using the Request Peer Review button.

Editing Existing Articles

You may improve existing articles by fixing errors, adding verified information, updating outdated data, or expanding sections. Always leave an Edit Summary explaining your changes. Major rewrites or controversial updates should be discussed in the Talk tab first.

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Good Edits: Fixing typos, adding properly cited data, improving readability, updating statistics, correcting misattributions.

Review & Publishing

All new articles and significant edits undergo a multi-stage review process:

  1. Automated Check: AI scans for citation compliance, tone neutrality, and plagiarism.
  2. Peer Review: 2–3 verified contributors in the relevant field review the draft. You'll receive feedback within 48–72 hours.
  3. Editorial Approval: Senior editors finalize approval for high-visibility or complex topics.
  4. Publication: Approved content goes live within 24 hours. You'll receive a notification and contribution credit.

If your edit is reverted, check the revision history and the contributor's message. Disputes can be escalated to the Dispute Resolution Board. Never engage in edit wars; use the talk page for discussion.

Community & Conduct

Aevum thrives on respectful, constructive collaboration. Our Code of Conduct applies to all interactions across the platform, talk pages, and community forums.

  • Assume Good Faith: Approach disagreements professionally. Critique the content, not the person.
  • Be Constructive: Offer specific, actionable feedback. Explain why a change is needed and provide sources.
  • Respect Boundaries: Harassment, threats, hate speech, or coordinated disruption will result in immediate suspension.
  • Cite Your Work: Intellectual honesty is non-negotiable. Give credit where it's due.

Report violations using the Report Issue button. Our moderation team responds within 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Anyone can edit any article, but specialized topics (medicine, law, physics, etc.) require peer review from verified subject experts before publication. We encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration.

We use a modified Chicago style with numeric inline citations. The editor auto-formats references when you paste DOIs, URLs, or ISBNs. You can also manually format using the `{{cite web}}` or `{{cite journal}}` templates.

Rejection usually means missing sources, neutrality issues, or duplication. Review the feedback, revise your draft in the sandbox, and resubmit. If you disagree with the review, open a discussion on the talk page or request mediation.

Yes. All content is released under CC BY-SA 4.0. You may share, adapt, and build upon it commercially, as long as you provide attribution and license your contributions under the same terms.

Support & Contact

Need help? Reach out through any of these channels:

  • Help Center: Step-by-step tutorials, style guides, and troubleshooting
  • Community Forums: Ask questions, share tips, and connect with other editors
  • Email: contributors@aevumencyclopedia.org
  • Live Chat: Available 09:00–18:00 UTC in the platform header

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