How to Contribute#
Some suggested guidelines to consider when contributing to the book:
Writing:
Inline clickable links that lead to further reading. If you look at the introduction to Propositional Logic you see that I tried to make it easy for readers to access further information. You may find this tedious, but interesting inline links add a lot of value.
One way in which good online writing distinguishes itself is by the quality of interesting resources linked for further reading.
Avoid long code snippets that are uninterrupted by interesting explanations.
Link source code and other resources
Organization and Layout:
Compare your table of contents with the suggested table of contents. Not all items will be equally meaningful for all topics, but it can be interesting to look for sth that is not immediately on the surface.
I turned on automatic numbering of sections and subsections. Make sure that this is compatible with the headings you choose for your subsections.
Do not have only a single subsection in a section.
Links to local references should use the local path as in
[suggested table of contents](0-1-intro-book.md).
References and Citations:
General Guideline: How to Cite References.
Cite your references in the text. Do not list sth in the references if it is not cited.
There is no hard limit on the number of references. But it is important that the reader has a sense of why a particular reference is listed.
For example, ask yourself: Why did you choose a particular reference and not another one? How do the chosen references relate to the rest of the chapter? What function do they accomplish? Do you list a reference as a recommendation for further reading? Or does a reference serve the function of backing up with evidence some claim you made in the text? Etc.
Can I cite Wikipedia? Short answer: “Yes, but …”
In traditional academic writing, citations are authoritative. They provide evidence for claims and/or refer to important previous work. Wikipedia is not an authoritative source.
In online writing, the use of hyperlinks changes the way references can provide value. For example, Wikipedia can be useful for general background or even just to look up a definition.
Before referring to Wikipedia, make sure that you endorse what is there. If not, consider editing the Wikipedia article (everybody can edit).
As a rule of thumb, I would use Wikipedia for inline links providing further background, but not add Wikipedia to my list of authoritative references at the end of the chapter.