User:Humphrey Tribble

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Editing preferences (not specific to Wikipedia):

In my first formal computer science class, the second assignment was to write a program to put a list of birthdays in date order. While many of us were manipulating the names of months, the brighter students converted the dates to ISO 8601 format. Then, the sorting is trivial and the dates can be re-converted on output. I have never forgotten that lesson, so I always use ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD) all-numeric dates. For consistency, I also use the equivalent long form (e.g. 1987 October 10) whenever possible, even to the extent of writing out the name of the month rather than filling someone's little boxes. Done so, the date is completely unambiguous. However, that standard is used by only a few countries, plus me. Since Wikipedia isn't among the few, I opt for the reverse format (e.g. 10 October 1987) which is recognized worldwide except China and the United States. (Apparently, dates makes strange bedfellows.) Thusly, I avoid the use of a comma in the date.

Avoiding unnecessary commas brings me to another preference: thorough and accurate use of punctuation. Punctuation isn't used enough by many editors, possibly because they fear getting it wrong. You will recognize my editing trail by the liberal sprinklings of commas, dashes, and semicolons. These help convey thoughts to the reader. I am not immune to mistakes, so feel free to leave a note if you disagree.

Wikipedia preferences:

I don’t knowingly deviate from the Manual of Style…even if I don’t agree with it!

Zero tolerance for jargon. Articles should be understandable by anyone with basic reading skills. The ubiquitous use of abbreviations on Talk pages deters new editors and sets a very bad example.

Write an informative edit summary. Occasionally—such as when I am engrossed in a series of edits—I forget; feel free to remind me. I also believe in clear and complete discussion on Talk pages. If it has taken me significant time and energy to understand an issue, I document it for editors who may revisit the topic.

Tag	Background info from Wikipedia namespace
{{according to whom}} links talk edit	^{[according to whom?]}
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{{attribution needed}} links talk edit	^{[attribution needed]}
{{better source needed}} links talk edit	^{[better source needed]}
{{better source needed example}} links talk edit	^{[better source needed]} Links to self-sourcing examples
{{by whom}} links talk edit	^{[by whom?]}
{{chronology citation needed}} links talk edit	^{[chronology citation needed]}
{{circular reference}} links talk edit	^{[circular reference]} When the sources copy Wikipedia material directly
{{circular reporting}} links talk edit	^{[circular reporting?]} For the subtler case when you suspect the sources are based on facts first published at Wikipedia, but they didn't copy it directly
{{citation needed}} links talk edit	^{[citation needed]}
{{citation needed span}} links talk edit	The sun is hot.^{[citation needed]}
{{clarify}} links talk edit	^{[clarification needed]}
{{copyvio link}} links talk edit	^{[infringing link?]}
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{{example needed}} links talk edit	^{[example needed]}
{{example needed span}} links talk edit	This is a claim that needs one or more examples.^{[example needed]}
{{excessive citations inline}} category links talk edit	For abuse of citations, per Wikipedia:Citation overkill. ^{[excessive citations]}
{{explain}} links talk edit	^{[further explanation needed]}
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{{how}} links talk edit	^[how?]
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{{medical citation needed span}} links talk edit	This is an uncited biomedical claim.^{[medical citation needed]}
{{nonspecific}} links talk edit	^{[not specific enough to verify]}
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{{primary source inline}} links talk edit	^{[non-primary source needed]}
{{quantify}} links talk edit	^[quantify]
{{quote without source}} links talk edit	^{[This quote needs a citation]}
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{{self-published inline}} category links talk edit	^{[self-published source?]}
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{{specify}} category links talk edit	^[specify]
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{{unreliable medical source}} links talk edit	^{[unreliable medical source?]}
{{unreliable source?}} links talk edit	^{[unreliable source?]}
{{update after}} links talk edit	^{[needs update]}
{{user-generated inline}} category links talk edit	^{[user-generated source?]}
{{user-generated source}} category links talk edit	^{[user-generated source]}
{{vague}} links talk edit	^[vague]
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{{volume needed}} links talk edit	^{[volume & issue needed]}
{{when}} links talk edit	^[when?]
{{where}} links talk edit	^[where?]
{{which}} links talk edit	^[which?]
{{who}} links talk edit	^[who?]
{{whose quote}} links talk edit	^{[who said this?]}
{{why}} links talk edit	^[why?]
{{year missing}} links talk edit	^{[year missing]} Use when the year of publication of a source is needed
{{year needed}} links talk edit	^{[year needed]} Use when the date of an event is needed