Wikipedia:WikiProject Belize/Guidance/style

WikiProject Belize guidance on following the Manual of Style and related style guidelines for articles within scope

Style guideline	Project advice
Biographies of living person (WP:BLP)	No particular advice.
Citing sources (WP:CS)	No particular advice.
Article titles (WP:AT)	Use recognisable, concise, natural, precise, and consistent names or descriptions in titles. Y Do use the name or description most commonly used in independent, reliable, English-language sources (with exceptions), or when this is not clear or none prevails, choose a name or description that: precisely identifies the subject or topic; is short, natural, distinguishable, and recognisable; and resembles titles for similar articles (with exceptions). Y Do use Belizean English names or descriptions, unless the subject or topic has strong ties to another English-speaking country. N Do not use commas in names of individuals with generational suffixes. For instance, use Pook Jr or Pook II, not Pook, Jr nor Pook, II. Y Do use Indigenous when referring to Indigenous peoples or individuals (or things related to them) generally, not indigenous, Native American, nor Indian. N Do not use titles of knighthood. For instance, use Barry Bowen not Sir Barry Bowen. Y Do note alternative or variant names, archaic or historical names, and relevant foreign-language names of places or geographic features in the lead's first line. Y Do disambiguate names of places or geographic features naturally (eg Corozal Town not Corozal, Belize) if possible, else with the country's name after a comma (for modern settled places, eg xxx, Belize) or in brackets (for natural features or former places, eg xxx (Belize) or Southern District (Belize)). Y Do disambiguate names of events naturally (following a where-what or when-where-what format, as appropriate; with exceptions), as in 2020 Belize prison escape. Y Do disambiguate lists naturally (following a List of format; with exceptions). For instance, use List of Belizeans not Table of Belizeans. Y Do disambiguate topics specific to Belize or Belizean people or things naturally (following a topic-preposition-Belize or Belizean-topic format, as appropriate).
Stand-alone lists (WP:SAL)	No particular advice.
Retain existing styles (MOS:VAR)	No particular advice.
Article titles, sections, headings (MOS:AT, MOS:SO, MOS:HEAD)	No particular advice.
English variant (MOS:ENGVAR, MOS:ARTCON, MOS:COMMONALITY, MOS:TIES, MOS:RETAIN)	Use Belizean English consistently (with exceptions). Y If a norm or aspect of Belizean English spelling or grammar is widespread or established, do adhere to it. For instance, use caye not cay. Else, do adhere to the norm or aspect which is preferred, widespread, standard, or established in Caribbean English. For instance, use xxx not xxx. Y If a Belizean or Caribbean English term or phrase is common in foreign English variants, do employ it. Else, do use the more common term or phrase if possible, or do provide a gloss if not. For instance, use is suspended or is on interdiction (suspended), not is on interdiction. Y If the meaning of a term or phrase in Belizean or Caribbean English diverges from its meaning in foreign English variants, do provide a gloss. For instance, use xxx not xxx. N Do not translate quotations, titles of works, nor proper names from foreign English variants. For instance, use Florida Keys not Florida Cayes. N Do not use non-IUPAC spellings in chemistry-related articles. For instance, use sulfur not sulphur. N Do not use Belizean English in articles with strong ties to another English-speaking country. N Do not use Belizean English in articles where another English variant has been established, unless a valid exception applies (eg if strong ties to Belize may be well-established).
Capital letters (link)	No particular advice.
Ligatures (MOS:LIG)	No particular advice.
Abbreviations (link)	Use established abbreviations, acronyms, or initialisms when appropriate. N Do not use abbreviations, acronyms, nor initialisms before spelling them out first (except for universally common ones eg DNA). For instance, use the Belize City Council (CitCo) was not the CitCo was in the first instance. N Do not pluralise abbreviations, acronyms, nor initialisms with apostrophes. For instance, use JPs not JP's. N Do not punctuate acronyms nor initialisms. For instance, use PM not P.M. N Do not use USA. Rather, use US. N Do not invent new abbreviations, acronyms, nor initialisms. For instance, use ComPol not CP.
Italics (MOS:IT)	Use italics when appropriate. N Do not enclose words or phrases in quotes when mentioning them (unless italics are already heavily used in the article). Rather, italicise them. For instance, use The name Belize comes from not The name "Belize" comes from. Y Do italicise words or phrases when emphasising them. For instance, use is not not is NOT nor is not. Y Do italicise words or phrases when introducing or distinguishing them. For instance, use the Baymen were the not The "Baymen" were the. Y Do italicise foreign words or phrases not in common use in English.
Quotations (MOS:QUOT)	Use brief quotations appropriately. Y Do flag both original and editorial emphasis. For instance, add [emphasis in original]. or [emphasis added]. (as appropriate) after the closing quotation mark (eg "... is not." [emphasis added].). Y Do flag errors in the quoted text if they are significant, else silently correct them. For instance, add {{sic}} just after the error but within the enclosing quotation marks (eg "as Dangriga, Toledo  [sic], was"). Y Do flag editorial omissions. For instance, use Peter  ... Wallace not Peter, oh, uh, Wallace. N Do not omit vulgarities, obscenities, nor text needed for or important to context or meaning. Y Do attribute emotive, biased, or non-neutral opinions immediately. N Do not use scare quotes. N Do not retain non-semantic or purely typographical elements of quoted text. Y Do retain dialectal and archaic spellings and capitalisations. N Do not use quotation marks for long quotes. Rather, block quote them. N Do not use pull quotes. Y Do flag both original and editorial translations.
Punctuation (MOS:PUNCT)	Use Manual of Style punctuation. N Do not use single quotation marks (except within quotes, and for plant cultivars and glosses). Rather, use double quotes. Y Do use a space, colon, or comma just before quotations. Y Do use logical quotation. Y Do follow multi-level toponyms with a comma (unless followed by terminal punctuation or closing brackets). For instance, use Dangriga, Stann Creek, was not Dangriga, Stann Creek was. N Do not use hyphens for en nor em dashes. N Do not use # (with exceptions). For instance, use ranked number 13 in not ranked #13 in. Y Do place footnotes immediately after the adjacent punctuation of the text to which they apply (with exceptions). For instance, use ranked number 13, but  ... end. not ranked number 13, but  ... end. nor ranked number 13, but  ... end.
Dates and time (link)	Use Manual of Style dates and times. Y Do use the 12-hour format for time of day (except for military use, and noon and midnight for 12  pm and 12  am). Y Do use the day-first format for dates. For instance, use 6 June 1638 not June 6, 1638. N Do not use th nor th for dates. For instance, use 10 September not 10th September nor 10th September. N Do not use seasons for dates (with exceptions). For instance, use in June–November not in the wet season. N Do not use the year before the digits as in the year 1798 (unless needed for clarity). N Do not use apostrophes nor two-digit formats for decades as in the 1980's and the '80s, nor use ambiguous decadal names as in the 1900s nor the 1800s. N Do not use relative time references as in they are currently. Rather, use dated references as in as of July 2025, they are.
Numbers (link)	Use Manual of Style numbers. Y Do spell out integers from zero to nine as in one not 1. Y Do use commas in numbers with five or more digits to the left of the decimal point, as in 12,345 not 12345. Y Do use fractions for measures using imperial units (where appropriate), scientific notation in scientific contexts, and decimals elsewhere. N Do not abbreviate million nor billion as 7 mil, 7 mill, 7 mln, 7 bil, 7 bill, nor 7 bln. Rather, use 7M or 7bn (respectively) after first use. Y Do use only one per cent symbol in dashed ranges as in 3–7%.
Currencies (link)	Use Manual of Style currencies. Y Do use a bare dollar symbol ($) for monetary values in Belizean dollars only in articles specific to Belize. Else, reserve the bare symbol for values in US dollars and use BZ$ for values in Belizean dollars. Y Do use US dollars, euros, or pounds sterling ($, €, £) for monetary values in articles not specific to any one country. Y Do use only one dollar symbol in dashed ranges as in $3–7. Y Do spell out the currency, link to it, and provide a dated conversion of the monetary value to US dollars, euros, or pounds sterling on the first use of a value in Belizean dollars, as in 27 Belizean dollars (£10 as of July 2025) not BZ$27 (£10 as of July 2025), $27 (£10 as of July 2025), 27 Belizean dollars (£10 as of July 2025), 27 Belizean dollars (£10), nor 27 Belizean dollars.
Measurement units (link)	Use imperial units for measures (with exceptions). Y Do use imperial units for measures in non-scientific articles with strong ties to Belize. Else, use SI or SI-accepted units. N Do not spell out measures followed by their unit symbols. For instance, use 7 mph not seven mph. N Do not use a slash when spelling out units. For instance, use miles per hour not miles/hour.
Maths symbols (MOS:COMMONMATH)	No particular advice.
Grammar (MOS:GRAMMAR)	No particular advice.
Vocabulary (link)	Use Manual of Style vocabulary. Y Do label individuals or groups of people by the terms most commonly used for them in recent reliable sources (with exceptions), or when it is unclear which terms are most used, label them by their own terms. For instance, use Chaak was a Maya king not Chaak was a Mayan king nor Chaak was a Maya chief. Y Do use specific labels for individuals or groups of people. For instance, use Awe is a Mopan Maya archaeologist not Awe is a Maya scholar. Y Do label transgender or non-binary individuals by their own terms. For instance, use she not he nor they for a transgender woman, and they not she nor he for a non-binary person. Y Do use, for names, words, and phrases first written in a non-Latin script, the romanised forms most common in English (if they exist), or else follow the system most used for the language in question. For instance, use xxx not xxx. Y Do use, for names, words, and phrases in foreign languages with variant spellings or forms, the spelling or form most common in English-language reliable sources (if one exists). For instance, use xxx not xxx. Y Do use historical toponyms to avoid anachronism or where appropriate to context, though do further provide the modern name and historical variants (if common) on first occurrence too. For instance, use buccaneers in Honduras (Belize)  ... or buccaneers in Honduras (Belize, Bay Settlement)  ... in the first instance, not buccaneers in Honduras  ... nor buccaneers in the Bay Settlement  ....
Media (link)	No particular advice.
Lists (MOS:LISTBULLET)	No particular advice.
Links (link)	No particular advice.
Miscellaneous (link)	No particular advice.
Accessibility (MOS:ACCESS)	No particular advice.