The Area 4 History project is a community-driven history website that is compiled and edited by contributing volunteers. We invite all Scouts and Scouters to be a part of the website and there are numerous ways to help.
Because this site relies on a number of people to actively research and document our area’s history, it is important to rely on a set of policies and guidelines for our activities.
For information on how pages should be written, please see the Style Guide.
These policies and guidelines are subject to change at any time as driven by the community.
- All contributions are Creative Commons-Attribute for non-Regional or National use. We encourage use in local projects, history activities, and other areas of interest, but ask that any use be attributed to the Area 4 History project. This is important to spread awareness and encourage others to participate. At this time, we do not provide a use model for Regional or National BSA or OA activities.
- Where possible, cite your research clearly. When listing information, it is very important to list where the information came from (a book or other publication, paperwork, personal information, interview, etc.). The EFN Footnotes plugin provides a way to include this information, but if you do not know how to use it, simply add your citations in parenthesis and an Editor can change it to a footnote later. Proper citations are key to providing background to research, organizing information, and allowing people and things to be credited when appropriate.
- Photographs and other media should include captions and metadata. This project is not just interested in the photograph, but who took it, what day it was taken, and other additional information. A photograph is worth a thousand words, but adding a thousand words to a photograph is even better. We should also credit photographers as much as possible. That information can be added to the Area 4 History archive’s metadata as well.
- Avoid speculation or assumptions in our research. It is easy to find oneself leaning towards speculation, or to make assumptions about history. However, there are many instances where those assumptions are proven wrong. When an open item does not have a clear answer, we research based on evidence without any speculation. This is important, because once something is written down as “fact,” it is often taken that way for generations, even if it proves not to be accurate.