Department of Communication

University of Washington

These instructions have been written to ensure the overall coherence of the Seattle newmediapedia. It is meant to guide your thinking and will apply to all entries. If you feel it is necessary to amend the organizational style, please discuss the article with either the Teaching Assistant or Instructor to ensure that the development will be acceptable.

A) PLANNING YOUR ARTICLE

Readership - The Seattle Newmediapedia website is designed for the both the new media design community around Seattle and the general public, so consider that the some of your audience has limited exposure to the new media field. You should write for this audience, explaining all specialized terminology used. Do not assume knowledge of individuals, concepts, or jargon. Explain concepts in straightforward terms, and if you refer to a person, be sure to identify them (i.e., with some sort of distinctive phrase—“seventeenth-century poet” or “Web guru”). Authors should write in a manner that is explanatory, and editorializing is inappropriate.

Website Structure - This is a straightforward A-Z encyclopedia. Most entries are 500 words, but a few topics and personalities and warrant 1,000 words. Use Subheadings to break up the text. Each encyclopedia entry should cover its topic thoroughly. Each will also include suggestions for further research at the end. See details in “Writing Your Article.”

Illustrations and Photos - You are welcome to use illustrations and photos that you find online if they are “in the public domain”, and you do not have to pay for them or seek copyright permission.

Language Usage - The website seeks to use nonsexist language, although writers should not torture a sentence to achieve it. Please give an individual’s full name (including initials) on first usage. Thereafter refer to both men and women by their last name. Avoid sex-specific terminology—mankind—and the use of “man” or “men” as the generic for human being. Avoid male pronouns to describe people in general. Use “They” in place of he or she when possible and appropriate.

Citations - Avoid quotations from copyrighted works wherever possible, this is for a public, not an academic audience.

B) WRITING YOUR ARTICLE

First paragraph - Explain clearly what the topic is and why it is important.

Body of the article - Explain the concept in more detail. Think of the kinds of information you would expect to find if you looked this concept up in an encyclopedia. The information needed here will vary with the type of article assigned. The piece should include as much historical background as is possible. That's not to say that the Bluetooth entry has to cover the founding of Norway, but some amount of context is needed for every entry.

Final paragraph - Every article must end with an assessment-type concluding paragraph—discuss the ultimate importance of the topic, for example, or evaluate possible future scenarios or issues.

Related Topics - Please list several topics that a reader of this entry might also be interested in. After you turn in your article, we will check for exact cross-referencing with our headword list.

C) STYLE SHEET

Dates - Centuries: Spell out in lowercase letters references to particular centuries. Spell out the word “century.” Circa: Use c. followed by the date. (c. 1992) Date range: Text style for date range is 1887–98. Use four digit date for second date in range only if the century changes: (1877–1904). Months: Months should be spelled out, whether alone or in text. In chronologies, notes, tabular matter, etc., they may be abbreviated using the 3 letter abbreviations: Apr. 12, 1997. (Note: June and July should be spelled out.)

Em-dashes and En-dashes - Use em-dashes sparingly.

Foreign words - Italicize if unfamiliar to reader. Do not use Greek, Hebrew, Arabic or Cyrillic material.

Names - Jr.: Style is comma between last name and junior (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Transliteration - Use the most common transliteration for Arabic, Chinese, etc. names.

Numbers - 1-9 are spelled out as are all numbers at the beginning of sentences. Other numbers are in numeral format.

Measurement Units - All measurement units should be in metric followed by US equivalent in parenthesis.

For Further Reading - Use the Chicago Manual of Style. Style for most common citations is given below.

Smith, John. Web Designers I Have Loved Before. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1986.

Johnson, Samuel, and Philip Marlow. The Novel is As Art. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1977.

Smith, John, Robert North, and Sally Flin. “How to Meet a Deadline.” Publishers Weekly 20 (1966).

Lipcon, Jesse. “Open VMS: 20 Years of Renewal—OpenVMS Installed Base Growth.” 10 October 1998.
http://www.openvms.digital.com/openvms/20th/vms20/sld036.htm

Doe, John. “Philosophers of Note.” In Philosophers: An Overview. Edited by Harry Smith. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992.

Paine, Thomas. “Common Sense.” Prologue 21 (Spring 1978): 25-36.

Adams, Eve. In the Beginning. Rev. ed. New York: Warner, 1768.

Harper, Peter S. “Should We Test Children for ‘Adult’ Genetic Diseases?” The Lancet, 19 May 1990, 1205.

Holtzman, Neil A. “Predictive Genetic Testing: From Basic Research to Clinical Practice.” Science, 24 October 1997, 608.

Basic Concepts of New Media

Department of Communication

B) WRITING YOUR ARTICLE

Further Reading - At the end of your article text, list FIVE items for further reading. These can be websites, books, magazine articles, or any other references that are accessible to the public. Be sure to format the entries according to the Chicago Manual of Style.

Related Topics - Please list several topics that a reader of this entry might also be interested in. After you turn in your article, we will check for exact cross-referencing with our headword list.