Checklist for Contributors
This is a help page for contributors or users.
- This page contains no legal help information.
- See other Clicklaw Wikibooks Guides.
Please refer to this checklist each time you review your assigned pages, also available in PDF format: Editorial Checklist for Contributors
Clicklaw Wikibooks aims to provide understandable, reliable, up-to-date, plain language information to British Columbians addressing legal problems or learning about the law.
The purposes of reviewing pages are to ensure that: changes in the law are reflected in content; content is well-organized, explains its subject well and is easy to read; and, readers are provided with the most useful, most relevant resources.
- Review for accuracy
- Read each page from beginning to end.
- Is the law up to date? Has the legislation changed? Are there important new cases?
- Are descriptions of processes, forms, deadlines and fees up to date?
- Are resources up to date? Do the links still work? Are there better resources to link to?
- Is the language clear, consistent and understandable?
- Edit and develop content
- Fix any legal inaccuracies in the existing text.
- Fix any grammatical or spelling errors in the existing text.
- Correct, reorganize or replace writing that isn’t clear and concise.
- Add new content where helpful.
- Add links to important new cases, new legislation and new resources.
- Optional steps
- Remove irrelevant information and links to irrelevant resources.
- Check that existing text is approachable and easy to understand.
- Add links to other relevant pages within the Wikibook.
1. Review for accuracy
Reviewing the law
□ Review statute law — check statutory excerpts and compare to current legislation, check for recent changes
□ Check caselaw — note up cited cases in CanLII, note up key sections of legislation
□ Consult secondary resources — review relevant CLEBC / TLABC materials
Verify descriptions of process and procedure
□ Procedural steps — have rules or policies changed?
□ Forms — has a form changed name or been replaced?
□ Deadlines — are stated deadlines current?
Resource links
□ Check existing links — make sure they work and point to the intended content
□ Best external resources — are there newer resources, did the old ones get stale?
□ Best internal links — are concepts discussed that could be cross linked to more Wikibooks and pages?
2. Edit & develop content
Cure existing legal inaccuracies
□ Fix incorrect statements — your top priority is to correct wrong information, or at least remove incorrect information
□ Update citations — add new legislation or caselaw using CanLII's short URLs
□ Fix broken links — repair or delete broken links
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
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