Commented model of experience files 

Entry model
Rules and advice for writing experience files 

Entry model

The entry model is the model that permits to enter files so as to be able to import them directly into the experience file database.
	To download the model

If you prefer, you can enter your files on-line directly into the database.

Rules and advice for writing experience files 

The instructions below are intended to help you enter your files in the model. They consist in:
* technical standards to comply with when making entries in different fields; 
* information on the content of these fields. 

1.	MFN 
* Do not enter anything in this field (it is for automatic numbering of the file once it has been imported in the base)

2.	Title – Mandatory field
* Write in lower case (except first letter), without carriage returns.
* Choose a short and striking title. Since it appears in the file listings, try to make it clear and explicit. It must respond succinctly to the following questions: what does it deal with? (what proposal, action or experience, what is the meaning of the account, etc.), and where does it take place?

3. Summary – Mandatory field
* Write in lower case (except first letter), without carriage returns.
* Add a title, subtitle or a summary of a few lines to highlight the main topics and issues of the file. When writing this, it is useful to refer to the key words chosen (see points 12 to 15), by explaining how the file deals with the problems referred to by the keywords. 
This summary is vital for clarity: it cannot be separated from the title and therefore stands out when searching in the file listings. In addition, it will be proposed in the Alliance's three working languages (English, Spanish, and French) in order to make available as many files as possible. 

4. Author of file – Mandatory field 
* Write the surname in upper case and the first name in lower case: SURNAME, First name
* Indicate the name and first name of the person who wrote the file. Do not confuse this with the author of the document(s) used (indicated in Sources and notes).

5. Compilation date - Mandatory field
* Indicate the year, month, day: YYYY/MM/DD
* Enter the date of writing the file; not to be confused with the date of publication of the document used.

6. Text - Mandatory field
* Enter the text without layout, but with paragraphs and paragraph titles.
* Write a pertinent and brief text (one page, two at most). It may be useful to divide the text into parts, for example, the context of the action or proposal, the diagnosis, the proposal already implemented or experimented with, the means for implementing it, the first results and lessons, the limits and failures, etc. You can write the files using any source of information, provided that it is mentioned explicitly (cf. point 8). 

7. Commentary
* Enter the text without layout, but by breaking the comments into paragraphs if they are quite long. 
* This is the "open" part of the file. The author of the file freely sets out the lessons that he or she has learned from the information, experience, report, interview, etc. dealt with in the file.
8. Sources and notes
* Indicate any information useful for identifying ad finding the source used for the file. Your account can be based on very different sources: conference proceedings, internal documents, interviews, books, reports, resources persons, accounts of experiences, theses, films, radio and television programs, etc.
In addition, indicate any element that shed light on the file's content and context (names and addresses of the organizations mentioned, activities and responsibilities of a person mentioned, etc.).

9. Organization
* Enter in upper case without punctuation, indicate the meaning of the abbreviation after an = sign. Example: PACS=Instituto de Políticas Alternativas para o Cono Sul
* This information is optional. This is the name of the organization that the author or the file works with. 

10. Address
* Indicate the postal address, fax (including national and international post/zip codes), and the e-mail and Web site address of the author or organization.

11. File language – Mandatory field
* Use the codes FRE or SPA or ENG or POR
* Indicate the language in which the file is written; do not confuse this with the language(s) of the documents used.

12. Topic keywords
* Enter the words in lower case, separated by ; 
* Indicate the topic keywords of your file from the Alliance list of topical keywords (250 words). Choosing the keywords is important for searching: it helps in finding your file when querying on a topic, when comparing what is done in the same field in different countries, when making cross-disciplinary searches, for bringing different fields together, etc. 

13. DPH keywords
* Enter the words in lower case, separated by ;
* Those familiar with the DPH network can use the DPH words here. Consult the DPH thesaurus at http://www.webdph.net/teledph.htm 

14. Geographic keywords 
* Enter the words in lower case, separated by ;
* Indicate the names of the countries for which sufficient information is given in the file (not those that are simply mentioned). If the file deals with a continent, mentioning all the countries is pointless; the name of the continent is enough. For information, consult the list of geographic keywords.

15. Proposed keywords 
* Enter the words in lower case, separated by ;  
* You can add your own keywords in this field in view to enriching the thesaurus. Don't forget that if you enter a new keyword, persons consulting the base will find your files randomly and without relation to other files. When proposing keywords, it is useful to think of which other files in the base could be linked with yours.

16. Workshop
* Enter the words in lower case, separated by ;
* Indicate the name of the Alliance's workshop(s), college(s) or geocultural group(s) that the file refers to. For information, check the list of Alliance workshops.