Editorial & Contribution Guidelines

Introduction

Aevum Encyclopedia is a living, peer-reviewed knowledge platform. Our mission is to provide freely accessible, meticulously verified, and culturally balanced content across all disciplines. Whether you are a first-time contributor or a seasoned academic, these guidelines will help you maintain the integrity of our collective knowledge base.

Writing Standards

Clarity & Conciseness

• Use plain, precise language. Avoid unnecessary jargon; define technical terms on first use.
• Aim for objective tone. Write in the third person unless discussing authorship or subjective experiences explicitly.
• Keep paragraphs focused. One main idea per paragraph, supported by evidence or examples.

Structure & Formatting

• Follow the standard article template: Lead summary → Historical context / Overview → Key concepts → Applications / Impact → See also → References.
• Use heading hierarchy consistently (<h2> for major sections, <h3> for subsections).
• Tables, images, and infographics must be captioned and properly attributed.

Sourcing & Citations

Every factual claim, statistic, quote, or non-common-knowledge assertion must be backed by a reliable, verifiable source.

Citations must follow the Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.) or APA 7th. Inline citations should use superscript numbers linked to a standardized reference section.

Neutrality & Objectivity

Aevum Encyclopedia maintains a strictly neutral point of view (NPOV). Articles must represent fairly, proportionally, and without editorial bias all significant published views on a topic.

• Proportionality: Weight coverage according to reliable source consensus. Minority views may be included but must not be presented as dominant unless sources support it.
• Attribution: Clearly attribute claims to their sources. Avoid presenting contested theories as established facts.
• Conflict of Interest: Contributors must disclose any financial, professional, or personal ties to the subject matter.

Contribution Process

1. Create / Claim Account: Verify via email and optionally link academic/institutional credentials.
2. Draft or Edit: Use the sandbox environment. All edits are tracked via version history.
3. Submit for Review: Flag changes for editorial review. AI pre-screening checks for formatting, citation completeness, and NPOV compliance.
4. Peer / Expert Review: Subject-matter experts validate technical claims. Community reviewers check readability and structure.
5. Publication: Approved edits go live. Revisions trigger a re-review cycle.

New contributors start with "Observer" status. After 5 approved contributions, status upgrades to "Editor." Domain expertise verification unlocks "Subject Expert" privileges.

AI & Automation Policy

AI tools may assist with drafting, grammar, translation, and citation formatting. However:

• Human oversight is mandatory. AI-generated text must be thoroughly fact-checked, rewritten where necessary, and fully cited.
• No automated publishing. All AI-assisted submissions undergo standard human review.
• Disclose usage. Contributors must mark drafts as "AI-Assisted" during submission for transparency.
• Plagiarism applies equally. AI text that reproduces copyrighted material without permission violates licensing standards.

Community Conduct

Aevum Encyclopedia fosters respectful, collaborative discourse. Violations may result in warnings, temporary restrictions, or account termination.

• Treat contributors with respect. No harassment, hate speech, or personal attacks.
• Discuss content, not contributors. Disagreements should focus on sources and editorial standards.
• Do not edit-warp or engage in retaliatory revisions. Use talk pages for disputes.
• Report suspicious activity, copyright violations, or policy breaches via the moderation dashboard.

Licensing & Copyright

All textual content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International). This means:

• You may share and adapt the material, even commercially.
• You must give appropriate credit and indicate changes.
• Derivative works must carry the same license.

Media files follow separate licensing tiers. Public domain and CC-BY content are preferred. Commercially licensed media requires explicit permission or fair use justification reviewed by the Legal Team.

Contact the Editorial Board

Have questions about guidelines, need dispute resolution, or wish to propose policy updates? Reach out to our editorial team.