Documentation/Style guide/Style checklist

Checklist companion to Documentation/Style_guide


 * Plain language: The language used on the page is clear and concise. It is free of jargon, idioms, and ambiguous pronouns. Sentences are not more than 30 words in length.
 * Grade level: A test using Expresso shows a grade level of 8 or lower.
 * Positive language: Avoid using negative sentence constructions.
 * Global English: Use nouns as nouns, verbs as verbs. Use the primary meaning of a word. Avoid contractions.
 * Active voice: Use active voice, except when diplomacy calls for passive voice.
 * Inclusive language: Use non-gendered language, and avoid the terms listed in the Inclusive language guide.
 * Second person point of view: Uses second person ("You" or assumed "You") when addressing your audience. Avoid first person ("I"), unless the page is an FAQ with questions asked from the first person perspective.
 * Imperative mood: Uses an imperative mood for most documentation focused on goals or process.
 * Date format: Either write out the complete date (September 1, 2021) or use YYYY-MM-DD format (2021-09-01).
 * Title style: Uses sentence case for titles. The title should be descriptive and specific. This helps visitors decide whether they would want to use the page. For example: "Accessing Instances on Cloud VPS" is much better than "Instances".
 * Section headings: Section headings use sentence case. Headings should use h2, h3, and h4 styles.
 * Code samples: Code samples should use the Codesample template and include a filename if appropriate.
 * Links: Links on the page go to existing, non-obsolete pages (unless for historical reasons). Link text is descriptive and does not include any wiki prefixes. Special:MyLanguage links are used whenever possible.
 * Lists: Introduce bulleted lists with a complete sentence.