Flexikon: How to write good articles

• Use the search function to get an overview on existing articles about your theme!
• Do some online and offline research. Do not trust the first study on the road. Be critical.
• Start your article with an introduction (abstract), giving a short overview and mentioning the most important points.
• Add references to position your article in the context, e.g. the DNA ligase is an enzyme.
• Take your time! An article written too fast might sometimes be worth less than no article.
• Mark remaining open aspects! The readers prefer complete sentences to catchwords.
• Try to be objective. Of course you may mention important views and opinions, but please reveal that it is an opinion, e.g. by adding the name of a person stating this view.
• If you are using foreign words, please add a note concerning the etymologie or the origin.
• If you are an expert, please try to write in generally understandable language.
• Technical terms: Please do only use them if you really need to - as less as possible. Please think carefully, whether a term is generally understandable or whether an explanatory page should be added.
• A good article does not have to be very long. Please be as short and precise as possible and avoid repeats.
• Upon writing think about the people who will read your text and whether they will understand your article. It is also important to write down preferantially the most interesting and valuable facts for your readers.

	Table of contents
	1. Form 2. Style 3. Specialties about writing online texts 4. Abbreviations

Form

• Link your article with other articles to make them findable.
• Structure your articles. Group facts that belong together in a paragraph.
• Use headlines and subheadings in longer articles!

Style

Some little things that are often neglected:

• Write in complete sentences!
• Use short and precise sentences. Avoid complex and interleaved constructs.
• Avoid passive expressions! Almost all facts can be expressed much nicer in an active form.

Specialties about writing online texts

People read differently from the screen than from a book or magazine: Especially long paragraphs and pages completely filled with text look deterring.

The following guidelines should be a help to make an article readable on the web and keep people reading to the end:

• many subtitles
• short paragraphs
• write each paragraph like in a magazine: important facts first followed by explications
• only one theme per paragraph => new theme, new paragraph
• show longer numerations as lists, not in a sentence
• use pictures (view also pictures)

Abbreviations

• There is enough and free space in the Flexikon, so please avoid abbreviations.
• Please use only abbreviations that are used in scientific publictions (e.g., etc., Dr.). Do not abbreviate the title of an article.
• Use SI units whenever possible (standard units, Système International d'Unités).