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CEO.wiki:Manual of Style

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The CEO.wiki Manual of Style provides guidelines for writing, formatting, and organizing articles. Following these standards ensures consistency and professionalism across the platform.

Article structure

Lead section

Every article should begin with a lead section that:

  • Summarizes the most important aspects of the topic
  • Stands alone as a concise overview
  • Does not require readers to click links to understand the basics
  • Includes the article title in bold in the first sentence
  • Is typically 1-4 paragraphs depending on article length

Example:

'John Smith (born January 1, 1970) is an American business executive who has served as CEO of TechCorp since 2020. He previously held leadership positions at DataSystems and InnovateCo, and is known for transforming struggling technology companies.

Section organization

Organize articles logically with clear headings:

For CEO biographies:

  1. Lead section
  2. Early life and education
  3. Career
    1. Early career
    2. CEO tenure at [Company]
    3. Later positions
  4. Business philosophy or management style (if notable)
  5. Compensation (if publicly disclosed and notable)
  6. Controversies (if applicable)
  7. Personal life (brief, business-relevant only)
  8. References
  9. External links

For Company articles:

  1. Lead section
  2. History
  3. Products and services
  4. Corporate affairs
    1. Leadership
    2. Headquarters and facilities
    3. Subsidiaries
  5. Financial performance
  6. Controversies (if applicable)
  7. References
  8. External links

Writing style

Tone

  • Formal and professional: Avoid colloquialisms and casual language
  • Neutral: Present facts without advocacy or promotion
  • Encyclopedic: Informative and comprehensive, not entertaining
  • Direct: Clear and concise, avoiding unnecessary words

Good: "Johnson led the company through a restructuring that reduced costs by 30%."

Bad: "Johnson brilliantly executed an amazing transformation that saved the company."

Person and tense

  • Write in third person (never first or second person)
  • Use past tense for historical events
  • Use present tense for current positions and ongoing situations

Correct: "Smith serves as CEO and has implemented new policies."

Incorrect: "Smith is serving as CEO and implemented new policies."

Voice

Prefer active voice over passive voice when possible:

Active: "The board appointed Johnson as CEO."

Passive: "Johnson was appointed as CEO by the board."

Avoid peacock terms

Don't use subjective promotional language:

Avoid: legendary, world-class, prestigious, renowned, acclaimed, iconic, groundbreaking, revolutionary (unless quoting)

Prefer: factual descriptions with citations

Titles and names

People

  • Use the full name on first mention: "Elizabeth Johnson"
  • Use last name only thereafter: "Johnson"
  • Include middle initials only if commonly used: "John Q. Public"
  • Don't use courtesy titles (Mr., Ms., Dr.) except in direct quotes

Companies

  • Use the official legal name on first mention
  • Use common shortened form thereafter if widely recognized
  • Include legal suffixes (Inc., Corp., Ltd.) on first mention
  • Don't include "The" unless it's officially part of the name

Job titles

  • Capitalize formal titles before names: "Chief Executive Officer Jane Doe"
  • Use lowercase when after names or standalone: "Jane Doe, chief executive officer"
  • Use standard abbreviations: CEO, CFO, COO (not C.E.O.)

Numbers and dates

Numbers

  • Spell out one through nine: "five companies"
  • Use numerals for 10 and above: "15 employees"
  • Use numerals for percentages, measurements, money: "5 percent," "$7 million"
  • Use commas for numbers 1,000 and above: "1,000,000 users"
  • Use "billion" and "million" rather than numerals: "$1.5 billion" not "$1,500,000,000"

Dates

  • Format: "January 15, 2024" (Month Day, Year)
  • Use full year: "2024" not "'24"
  • Spell out months: "January" not "Jan."
  • Include "as of" dates for time-sensitive information: "as of March 2024"

Currency

  • Use appropriate symbols: $, €, £, ¥
  • Specify currency when ambiguous: "US$1 million" or "CAD $50,000"
  • Include historical context for older figures: "$1 million ($2.5 million in 2024 dollars)"

Formatting

Headings

  • Use sentence case: "Early life and education" not "Early Life and Education"
  • Don't skip heading levels (don't jump from == to ====)
  • Don't use headings for single sentences
  • Keep headings concise and descriptive

Lists

Use bulleted lists for unordered items:

  • Like this
  • And this

Use numbered lists for sequential items or rankings:

  1. First item
  2. Second item

Emphasis

  • Use bold for the article title in the first sentence
  • Use italics for emphasis (sparingly)
  • Don't use ALL CAPS for emphasis
  • Don't use underline

Quotes

  • Use blockquotes for quotes longer than four lines
  • Include attribution and citations
  • Use quotation marks for shorter quotes
  • Ensure quotes are verbatim and properly attributed

Citations and references

When to cite

Citations are required for:

  • Direct quotations
  • Statistics and financial data
  • Controversial or disputed claims
  • Information likely to be challenged
  • Specific facts (dates, numbers, events)

Citation style

CEO.wiki uses inline citations with the <ref> tag:

<source lang="wikitext"> The company reported revenue of $5 billion in 2023.[1] </source>

Reference section

Always include a == References == section at the end with:

<source lang="wikitext">

References

  1. ↑ <ref>"TechCorp Reports Record Revenue".{Template:Newspaper.January 15, 2024.Retrieved January 20, 2024.</ref>

</source>

Source quality

See Reliable sources for guidance on acceptable sources. Prefer:

  • Major news organizations
  • Business publications
  • Official corporate filings
  • Academic journals
  • Reputable books
  • Link relevant terms on first occurrence in the article
  • Don't overlink - link only terms likely to help readers
  • Don't link common words readers likely understand
  • Link company names and people with articles on CEO.wiki
  • Don't link dates unless specifically relevant

Include an == External links == section for:

  • Official company website
  • Official executive biography pages
  • Major profile pages (Bloomberg, Forbes, etc.)

Don't include:

  • Social media pages (except in citations)
  • Promotional sites
  • Unreliable sources
  • Dead links

Images

Image use

Images should:

  • Be relevant to the article content
  • Have proper licensing for reuse
  • Include captions describing what is shown
  • Be placed near related text

Image size

Use standard thumbnail size: <source lang="wikitext">

Caption describing the image

</source>

Image captions

  • Use complete sentences ending with periods
  • Describe what is shown without restating article text
  • Include dates for historical images

Categories

Every article should have at least one category:

<source lang="wikitext"> </source>

Place categories at the bottom of the article.

Common mistakes

Avoid

  • Promotional language: "leading," "best," "premier"
  • Weasel words: "some say," "many believe"
  • Vague terms: "recently," "soon," "currently" (use specific dates)
  • Editorializing: personal opinions or judgments
  • Redundancy: repeating the same information
  • Excessive detail: minutiae not relevant to understanding the subject

Do

  • State facts clearly with citations
  • Maintain neutral point of view
  • Write concisely and directly
  • Use specific dates and numbers
  • Present multiple viewpoints fairly
  • Focus on notable, significant information

Specific guidelines

Financial information

When reporting financial data:

  • Use official sources (SEC filings, annual reports)
  • Specify the time period
  • Include context (year-over-year change, industry comparison)
  • Convert to a common currency when comparing

Controversies

When covering controversies:

  • Present all sides fairly
  • Use reliable secondary sources
  • Avoid sensationalism
  • Include outcome/resolution when applicable
  • Maintain neutral tone

Compensation

When discussing executive compensation:

  • Use official proxy filings as sources
  • Include total compensation, not just salary
  • Provide context (company size, industry norms)
  • Note disclosure requirements and reporting periods

Templates

CEO.wiki provides templates for common elements:

  • {{cite news}} - News article citations
  • {{cite web}} - Website citations
  • {{cite book}} - Book citations
  • {{reflist}} - Reference list
  • {{DEFAULTSORT:Lastname, Firstname}} - Category sorting

Accessibility

Make articles accessible:

  • Provide alt text for images
  • Use clear, descriptive link text (not "click here")
  • Structure content with proper headings
  • Write clear, concise sentences
  • Avoid jargon when possible

See also

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