This system is preferred because Wikipedia, as an international and electronic encyclopedia, has specific needs better addressed by logical quotation than by the other styles, despite the tendency of externally published style guides to recommend the latter. These include the distinct typesetters' style (often called American, though not limited to the US), and the various British/Commonwealth styles, which are superficially similar to logical quotation but have some characteristics of typesetters' style. Logical quotation is more in keeping with the
principle of minimal change to quotations, and is less prone to misquotation, ambiguity, and the introduction of errors in subsequent editing, than the alternatives. Logical quotation was adopted in 2005, and has been the subject of
perennial debate that has not changed this consensus.
Appropriate use of hyphens and dashes is as much a part of literate, easy-to-read writing as are correct spelling and capitalization. The
"Insert" editing tools directly below the Wikipedia editing window provide immediate access to all these characters.
Most modern style guides treat names ending with
s just like other singular nouns when forming the possessive. The few that do not propose mutually contradictory alternatives. Numerous discussions have led to the current MoS guidance (see discussions of
2004,
2005,
2005,
2006,
2006,
2007,
2008,
2008,
2008,
2009,
2009,
2009,
2012,
2013,
2015,
2016,
2017,
2017,
2017,
2018,
2018,
2019,
2021,
2022).
Although Wikipedia contains some highly technical content, it is
written for a general audience. While specialized publications in a field, such as academic journals, are excellent sources for facts, they are not always the best sources for or examples of how to present those facts to non-experts. When adopting style recommendations from external sources, the Manual of Style incorporates a substantial number of practices from technical standards and field-specific academic style guides; however, Wikipedia defaults to preferring general-audience sources on style, especially when a specialized preference
may conflict with most readers' expectations, and when different disciplines use conflicting styles.
