Contribution rules

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The following assumes that you have read both the introduction on the Home page and at least one or two chains.
You should also read What Chains of Reason is, and is not.
See Create a new chain for information on how to create a new chain.
Any questions, suggestions or comments about the contribution rules should be posted on this page's talk page.

In addition to following the below rules, contributors should try to ensure that chains are as clear and concise as possible, and also potentially useful to anyone - bearing in mind that a chain which uses false premises, or flawed logic, or both, can still be useful, given that awareness of unsound reasoning can be just as valuable as awareness of sound reasoning.

1 The minimum standard required of all chains

  • 1.1 Premises and conclusions must consist of a single sentence.
  • 1.2 Each link in a chain must have exactly two premises, with both premises involved in the logic of the argument.
  • 1.3 The first premise of each link after the first link must always be identical to the conclusion of the previous link.
  • 1.4 Words and phrases within premise and conclusion statements can be in the form of a link to the relevant Wikipedia article, but not to anything else.

2 Editing

  • 2.1 Edits must be aimed at improving the presentation, rather than the soundness, of the reasoning.
  • 2.2 Edits must preserve the essence of the reasoning.
  • 2.3 Edits should only be made after reaching a consensus with other users on the relevant page's discussion page, and can only be made by an admin.
  • 2.4 Any edits to the main conclusion should of course also be made to the statement of that conclusion at the top of the chain page, and to internal web links to the chain elsewhere on the site, such as its listing in the list of chains, and possibly in hidden 'see also' sections in other chains. Use the 'What links here' tool in the toolbox (bottom right) to find all such links.

3 'See also' links

  • 3.1 Users can add, after any premise or conclusion statement, a 'see also' section containing links to any other chains with main conclusions which directly challenge, or support, the premise or conclusion in question, or links to directly relevant sections of the chain directory, or links to directly relevant entries in the reference section. In the case of 'see also' links after conclusion statements, they may be directly relevant to either the truth of the conclusion or the validity of the argument which produced it.

4 Talk page discussions

  • 4.2 It should not be necessary to refer to anything on a chain's talk page in order to follow the chain - the contents of the chain itself should be sufficient.
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