Stocks Style Guide
A style guide on how to contribute to the stocks section of our wiki
This isn’t a strict requirement but a general recommendation or advice about how to approach writing content which meets the level of quality we’re looking for in the Stocks section.
This is in addition to our general style guide
Unless something has already been covered in one of the sections written before, please don’t assume that the reader would know about it. This doesn’t mean that content should be dumbed down, but it should be easy to approach such that understanding it doesn’t feel uncomfortable.
This might be a bit hard to grasp but don’t write as if you’re a robot writing dry commentary or producing TL;DR styled content. Write as if you’re thinking out loud in your own mind although avoid using first person references like I, me, you etc. Using we, oneself, one can assume… is preferable.
Use actual examples that readers can relate to. Talking about something and actually showing how it happens in real life are vastly different things. If talking about valuation, use an example that shows how to arrive at it.
If talking about a financial ratio, use images from an annual report and show the reader how to calculate that ratio. In other words, show the reader how & from where input values needed to calculate a ratio are derived from.
For example, while explaining how to calculate Working Capital of a company, insert a screenshot showing Current Assets and Current Liabilities of a company in its balance sheet.
If, and when, necessary, feel free to dive into details while keeping efficiency in mind. In such cases, try to understand the entire concept yourself, sketch out a summary or a bird's-eye view of the concept, and then write about it. If a wall of text has to be written, try to make it engaging and somewhat fun to read by adding relevant images, examples, and other interactive elements.
Unless there's a good reason to focus on standalone financial statements, use consolidated financial statements when presenting examples.
If you’re writing content for a chapter and feel stuck in any part of the process, do let us know. We’d love to guide you on what needs to be covered, and how. We’ve a draft of talking points for each chapter of the series, and a rough idea on how they need to be explained. Feel free to DM the core contribution team, or drop a message in #kb-due-diligence for any help regarding coverage, structuring, phrasing or any other issues you face while contributing.