Difference between revisions of "CpapWiki:Neutral point of view"
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| + | Keep an eye out for minor nuances in word choices that may introduce bias when writing or editing. There are many different ways to say the same thing. Often, a person may be unaware that how they stated something shows some kind of bias or implies certain things (either intentionally or unintentionally). | ||
== Strive for NPOV == | == Strive for NPOV == | ||
Revision as of 10:39, 17 October 2008
Please note: this page is a guideline for the CPAPtalk.com CPAP Wiki. Before making significant changes, please use the talk page to discuss your ideas with other members.
A neutral point of view (NPOV) is the general tone that articles written on the CPAPtalk.com CPAP Wiki should take. What NPOV means is to write articles in a formal, unbiased, and fair manner, representing all sides, while using an impartial tone. NPOV does not mean no point of view. Rather, when presenting a subject, all relevant sides should be represented, and the reader should be allowed to draw their own conclusions.
Contents
Bias
Everybody and most sources have bias. In other words, all people and sources have a point of view. The goal here is to try, as much as possible, to write articles in such a way that leaves the editor's bias out of the writing. Be objective.
Balance
It is important to strive for an article that includes, and balances, all of the significant viewpoints. Facts should be presented first, and where possible, backed up with reliable and balanced sources. Undue weight should not be given to one viewpoint over another point of view. Treat each point of view with a weight appropriate to its significance to the subject.
Undue weight may show up in many forms, such as the amount of text used, amount of details, page prominence, emphasis used in formatting, and more. These are things to watch for when writing or editing articles.
Impartial tone
Part of striving for a NPOV is to use an impartial tone when writing about the subject matter. Even when an impartial tone is used it is still possible to introduce bias in the way something is presented, organized, formatted, or through other means. Writing with an impartial tone means sticking with the facts first, and then including a proportionate representation of all positions in the article, neither endorsing or rejecting any particular viewpoint.
Impartial tone also means not using certain pro-nouns. See below.
Pronouns
Avoid using first-person and second-person pronouns.
- First-person pronouns, such as I, and we, should be avoided completely when writing articles on the CPAPtalk.com CPAP Wiki, unless it is used in a direct quotation. They do not lend themselves to the proper tone for an encyclopedic knowledge-base written by many people. The word one should be avoided for similar reasons.
- Second-person pronouns, like you, should not be used for the same reasons. There are many other ways to re-word a sentence to avoid using the word you. Try using a passive voice, or referring to the subject of the sentence, instead. Exception: direct quotations.
Nuance
Keep an eye out for minor nuances in word choices that may introduce bias when writing or editing. There are many different ways to say the same thing. Often, a person may be unaware that how they stated something shows some kind of bias or implies certain things (either intentionally or unintentionally).
Strive for NPOV
While NPOV is the general guideline that should be followed, the CPAPtalk.com CPAP Wiki will, in most instances, take a slightly more relaxed approach.
That being said, writers and editors should still aspire to make sure their articles are written geared towards the NPOV and try to follow the overall guidelines of this wiki.
Where to express your opinions
The CPAPtalk.com Message Board is a member forum for CPAP users, that is lightly moderated, and is a good place to express opinions and bias and write about topics in such a way where other people can read (and respond) to it. There is not any kind of NPOV policy on the CPAPtalk.com forum.