Wikipedia

User:AmandaRR123/teaching

< User:AmandaRR123

This is a space for links and things related to class projects.

2018, Spring Semester, Global Health edit

Why Wikipedia? edit

Impact edit

  • How often do you use Wikipedia?
  • How old do you think Wikipedia is?
  • Thinking about the top 500 Global Sites, what number do you think Wikipedia is?
  • Quick results to the right of Google searches: Wikipedia content without even going to Wikipedia.
  • Using numbers from 2015 to now (February 2018) English Wikipedia has around 8.5 billion page views a month.
  • Truly global impact through growing wikis in other languages, translation back-and-forth.

Editor diversity edit

Consider the "average Wikipedian" on English Wikipedia. What is their:

  • Gender?
  • Geographic location?
  • Age?
  • Race?

Geographic bias edit

The Information Geographies group at the Oxford Internet Institute did substantive work, in 2012, on visualizing the geographic unevenness of Wikipedia coverage.

"There is a clear and highly uneven geography of information in Wikipedia. Europe and North America are home to 84% of all articles. Anguilla has the fewest number of geotagged articles (four), and indeed most small island nations and city states have less than 100 articles. However, it is not just microstates that are characterised by extremely low levels of wiki representation. Almost all of Africa is poorly represented in the encyclopaedia. There are remarkably more Wikipedia articles (7,800) written about Antarctica than any country in Africa or South America. Even China, which is home to the world’s biggest population of Internet users and is the fourth largest country on Earth contains fewer than 1% of all geotagged articles."

Content bias edit

  • Using Featured Articles as an (imperfect) measure of Wikipedian passion and interest...
  • Students bring greater diversity in both content interest and demographics

Before you start editing edit

Article tour edit


2017, Fall Semester, Reading and Writing in the Digital Age edit

Welcome to Wikipedia edit

  • Wikipedia, scale, and systemic bias
    • Number of articles, active editors, very active editors, FA content
    • Acting locally: from print archives to online global encyclopedia: Boston Society of Vulcans (previous student work!)
    • What is an archive?
  • Open source as global distributed work
    • Review a talk page as a work space
    • Suspicious minds
    • How do you make your good work legible? Do the research first!

Choose a topic edit

Understand Wikipedia's standards edit

Understand Wikipedia's organization and markup edit

2016, Fall Semester, Online Communities edit

Agenda edit

  • Wikipedia and systemic bias
    • Articles, active editors, very active editors, FA content
    • Acting locally: from print archives to online global encyclopedia: Boston Society of Vulcans (previous student work!)
    • What is an archive?
  • Open source as global distributed work
    • Review a talk page as a work space
    • Suspicious minds
    • How do you make your good work legible?
  • Offer advice on research for class topics
  • Create a writing-and-research plan
  • Get started!

Wikipedia advice edit

Do the research first! edit

Gather and read your reliable sources, note important facts, then write the article. Remember, start with reliable secondary sources. A press release generally should not be the major source for your article.

Article examples

As a class, let's decide: which sources on these lists should we start with?

Understanding Wikipedia's standards edit

Understanding Wikipedia's organization and markup edit

Choosing a topic edit

Underrepresented groups and activism in Boston's history edit

New articles edit
  • Herbert Tucker, Jr. -- Legal and civil rights expert and activist in Massachusetts, "In 1959, Tucker was named assistant attorney general of the state of Massachusetts, where he remained for nine years. At the time, he also served as president of the Boston chapter of the NAACP. In his dual capacities, Tucker sought a probe of the Boston Red Sox as a result of their releasing their only African American player in what Tucker described as an ongoing pattern of discrimination" -- https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/honorable-herbert-tucker-jr
  • Elvira “Pixie” Palladino -- East Boston community activist opposing the desegregation of the a Boston Public Schools. She served two terms on the Boston School Committee, and she helped found the anti-busing group, Restore Our Alienated Rights (ROAR).
  • Jorge H. Hernandez -- "Boston’s mayor Ray Flynn described Jorge Hernandez as 'one of the truly great community leaders in the long history of Boston’s ethnic development. A dedicated fighter, a hard-working visionary, Jorge was able to harness and direct the enormously productive energy of Boston’s Hispanic community.'"
  • Parcel C protests (Boston, Massachusetts) -- the site of one of the most successful Asian American organizing actions in Massachusetts history: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/iaas_pubs/22/ . There would be a great deal of historical newspaper coverage of this parcel and the surrounding protests.
Articles needing expansion edit
  • National Center of Afro-American Artists -- includes clear suggestions for improvement at the top, there are also many secondary sources that should be included and will be relatively easy to find in Google Books or in historical newspapers.
  • Paul Parks -- A stub article with little about Parks' long political career and in need of reference cleanup. There will be many secondary sources in historical newspapers about his political work.
  • Frederick P. Salvucci -- A stub article with at least one suggestion for improvements, covering a major figure in Boston and MA government history. There is lots of room to flesh out his role in local urban planning projects, and find additional citations showing his importance.
  • Restore Our Alienated Rights (ROAR) -- A stub article with lots of clear suggestions for improvements, about the major group fighting against desegregation during the Boston busing desegregation in the 1970s.
  • United South End Settlements -- An article that could use expansion in the history section with reference cleanup and more work incorporating secondary sources.
  • National Association of Black and White Men Together -- Umbrella organization of a group whose papers are held at Northeastern, could use additional secondary sources and expansion of history section.
  • Bay Windows -- Very stubby article on the major LGBTQ newspaper in Boston. Expand with history, publication location, etc. Use The Chicago Defender, Los Angeles Times, and other newspaper articles as models.

WikiProject to-do lists edit

Choose a stub- or start-class article.


2016, Spring Semester, Online Communities edit

Agenda edit

  • Open source as global distributed work
    • Review a talk page as a work space
    • Suspicious minds
    • How do you make your good work legible?
  • Create a writing-and-research plan
  • Review Wikipedia guidelines (including images)

Wikipedia advice edit

Do the research first! edit

Gather and read your reliable sources, note important facts, then write the article. Remember, start with reliable secondary sources. A press release generally should not be the major source for your article.

As a class, let's decide: which sources on these lists would be better to start with?

Article examples edit

Understanding Wikipedia's standards edit

Understanding Wikipedia's organization and markup edit

Choosing a topic edit

Underrepresented groups and activism in Boston's history edit

Articles needing expansion edit
  • Restore Our Alienated Rights (ROAR) -- A stub article with lots of clear suggestions for improvements, about the major group fighting against desegregation during the Boston busing desegregation in the 1970s.
  • Ted Landsmark -- Could use expansion on his great deal of local work with the BRA and in educational arenas, as well as the importance of photo in reducing support for anti-busing movement.
  • Ruth Batson -- Much good content in need of re-organization and increased secondary sources.
  • La Alianza Hispana -- Article already has clear suggestions for improvement, including writing style, citation style, and types of sources cited. View guide to the records at Northeastern.
  • Roderick L. Ireland -- A stub-level article. First African-American justice appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in its then 305-year history and its first African-American chief justice. Ireland retired from the Supreme Judicial Court in 2014.
  • Frieda Garcia -- A stub-level article. Hispanic activist and community leader in Boston. Garcia became the first director of La Alianza Hispana, an organization dedicated to the needs of lower income Hispanic families. In 1981 Garcia became the director of United South End Settlements. During her twenty year tenure at United South End Settlements she spearheaded programs centered on housing, literacy and job training. She recognized a need and opened the first open-access computer center in the city of Boston.
  • United South End Settlements -- An article that could use expansion in the history section with reference cleanup and more work incorporating secondary sources.
  • National Association of Black and White Men Together -- Umbrella organization of a group whose papers are held at Northeastern, could use additional secondary sources and expansion of history section.
  • Byron Rushing -- There are many additional newspaper sources on his work, needs expansion of personal life, career, and references section.
  • Bay State Banner -- Very stubby article on the major African-American newspaper in Boston. Expand with history, publication location, etc. Use The Chicago Defender, Los Angeles Times, and other newspaper articles as models.
  • Bay Windows -- Very stubby article on the major LGBTQ newspaper in Boston. Expand with history, publication location, etc. Use The Chicago Defender, Los Angeles Times, and other newspaper articles as models.
New articles edit
  • Boston Gay Men's Chorus -- Founded in 1982, is a 175-voice ensemble focusing on creative programming and community outreach. The BGMC sings a wide spectrum of classical and popular music and creates social change by providing a positive, affirming image of the gay and lesbian community. The Chorus is heard live by more than 10,000 people each season and thousands more through recording, television, and internet broadcasts. In November 2013 CBS-WBZ named the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus one of the "top 5" choruses in the city of Boston.
  • Nancy Caruso -- May run into notability issues, so write with that in mind. Community activist and educator and co–founder of the North End Waterfront Central Artery Committee, instrumental in conversations around Big Dig and its transformation of the North End.
  • Rena Margulies Chernoff -- A Holocaust survivor who spoke at several Holocaust Survivor testimonials sponsored by Northeastern University’s Holocaust Awareness Committee in the early-late 1990s. She co-wrote the book, “The Tailors of Tomaszow: A Memoir of Polish Jews,” with her son Allan Chernoff, a former CNN correspondent.
  • Elvira “Pixie” Palladino -- East Boston community activist opposing the desegregation of the a Boston Public Schools. She served two terms on the Boston School Committee, and she helped found the anti-busing group, Restore Our Alienated Rights (ROAR).

WikiProject to-do lists edit

Choose a stub- or start-class article.

2015, Spring Semester, Global Health edit

Why Wikipedia? edit

Impact edit

  • Top websites globally, as of January 2015. What number do you think Wikipedia is?
  • Quick, results to the right of Google searches: Wikipedia content without even going to Wikipedia.
  • As of January 2015, English Wikipedia had nearly 9 billion page views a month.
  • Truly global impact through growing wikis in other languages, translation back-and-forth.

Bias edit

Wikipedia has uneven coverage in many ways. The Information Geographies group at the Oxford Internet Institute has done some wonderful work on visualizing the geographic unevenness of Wikipedia coverage.

"There is a clear and highly uneven geography of information in Wikipedia. Europe and North America are home to 84% of all articles. Anguilla has the fewest number of geotagged articles (four), and indeed most small island nations and city states have less than 100 articles. However, it is not just microstates that are characterised by extremely low levels of wiki representation. Almost all of Africa is poorly represented in the encyclopaedia. There are remarkably more Wikipedia articles (7,800) written about Antarctica than any country in Africa or South America. Even China, which is home to the world’s biggest population of Internet users and is the fourth largest country on Earth contains fewer than 1% of all geotagged articles."

Before you start edit

  • The most important thing you can do is find new, reliable sources first, before writing.
  • Most will likely edit articles on policy or health systems, but if you edit articles related to medical topics:
    • Check in with WikiProject Medicine first.
    • Know the special guidelines for finding reliable sources on medical topics. In particular: medical topics rely on literature reviews and systematic reviews. Luckily, you have access to a wealth of those via the library!

Article tour edit

To do edit

Wiki markup guides edit

2015, Spring Semester -- Online Communities edit

Agenda for Special Collections and Archives visit edit

  1. Before you come, please choose a topic from the list below.
  2. Introduction: our special collections and collecting focus.
  3. Some examples: an unprocessed collection and two processed collections having to do with your class topics.
    1. Note the differences between unprocessed and processed collections.
    2. Archives don't catalog at the item level -- hence the exciting fun discovery of new historical sources.
  4. The Archives website and an example finding aid online (where most finding aids live now.)
  5. The research process for this class, and types of sources preferred for Wikipedia articles.
    1. What makes something or someone notable? Wikipedia has particular guidelines for people.
    2. Primary vs. secondary, the role of finding aids, factual vs. evaluative sources.
    3. You'll all start online first. Then some will need to come in on-site, and look for print newspaper and article clippings as well as organizational newsletters.
    4. The finding aid should have bibliography for further sources.
  6. If you come, these are general archives procedures.
    1. First, look at finding aid and see if there are likely boxes. The archivist can help with this, but you should always take a look at the finding aid and come up with some ideas yourself.
    2. Then follow special visiting procedures -- because special collections are rare and unique, they need careful preservation. Email or call to set up an appointment.
  7. Lab portion: research and editing!

Wikipedia tips edit

Choosing a topic edit

Underrepresented groups in Boston's history edit

New articles edit
  1. ^ https://nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/25193-honoring-boston-s-late-mayor-menino-and-the-dudley-street-initiative.html
Expand and enhance edit

WikiProject to-do lists edit

Choose a stub- or start-class article.

2014, November -- Technologies of Text Lab edit

Responses to in-class questions edit

  • How do I add categories? Browse the category portal or all categories list to find the appropriate one, and add it to the bottom of the page using the [[Category:Category name]] syntax.
  • How do I add references? See my sandbox and use option one. Take a look at the code to see how it's done.
  • How can I find more lists of stub articles to work on? If there isn't a WikiProject list of interest to you, try this list across disciplines.

Wikipedia introduction edit

Underrepresented Groups and Special Collections edit

Ways to Contribute edit

For this class, focus on bringing stub or start class articles as close to a B-class article as you can get (see Wikipedia's assessment standards here) and try to contact the appropriate WikiProject for input. To bring articles up a class, you can:

  • Find a good academic or reliable news source and add it to existing articles. You have access to many resources that others don't, by virtue of being in a university.
  • Cleanup references by tracking down and adding full citation information (author, date, year, etc.)
  • Add additional inline citations where an article has good references, but unclear citation.
  • Add infoboxes, public-domain photos, or categories. You may also want to browse the category portal

Boston-specific edit

If there is no other applicable WikiProject, you can request assessment from the Massachusetts WikiProject here.

Lots of these have specific suggestions from me or other students on the talk page, so will give you a good idea of where to go.

Outside Boston edit

WikiProject to-do lists edit

Choose a stub- or start-class article.

2014, Fall Semester -- Online Communities edit

Agenda for Special Collections and Archives Visit edit

  1. Before you come, please choose a topic from the list below.
  2. Introduction: our special collections and collecting focus.
  3. Some examples: an unprocessed collection and two processed collections having to do with your class topics.
    1. Note the differences between unprocessed and processed collections.
    2. Archives don't catalog at the item level -- hence the exciting fun discovery of new historical sources.
  4. The Archives website and an example finding aid online (where most finding aids live now.)
  5. The research process for this class, and types of sources preferred for Wikipedia articles.
    1. What makes something or someone notable? Wikipedia has particular guidelines for people.
    2. Primary vs. secondary, the role of finding aids, factual vs. evaluative sources.
    3. You'll all start online first. Then some will need to come in on-site, and look for print newspaper and article clippings as well as organizational newsletters.
    4. The finding aid should have bibliography for further sources.
  6. If you come, these are general archives procedures.
    1. First, look at finding aid and see if there are likely boxes. The archivist can help with this, but you should always take a look at the finding aid and come up with some ideas yourself.
    2. Then follow special visiting procedures -- because special collections are rare and unique, they need careful preservation. Email or call to set up an appointment.
  7. Lab portion: research and editing!

Sources for Research edit

Start with:

For more:

Suggested Topics edit

  1. Phyllis M. Ryan, (1927-1998), social justice and political activist, supported school desegregation, prison reform, welfare reform, the establishment of disability rights, and civil rights organizations, such as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). View guide to her personal papers.
  2. Citywide Educational Coalition played an important role in the desegregation of the Boston Public Schools and advocated for school reform by providing parents with the skills necessary to participate in shaping education policy. View guide to the records.
  3. Chinese Progressive Association, a grassroots community organization, was founded in 1977 to provide Chinatown residents a forum for their concerns and a way to communicate their vision for the community to officials of the City of Boston and of the Commonwealth. The Association provides support for workers and immigrants, particularly new Asian immigrants, needing translation services or other support. View guide to the records.
  4. Boston Guild for the Hard of Hearing (1916-2003) provided services to people with hearing impairments, including lip reading classes and advocating for technologies to test and improve hearing. View guide to the records.
  5. Travelers Aid Family Services, established in 1916, provides services to increase homelessness prevention efforts and create affordable housing in Boston. View guide to the records.
  6. Triangle Theater Company (1979-1996) provided a supportive environment in which gay men and women could work in theater View guide to the records.
  7. Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, founded in 1968, is a grassroots organization in Boston’s South End that provides services for youth, families, adults, and the elderly through community organizing, educational, civic, cultural, and peer leadership View guide to the records.
  8. La Alianza Hispana, established in 1968, the first Latino organization in Boston, provides education, family counseling, public health, and youth development programs to Boston’s Latino community. View guide to the records.
  9. National Association of Black and White Men Together, the national organization, and the chapter in Boston, Men of All Colors Together (Boston, Mass.) (below) engages in educational, political, cultural, and social activities which foster supportive environments to overcome racial and cultural inequalities.
    1. View guide to the Boston Chapter records.
    2. View guide to the New York Chapter records.
    3. More on its history.
  10. Men of All Colors Together (Boston, Mass.)
    1. View guide to the Boston Chapter records.
    2. View guide to the New York Chapter records.
    3. More on its history.
  11. United South End Settlements, since inception an active participant in the redevelopment and rehabilitation of the South End, taking part in all phases of the process from planning to execution. In the early 1960s, United South End Settlements crafted a long-range plan for developing the area that articulated short-and long-range goals for the neighborhood. View guide to records.
  12. Boston Society of Vulcans, founded in 1971 for the recruitment of African American and other minorities into the fire service. In 1972 the Boston Society of Vulcans, with assistance from the NAACP, Attorney Thomas Mela, and the Justice Department, filed a class action suit against the Civil Service Commission, which resulted in the City of Boston having to hire minorities on a one to one basis until minorities represented 26% of the fire fighting force; this was known as the Beecher certification. May require extra trips to the archives to find third-party verification.
    1. The Society's pages, but remember: third-party verification is best.
    2. View guide to records.
  13. Gay Community News (Boston), published by the Bromfield Street Educational Foundation, one of the most important LGBT news sources in the 1970s and 1980s and possibly the first LGBT weekly in the U.S View guide to Bromfield records.
  14. Elma Lewis, American arts educator and the founder of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, and the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts. She was one of the first recipients of a MacArther Fellows Grant, in 1981 View guide to the Elma Ina Lewis papers.
  15. Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts View guide to Elma Ina Lewis School of Fine Arts records.
  16. A Note To You, "classical music radio show broadcasted by WGBH and Northeastern University from Ryder Hall. Roland Nadeau, who also started the Music Department at Northeastern, created the show in the interest of educating children on classical music. Running from 1963-2000, its 37-year run was one of public radio's longest-running classical music programs and was syndicated internationally and all over the United States, at its peak it was carried by over 100 public radio stations, the Armed Forces Radio, Voice of America and Australian Public Radio." View guide to records.
  17. Arthur Batcheller, appointed by President Hoover to the position of Traveling Supervisor of Radio in 1930, the highest field position in radio service at that time. Active in early 20th century radio regulation and licensing practices, as well as investigations of notable legal cases. View guide to records.
  18. Robert Markell -- TV producer in the 1960s and '70s, receiving multiple Emmy awards and the Screen Producers Guild Award in 1962 and 1963. Producer of N.Y.P.D._(TV_series) in the 1960s. View guide to records.
  19. Edward F. Lyons, Jr., an attorney who entered the army during World War II serving as an officer in a German prisoner camp, and later stationed with the War Crimes Board serving as an assistant in the Borkum Island war crimes trial. Back in the U.S. he continued to support thep prosecution of German war criminals until his retirement in 1959. View guide to records.
    1. Bonus: this topic has a very active WikiProject, where other editors might be a great deal of help. Do check in with them first.
  20. Borkum Island war crimes trial (Note: there are already pictures of the trial on Wikimedia Commons.)
    1. Bonus: this topic has a very active WikiProject, where other editors might be a great deal of help. Do check in with them first.

2014, May 21st -- Technology, Literature, & New Media edit

  • What is a finding aid, and what can you do with it on Wikipedia?
  • What makes something or someone notable? Wikipedia has particular guidelines for people.

Participating in a Community edit

  • Log in to check your talk page (or have it forwarded to your email)
  • Develop new articles in your sandbox before posting to live.
  • If editing an existing article, visit the talk page to see what work's already been discussed.
  • If the article is very active, consider making smaller changes rather than large text replacements, to make it easier for others to follow your work.
  • Comment out your edits, again to help others understand what you've done.
  • Interesting discussions

What Does Wikipedia Want? edit

2014, March 25th -- Technologies of Text Hands-on Lab edit

Community Resources for Justice edit

Finding Aids edit

Medal, Dominique. "Collection Overview." Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids: Community Resources for Justice Records. Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, July 2013. Web. Accessed 03 March 2014.

Medal, Dominique. "Historical Note." Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids: Community Resources for Justice Records. Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, July 2013. Web. Accessed 03 March 2014.

Web Sites edit

"History." Community Resources for Justice, n.d. Web. Accessed 28 February 2014.

http://www.crj.org/pages/reports-publications

News Articles edit

Both of these articles display the same way, but note the difference in wikicode:

  • Radin, Charles A. (1999-10-15) "Officials Tap Proven Strategy to Battle Heroin Boston's Antigang Tactics Considered." Boston Globe. Accessed 2014-03-20.
  • Radin, Charles A. (1999-10-15). "Officials Tap Proven Strategy to Battle Heroin Boston's Antigang Tactics Considered". Boston Globe. Boston, Mass., United States. ProQuest 405310366. Retrieved 2014-03-20.

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/405369859?accountid=12826

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/405379527?accountid=12826

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/1015443076?accountid=12826

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/403856541?accountid=12826

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/294763417?accountid=12826

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/294579120?accountid=12826

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/294196740?accountid=12826

Carmen Pola edit

Finding Aids edit

Cook, Anna, Cynthia Rufo, and Dominique Medal. "Collection overview". Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids: Carmen Pola Papers. Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, January 2010. Web. Accessed 11 March 2014.

Cook, Anna, Cynthia Rufo, and Dominique Medal. "Biographical note". Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids: Carmen Pola Papers. Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, January 2010. Web. Accessed 11 March 2014.

Books and News Articles edit

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22carmen+pola%22&btnG=Search+Books&tbm=bks

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/294008846?accountid=12826

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/294250911?accountid=12826

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/294353200?accountid=12826

http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/294171970?accountid=12826

Boston History and Social Justice Resources edit

Start with:

For more:

2014, February 24th -- Global Health edit

Through our archives, I've worked on Muriel S. Snowden and Freedom House (Roxbury, Massachusetts) articles. The Freedom House is still in existence, and their web page might have more info for the article.

Where are model articles on health topics? Try Featured Articles for Health and Medicine. (Only a tiny percentage of articles make it to Featured status.)

What are the issues with using library resources like this article?


Useful Articles edit

On-Wiki edit

Off-Wiki edit

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