Anabaptistwiki:Sources

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This page provides some basic information about uploading and writing article pages for sources. To return to the "About Anabaptistwiki" page click here.

We envision the Global Anabaptist Wiki to become a major site for primary sources related to the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition: from the 16th century to the present and in a wide variety of languages. Please post any public domain sources you think might be of interest to other users of AnabaptistWiki. Our staff will help to sort and organize source material into appropriate categories as it is added. Click here to view sources.

What is a Source?

Sources comprise any work that has been written by other people and is archived within the Global Anabaptist Wikipedia. These include periodicals, primary sources and bibliographies. In order to upload a source to Anabaptistwiki, all copyright information must be understood and adhered to. If the source is under copyright, be sure to obtain permission before posting to Anabaptistwiki. When in doubt, obtain permission.

There are two different forms of sources on Anabaptistwiki. The first is simply copied text that is pasted onto a source article page along with the background information for the source. The second form is an uploaded file such as a pdf or word doc that is linked to the source article page. There is no preferred form of adding sources, however, it is important to add sources according to the specified style guides defined by Anabaptistwiki.

If you would like to see some examples of sources, follow these links:

Source linking to a pdf - Lind, Tim. Sharing Gifts and the Worldwide Mennonite Church

Source as an article - Boletin 11 de octubre, 2009

Source Titles

The author's name should be placed first (last name, comma, first name, period) followed by the name of the source. For example: Simons, Menno. A Brief and Clear Confession and Scriptural Demonstration. If all of the sources are labeled consistently, it allows users to easily browse the site's content.

Source Content

While the Global Anabaptist Wiki structure is flexible, try to use this source template when creating a source article. While not required, it would be helpful to use the actual template because administrators can then make adjustments to all sources at the same time. Fill in as many sections as you can, and create new sections if you have pertinent information that does not fall in any of the sections from the template. Remember, incomplete information is better than no information.

Source articles are meant to provide the background information unavailable in the actual source. This includes a summary of the source, what was going on at the time the source was written, information on the author etc. The only required sections to include are the citation, summary and link to source.

Style

When entering sources into the Global Anabaptist Wiki, use the following style guide...

Citations

Always cite the sources you are using to contribute content to the Global Anabaptist Wiki. Use Turabian Style when citing sources.

Adding a Source

There are two ways you add sources, either directly as an article or as an uploaded file. Inserting source text directly as an article is more accessible to individuals with slow internet connections and avoids confusion over file format, while uploading a file is less labor intensive.

Looking to add or upload a source to the Global Anabaptist Wikipedia? Great, but first make sure you are uploading with integrity.

1. Did you get permission from the creator to post his or her source? Anabaptistwiki recognizes intellectual property and creative work by the original author. Anabaptistwiki merely acts as a repository for sources posted on the site and will not tolerate the posting of sources which counteract the wishes and rights of the original author.

If you answered "yes" to the above questions then you are ready to begin uploading your source. To upload your source, follow these steps:

1. If your source is in a pdf, word doc, etc. then upload it. Make sure you have permission to upload files and then click "upload file" under the toolbox in the left-hand navbar. Upload your source and remember the name of the file.
2. Create your new article page. To create a source page, type the name of your source article in the search bar and click "Go." Notice that whatever you type in the search bar will be the exact title of your article so watch out for spelling mistakes and capitalization. Follow the source naming specifications as outlined above in the "Source Titles" section. Hitting "Go" should bring you to the search results page. Near the top of the page you should see the following "There is no page titled "Your Source Article Name". You can create this page." Clicking on "create this page" will bring you to a screen where you can write your article.
3. Load the appropriate template. A boilerplate is a pre-formatted template for you to use which takes some of the work out of formatting and allows the site to be more consistent. Simply choose the language your source is written in under the "Select Boilerplate" option and click load.
4. Edit the page. Every source needs a citation, summary and link if the source has been uploaded. To add a link to your uploaded source add a link to Media:The Text from the "Destination filename" heading. If the source is not an uploaded file, add the copied source text underneath these headers. For a guide on how to format a source page see the above "Style" section. If you are a bit more competent with Wikicode, you can experiment with tables, images etc. For help on editing, visit the Mediawiki how to edit page and formatting page.
5. Add your source to the new sources. We have added a feature on Anabaptistwiki that allows you to easily select categories for your source. Underneath the editor pane is a "Category Selection" pane. You can either choose appropriate categories from the list of popular categories below or type existing categories in the input box. If you are unsure which category your source belongs to, add it to the category "New Sources."
6. Save your page. When you are done editing, formatting and selecting categories, click the "Save Page" button at the bottom of the page. Your source has now been created and people can start reading it!
7. Link your source to appropriate articles. Think about what articles could be improved by having a link to this source. If articles like these exist, add a link to this source on their pages.

If you have further questions and are still unsure how to contribute sources to the Anabaptist Wiki, contact John D. Roth at johndr@goshen.edu, and one of our staff will help you add your source.

Where Can I Find Sources

The full library of sources on the Global Anabaptist Wikipedia can be found on the Source Category Page. It is also possible that sources are linked to various articles around the site. If you are browsing through articles, you might stumble across some linked sources that are relevant to the article you are currently viewing.