How to start an article

This is the first source of information on How to Write an Article. Answers to many questions will be found here, though if you have any other questions, please feel free to post them here: Questions about the new wiki functionality.

We require the help of dedicated members to contribute to our Drugs Wiki. Our articles must be original, and written by our members. If this is something you are interested in, we could use your help. You can send a DM to member Wanderer if you have questions, and/or join the Wiki Writers group.

Please first see if there is a wiki on the topic you are interested in. If the wiki has been created and you wish to expand it you may post suggestions/additions in the associated Discussion for the wiki. Silver and Newbie members cannot edit the Wiki directly but may start a thread in Wiki Discussions, Titanium members can move content to an appropriate wiki article.

Click here to start a new article.

Fill in the title: Please use a title of the common/most used name. Mind that the title you chose has a far reaching effect. If a member writes the exact same word/phrase somewhere in the forum, then it will be turned into a link to your wiki article. Which means that it is important to use a correct term.

Titles should only contain letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and hyphens (-) or commas (,) when necessary. The first word should be capitalized.

Read about wiki functionality here: Drugs-Wiki functionality

Starting Templates

To help you with the basics of how to write an article. Templates may be found in the Wiki Templates Section and they provide a basic framework or outline for a new Wiki Article. There are templates for these types of articles:

• Drug or Substance Template - Generic - Basic article template for a drug or substance. Please note that when using this template, if you can, create the article title to be the substance or drug which is the subject of the article. The [VAR]PAGENAME[/VAR] tags will be filled in with the name of the page which will save some work editing all the Chapters and Sections to include the drug or substance name. Presently, the sections for this template are described below.
  
• People Starter Biographical Template - This template is for a personal biography. It contains Chapters And Sections relevant for an individual's life. For information on what should be included in the Chapters and Sections of a biographical Wiki article, look at Writing Biographies
  
• Corporation History and Background Template - A template for information pertaining to a corporation or organization. There are no Chapter and Section descriptions right now, but will be added soon.
  
• Ethnobotanicals template - A template for psychoactive plants.
  
  For a full list of available templates, see here: Wiki Templates
  

Here is an out-of-the box layout for an article about drugs. Simply copy the code from the appropriate template and paste it into the article edit box. For example, here is "Drug or Substance Template - Generic"

Then click 'preview article.' This will give you a first look at the article structure. Please add all Sections that apply, and correct the Latest Threads code to show latest threads on the wiki topic.

Now edit it to fit the topic you are writing about. Each chapter has questions that need to be answered before they can be removed. Many link examples will need you to find the correct url or forumid. If something is between these bastards < > then remove those as well when you replace it for text.

Please use standard font, standard font size, standard font color and as little markup as possible.

Some articles may not necessarily follow this format. In that case, use the headlines to organize the article. For example, use [h=2] and [/h] around text for a paragraph, and [h="3"] and [/h] for subparagraphs, etc.

Other ways to contribute

The Wiki Writers group is for discussion in regards to completion of the wiki. While some members would rather concentrate on one wiki article, others can help complete other important tasks. Please join if you are interested send a DM to Wanderer for more information.

How to write an article

Right above the Introduction itself, please inset a brief, 3 line introduction for the article. This is for the auto-link feature on the forum, so that a description of the article appears when a user holds the mouse over the word somewhere on the forum. See here for more information:

The Introduction

Mind that the first few lines of the article will be visible all over the site wherever someone writes the name of the article.

So use the first 3 lines to summarize what the drug is or what the article topic means. Please use words that are easy to understand (where possible)

Describe what the drug is, briefly describe the general effects and if applicable: negative issues with it. Describe who uses it and what it is used for, what active substances are in it (in case of a plant), and since when it has been used.

Using

Ways of administration

Describe ways of use, recipes & dosages. This should include routes of administration if applicable.

Effects

Describe the effects, side effect, after effects. This should be in a bulleted list describing positive, neutral, and negative effects.

Combinations

Describe which combinations are possible or known.

Describe the effects, side effect, after effects.



Please find threads on combinations between the drug the article is about and other drugs and link to them from this section of the article. If there are topics about certain combinations missing in the forum, then please start these threads. If you find that there are several threads on the same topic, then please request a merge, by clicking on the report button of any post in the thread and fill in that you suggest the thread be merged with one or more others. Please add the url to the report. Combinations threads belong in the combinations forum. If you find any thread in another forum, then please request a move, by clicking the report button.

Different Uses

For example: Medical, recreational, spiritual, erotic, etc.

Pharmacology

The pharmacology section can generally cover pharmacodynamics and drug metabolism.

This can start with a simple explanation of which receptors or neurological systems a drug acts on, and elaborate to include more detailed information, elimination half life, metabolites, pharmacokinetics, contraindications, etc.

Chemistry

The Chemistry section should include basic chemistry information such as solubility, melting point, etc.

Reagent rest results

Please look for images and results of reagent tests of the compound. Quote the post. Add "Reagent test results of <insert drug name>" if they are available.

Dangers

Describe the addiction potential, toxicity and other risks.

Describe problems and risks that arise with overdose, side-effects, long term effects.

Describe problems with combining the drug with other drugs.



If the article concerns a drug with serious issues, toxicity, addiction, etc, then make a bullet list of negatives that is clearly to understand for anyone.

Please check relating studies for information. Reviewing the available studies on the topic is essential. Please see medline & the file archive. If you do not have access to medline, please request the articles you need, from a member who does have access. See the file request thread here:

Help from people with Medline Access: Thread number 6

Producing/Growing

Select either producing or growing and describe the drugs production or the plants growing procedures.



Can include synthesis or growing, depending on which drug is described. Should include general text on making … and one or more how to grow … or how to synth … TEK’s. Difficulties(diseases, molds, infection, etc with growing) If many TEK's exist, it is possible to link to several documents, pdf's, pages or threads.

Forms

Describe different species / forms of the drug and their qualities. For example: different species of magic mushrooms, different forms cocaine (crack) or different forms of kratom (leaf, extracts, etc)

Alkaloids and their effects.

Describe optimal storage.

Photo's of the drug in it's various forms are welcome. Please upload them to the suited section of the image gallery and then place a link in the article. Then the photo will be displayed

Legal status

United Nations

Describe the legal situation according to the UN treaties. See: http://www.unodc.org/enl

USA

Describe the legal situation in the USA.

EU

Describe the legal situation in the EU. See: http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l33215.htm

http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l14003a.htm

Other Countries

Describe the legal situation in other countries. See: http://www.unodc.org/enl/browse_countries.jsp

History

More Sections

There are several sections for each wiki article that should be included at the bottom. This includes Experiences, Files, the drug Forum, and Images. Copy and paste the code below and add the appropriate URL's.

[URL="URL HERE"]<insert drug name here> Experiences[/URL] Post & read experiences with <insert drug name>.

If there is no such thread yet, then please start it.

[URL="URL HERE"]<insert drug name here> File Archive[/URL] Upload and read research & articles on <insert drug name>.

If no such section exists yet, please request this. Please upload files to this section.

[URL="URL HERE"] <insert drug name here> Forum[/URL] Post and read about <insert drug name>.

[URL="URL HERE"]<insert drug name here> Image Gallery[/URL] Post and view pictures of <insert drug name>.

If no such section exists yet, please request this. Please upload files to this section.

Add the following sentence if the drug is addictive. Otherwise delete this:

[URL="http://www.drugs-forum.com/addiction-calculator.htm"]Addiction Calculator[/URL] Do this small test to calculate your dependency.

The latest threads

Recent threads will render a box with recent threads from a certain forum:

The forumid is the number the forum has on the end of the url. For example: the LSD forum has forumid 25.

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=25

Categories

Add categories for every category that the drug belongs to. You can find a list of categories here.

Repeat this if the drug falls in multiple categories. For example: Psychoactive plants & psychedelics, one would use the categories, "Ethnobotanicals" and "Psychedelics", though there may be more.

A full list of approved acceptable categories may be found here in the Categories Section, please use one of the listed categories as an empty category will be created if the text in between the [category] tags does not already exist.

Categories are always listed as plural.

To propose a new category, submit a proposal to The Wiki Crew Group, The Wiki Writers Group, or in the Wiki Discussions Post for proposing new categories.

References

Place the reference list in this chapter. See here for an explanation of the references function:

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/sho...te_referencing



Backup your claims as much as possible and add references as proof where possible. Please upload reference files to the file archive and pictures to the image gallery.

Please see below for information about proper referencing format. (APA)

Some info on the content

Medline is a great resource for research on drugs: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

For Ethnobotanicals, please see Christian Rätsch his book: Encyclopedia of Psychoactive plants.

These pages should cover all relevant essential information on erowid.org, wikipedia.org, nida.nih.gov, pfaf.org and other main information sources on the topic. If you can find the main books on the topic.

Please try to write pages of 500 - 1000 words per chapter. I know that this is not possible for every page. Please write timeless and impersonal. For search engine optimization, please repeat the name of the drug as often as possible. Do not use words like 'it', 'this', 'the drug', 'the plant' etc.

On a legal note:

Please avoid persuading the reader to use or manufacture. Write how the drug is used, not how anyone should use it. Write how the drug is manufactured or grown, not how the reader should manufactured or grow the drug.

When using uncommon words, please explain them, so the article is easier to read. Remember as this text being on an open internet page, it will be read by people considering to try the drug, governments, concerned mothers, etc. Please use a spell checker!! Preferably set on "Great Britain English"

Please make sure not to copy text from other websites, due to copyright. If a certain text is necessary for the completeness of the information, please rewrite it in your own words.

Try to be as objective and careful as possible. Be VERY clear on dangers & health risks.

If there is any part of the text that you get stuck on, please post this question in Drugs-Wiki discussion, or Wiki writers group.

Redirects

When ready, please consider if redirects are needed. See here for instructions:

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/sho...ality#Redirect

The title of your wiki article will be hot linked throughout the sites. i.e. if someone types DXM somewhere, it will automatically turn into a link to the Dextromethorphan - DXM wiki article. Since Dextromethorphan and DXM mean the same, both the Dextromethorphan and the DXM article link to the Dextromethorphan - DXM article. This does not only create exposure to your article and is handy reference for those reading about the topic on the forum or other sites, it also blocks others from accidentally creating a separate article on the same topic. Only add redirects for words with the exact same meaning. Do not add redirects for common words or abbreviations. Redirects should be placed in the redirects section here, under Drugs-Wiki.

Alternatively, post a request for Redirects to be made in the Wiki writers group.

More information on drugs-wiki formatting.

Two very useful links for general information on formatting and a list of the BBCodes (the formatting and structuring commands usable in drugs-wiki) can be found here here:

Drugs-Wiki FAQ

BB Code List

If you have any questions about this, please post them here: Drugs wiki discussions forum

APA criteria for references

Authors

Single author



Gillman, P. K. (2005). Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, opioid analgesics and serotonin toxicity. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 95, 434-441.



Parenthetical: (Gillman, 2005)

In text: Gillman (2005) found that ...



Two authors



Rosen, I. M., & Maurer, D. M. (2008). Reducing tobacco use in adolescents. American Family Physician, 77, 483-90.



Parenthetical: (Rosen & Maurer, 2008)

In text: Rosen and Maurer (2008) found that ...



Three to six authors



Barbanoj, M. J., Riba, J., Clos, S., Gimenez, S., Grasa, E., & Romero, S. (2008). Daytime ayahuasca administration modulates REM and slow-wave sleep in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 196, 315-326.



Three to five authors, first citation: (Barbanoj, Riba, Clos, & Gimenez, 2008)

Three to five authors, subsequent citations: (Barbanoj et al., 2008)

Six authors: (Barbanoj et al., 2008)



More than six authors



Doering-Silveira, E., Grob, C. S., de Rios, M. D., Lopez, E., Alonso, L. K., Tacla, C., et al. (2005).Report on psychoactive drug use among adolescents using ayahuasca within a religious context. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 37, 141-144.



Parenthetical: (Doering-Silveira et al., 2005)

In text: Doering-Silveria et al. (2005) found that ...



Author with Jr. in name



Spurlock, D., Jr. (2008). Is the HESI exit examination useful in service settings? Journal of Nursing Administration, 38(3), 116.



Corporate author



National Drug Intelligence Center. (October 2004). Intelligence bulletin: DXM (dextromethorphan). Retrieved March 12, 2008, from http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs11/11563/11563p.pdf



If easy to abbreviate and cited more than once, use following format for in-text citations:



First citation: (National Drug Intelligence Center [NDIC], 2004)

Subsequent citations: (NDIC, 2004)



Edited collections



Mathre, M. L. (Ed.). (1997). Cannabis in medical practice: a legal, historical, and pharmacological overview of the therapeutic use of marijuana. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company.



Substitute (Ed.). with (Eds.). if book has more than one editor.



Translations



Freud, S. (1970). An outline of psychoanalysis (J. Strachey, Trans.). New York: Norton. (Original work published 1940)



No author identified



Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993). Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster.



Use a shortened version of the title that allows recognition of the work.



Book: (Merriam-Webster’s, 1993)

Article in journal, newspaper, or edited book: ("Pharmacology and toxicology," 1997)



If work is signed "Anonymous:" (Anonymous, 2000)

Journals

Scientific journals are generally organized in volumes and issues (one volume contains several issues). Most journals are paginated by volume, which means that if an issue ends at page x, the next issue starts at page x+1. In journals paginated by issue, each issue starts at page 1.



The reference to an article in a journal paginated by issue requires inclusion of the issue number, whereas in the case of journals paginated by volume, only the volume number is required. If unsure about how a particular journal is paginated, include the issue number.



Article in journal paginated by volume



Lockwood, A. J., & Yang, Y. F. Nitrous oxide inhalation anaesthesia in the presence of intraocular gas can cause irreversible blindness. British Dental Journal, 208, 247-248.



Article in journal paginated by issue



Lockwood, A. J., & Yang, Y. F. Nitrous oxide inhalation anaesthesia in the presence of intraocular gas can cause irreversible blindness. British Dental Journal,208(5),247-248.



Journal article in electronic format



Riba, J., Valle, M., Urbano, G., Yritia, M., Morte, A., Barbanoj, M. J. (2003). Human pharmacology of ayahuasca: subjective and cardiovascular effects, monoamine metabolite excretion, and pharmacokinetics [Electronic version]. Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, 306, 73-83.



Article in an internet-only journal



Haden, M. (2008, January 23). Controlling illegal stimulants: a regulated market model. Harm Reduction Journal, 5, Article 1. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/...7-7517-5-1.pdf



Letter to the editor of a journal



Walker, J., & Yatham, L. N. (1993). Benylin (dextromethorphan) abuse and mania [Letter to the editor]. British Medical Journal, 306, 896.

Books

For books, list author(s) or editor(s), publication year in parentheses, italicized title, location and name of publisher:



Strassman, R. J. (2001). DMT: the spirit molecule: a doctor's revolutionary research into the biology of near-death and mystical experiences. Rochester, Vermont: Park Street Press.



Specific editions



Cooper, J. R., Bloom, F. E., & Roth, R. H. (1996). The biochemical basis of neuropharmacology (7th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.



For “revised edition," use (rev. ed.).



Article or chapter in edited book



Petro, D. J. (1997). Pharmacology and toxicology of cannabis. In Mathre, M. L. (Ed.) Cannabis in medical practice: a legal, historical, and pharmacological overview of the therapeutic use of marijuana (pp. 56-66), Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company.



Multivolume book



If the different volumes were published in different years, the citation has to cover the time frame from the first to the last volume.



Wilson, J. G., & Fraser, F. C. (Eds.). (1977-1978). Handbook of teratology (Vols. 1-4). New York: Plenum Press.



Parenthetical: (Wilson & Fraser, 1977-1978)

In text: Wilson and Fraser (1977-1978) found that ...



Book in a series



The book's title is italicized, title of series is not:



Cousins, M. (1984). Michael Foucault. Theoretical traditions in the social sciences. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Newspaper articles

Print version



Shipley, A. (2006, May 8). Chemist's new product contains hidden substance. Washington Post, pp. E01.



Electronic version



Shipley, A. (2006, May 8). Chemist's new product contains hidden substance. Washington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...700913_pf.html

Reprints

Reprinted/republished book



Freud, S. (1961). The ego and the id. In J. Strachey (Ed. and Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 19, pp. 3-66). London: Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1923)



Parenthetical: (Freud, 1923/1961)

In text: Freud (1923/1961) found that ...



Reprinted article/chapter



Piaget, J. (1988). Extracts from Piaget's theory (G. Gellerier & J. Langer, Trans.). In K. Richardson & S. Sheldon (Eds.), Cognitive development in adolescence: a reader (pp. 3-18) Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. (Reprinted from Manual of child psychology, pp. 703-732, by P. H. Mussen, Ed., 1970, New York: Wiley)



Parenthetical: (Piaget, 1970/1988)

In text: Piaget (1970/1988) found that ...

Internet sources

Journal article in electronic format See above.



Article in an internet-only journal See above.



Electronic version of newspaper article See above.



Internet document, general



James, B. (2007). Carbogen redux: contemporary exploration of a ubiquitous inhalant. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/carbogen/carbogen_article2.shtml



Internet document, no author or date



The mad man made chemical: the search for an endogenous schizotoxin. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2008, from http://sulcus.berkeley.edu/mcb/165_001/papers/manuscripts/_582.html

More on in-text citations

Citing multiple works in one parenthesis



Use semicolons to separate sources. Arrange in alphabetical order by the author's last name.



(Gillman, 2005; Rosen & Maurer, 2008)



When citing two or more works by the same author(s) in one parenthesis, use the following format:



(Gillman, 1998, 2005)



Different authors with same last name



If two cited works from the same year were written by authors with the same last name, add initials to make it possible to differentiate between the two.



Parenthetical: (King, J. D., 1999) ... (King, A. K., 1999)

In text: J. D. King (1999) found that ... A. K. King (1999) found that ...



Multiple works by the same author(s)



These can usually be differentiated by the year of publication. If year of publication is the same for two or more sources, use the following format:



(Smith, 2003a) ... (Smith, 2003b)



For how to list works which share author(s) and year, see "more on bibliography" below.



Quotations



When a direct quote is cited, the page number has to be included in the citation.



Parenthetical: (Gillman, 2005, p. 436)

In text: Gillman (2005) states that "quote" (p. 436).



For web pages, use paragraph numbers and/or names of headings to direct the reader to the specific location:



(James, 2007, Closing thoughts, para. 2)



Personal communication



These are not included in the bibliography.



(J. A. Johnson, personal communication, March 14, 2008)

More on bibliography

Multiple works by the same author(s)



List in order of year of publication:



Gillman, P. K. (2004). Comment on: serotonin syndrome due to co-administration of linezolid and venlafaxine [Letter to the editor]. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 54, 844-845.



Gillman, P. K. (2005). Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, opioid analgesics and serotonin toxicity. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 95, 434-441.



If published in the same year, sources are listed alphabetically by title (excluding "A" or "The"), and lowercase letters are added right after year:



Callaway, J. C. (2005a). Fast and slow metabolizers of hoasca. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 37, 157-161.



Callaway, J. C. (2005b). Various alkaloid profiles in decoctions of Banisteriopsis caapi. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 37, 151-155.[/H]