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According to the American Heritage Dictionary, an article is "a nonfiction literary composition that forms an independent part of a publication, as a newspaper or magazine."

A writer may write for several publishers, but the rules for writing a basic article are similar. This will be specifically slanted to writing an article for Helium.

Fact-based articles are the mainstay of Helium's existence as an article directory. Although Helium invites people to write fiction and poetry, etc., on its platform, the "softer" topics don't earn upfront pay or stars; only the fact-based, "knowledge" articles do, and that's what Helium wants.

The Second Edition of the Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers details the makings of an article for newspaper and magazine publications. It should use 1) moderately formal language, 2) a mixture of concrete and abstract words, 3) short- to medium-length paragraphs, 4) a variety of sentence lengths to add interest, and use 5) few, if any, first or second pronouns, and 6) limit the use of contractions.

Furthermore, the writer should 7) maintain a conversational tone, keeping a short distance between the writer and reader and 8) avoid sexist and inflammatory language (especially in debates and controversial topics), which risks alienating the reader before he finishes reading.

Obviously, an article must begin with a title, usually one already suggested on Helium. You should stay on topic and keep your article G-rated.

Since Helium is a family-oriented site, some writer's guidelines are almost obvious: no profanity or adult content; no off-topic articles; and no self-promotion articles. Your article cannot contain your name, business or website, or mention any other specifically identifying information, which would negate the "anonymity' requirement for rating articles.

Of course, no experienced writer would consider plagiarizing material, and he would always cite a source, if he considered it necessary.

Take note that Helium will delete articles that contain many capitalized words - including headings and subheadings. This violates Helium's User Agreement. (If you're lucky, Helium might offer one warning to newcomers before deletion.) The use of all caps is considered "shouting" on the Internet, and Helium considers it completely unprofessional.

For Helium's columnar, magazine-layout, Helium emphasizes proper formatting: single spaced sentences and left-aligned margins, with a blank space between paragraphs. Lots of "white space" makes easier

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