Authors should also be circumspect in the number of references to their own work, though obviously, since they are experts on the topic and typically will have written widely on it, occasional references will be in order and appropriate. The editors of the Encyclopedia will ensure that entries do not overstep the bounds of propriety in this regard. The length of entries should depend on the topic. We encourage authors to organize longer entries by writing a set of nested, cross-linked documents rather than by writing a single, linear document. This way, the main entry should become readable by an intelligent undergraduate in a sitting of about an hour or two.
More advanced readers can follow the links to the highly technical, detailed or scholarly material.
Such a cross-linked set of documents will therefore be accessible to a wide audience. This is the formatting language that controls the way text, graphics, and links are displayed in Web browsers. These programs are now as easy to use as Microsoft Word. After downloading the sourcefile, authors can replace the sample text in this file with their own content. This will minimize the number of HTML commands authors will need to learn.