---
title: Instructions to authors
tags: authors-only
---
# Instructions to authors for writing Wiki
[TOC]
## Revising the wiki
After the initial launch, any changes made in the wiki will be ([more or less](https://hackmd.io/c/tutorials/%2Fs%2Fhow-to-save)) immediately live. Therefore, we make it a rule that **when you edit a page, you will only leave it again once it is "presentable" again** (i.e., no unfinished text etc.).
However, that does not mean that you have to finish everything you intended to so. Simply hide work in progress using HTML comments (`<!--` and `-->`; see [commenting](#Adding-comments)) and come back later to further develop and finish it.
> [name=Stefan Herzog] wrt to using HTML comments: As far as I can tell, they are not even visible in the HTML source code of the rendered version of the page. Tech savvy users could, in principle, always check the source code to find hidden things and we want to avoid to leave weird stuff there. I'm inspired here by some funny and tragic tales of people not realizing that in Microsofot Word the comments and tracked changes are plain to see for everybody who wants to look at them (unless you make sure to save a version of the DOCX file that no longer contains that history information).
## Conventions
- use `COVID-19`, not `Covid-19` or `covid-19` etc.
- ?
To discuss/decide:
- American vs. British English?
## Referencing academic resources and other things in the Wiki
We are using `Author, year` citations in the Wiki, and embedding links within the citation. This means that your references should look like this:
> I wrote this chunk of text that I read about somewhere else ([Lewandowsky et al., 2020](https://sks.to/db2020)).
To create hyperlinks in markdown, your write-up would look like this:
```
[Lewandowsky et al., 2020](https://sks.to/db2020)
```
We are not picky about how many authors need to be named before shortening to `et al.`, just make sure the link is provided.
## How to get started with HackMD
### Logging in
HackMD will prompt you to sign in or create an account to edit the Wiki pages. This video shows briefly how to do this.
{%youtube uxPjjcL19go %}
### Adding comments
You can make comments on text others have written in three ways.
1. In View mode: this is like in Google Docs. Highlight the text you want to comment on, and a 'comment' button should appear. It will appear in View mode, but not Edit mode.
{%youtube aEeWGhp7Odo %}
2. In Edit mode: use `<!--` and `-->` at the start and end of your comment, for a line visible only to editors (it does not show up in View mode).
<!-- If you are in View mode you should be able to see my comment here -->
3. In Edit mode: use `>[name=xxx] followed by comment` This will show up with your name and the comment you made, like this:
> [name=Dawn H] This is my comment! It appears both in Edit and View modes!
## Writing in markdown
If you are new to writing in markdown, here are some tips for editing:
1. Title: you can use `# Title` to create a title.
2. Subtitle: you can use `## Subtitle` to create a subtitle
3. Italic: use `_text_` to make a text _italic_
4. Bold: use `**text**` to make a text **bold**
5. Bullets: use `* bullet1` to make bullet points
6. Hyperlink: use `[text with hyperlink](link of the webpage)` to assign a hyperlink to a text
For doing more fancy things (like the [concept map](https://c19vax.scibeh.org/#Insights) on our Wiki entry page), you can read more about HackMD's features [here](https://hackmd.io/c/tutorials/%2Fs%2Ftutorials).
## What if I want to add a new page to the Wiki?
Please contact one of the SciBeh team (you can email to the Google groups) to add your page.