Comprehensive Editorial and Writing Guide
A shared framework for selecting, approving, and writing encyclopedia entries
Introduction and General Policies
The Hazara Encyclopedia style guide is a set of rules prepared for authors, editors, and the scientific council.
This guide helps authors write entries and gather reliable data. It also serves as a comprehensive reference for the scientific council and editorial review groups when evaluating scholarly articles. The latest version was prepared and approved in 1400 SH, and updates for the second volume remain in progress.
The Five Sections
- Section One: Principles and stages of entry writing
- Section Two: Scientific editing and preparation
- Section Three: Principles and rules for using sources
- Section Four: General rules for composing articles
- Section Five: Principles and methods of citation
Section One: Principles and Stages of Entry Writing
MODULE 01 / ENTRY LOGIC1. Definition and Selection Criteria
An entry, or headword, is the word or phrase for which an article is written. The main condition for selecting an entry is its belonging to Hazara-related subject areas, including land, culture, customs, scientific, cultural and historical figures, events, and related records.
Main Entries
Top-level subjects that address broad dimensions, such as Hazarajat.
Subentries
Subjects connected to a main entry, such as Arachosia under Hazarajat.
Reference Entries
Entries without their own articles that direct readers to another equivalent entry.
2. Verbal Ordering
- Shared wording: Number entries by importance, such as Payam-e Mohajer 1 and 2.
- Namesakes: A province, district, and city with the same name each receive separate entries.
- Compound names: The specific component comes first, such as Ghorband, Valley.
- Titles: Titles do not come first unless they have become part of the name.
3. Subject Classification of Entries
People
Criteria include public recognition, scholarly works, and national or provincial influence. Selection is made without gender or ideological discrimination at national, provincial, and local levels.
Geography
Includes geographic areas, Hazara-inhabited provinces, historical geography, displaced regions, and places of archaeological significance.
Culture
Practices common among all Hazaras or among specific provincial or local communities.
Events
National, provincial, or village-level events, with smaller local events placed under area entries.
Lineages
Clans, branches, and sub-branches are treated according to the amount of available information.
Section Two: Scientific Preparation
This section covers evaluation, expert review, and supervision after entries are written. Technical and literary editing takes place at a later stage. The final pre-publication step is a full review for vocalizing local words and transcribing entry titles.
Section Three: Using Sources
Encyclopedia prose should be free of value judgments inherited from source texts. The scientific council prepares instructions on word usage and replacement terms, and authors receive those tables for consistency.
Section Four: General Rules for Composing Articles
MODULE 04 / COMPILATION RULESStructure and Independence
Authors should plan how material is presented and follow a logical order. Paragraphs should be coherent. Each article has relative independence and should contain information about its own subject.
Repetition and Contradiction
Unrelated extra material should be avoided. Where an article connects with other entries, repeated material should be minimized. Reported material should be free of contradiction.
Scientific Language (Important)
Sentences should be short and declarative. Figurative, poetic, emotional, and praise-heavy expressions should be avoided, as should unfamiliar Arabic terminology.
08. Identifying People
People mentioned in the text should be introduced briefly so readers can understand who they are.
09. Evidence-Based Claims
Any claim, especially in biographical entries, should be supported by evidence; otherwise, it should be moderated.
10. Developing the Prose
The author’s task is not only collection. Material should be assessed and shaped into a clear, contemporary encyclopedia article.
11-12. Sources and Documentation
Poetry and proverbs should not be used as scientific proof. Sources may include manuscripts, printed works, archival documents, and reliable oral accounts.
Language Policy and Audience Awareness (Clause 7.8)
Authors should keep readers in Afghanistan in mind. Instead of unfamiliar terms, they should use equivalents that are common for the intended readership.
Section Five: Citation
An article is considered research-based when its citations are precise. References in the encyclopedia take two forms:
1. Internal references: Marked with * on terms that have their own entries.
2. APA style: The standard for in-text citations and bibliographies.