> [Maxim](https://wikilayer.org/smee-again) / [Wikilayer authoring guide](https://wikilayer.org/smee-again/wikilayer-howto) / Writing style

# Writing style

**Contents:**

- [Voice](#voice)
- [Quoting sources](#quoting-sources)
  - [Use blockquotes](#use-blockquotes)
  - [Bilingual: original first, translation in italics](#bilingual-original-first-translation-in-italics)

How prose should sound. The principles below are language-agnostic. Apply them whether the wiki's primary language is English, Russian, Serbian, or anything else.

## Voice

Aim for [Wikipedia voice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style): neutral, encyclopedic, impersonal. Concrete numbers over evaluative words. Specify the object — "exchanging dinars for forints", not "the exchange".

## Quoting sources

When a wiki cites a source, the reader should be able to verify the claim without leaving the page. The rules below make that possible.

### Use blockquotes

Put quotations in [markdown](page:4402) blockquotes (`> `). Plain inline quotes get lost in dense prose; the indent and bar give the reader a visual cue.

### Bilingual: original first, translation in italics

When the source is in a different language, quote the original first and put the translation in italics on the next line of the same blockquote. The reader sees both without leaving the page; an agent can verify the translation against the original later.

```
> "Original sentence in the source's language."
>
> *"Translation in the wiki's primary language."*
```