Clicklaw Wikibooks Style Guide

This style guide is for pages on the Clicklaw wiki, including the guide Legal Help for British Columbians.

See the Clicklaw Wiki Cheatsheet for shortcuts for commonly used commands.

Page titles and in page headings

Page titles

The title of a page should be recognizable (as a description of the topic or, for Legal Help for British Columbians, a question), in plain language, concise, and consistent with the titles of related pages.

The following points are critical:

• Use "sentence case", not "title case"; that is, the initial letter of a title is capitalized. Otherwise, capital letters are used only where they would be used in a normal sentence.

In page headings

Headings within a page are produced by typing multiple equal signs. A primary section heading is written ==Words in heading==, a subsection below it is written ===Words in heading===, and so on (a maximum of five levels is possible). Spaces between the equal signs and the heading text are optional, and will not affect the way the heading is displayed. The heading must be typed on a separate line. Include one blank line above the heading, and optionally one blank line below it, for readability in the edit window. (Only two or more consecutive blank lines will add more white space in the public appearance of the page.)

The provisions in Page titles (above) generally apply to in page headings as well (for example, headings are in sentence case, not title case). The following points apply specifically to in page headings:

• Headings should not normally contain links, especially where only part of a heading is linked.
• Section and subsection headings should preferably be unique within a page; otherwise section links may lead to the wrong place.

Lists

Bulleted lists

When making a bulleted list, put an asterisk before each item to make it a bulleted list item:

*Bullet point.

*Bullet point.

This will appear as:

• Bullet point
• Bullet point

Where the bulleted list has items that are less than a full sentence, you can use commas between the items. For example:

To qualify for PWD benefits, you must:

• be at least 18 years of age,
• have a severe mental or physical impairment, and
• need help or supervision because of the disability.

Where the bulleted list has one or more items that are a full sentence or longer, use periods between the items. For example:

Your best bets are:

• Legal Aid Representation to see if you qualify for legal aid.
• Family Law in BC, for forms, self-help materials and other legal information about family legal issues.
• Duty Counsel, for some assistance on the day you have to appear in court.

Where a heading for a bulleted list item is appropriate, use a colon after the heading, and a period at the end of the item:

• Common Experience Payment: A CEP is payable to all former students of Residential Schools.
• Independent Assessment Process: Under this process, a victim of abuse at a Residential School may apply for additional compensation.

Numbered lists

When making a numbered list, put a pound sign (#) before each item to make it a numbered list item. Note that you should have no space between the pound sign and the beginning of the item, and no spaces between list items.

You can nest a bulleted list within a numbered list. Use the syntax #* for the bulleted items within the numbered list:

#First numbered item.

#Second numbered item.

#*Bullet point.

#*Bullet point.

This will appear as:

1. First numbered item
2. Second numbered item
   • Bullet point
   • Bullet point

References

Publications

When referring to a publication that is not a book, put the title in quotation marks:

"Your Welfare Rights: A Guide to BC Employment and Assistance"

Links

Internal links

Make links only where they are relevant and helpful in the context: Excessive use of hyperlinks can be distracting, and may slow the reader down.

To make an internal link, use two square brackets to open the link, followed by the name of the linked page, followed by two closing square brackets:

[[Name of page here]].

External links

Minimize using external links in the main body of a page; include only external links that are to essential resources or information. For other external links, look to include those in an external links section at the end, pointing to further information outside the Clicklaw wiki. The standard format for making an external link is:

[http://www.courthouselibrary.ca Courthouse Libraries BC]

[http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/helpmap Clicklaw HelpMap]

These will appear as:

• Courthouse Libraries BC
• Clicklaw HelpMap

Where there is an external link that has a Clicklaw page, then link to the Clicklaw page. For example:

"[http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/resource/1082 Your Welfare Rights: A Guide to BC Employment and Assistance]"

This will appear as:

• "Your Welfare Rights: A Guide to BC Employment and Assistance"

Numbers

• In general, write whole numbers one through nine as words, and write all other numbers as numerals: one to five; 21 to 30.
• For currency, don't use numbers after the decimal point: $25.
• In general, use a comma to delimit numbers with four or more digits to the left of the decimal point: 1,050.
• Write 3% or three percent but not three % or 3 % with a space.
• Write telephone numbers with dashes: 1-866-565-4526.

Word Usage

This alphabetical list features the preferred usage for words:

• Aboriginal child
• Aboriginal parent
• Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC)
• court (as in "go to court"), but Small Claims Court
• duty counsel (family or criminal)
• Employment Insurance benefits
• Government of Canada (but government when used generically)
• Guide (as in "this Guide")
• homepage
• Indian band
• Indian reserve
• Internet
• lawsuit
• Ministry of Social Development (MSD)
• Residential School
• Resource Guide (as in "see the Resource Guide for a list of helpful resources")
• toll-free
• tribal council

In law, a document demonstrating ownership of a thing. See "ownership."

(1) In law, a court proceeding; a lawsuit; an action; a cause of action; a claim. (2) A historic decision of the court; case law. See "action," "case law, " "court proceeding," and "precedent."

In law, a legal incapacity to do certain things, like enter into a contract or start a court proceeding. Legal disabilities include insanity and being under the age of majority. See "age of majority."

A person who is younger than the legal age of majority, 19 in British Columbia. See "age of majority."

In family law, the natural or adoptive father or mother of a child; may also include stepparents, depending on the circumstances and the applicable legislation; may include the donors of eggs or sperm and surrogate mothers, depending on the circumstances and the terms of any assisted reproduction agreement. See "adoptive parent," "assisted reproduction," "natural parent" and "stepparent."

A lawyer paid by legal aid or the government who provides limited legal assistance to people on the day that they are in court.