USMLE Study Group:Simplified Ruleset

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, is the largest and most successful wiki. This page lists some of the overarching guidelines that have helped make Wikipedia a success. You may like to consider them for this Wikia.

Encourage others, including those who disagree with you, likewise to BE BOLD!
 * 1) BE BOLD! in updating pages. Go ahead, it's a wiki!
 * 1) Be civil to other users at all times.
 * 2) Ignore all rules. If the rules discourage you from improving or maintaining the wiki's quality, ignore them.
 * 3) When in doubt, take it to the talk page. We have all the time in the world. Mutual respect is the guiding behavioural principle of Wikia and, although everyone knows that their writing may be edited mercilessly, it is easier to accept changes if the reasons for them are understood. If you discuss changes on the article's talk (or discussion) page  before you make them, you should reach consensus faster and happier.
 * 4) Respect copyright. Wikia uses the GNU Free Documentation License. Everything you contribute must be compatible with that license.
 * 5) Decent edit summaries and clear and transparent explanations are universally appreciated. Other editors need to understand your process, and it also helps you yourself to understand what you did after a long leave of absence from an article. Please state what you changed and why. If the explanation is too long, add more on the discussion page.
 * 6) Assume good faith; in other words, try to consider the person on the other end of the discussion is a thinking, rational being who is trying to positively contribute to the project — unless, and only unless, you have firm, solid, and objective proof to the contrary. Merely disagreeing with you is no such proof.
 * 7) Particularly, don't revert good faith edits. Reverting is a little too powerful sometimes. Don't succumb to the temptation, unless you're reverting very obvious vandalism (like "LALALALAL*&*@#@THIS_SUX0RZ", or someone changing "1+2=3" to "1+2=17") . If you really can't stand something, revert once, with an edit summary something like "(rv) I disagree strongly, I'll explain why in talk." and immediately take it to talk.
 * 8) No personal attacks. Don't write that user such and so is an idiot, or insult him/her (even if (s)he is an idiot). Instead, explain what they did wrong, why it is wrong, and how to fix it. If possible, fix it yourself (but see above).
 * 9) Be graceful: Be liberal in what you accept, be conservative in what you do. Try to accommodate other people's quirks the best you can, but try to be as polite, solid and straightforward as possible yourself.
 * 10) Sign your posts on talk pages using ~ which gets replaced by your username and timestamp when you hit submit.  But don't sign on mainspace articles.
 * 11) Use the preview button; it prevents edit conflicts.

It's important to have fun... but try to make sure those around you have fun too!