In order to support the contributions of multiple users contributing to this website, a Style Guide is being developed to make sure entries maintain consistency.
Please review and follow these guidelines when making additions and entries.
Properly cite your work.
Where possible, add citations to the page where the information is sourced. This website is built off contributions from a wide range of people and documents. Citing those references helps provide additional areas of research, and citing other people’s work will motivate others.
The best way to cite is to use the EFN Footnote shortcode. If you do not know how to use the shortcode, simply add the citation manually and an Editor can convert it to a footnote.
Adviser vs. Advisor
For the Order of the Arrow, the correct spelling is Adviser. For Venturing and Exploring, the correct spelling is Advisor.
When transcribing articles and letters, add a [sic] next to any misspelling/misuse and when Advisor is used for the OA, link the [sic] to this article.
For terms of office spanning multiple years, use an en-dash.
Correct: Section Chief (1978 – 1979)
Incorrect: Section Chief (1978-1979)
For more information on how an en-dash is used, please follow this link: Merriam-Webster website.
Only Use Abbreviations When Absolutely Required
We exist in a world of acronyms. Abbreviations can be confusing for some users. Unless space or other considerations require it, use the full names, titles, and other texts, without abbreviating.
External website links should be marked to open in a new tab. Only internal links should open in the same tab as the website.
Sentence Lists: Always use the Oxford Comma.
While there are arguments in the Anglophone world about use of the Oxford or serial comma, it is featured in the The Elements of Style, and this website uses it for sake of consistency.
For more information on the Oxford Comma, please follow this link: Wikipedia.
Avoid Speculative Citations
Researching and documenting history is an art unto itself. As more is learned, it can be easy to fall into the trap of speculating about our history based on current knowledge. Assumptions create issues when something other than the speculation is later found to have occurred.
It is okay to write about what is not known, as well as known. That provides a further basis for research. However, if a topic that requires speculation cannot be avoided, it must be labelled as such.