Guide:Style and Formatting

From Chinese Religious Text Authority

This is a guide to style and formatting conventions of the CRTA.

Item Names

Each item must have a unique name, which also determines its URL for linking from elsewhere on the internet.

If the item appears in one of the main reprint collections, its name should be followed by an index number like so: 潘公免災寶卷 - F63, where F refers to one of the reprint collections, and 63 is the item's number within that collection.

If the item is not already part of any standard reprint series or collections, then it doesn't need an index number. Be sure to include detailed information on the source of the bibliographic data. Note, however, that each entry name has to be unique, so you may need to disambiguate your entry by adding additional information, for example: 太上感應篇 (乾隆蘇州本)

Otherwise, consult with the steering committee to see whether a new index series should be created for a collection.

Item Format

The format field in the infobox records how the item was originally printed, published, or otherwise recorded. This string must be one of a standard set, so that the advanced search function can properly filter results.

  • Woodblock printed edition: 木刻版
  • Lithographic printed edition: 石印版
  • Movable type printed edition: 活字版
  • Manuscript: 寫本

Citations

CRTA uses the Notes-Bibliography system of citation following the Chicago Manual of Style for all its item entries. For more on how this works, please review this citation guide at the Chicago Manual of Style Online.

Within the "commentary" section of your entry, please format your references according to the "Notes" format. These notes are flexible enough to allow for both properly formatted bibliographical information on your source and also any additional commentary on that source you determine to be necessary. These are like footnotes in an academic publication.

In the "bibliography" section of your entry, list, in alphabetical order, all of the sources cited in abbreviated form in the "Commentary" section endnote references.

  • Please do not include commentary in the bibliography. If you include a source on the bibliography that requires some explanation, this explanation belongs in the "Commentary" section above.

Citing sources in non-Western languages

  • Render Chinese characters as they are given in the original text being cited. That is, simplified characters remain in simplified, traditional characters remain in traditional.