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Contribution Guidelines

How to Contribute to the Tigray Knowledge Base

We welcome contributions from scholars, researchers, community members, and anyone with valuable knowledge about Tigray. This knowledge base follows strict editorial standards to ensure accuracy, neutrality, and credibility.

Before You Contribute

1. Read Our Editorial Standards

Please review our editorial policy to understand our requirements for accuracy, neutrality, and sourcing.

2. Check Existing Content

Before creating new content, search the knowledge base to ensure you're not duplicating existing articles.

3. Plan Your Contribution

Consider whether you're:

  • Creating a new article on a topic not yet covered
  • Expanding an existing stub article
  • Adding sources to improve an existing article
  • Correcting factual errors in existing content

Types of Contributions Welcome

New Articles

We particularly need content in these priority areas:

  • Historical figures (biographies with verified dates and achievements)
  • Historical events (with timeline and multiple source verification)
  • Cultural practices (documented traditions, ceremonies, customs)
  • Geographic features (with accurate coordinates and descriptions)
  • Economic data (with official statistics and sources)

Article Expansion

Many of our articles are currently "stubs" (brief summaries). You can help by:

  • Adding detailed information with proper citations
  • Including relevant images with captions
  • Adding cross-references to related articles
  • Providing additional context and background

Source Verification

  • Adding credible sources to unsourced claims
  • Replacing weak sources with stronger academic references
  • Fact-checking existing content against primary sources

Submission Process

  1. Fork the repository: tigray.ternafit.org
  2. Create a new branch for your contribution
  3. Edit or create markdown files in the docs/ folder
  4. Submit a pull request with a clear description of changes
  5. Respond to editorial feedback during review

Option 2: Email Submission

  1. Write your article in plain text or Word format
  2. Include all sources with full citations
  3. Send to: knowledge@ternafit.org
  4. Include "Knowledge Base Contribution" in subject line

Option 3: Collaborative Editing

For major contributions or ongoing collaboration:

  1. Contact us at knowledge@ternafit.org
  2. Discuss your planned contribution
  3. Receive direct editing access if appropriate

Article Requirements

Structure

Every article should include:

# Article Title

Brief introduction paragraph summarizing the topic.

## Main content sections
Use clear headings to organize information.

## Historical Context
(When applicable)

## Cultural Significance
(When applicable)

## Current Status
(When applicable)

## Sources
1. Author Last, First. "Title." Publication. Date. URL.
2. Academic Paper. Journal Name. Volume(Issue). Year.
3. Primary source documentation.

## Further Reading
- Link to related articles within this knowledge base
- External academic resources
- Recommended books or papers

---
*This article is a [stub/complete]. You can help the Tigray Knowledge Base by [expanding it/adding sources].*

Citation Standards

Use academic citation format:

Books: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. Publisher.

Journal Articles: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), pages.

Web Sources: Author/Organization. (Date). Title. Website Name. Retrieved from URL

Government Documents: Government Agency. (Year). Document title. Publication details.

Image Guidelines

  • Resolution: Minimum 800px width for main images
  • Format: JPG or PNG preferred
  • Rights: Only use images you own or that are public domain/Creative Commons
  • Captions: All images must have descriptive captions with source attribution
  • Storage: Upload to assets/images/ with descriptive filenames

Quality Standards

Minimum Requirements for Publication

  • At least 3 credible sources cited
  • Clear, engaging writing in standard English
  • Factual accuracy verified
  • Neutral point of view maintained
  • Proper formatting and structure

Preferred Enhancements

  • 5+ diverse sources (primary, academic, secondary)
  • Relevant images with proper attribution
  • Cross-links to related articles
  • Timeline or data visualization (when applicable)
  • Multiple language considerations noted

Editorial Review Process

1. Initial Review (1-3 days)

  • Editorial team checks basic requirements
  • Preliminary fact-checking
  • Feedback provided for major issues

2. Expert Review (1-2 weeks)

  • Content reviewed by subject matter experts
  • Sources verified
  • Cultural sensitivity review

3. Publication (1-3 days)

  • Final formatting and integration
  • Live publication
  • Contributor credited

4. Ongoing Maintenance

  • Community feedback monitoring
  • Regular source updates
  • Continuous improvement

Recognition

Contributor Credits

  • Major Articles: Full author attribution
  • Significant Additions: Contributor recognition
  • Source Additions: Thank you in edit summary
  • Annual Recognition: Top contributors featured on about page

Content Priorities

Immediate Needs (Highest Priority)

  1. Notable Historical Figures - Need 20+ biographical articles
  2. Historical Events - Timeline of major events with sources
  3. Traditional Culture - Festivals, ceremonies, customs
  4. Geographic Features - Mountains, rivers, cities with coordinates

Medium-Term Goals

  1. Economic Data - Current statistics with government sources
  2. Educational Institutions - Universities, schools, research centers
  3. Archaeological Sites - Documented heritage locations
  4. Language Resources - Tigrinya language documentation

Ongoing Maintenance

  1. Current Events - Regular updates on reconstruction, politics
  2. Source Updates - Refreshing older citations
  3. Fact Verification - Cross-checking existing content

Questions?

Code of Conduct

Contributors must:

  • Respect all perspectives and maintain cultural sensitivity
  • Follow academic integrity standards
  • Avoid personal attacks or biased language
  • Work collaboratively with editorial team
  • Respect copyright and intellectual property

Ready to contribute? Start by choosing one of our stub articles to expand, or propose a new article by emailing us!

Last updated: August 2025