Checklist for Contributors

From Clicklaw Wikibooks
Revision as of 18:29, 11 October 2017 by Nate Russell (talk | contribs)

This is a help page for contributors or users.


Please refer to this checklist each time you review your assigned pages, also available in PDF format: Editorial Checklist for Contributors

  1. The purpose of reviewing pages is to ensure changes in law are reflected in content.
  2. Clicklaw Wikibooks provide reliable, up-to-date, plain language information to help British Columbians address legal problems or learn about the law.
  3. Some Wikibooks offer brief, punctual tips — other titles offer more comprehensive guidance.
  4. What is your Wikibook's editorial objective? Consider the purpose, tone and audience of the title as a whole when making edits.


1. Review for accuracy

For each page you review, please go through the following steps:

Read each page

Read and take notes on pages assigned to you

Review the law

Read laws in context — start with existing citations in the article
Review statutory law — check statutory excerpts and compare to current legislation; check Proclamations (BC & Canada) for recent changes
Check caselaw — note up cases in CanLII; note up key sections of legislation to find new cases
Consult secondary resources — CLE articles, treatises, journals, etc.

Verify statements and specifics

Procedural steps — have rules or policies changed?
Forms — has a form changed name or been replaced?
Deadlines — readers rely on these being correct
Monetary amounts, costs or limits — have these details changed?

Resource Links

Check existing links — make sure they work and ALSO make sure they still point to the intended content
Best external resources — have newer resources arrived and did old ones get stale?
Best internal links — are concepts discussed that could be cross linked to more Wikibooks and pages?

Once you've reviewed your pages for legal accuracy, you may decide:

  1. Edit not needed → Just update the “last reviewed for legal accuracy” date
  2. Edit is needed → See step 2 below.

2. Edit & develop content

Cure existing legal inaccuracies

Fix incorrect statements — top priority is to correct wrong information, or at least remove the incorrect information
Update citations — add new legislation or caselaw (use CanLII's short URLs)
Fix broken links and resources

Develop & write

Write new content when tweaking existing content won't do. Please consider:

Gaps — what is the gap in information and is filling it crucial?
Plain language — keep your words simple and your sentences short (read about writing tips, or try the online Hemingway App).
Brevity — edits should clarify meaning, not add length
Organization — lists, subheadings and short paragraphs make reading easier and orient the reader
Legal references — would more citations benefit or just overwhelm the reader?

Simple & consistent

Clarify legal terms, include parenthetical definitions where needed
Be consistent in word choice (e.g. choose either “renter” or “tenant”)
Familiarize yourself with and apply Style Guide:

Correct word emphasis, acronyms, and case citation style
Apply bullets/numbered lists and punctuation

Format neutral language — writing "See the chapter/page on…" is better than "Click here for information on…" since Wikibooks are also printed

3. Optional checklist

Is there extraneous information that should be removed?
Is the overall language clear and approachable?
Are there other Wikibooks pages that would be improved by linking to your content? Speak to that other editor