Wiki content guidelines on ALSWiki.org are comprised of a set of rules. All contributed content will be evaluated against this rule set before publication.
Content must be relevant to the scope of ALSWiki.org; the site does not aspire to educate or provide advice on topics unrelated to the goals of the site.
Content must be written in a way that it is relevant to any reader; exceptions exist for age, sex or region-specific information. Details about specific equipment or experiences should only be used as examples to help prove a broader point.
Content should be easy to understand and use without requiring specialized knowledge or advanced training. For example, while a mechanical engineer might be able to design a custom patient lift system that navigates a spiral staircase, most readers without that expertise would not be able to safely or effectively replicate it. Attempting such complex projects could lead to injury or financial loss.
Content must be factual and accurate; it must be free of conjecture and opinion.
Content may contain phrasing which allows the reader to establish an opinion. Still, this phrasing must come from reasonably complete sources, such as a study, or the lived experiences of a suitably large group of people.
| Phrase containing opinion | Corrected Phrase |
|---|---|
| Cheap commodes are junk and do not work well. | Commodes that are not considered to be durable medical equipment (DME) may have quality issues. |
| Ceiling lifts cost a fortune and are a pain to install. | Ceiling lifts typically require professional installation. |
| Wheelchairs will likely break before the warranty is up. | Some models of wheelchairs may have short, limited warranties. |
Content must be written by a contributor to ALSWiki.org, or if it is taken from another source, it should be cited as a reference at the bottom of the article.
ALSWiki.org is not a substitute for the advice of a licensed medical professional. The content should not attempt to diagnose or treat an illness, nor prescribe a medication.
It is permissible to identify and describe illnesses, and medications or procedures that may be used in a treatment course.
Content must never be written in a way as to suggest that an individual harm themselves or another person. It should not directly or indirectly instruct someone to take an action that could cause harm.
ALSWiki.org is vulnerable to litigation due to the medical nature of its content. At the same time, ALSWiki.org seeks to remain completely neutral with respect to moral topics. As such, certain topics remain forbidden from the ALSWiki.org content corpus.
| Forbidden topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Assisted dying | Assisted dying is a relatively new concept in various jurisdictions. Many of these jurisdictions have not reached maturity on policy; assisted dying remains a contentious moral issue. |
| Sexuality | Cultural attitudes towards sexuality vary greatly around the world; ALSWiki.org seeks to avoid this issue. |
| Race and ethnicity | In the event that it is proven by medical experts that a given race or ethnic group responds differently to ALS as a disease, or to its diagnosis or treatments, such information would be permitted. |
| Causes of ALS | Causes of ALS which are widely accepted as valid by medical experts are permitted. |
| Treatments for ALS | Treatments for ALS which are widely accepted by medical experts to have efficacy are permitted. |
ALSWiki.org is not a platform to promote products and services.
Relevant products and services related to the scope of the website are permitted to be identified by name. Links are permitted, however, they may not contain special parameters that opt the visitor into a promotion or sales funnel.
Products and services must not be compared to their competitors or to an arbitrary standard, either positively or negatively.
Content must not contain the names of any individual, unless the individual has provided express consent. Such consent would need to be provided in a medium that can be preserved by ALSWiki.org.
| Phrase | Problem | Corrected Phrase |
|---|---|---|
| You need to submit documents to your insurance provider to receive benefits. | Second person | The ALS patient needs to submit documents to their provider to receive benefits. |
| ALS patients will encounter difficulty climbing stairs when their lower limbs weaken. | Future tense | ALS patients with lower limb weakness have difficulties climbing stairs. |
| In order to ensure safety during a transfer, three points of contact should be maintained. | Passive voice | Three points of contact should be maintained to ensure safety during a transfer. |
Content must not include slang.
Any term that is not a part of everyday speech should be defined directly within the content that is using it, once per article.
| Phrase | Problem | Corrected Phrase |
|---|---|---|
| It may be difficult to chow down on a big burger. | Use of slang | It may be difficult to bite into a large piece of food. |
| Dysphonia is caused by weakness in the muscles responsible for speech. | Use of complex term | Dysphonia, the term used to describe speech difficulties, is caused by weakness in the muscles responsible for speech. |
All content must be written in American English.
Some articles are targeted to jurisdictions outside of the United States; in these articles, this rule should be maintained except in the case of proper nouns.
| Phrase With Error | Corrected Phrase |
|---|---|
| The oesophagus is pink in colour. | The esophagus is pink in color. |
| Eating an aubergine may be difficult. | Eating an eggplant may be difficult. |
All units of measure should be in United States imperial, with metric equivalent appended in parentheses.