Help:Conventions

When adding a Person page, enter the complete name at birth. Once a page is added, alternate names can be added for nicknames, name changes, stage names, etc. Don't combine the name at birth with any other name, such as a nickname, and don't use punctuation to indicate which of the person's given names they most commonly used. The only punctuation allowed is that which is part of the person's legal name.

Each name has up to 4 components: prefix, given name(s), surname, and suffix. When adding a Person page, you can only enter the given name(s) and surname. Once the page is added, you can add a prefix and/or suffix.

Enter names in mixed case. If a person chose to use all lowercase, you can enter that as an alternate name, unless the name at birth was assigned as all lowercase.

Don't use abbreviations (e.g., Wm for William) in the given name field, even if the source record uses an abbreviation. Initials are acceptable if the full name is unknown or when recognized as part of the legal name. Separate multiple initials with single spaces and no periods (e.g., R J).

Abbreviations (e.g., Capt, Dr, Jr) can be used in prefix and suffix fields.

For further information, see person name conventions.

WeRelate uses Person pages to show information about a single individual, and Family pages to link couples to each other and to their children. Relationships that are proven or generally accepted are entered in designated sections of the edit page. Each Person page may have only one set of proven or generally accepted parents, and each Family Page may have only one husband and one wife. However, speculative, refuted, and adoptive relationships can also be documented, using appropriate templates.

For further information, see family relationship conventions.

Enter the major genealogical events in a person’s life (birth/christening, marriage, death/burial). Optionally, create a limited number of additional significant events and facts (preferably no more than 10 facts/events in total).

Do not include information known to be incorrect, even if it is commonly assigned to the person or family. Instead, address incorrect information in the narrative and/or source citations.

Support facts and events with source citations.

For more information, see fact and event conventions.

Enter dates as d mmm yyyy. If appropriate, add a modifier (bef, aft, bet/and, from/to, cal, abt, est). Don't worry about case - WeRelate automatically transforms dates to mixed-case. WeRelate supports dual dating (d Mmm yyyy/yy) - if you are entering dates prior to 1752 and aren't familiar with dual dating, please read Month number and dual dating.

Enter proxy dates (e.g., christening date as proxy for birth date, or burial date as proxy for death date) in their own events (not as birth or death date). When a proxy date is used, do not enter a birth or death date that can be derived from the proxy date (e.g., Bef christening date).

Source citations should give the date supported by the source in case the date in the date field is changed. If a non-trivial conversion is required, the source citation should include both the date as expressed in the source and the converted date (e.g., 6 (6) 66 [6 Aug 1666]).

For further information, see date conventions.

Use the narrative section to flesh out information more fully than appropriate in the facts/events section, and add information of interest to narrower audiences. Use it also to caution against incorrect information commonly applied to a person or family, or to present alternative theories.

Avoid repetition of information that is in the facts/events section.

Keep the focus on the person or family whose page it is. Avoid lengthy narratives by refering the reader to Wikipedia and/or other external resources as applicable.

Support information with source citations.

For more information, see narrative conventions.

Create source citations on Person and Family pages to support name, gender, relationships, facts/events, and other information.

Include only sources relevant for the person or family the page is about.

Identify the source and the location of information within the source, and cite (briefly) the relevant information from the source.

For more information, see source citation conventions.

WeRelate has templates to link WeRelate Person pages to corresponding pages in other genealogical wiki's, Wikidata, and the Ancestral File. These templates can be found in Category:Cross reference templates.

For further information, see cross referencing other sites.

The person page title is formatted as "Person:Firstname Lastname (index number)", based on the person's primary name. It never includes middle name/initial, prefixes (such as Dr or Capt) or suffixes (such as Jr). The index number is automatically generated by WeRelate, and should never be entered manually when renaming a page.

For further information, see Person page title conventions.

The family page title is formatted as "Family:HusbandFirstname HusbandLastname and WifeFirstname WifeLastname (index number)", based on the primary names of the husband and wife. It never includes middle name/initial, prefixes (such as Dr or Capt) or suffixes (such as Jr). The index number is automatically generated by WeRelate, and should never be entered manually when renaming a page.

For further information, see Family page title conventions.

Source page titles are formatted depending on the nature of the source.

• Government and church records are titled Source:PlaceCovered. RecordCollectionName
• Newspapers are titled Source:NewspaperName (PlaceIssued)
• Periodicals are titled Source:PeriodicalName (Publisher)
• Other sources with an author are titled Source:AuthorSurname, AuthorGivenName. SourceTitle
• Other sources without an author are titled Source:SourceTitle

Articles (such as "a" and "the") at the beginning of a SourceTitle are excluded. If a source has both a title and a subtitle, the subtitle is excluded from the page title.

For further information, see Source page title conventions.

Place page titles are constructed from the smallest jurisdiction (e.g., city or cemetery) to the largest jurisdiction (country). The type of jurisdiction (e.g., "Township" or "County") is normally excluded, but is included in parentheses when necessary for disambiguation. For cities in the United States, the name follows the pattern "City, County, State, United States" (township is excluded).

For further information, see Place page title conventions.