Resources Recap

• Editing Wikipedia
• Using Talk Pages
• Evaluating Wikipedia
• Contributing to Wikipedia: Overall Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria 
• Citing your sources
• Choosing an article
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Choosing an article
• Moving out of your Sandbox
• Illustrating Wikipedia 
• Article Wizard
• How to Get Help
• Tips and Resources
• Did You Know process WP:DYK
• Template talk:Did you know 
• Template:NewDYKnomination
• Polishing your article
• Good Article Status
• Good Article Criteria
• Good Article Nominations page 

Assignment - Update your User Page and Join Course page

Assignment - Proposed topics

1. Choose at least two articles to consider working on and, if relevant, read the related subject-specific brochures
2. Submit a brief description of your proposed topics by the deadline.
   • Submit to Canvas by 9:00 pm
3. List the topics you are considering on your user page.
   • Make sure you list these topics and relevant sources on your user page, not your user talk page.
4. Post a comment on the talk pages of the articles you have listed. (If you are proposing a new article, post on the talk page of a parent article instead.)
5. Submit links to the talk pages you wrote on and your user page as a submission comment on Canvas by the deadline.

• Carefully review the document Contributing to Wikipedia: Overall Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria, page 6 of Editing Wikipedia and the "Finding your article" training.
• Browse through Wikipedia and review examples of good or featured articles on topics related to the course
• Review the Exercise: [[../../../training/students/choose-topic-exercise|Choose a topic]]
• Think carefully about possible topics that might interest you. You have the option of revising an existing entry, creating a new one, or some combination that may involve adding to one or more articles and creating a new entry. New articles are discouraged unless a clear parent article already exists that has been well developed. (You may also add a section (or sections) on a similar theme to a series of articles.)
• Research two topics or articles that you will consider working on as your main project. Review the talk pages of any existing topics for a sense of other contributors who are working on these topics and what they are doing. For each of your topics, review any related subject-specific brochures.
• If you are considering a new article, confirm that the article already has a well-constructed "parent" article.  If not, pick a different topic or consider developing the parent article.
• Topic titles should not sound like research papers or contain an argument. Since Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, all articles should reflect points of view and facts that have already been published. Additionally, article titles with two topics connected with the word “and” are generally discouraged in Wikipedia.
• Check out the WikiProjects affiliated with articles that interest you and read what other contributors have suggested for new and revised entries. You can find the affiliated WikiProjects on the Talk page of an article. Consider posting a query on a WikiProject talk page, particularly if you are interested in starting a new article.

• • • Having trouble finding an article?***

Review this page.

• Make sure you are logged into Wikipedia before making any postings!
• Include the references for your top two choices, along with your sentences expressing interest, etc.

• Post a comment that contains a brief description of your plans and a reference to your comments on your user page on the Talk pages of any articles you might consider revising.  If you are considering creating a new article, post on the Talk page of a parent article. 
• For instructions on posting to Talk pages, see Using Talk Pages.

Assignment - Proposal

1. Upload your completed proposal to the relevant assignment tab on Canvas by the deadline. For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features:
   • File name: [LastName] WikiProposal.docx
   • Document must include:
   • your name on the first page
   • page numbers
   • be doubled-spaced
   • be carefully proofed
   • preferred font - Baskerville, size 14
   • labeled with correct filename

•  If your proposed topic does not have a clear parent topic that has been developed beyond a stub or start class article, you should instead develop or revise/expand the parent topic instead.
•  Post a query to one or more relevant project groups informing them of your plans.
•  Find one or more active Wikipedians who have contributed to a related article or to the relevant project group, and seek out their advice.
•  Prepare to be flexible in response to the feedback you receive. 

•  Are all parts of the existing entry clearly relevant to the topic?
•  Does the entry present any unsubstantiated opinion as though backed by legitimate research? Can you identify any parts of the entry that should either be removed or require further support through citations?
• Does the existing article present all of the legitimate, research-backed approaches to a particular issue?
•  Are there important subtopics that are not discussed?
•  Rather than planning to provide missing citations, first consider whether your research would suggest emphasizing different points or an alternative structure, possibly deleting some of the unsupported claims.
•  Does the existing article appropriately link to other Wikipedia sites? Are there any links that you could add?

•  Identify the relevant subtopics for your proposed contribution and all of the legitimate, research-backed approaches to the topic.
• Narrow the number of subtopics that you will create. (If some important subtopics are beyond the scope of what you can realistically include, you can note additional subtopics meriting further development on the Talk page.)
• Your proposal should acknowledge and adhere to the standards required by Wikipedia for creating and updating articles. 

•   Your proposal should include each of the following items and use proper grammar, style, and organization: 
  1. Identify your topic (or topics). What is the name of the article (or articles) that you plan to revise or create? [Note: avoid topics that do not have a clear parent article or which have titles that sound like arguments or research paper titles.]
  2. Explain why your topic needs to be revised, expanded, or added to Wikipedia. This explanation should be about the existing representation of the topic (or lack thereof) on Wikipedia and should not include paragraphs that would more appropriately go in the Wikipedia article. Include an argument for the relevance (“notability”) of this effort. Why should we care about this subject? What makes it interesting or important?
  3. Compare the current article or your planned contribution(s) with one or more specific Wikipedia articles you identify that have been assessed as B class, Good, or Featured and explain what would need to be done to bring your article to an improved status. (Take into account that some article statuses may be outdated if they've been improved but not reassessed.)
  4.  If you are planning to propose a new article, please provide substantial justification for why this would be better rather than expanding/revising an existing article, given that new sections added to existing articles tend to receive far more traffic than completely new entries. You will need to show that the relevant parent article is well developed.
  5. Provide a detailed outline using the track changes feature of Word to show the sections you will be revising and creating. If you are creating a new article, your outline will comprise all the sections of the proposed article. If you are contributing to an existing article or articles, include an outline that shows existing sections to be kept or deleted and proposed new sections, clearly distinguishing between the two. An example of a sample outline is available under resources in Canvas.
  6. In a separate section of your proposal, describe the planned work, and include detailed explanations of what you will include in each of the sections you will be adding or revising. Note also if the lead to the article will need revising or expanding.  (If you plan to contribute to more than one article, be sure to explain what you will be contributing to each.) Include a substantive list of scholarly references expected to support each proposed section that you will be contributing to. The references should be organized by parts of the previously listed outline, with references listed for each major topic. Unless you have received an exception from Dr. Strassmann, provide a minimum of two (and preferably more) scholarly references for each section you plan to add. References from news sources are permitted, but these are not a substitute for the minimum number of scholarly references required per section. 
     • Note: References should include material from outside the syllabus as well as relevant course readings. These will need to be listed following an appropriate documentation format such as Chicago style (including author, year, and page number). You may also use the APA style or the citation style preferred by the main umbrella Project Group for your contribution. MLA and other styles that do not emphasize the use of inline citations with publication dates should not be used. Note that once you start adding to specific articles, you should adhere to the referencing style preferred by a main related Wiki Project Group associated with the article.
  7. Describe (i) the links to other articles that you plan to add, and (ii) links you will add from those pages to yours. To what existing Wikipedia pages will you add information about your page to increase traffic?
  8. Describe any potential difficulties you anticipate.
  9. Submit your completed proposal to the relevant assignment tab on Canvas. For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features:
     • File name: [LastName] WikiProposal.docx
     • Document must include:
     • Your name
     • Page numbers
     • Be doubled-spaced
     • Be carefully proofed
     • Preferred font - Baskerville, size 14
     • Labeled with correct filename

• Examples of successful proposals from previous classes will be made available in Canvas

Assignment - Update your User page and Article Talk pages

• Paste URL of your User page to the Text Submission tab of the assignment.
• Paste URL(s) of the article talk page(s) you updated to the Text Submission tab of the assignment

Assignment - First Steps

1. Take the training linked here and review Editing Wikipedia, pp. 7-9 and 12-14.
2. New article contributors: write a 3–4 paragraph summary version of your article with citations in your Wikipedia sandbox.  
3. Revised article contributors: begin making revisions.  New material can be drafted in your sandbox (be sure to include citations as appropriate); revisions may be done directly on the mainspace. IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you are considering submitting an optional Did You Know (DYK) hook, keep your work in the sandbox for now.  Once you begin making changes, you will only have 7 days to submit your DYK hook!!!
4. Communicate further on the relevant Talk pages and respond to any community feedback. Consider asking the course content expert and key Wikipedians for advice.
5. Submit (1) Talk page URL and (2) Article page URL or Sandbox URL to relevant assignment page on Canvas.

• Take the "Drafting in the Sandbox" training linked here and review Editing Wikipedia, pp. 7-9 and 12-14.
• If you are starting a new article, write a 3–4 paragraph summary version of your article—with citations—in your Wikipedia Sandbox. Notify watchers of the Talk page of the parent article about the draft in your sandbox. 
• If you are expanding an existing article, start drafting your ideas from your proposal—with citations—in your sandbox first. 
• Review any relevant  subject-specific brochures.

• Take the Moving work out of the Sandbox training. 
• If you're starting a new article
  • Respond to Wikipedia Community feedback (if any), polish your short starter article, and fix any major issues.
  • Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.
  • Consider moving your sandbox work into the main space.
  • Do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow the instructions in the "Moving out of your sandbox" handout.
• If you are expanding an existing article or articles, copy your edits into the article or work directly in the mainspace. If you are making many small edits, save after each edit before you make the next one. Do not paste over the entire existing article, or over large sections of the existing article.  (Exceptions may be made in the case of articles that have not been changed over a substantial period of time.)

• Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
• Double-check that your Wikipedia settings are set so that you are able to watch and be notified of any comments or changes to Article, Talk, or User pages.
• If you'd like a Wikipedia Content Expert to review your work, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button to request a response.
• Don't panic if your work is overwritten or disappears. 
  • Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed.
  • Let me know, and also consider contacting the course Content Expert.

Assignment - Optional

Submitting a Did You Know hook to Wikipedia.

• To nominate your article, follow the instructions in Nominating your article for Did You Know
• Or you may read the full guide to Did You Know nominations at: WP:DYK
• You may also review a quick guide at User:Rjanag/Quick DYK 2 for step-by-step on screen instructions. 
  • Search Template talk:Did you know on Wikipedia. Click on “How to post a new nomination.”
  • Follow the on screen instructions in the yellow and orange form.
  • Create a nomination subpage.
• Write the nomination using the DYK template Template:NewDYKnomination
  • You will need to write a good hook -- the “Did you know” fact for your article (see below for details). To write a good hook: 
    • Remember to begin the hook with "... that", to end it with a question mark, and to link the article title within the hook and make it bold.
    • The hook should be fewer than 200 characters.
    • The hook should refer to established facts.
    • The hook should be neutral.
    • The "Did you know?" fact must be mentioned in the article and cited with an inline citation since inline citations are used to support specific statements in an article. Many submissions fail to meet one or both of these criteria.
  • List the nomination page at "Template talk:Did you know" by finding the appropriate date and adding This is not the proper page to nominate your DYK article. If you have arrived here by accident, please return to T:TDYK and create your DYK nomination page by replacing the text "YOUR ARTICLE TITLE" in the form, with the title of the article you intend to nominate. under the date of the article's creation or expansion.
  • Submit the URL of the nomination page to the relevant assignment page on Canvas. 

Assignment - Initial Contribution

• Your initial contribution should be a minimum of 700 words, not including references, but note that if it appears you are using language designed to increase word count, your edits will likely be reverted. 
• Review advice 
  • First, carefully consider the suggestions you have been given, both to your proposal when it was reviewed and graded, and any responses by Wikipedia editors to your contributions to the Project, Talk or your User page. As you write, be sure to continually check the article’s Talk page and any WikiProject Talk pages you have contributed to for user feedback and suggestions.
• Review information 
  • Review the various informational documents and links you have been given, particularly those relating to citations and avoiding plagiarism.
• Continue writing! 
  • Make sure you are logged in before you write.
  • Consider saving after every sentence, so if an editor doesn’t like one of your points, only that sentence will be reverted.
  • Be sure that every assertion in your article is supported with a citation (and carefully review the information on citations referenced above). In-text citations that include the name of the scholar making the claim are superior to simple footnotes. 
  • A good practice is to include a reference after every sentence.  This is especially important for health-related articles.
  • To easily create citations, click on the word “Cite” at the top of the editing box. It will give you a drop-down menu of citation templates for books, journals, websites, and news. You can select a template and it will give you a form with all of the needed fields, and will then format the information for you. If you name the references where the template says “Ref name,” you can re-use them later by clicking on “Named references” and selecting whichever one you want. You put

Assignment - Peer review

1. Take the Peer Review online training.
2. Review " Evaluating Wikipedia"  and pages 7-15 of Editing Wikipedia before reading the contributions of your peers.
3. Complete one copy of the Peer Review Rubric for each of the articles created by the students whose work you are reviewing. (Peer Review Rubric Forms are available on Canvas.)
4. Please type your comments for each article you are reviewing onto a copy of the form available in Canvas. Be sure to note on the form the name of the person whose work you are reviewing, the reviewed article’s title, plus your name as the peer reviewer. Provide thoughtful and detailed comments that will help your peer group members improve their articles. Detailed constructive suggestions will help your classmates. [Examples from past years are available on Canvas.]  
5. Add a summary of your comments on the Talk page of each article you are reviewing. Attach the summaries to the Peer Review Forms for each Article you review, and provide the link where your talk page comments may be found on the form).                                    
6. *Label each file with your name and that of the person whose work you are reviewing as follows: [YourLastName]ReviewOf[AuthorLastName].docx, e.g. SmithReviewofJones.docx*
7. Email the relevant, filled-out forms to each person whose work you have reviewed by the deadline. 
8. Submit the filled-out forms to Canvas under the relevant Assignment page.

Group Workshops

Workshop: Students will meet in class on Thursday March 24 with their peer review groups to discuss their feedback on each other's articles.  This class is required.

Assignment - Expanded Contribution to Wikipedia

1. Double-check that all assertions are appropriately supported and referenced
   • As noted in various materials and in class, make sure you attribute claims to specific authors and studies in the text using in-line citations where appropriate rather than just supporting specific assertions with footnotes. Review the brochures on citations, references, and how to avoid plagiarism. Make sure your article does not copy the structure of any articles or books you are referencing or use inappropriate close paraphrasing.
2. Add links and images
   • The best Wikipedia articles have illustrations and images, link to other pages, and have other pages linking to them. Review the brochures  Polishing your article and  Illustrating Wikipedia for good advice on adding images and additional links.
3.  Check permissions
   • Check to make sure you have the requisite permissions for any images or illustrations.
4.  Questions?
   • If you have questions, post questions to search.ask.wikiedu.org on the Dashboard, seek out help from online volunteers and review   How to Get Help for useful advice, and access live tutorials available at  Tips and Resources.
5.  Submission Instructions
   • Make sure that all your Wikipedia contributions are live by 5 pm Monday 2 Nov.
   • Additionally, submit the following documents to Owlspace and email them to those in your peer review group by the deadline:
     • a narrative description of the contributions you have made 
       

    * links to the page(s) you have created/changed
    * an outline of your article, showing with track changes the sections you have edited, deleted or added. 
    Label the file: LastNameExpandedContributionDescription.docx)

1. • For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features:
     • Correct filename (see above)
     • Document must include:
       • your name
       • page numbers
       • be doubled-spaced
       • be carefully proofed
       • preferred font - Baskerville, size 14
   • Given the tight timing before the workshop, there will be no extensions. Plan to complete your work early so that you can deal with any last-minute snags that may come up.

• • Submit to relevant Canvas assignment page**

Illustrating Wikipedia

Assignment - Final Revised Contribution

1. Further revise and polish your contribution(s)
   • Carefully review the second set of peer review feedback and any additional comments from Wikipedia editors, and revise accordingly.  As noted with the previous assignment, your final contributions should total a minimum of 1500 words, not including references. As noted in the last assignment, your contributions to the Wikipedia mainspace should include at least fifteen new references from scholarly sources, as well as additional references from nonscholarly sources, such as NGO websites and news reports.
2. Double-check permissions
   • Following previous instructions, double-check that all assertions are appropriately supported and referenced and that you have verified that you have all needed permissions for images, illustrations, and the like.
3. Submission Instructions

1. Save your page as a PDF.
2. Open the PDF in preview.
3. Click tools, then annotate, then highlight text.
4. In the toolbar, you will see a color square. Select the correct color for the assignment. 
   

        YELLOW

1. You can now highlight all sentence-level changes you made. This will permit you to easily show which changes are yours and which are not.

Assignment - Contribution Description and Wikipedia Portfolio

1.  A narrative description of all of the contributions you have made along with live links. Include all portfolio contributions as well. (Examples of some past descriptions that also contain reflective elements will be available on Canvas.)
2. An outline of your article, showing with track changes the sections you have edited, deleted, or added to your main article and to any other ones (partial outlines ok for subsidiary articles). 

1.  Correct filename: [Label the file: LastName]Portfolio.docx]
2. Document must include:
   • your name
   • page numbers
   • be doubled-spaced
   • be carefully proofed
   • preferred font - Baskerville, size 14

• • Submit to the relevant Canvas assignment page**

Assignment - Reflective Essay

1.  Correct filename: [Label the file: LastName]Reflection.docx]
2. Document must include: 
   • your name
   • page numbers
   • be doubled-spaced
   • be carefully proofed
   • preferred font - Baskerville, size 14