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Guidelines

CMOS Users Forum Code of Conduct

By registering and participating in forum discussions, you agree to the following code of conduct. If you are unable to agree, you have the right to not participate in forum discussions at any time.

 

Although the administrator and moderator of this forum will attempt to remove or edit any generally objectionable material as quickly as possible, it is impossible to review every message. Therefore you acknowledge that all posts made to this forum express the views and opinions of their authors, not those of the administrator and moderator (except for posts by these people), and hence the administrator and moderator of this forum will not be held liable.

 

You understand and agree that the administrator and moderator of this forum (hereafter referred to as “we”) are not responsible for any user-submitted content. You further understand that we have the right, but not the obligation, to monitor submissions and that we may remove content that we deem inappropriate for any reason whatsoever without consent. We further reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to remove a user’s privilege to post content on this forum.

 

You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, or sexually oriented material or any other material that may violate any applicable laws. Doing so may lead to your being warned by the moderator or possibly banned from the forum (and your service provider being informed). A temporary or permanent ban from the forum will not result in any interruption in your access to the rest of The Chicago Manual of Style Online site. The IP address of all posts is recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions.

 

You agree that we have the right to remove, edit, move, or close any topic at any time. You agree that we have the right to send a private message with a warning and/or to censor any forum user who is in violation of forum policy. If you find a post that you feel is inappropriate or that violates the forum code of conduct, please use the “Report” function. Do not attempt to moderate discussions or correct other users yourself.

 

As a user you agree that any information you have entered in your profile can be stored in a database. Although this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent, we cannot be held responsible for any hacking attempt that may lead to the data being compromised.

 

This forum system uses cookies to store information on your local computer. These cookies do not contain any of your personal information; they serve only to improve your experience of the site.

Tips

The CMOS Users Forum is intended to serve as a professional tool for you. It offers you the opportunity to draw on the insights and expertise of thousands of other publishing professionals who use The Chicago Manual of Style Online every day, and also to share your insights and expertise with them. The more you use the forum, the more value it will hold for you and your fellow subscribers. Here are a few tips that will help make this the best forum possible.

 

Before starting a new thread, try searching the forum to see whether someone else has already asked the question you have in mind. The forum moderator may close or merge threads that deal with the same topic.

 

Give specific information in the title of your post. Instead of a title like “Style question,” use a specific title such as “Should articles ever be capitalized?” A clear title will attract more views to your thread.

 

To make the forum easier for you and others to navigate, please do not post the same message in more than one topic. If you feel you’ve posted a message in the wrong topic and would like to move it to another topic, delete the original message before posting it again elsewhere.

 

From time to time, the forum administrator and moderator will post announcements on the forum that contain important or useful information. Monitor these announcements regularly to ensure you get the most out of your time on the forum.

 

The CMOS Users Forum Help pages contain detailed descriptions of all forum features. If you are a new user or if you have any questions about how to use the forum or change any forum settings, consult the forum Help pages.

 

Keep in mind that all information you share on the forum can be viewed by all subscribers. If your email address is through your employer, you might not want to share it unless you are comfortable with people knowing where you work and you are prepared to receive a number of personal email messages at that account.

 

Use professional discretion when providing details of current or past projects. As a publishing professional, you have an obligation to other parties to protect proprietary information. Maintain a high standard of professional integrity and ethics in your posts. It is not acceptable to malign or defame any named individual, entity, or organization in this forum.

Your Forum Account

Forum Access

The CMOS Users Forum is available only to individual and group subscribers who have user names and passwords. You can access the forum by logging on to the site with your Chicago Manual of Style Online user name and password.

Forum Settings

The CMOS Users Forum includes a Forum Settings control panel that allows you to create or modify your profile and to change forum options. The control panel also includes a variety of tools you can use with the forum, such as a private message account, a buddy list and an ignore list, and a list of subscribed threads.

Your Profile, Screen Name, and Signature

Profile: The CMOS Users Forum allows you to create a public profile that other forum users will be able to view. You can include information such as your professional affiliation, gender, and biography, and you can change the information in your profile at any time. To create or edit your profile, click on the “Forum Settings” link at the top of any forum page. From there, choose “Edit Profile” from the menu on the left and add or update your information. When you are finished, click the “Update Profile” button at the bottom of the page. To view another user’s profile, click on the user’s screen name.

 

Screen Name: By default, The CMOS Users Forum will display the user name you use to log in to The Chicago Manual of Style Online on your profile and all of your posts. If you prefer, you can create a separate screen name for the forum so that your Chicago Manual of Style Online user name is not visible to other subscribers. To create a forum screen name, click on the “Forum Settings” link at the top of any forum page and select “Screen Name” from the Edit Profile menu on the left of the control panel. Then enter your password, add the screen name you would like to use, and click the “Update Screen Name” button. The forum will then display your new screen name rather than your Chicago Manual of Style Online user name to other forum visitors. Your user name and password for The Chicago Manual of Style Online will not change.

 

Signature: The CMOS Users Forum allows you to create a signature that can be added automatically to the end of all of your posts. To create or change your signature, click on the “Forum Settings” link at the top of any forum page and select “Edit Signature” from the Edit Profile menu on the left of the control panel. Then enter in the text editor the signature you would like to use and click the “Update Signature” button. You can also enable or disable your signature in all your posts from this page.

Forum Options

The CMOS Users Forum allows you to choose settings for a variety of forum options. To modify these options, click on the “Forum Settings” link at the top of any forum page. From there, choose “Edit Options” from the menu on the left and change or update any desired items. Options include

  • Privacy
  • Messaging and Notification
  • Date and Time
  • Topic Display
  • Thread View
  • Other

Buddy List and Ignore List

The CMOS Users Forum allows you to create both a buddy list and an ignore list of other users. Adding other users to your buddy list allows you to visit their profiles or send them private messages more quickly. Adding other users to your ignore list blocks any posts or private messages from those users. To add someone to your buddy list or ignore list, click on the “Forum Settings” link at the top of any forum page and then select “Buddy/Ignore List” from the menu on the left. You can then add other users to either list.

Viewing Your Previous Posts

To see a summary of your posts to the forum, click on “Forum Settings” at the top of the page, under “Welcome to The Chicago Manual of Style Online Users Forum.” This will take you to a page that includes a “Your Account Summary” box. Within that box is a row labeled “Posts.” You will see the total number of posts you have made to the forum. Clicking on this number will take you to a list of your posts, which includes a preview of your text and a link to each individual post.

Communicating with Forum Users

Private Messages

The CMOS Users Forum allows you to exchange private messages with other users. The system works in much the same way as an email account but is internal to the forum and not connected to the email address associated with your Chicago Manual of Style Online account. To send a private message to another user, click on the “PM” button that appears below any post created by that user, or click on the Private Message link in the user’s profile. To get to your private messages account, click on the “Forum Settings” link at the top of any forum page and select the desired link under “Messenger” in the menu on the left—Compose, Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, or Trash Can. The “Edit Options” link in that same menu takes you to a page that allows you to block other users from sending you private messages or to receive notification when a new private message is sent to you.

 

To keep track of whether a private message you have sent has been read by the recipient, choose the option “Track Message: Monitor this message to see when it is read” while composing the message. You can then view the status of the message by clicking on “Tracking” in the menu on the left of your Forum Settings page.

Email Messages

The CMOS Users Forum allows you to send e-mail messages to other forum users. To send an e-mail to another user, click on the “Email” button that appears below any post created by that user, or click on the Email link in the user’s profile. You will not be able to see the user’s email address, but recipients of any emails you send through the forum will see the email address associated with your Chicago Manual of Style Online account in the messages they receive. By default, your profile will be set up to block all users from sending you emails. If you want to allow emails, click on the “Forum Settings” link at the top of any forum page, choose “Edit Options” from the menu on the left, and then uncheck the “Hide your email from other members” box under “Messaging and Notification.”

Contacting the Forum Moderator

The screen name of the forum moderator is CMOSModerator; the name appears in red and bears the title “Moderator” below it. You can contact the forum moderator directly with questions or comments by sending a private message through the forum. You can also notify the moderator of an inappropriate post by clicking the “Report Post” button on the right side of your screen immediately below the post.

Posting

New Threads

Within a topic, you can create a new thread by clicking the “New Thread” button at the top or bottom of the page. Please note that you may not have permission to post a new thread in every topic, as the administrator or moderator may have restricted posting or closed some topics.

 

To be notified by email when other users post replies to your thread, select the option to “subscribe and receive e-mail notification of new replies” on the post creation page. You can change this option at any time by clicking the “Edit” button beneath any thread you have created. You can also manage multiple thread subscriptions at once from the “Subscribed Threads” area of your Forum Settings control panel.

 

If you cannot find an appropriate place to post your thread, please contact the moderator to suggest adding a new topic or category.

Replies and Quotes

If you would like to reply to a message posted by another user, click the “Reply” button that appears below that user’s message. If you are viewing replies to the original post of a thread and would like to reply to the original post, click the “Reply to Original Post” button that appears at the top of the page. If you would like to quote all or part of the posting that you are reviewing in your reply, click the plus sign before clicking either the “Reply” or “Reply to Original Post” button. Please note that you may not have permission to reply to threads in every topic, as the administrator or moderator may have restricted posting or archived some topics.

Editing and Deleting Posts

You can edit a post after submitting it by navigating back to the thread where it is displayed and clicking on the “Edit” button below your message. (To access a list of your previous posts, please see these instructions.) To delete the post, click on the “edit” button, then check the box marked “Delete?” and click the “Delete now” button.

Polls

If you would like to create a poll of other users, click the “New Thread” button at the top or bottom of the topic page and then check the box next to “I want to post a poll” below the text editor. You must include a subject and a message and also specify the number of response options for the poll. Then click the “Post Thread” button and you will be taken to a new interface where you can write your poll question and response options and set the amount of time the poll will remain open. Once you’ve posted your poll, you and all other users can check the responses at any time by clicking the “Show Results” link beneath the poll in the forum. Users are allowed to vote only once on any poll.

Attachments

The CMOS Users Forum does not currently allow users to attach files to their posts. This limitation is intended to prevent misuse of the forum for file sharing or other inappropriate purposes.

Subscribe to a Thread

The CMOS Users Forum allows users to subscribe to individual threads. To subscribe to a thread, click the “Subscribe to this thread” link at the bottom of the chosen thread. The thread will then be displayed in the “Subscribed Threads” section of your Forum Settings control panel. You can also elect to receive an email notification whenever a new reply is added to a subscribed thread.

Report a Post

If you encounter a post that contains offensive or inappropriate content or otherwise violates the Forum Code of Conduct, you can report the post to the forum moderator by clicking the “Report Post” button on the right side of your screen immediately below the post. The forum moderator will review the post and take appropriate action as soon as possible. Do not confront the offending poster yourself through a reply or a private message.

Text Formatting

You can use text formatting, a simplified version of HTML, in your posts to create certain effects. If you prefer not to have these formatting options available, click on the “Forum Settings” link at the top of any forum page. From there, choose “Edit Options” from the menu on the left and then uncheck the box next to “Show text formatting options on the posting pages.” Following is a list of the available text formatting options.

 

[b]This text is bold[/b]
This text is bold
[i]This text is italicized[/i]
This text is italicized
[u]This text is underlined[/u]
This text is underlined
[s]This text is struck out[/s]
This text is struck out

[url]http://www.example.com/[/url]
http://www.example.com/
[url=http://www.example.com/]Example.com[/url]
Example.com
[email]example@example.com[/email]
example@example.com
[email=example@example.com]Email Me![/email]
Email Me!
[email=example@example.com?subject=spam]Email with subject[/email]
Email with subject

[quote]Quoted text will be here[/quote]
Quoted text will be here
[code]Text with preserved formatting[/code]
Text with preserved formatting

[color=red]This text is red[/color]
This text is red
[size=3]This text is size 3[/size]
This text is size 3
[font=Tahoma]This font is Tahoma[/font]
This font is Tahoma

[align=center]This is centered[/align]

This is centered

[align=right]This is right-aligned[/align]

This is right-aligned

[list]
[*]List Item #1
[*]List Item #2
[*]List Item #3
[/list]

  • List item #1
  • List item #2
  • List Item #3

You can make an ordered list by using [list=1] for a numbered, and [list=a] for an alphabetical list.