Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Rice University/Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities (Fall 2020)

This Course Wikipedia Resources Connect
Questions? Ask us:

contact@wikiedu.org

Course name
Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities
Institution
Rice University
Instructor
Diana Strassmann
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Economics, Public policy
Course dates
2020-08-24 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-12-04 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
23


This course provides an introduction to the study of poverty, justice, and capabilities. The course considers diverse approaches towards improving human well-being in the US and internationally. Drawing from fields ranging from philosophy and economics to history and sociology, readings address material deprivations and inequalities, including links to racial and ethnic disparities, gender, sexual orientation, health status, education, human rights, and political freedoms. Students will revise or create Wikipedia articles related to the course content.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Kezchow National Economic Association, The Review of Black Political Economy
Ojc1 National Economic Association, The Review of Black Political Economy
S.shedore Housing discrimination in the United States
KaelaWilbur Baptists in the United States Educational inequality in the United States, Housing discrimination in the United States
Heatherkong Gentrification
Yowashi23 National Economic Association, The Review of Black Political Economy
Angelalin79 Occupational segregation Maternal mortality in the United States, National Economic Association, The Review of Black Political Economy
Vanchu22 Educational inequality in the United States Housing discrimination in the United States, Baptists in the United States
V.a.PJHC Ferguson effect
Emilyp99 Women's Institute for Science, Equity and Race (WISER), Cecilia Conrad, Aaron Philip
19jshi Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe, William Spriggs, Cecilia Conrad, Patricia Haynes Smith
MBJAnderson White supremacy in U.S. school curriculum, Educational inequality in the United States, Racism in the United States, White supremacy
Ebweav Environmental racism
MCJones20 Cross-race effect
Kef1170 Racial segregation of churches in the United States
Box1249 Barbara Smith
MichelleGachelin Racial segregation of churches in the United States Baby bonds, The Review of Black Political Economy
Jkolli Baby bonds National Economic Association, Racial segregation of churches in the United States, The Review of Black Political Economy
Akandru Maternal mortality in the United States
Melired Educational inequality in the United States
AHall08 Black genocide
Asmaley Disability, Disability in the United States Cross-race effect, Barbara Smith
UnoDosTrey Economic inequality
Bgreaves18 Educational inequality in the United States

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Tuesday, 25 August 2020   |   Thursday, 27 August 2020
Wikipedia Assignment Overview

Welcome to your Wikipedia assignment's course timeline. This page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete for your Wikipedia assignment, with links to training modules and your classmates' work spaces.

Our course has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. You can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.

Resources:

Other Resources:

The PJHC 371 Blog has tips for completing Wikipedia assignments. It can be accessed at https://pjhc.home.blog/ 

Week 2

Course meetings
Tuesday, 1 September 2020   |   Thursday, 3 September 2020
In class - Topic Ideas



  • Suggestions for finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
  • Discussion of parent and child articles
  • Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish among good and bad articles
  • Collaborating and engaging with the Wiki editing community



Assignment - Create a Wikipedia Account & User Page

Due  10:45 pm Tuesday, Sep 1.

To complete:

  1. Join the course page
  2. Create a user page
  3. Complete basic training
  4. Submit User Page URL to Canvas

1. Create an account and join the course page using the course enrollment link

  • You will be prompted to register for Wikipedia by creating a user account.  (If you already have a Wikipedia account, just log in).
  • Tip: Create a username that will easily identify you to the instructor (i.e. initials, partial name)
    • Click "okay" to authorize the dashboard.wikiedu.org.
    • You will then be redirected to the course page

2. Create a user page:

  • Go to En.Wikipedia.org, and make sure that you are logged in. If so, your newly created account name will be in the upper right hand corner. 
  • Click on your userid, and you will then be directed to your user page, which should have a header that reads "User:".
  • Click on "Edit" towards the top right of your screen, and your browser tab should read "Editing User:<Your Username>". You should also see a large text box for you to edit your user page.
  • In the text box compose some sentences about yourself. You may for example, highlight your interests and some areas of Wikipedia to which you wish to contribute.  You may wish to look at the user pages of some former students to see some examples. In the Wikipedia search bar, type one of the following: User: arcendeight; User: Mtran99.  For the future:  be sure to continue to develop your Wikipedia user page over the course of the semester, and update it later as your life circumstances change.

3. Complete Basic Training Modules
It's time to dive into Wikipedia.  On this module you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take. New trainings and exercises will appear on this timeline in upcoming weeks.  Be sure to check back and complete them! Incomplete trainings will be reflected in your grade.

  • To get credit, be sure you are logged into Wikipedia and have already added your user name to the course page.
  • To go to your Sandbox, click the link on the upper right hand side of the page titled “Sandbox.” This will lead you to a user page called Special:MyPage/sandbox.  You can practice Wikipedia editing in your sandbox until you are ready to begin editing in the Wikipedia mainspace. 

4. Submit Link to User Page to Canvas
Copy and paste the link to the Assignment titled "Creating an Account & User Page"

Your URL should be to your actual Wikipedia page and not to the dashboard.  For this assignment it should look like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:<your user name>

 

Milestones

Everyone has a WIkipedia account and is listed on the course page.

Assignment - Introduce Yourself to a Classmate & Evaluate an Article

Due 10:45 pm Thursday, Sep 3.

To complete:

1. Introduce yourself on a classmate's user talk page. 

2. Evaluate an existing article and leave suggestions.

3. Submit URLs to Canvas

 

1. Introduce yourself on a classmate's page. 

**Be sure not to write on their user article page. **

To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one of your classmates.  Make sure you are logged into Wikipedia before making any postings! Add your introduction to the bottom of the Talk page and be sure to include a header for your introduction. Be sure to sign your comments with`Helaine (Wiki Ed) (talk) 17:04, 4 November 2020 (UTC)`.[reply]

 

2. Evaluate an existing article and leave suggestions.
You'll evaluate any existing Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page. To start, complete the Evaluate an article exercise


You may also want to review pages 4-7 of Evaluating Wikipedia and Contributing to Wikipedia: Overall Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria. These resources will give you a good, brief overview of what to look for in other articles, and what other people will look for in your own.


I would like for you to complete the "optional activity" - for this, leave your suggestions on the article's Talk page at the **bottom** of the page. Be sure to include a heading above your comments and sign your feedback with four tildes — Helaine (Wiki Ed) (talk) 17:04, 4 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

 

3. Submit URLs to Canvas.

On the corresponding Assignment, Paste the URL of the classmate's Talk page and the URL of the Wikipedia Talk Page for the article you evaluated. 

 

Week 3

Course meetings
Tuesday, 8 September 2020   |   Thursday, 10 September 2020
Assignment - Proposed topics

Due 10:45 pm Thursday, Sep 10.

To complete:

  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 10:45 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.

Choosing your topic is the earliest decision you need to make for this project. Careful selection of a workable topic will help you complete this assignment efficiently and make a valuable contribution.

1. Considering possible topics:

  • 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.

2. Submit a very brief description of your proposed topics to the relevant assignment tab on Canvas.

For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features: a. File name: [LastName] WikiTopics.docx
b. Document must include:
    i.   Your name on the first page of the document
   ii.   Page numbers
  iii.   Be doubled-spaced
  iv.   Careful proofreading
   v.   Preferred font - Baskerville, size 14
c. For each proposed topic:
    i.   Supply a few sentences to explain your interest and possible revisions. (Note you will later be submitting a full proposal -- this assignment is simply to help you identify a viable topic, so be concise);
    ii.  Note whether you would like to rewrite/add to an existing article or articles, expand  an existing stub, or create an entirely new entry;
   iii.  If you are proposing a new article, describe the parent article and its quality; and
    iv. For your top two choices, list at least ten new references to scholarly sources you would add in revising/creating the article.  You may consider doing the same for a possible third alternative topic.

References:  You may include references to newspaper, magazine, website, and blog sources, but these will not count toward the required number of scholarly references. All references need to be presented as formal full citations (do not simply provide links). Rank your proposed topics in your order of interest. If approved, one of these topics will become your final topic. You will lose points if your sources are not properly listed as formal citations.

d. Submit to Canvas by 10:45 pm Thursday September 10


3. List the topics you are considering plus the references on your user 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.

4. Post a comment on the talk pages of the articles (or on the talk page of a parent or important relatedarticle if you are proposing a new article.)

  • 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.


In class - Discussion
Thinking about sources and plagiarism



  • Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?
  • What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's or a nonprofit's website as the main source of information about that organization's activities?
  • What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
  • What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?

Week 4

Course meetings
Tuesday, 15 September 2020   |   Thursday, 17 September 2020
Assignment - Copyedit and add to an Article

Due 10:45 pm Thursday Sep 17.

To complete:

 

1. Take the training modules listed here on Adding Citations and Plagiarism


2. Complete the Exercise: [[../../../training/students/copyedit-exercise/copyedit-an-article|Copyedit an article]] then copyedit a Wikipedia article related to the class. Be sure that you are logged in before making the changes.


3. Complete the Exercise: [[../../../training/students/add-to-article-exercise|Add a citation]] then add 1–2 sentences of new information to the article, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source.

Tips: When you make a small claim, clearly state the fact in your own words, and then cite the source where you found the information.  A best practice is to reference the author of the study in text, mentioning (if relevant) the context and sample over which the study refers to (or was conducted over).

 

4. Submit URL of the article page to the relevant Assignment page on Canvas.

Milestones
  • All students have received feedback on topics. One-on-one meetings are available for all students.
Milestones

All students have written on one or more Wikipedia Talk Pages,   have added content to an article in the Wikipedia mainspace, and have copyedited an article.


Week 5

Course meetings
Tuesday, 22 September 2020   |   Thursday, 24 September 2020
Assignment - Proposal

Due 10:45 pm Thursday Sep 24.

To complete:

  1. Upload your completed proposal to the relevant assignment tab on Canvas by the deadline

________________________________

Overview

Things to consider before writing:

You will have the option of revising an existing article, creating a new one, or some combination that may involve adding to one or more articles and creating a new article. New articles are generally discouraged unless a clear and well developed parent article already exists.


Issues to consider if you are considering creating a new article: 

  •  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. 

Issues to consider in planning a revision to an existing article: 

  •  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?

Issues to consider for both new and revised articles: 

  •  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. 


Instructions:


The proposal should be a typed plan (a minimum of 500-700 words, not including references, describing the work you propose to do. The proposal should not be a draft of your proposed new or revised article and should not contain paragraphs intended for your article.

The purpose of the proposal is to persuade readers of the merits of your planned contributions and it should demonstrate how your article will differ from or improve upon any existing or related articles. To receive full credit for your Wikipedia contributions you will need to create a substantial amount of new material. The proposal should clearly indicate the work you plan to contribute. You will need to do enough research to clearly explain the motivation behind your planned changes. Be sure to include all the required proposal components described below.  If this is a group project, clearly explain how the work will be divided.


All proposals should cover the concepts necessary to a critical understanding of the issues; related theoretical and policy debates, and a detailed analytical plan for the material you plan to add.

 

We want you to notate which sources are scholarly with an asterik (*) if you are including non-scholarly sources. As noted by the rubric, for most topics, you need a minimum of two scholarly sources per section you plan to add. If you are working on an approved topic, where scholary sources are scarce, notify Dr. Strassmann, who can modify the expectations for your work. Good luck with your proposals!

 

Carefully read the comments you received on your topic assignment, including suggestions of references, reconceptualizations of your topic, title, etc. If you’ve been told that your topic is too broad (or too narrow), alter your plan as suggested. Overly broad topics are discouraged since these are difficult to research and cover comprehensively.


Writing your proposal

  •   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 among 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
      • Labelled with correct filename
  • Examples of successful proposals from previous classes will be made available in Canvas

Week 6

Course meetings
Tuesday, 29 September 2020   |   Thursday, 1 October 2020
Assignment - Join WikiProjects & Update your User page and Article Talk pages

Due 10:45 pm Tuesday Sep 29.

To complete:

  1. Review any necessary training modules from recent weeks, two useful ones are linked here for you
  2. Join 2-3 WikiProject pages. Change the importance ranking of at least one article for that Wikiproject. Link to these WikiProjects on your User page.
  3. Update your user page (don't forget to add the badges for your WikiProject) and post key elements of your proposal to your sandbox.
  4. Update the talk pages of the article(s) you propose to contribute to (or  -- if contributing a new article -- to the talk pages of any relevant parent articles) directing people to the information in your sandbox. Provide sufficient detail on the talk pages for watchers to get a clear idea of your proposed plans.
  5. Add all of the relevant articles and the talk pages you have commented on to your Watch List.
  6. Required for those creating new articles (strongly encouraged for everyone else):   Post a comment to one or more relevant WikiProject pages. 
  7. Submit URLS of all the pages you contributed to and/or updated to the relevant Assignment page. See detailed submission instructions below.

________________________________

Overview


  • While you are waiting to hear back on your proposal, begin updating your user page and the talk pages of the article(s) you propose to contribute to. If you are planning to create a new article, also post a comment to one or more relevant project groups informing them of your plans.  These comments should include a more detailed description and rationale for community feedback on the Talk page of the article. Make sure you have logged into Wikipedia before making any postings. Check back on the talk pages often and engage with any responses.
  • Join 2-3 WikiProject Pages and add the appropriate boxes to your User Page.
  • Be sure to remove any info from your user page about articles you no longer are considering working on, unless you plan to work on them at some future date.
  • Copy key elements of your proposal to your sandbox (see below) and provide a link on your user page.
  • Key Proposal Elements:  A description of your planned work plus an annotated bibliography of the relevant, reliable books, journal articles, and other sources with a brief description of each source and its relevance to your topic. 
  • Update the talk pages of the article(s) you propose to contribute to (or  -- if contributing a new article -- to the talk pages of any relevant parent articles) directing people to the information in your sandbox. Provide sufficient detail on the talk pages for watchers to get a clear idea of your proposed plans.
  • Add the Talk and Article pages to your watch list, and check regularly to see if anyone offers advice on your previous postings
  • Engage with any feedback you receive.
  • Check out the WikiProjects associated with your topic, join a few relevant ones, and consider posting there as well. (Required if you are creating a new article.) You can find the affiliated WikiProjects on the Talk page of an article. 
  • 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
  • Paste URLs to the article you changed the importance of to the Text Submission tab of the assignment


Assignment - Illustrate an Article

Due '10:45 pm Thursday Oct 1.'

Find or create an appropriate photo, illustration, or piece of video/audio to add to an article.

To complete:


  1. Review Illustrating Wikipedia or  Editing Wikipedia, pp. 10-11
  2. Take the Training Module on Contributing Images and Media Files
  3.  Add an image to an article.
  4. Submit URL of the article you illustrated to the relevant assignment page on Canvas.

________________________________

Overview


  • Before you start, review the Illustrating Wikipedia handbook, or see Editing Wikipedia pages 10–11. 
  • When you've reviewed those pages, take the training linked here.
  • When you're ready to start finding images, remember: Never grab images you find through an image search, or those found on Instagram, Tumblr, Reddit, Imgur, or even so-called "Free image" or "free stock photo" websites. Instead, you'll want to find images with clear proof that the creator has given permission to use their work. Many of these images can be found on search.creativecommons.org
  • Don't just upload an image to Wikipedia. Instead, upload it to Wikipedia's sister site for images, Wikimedia Commons. For instructions, read through the Illustrating Wikipedia handbook.
  • After uploading an image to Wikimedia Commons, add it to a Wikipedia article, following the instructions in the readings and training module.


In class - Discussion
Thinking about Wikipedia
  • What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"?
  • What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information?
  • On Wikipedia, all material must be attributable to reliable, published sources. What kinds of sources does this exclude? Can you think of any problems that might create?
  • If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?

***This could be a good point to bring up article importance and the new assignment***

Week 7

Course meetings
Tuesday, 6 October 2020   |   Thursday, 8 October 2020
Assignment - First Steps
initial writing

Due 10:45pm Thursday Oct 8.

To complete:


  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.

Be sure you are logged in at all times!  Don't forget to sign all Talk page postings with four ~s.

________________________________


Start drafting ideas from your proposal into your Wikipedia Sandbox

  • 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.

Once you have a complete draft in your Sandbox, consider moving that that work live on to Wikipedia  (keep your work in the sandbox longer if you plan to submit a DYK hook).

  • 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.)

Once you have your work moved live... 

  • 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.

Deadline: Friday Oct 9 or later (deadline variable depending on timing of article creation or 5-fold expansion). 

This optional assignment can help draw traffic to your page and increase the “hits” it receives. Only new articles or articles that have greatly increased the word count of a previously existing article are eligible. “Did you know” hooks must be submitted within 7 days of the creation of a new article or a fivefold expansion (usually from a stub) of an existing article. Submitting a DYK hook requires that you engage with other Wikipedia editors in a discussion that will likely result in requests for improvement to the article. 


  • 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. 

Week 8

Course meetings
Tuesday, 13 October 2020   |   Thursday, 15 October 2020
Milestones
  • All students have received feedback on proposals. 

Week 9

Course meetings
Tuesday, 20 October 2020   |   Thursday, 22 October 2020
Assignment - Complete Contribution to Wikipedia

Due at 10:45 PM on Thursday October 22 (See ** below.)

To complete:  Submit the following documents to Canvas by the deadline and email them to those in your peer review group. 

 


  1.  A description of the contributions you have made ( [Label the file: <LastName>CompleteContributionDescription.pdf (or .doc/.docx)]
  2. An outline of your article, showing with track changes the sections you have edited, deleted, or added.  [Label the file: <LastName>CompleteContributionOutline.docx]. 
  3. A list of all new references in proper format that you have added, separated by "Scholarly" and "NonScholarly"  (filenname: <LastName>CompleteReferences.docx]. There should be a minimum of fifteen new scholarly references).
  4. Complete Contribution of at least 1500 words.  Your revisions/additions should be visibile on the Dashboard Article page. The button Article Assessments will reveal the "Current Version with Authorship highlighted." Therefore, submission of your contribution will only be needed if the highights are not fully accurate or if potential controversy could mean that some of your contributions will be reverted. If you choose to submit your changes, please see instructions below, and label your file as follows: (filename:  <LastName>Complete Contribution.docx or pdf)
  5. ****PLEASE SAVE THESE FILES TO YOUR COMPUTER TO BE UPDATED LATER ****


______________________________________________________

Your Complete contribution should be a minimum of 1500 words, not including references. 

  • 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 General Tips.
    • Reread Editing Wikipedia 12-14.  Read Editing Wikipedia p.15.
    • If you'd like a Wikipedia Content Expert to review your work, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox or email the course content expert.
  • Review information 
    • Review the various informational documents and links you have been given, particularly those relating to citations and avoiding plagiarism.
  • Continue writing! 



  • Submission Instructions 

Submit the following documents to Canvas by the deadline and email them to those in your peer review group.  

 


  1.  A description of the contributions you have made ( filename: <LastName>CompleteContributionDescription.pdf (or .doc/.docx)]
  2. An outline of your article, showing with track changes the sections you have edited, deleted, or added.  [filenname: <LastName>CompleteContributionOutline.docx]. 
  3. A list of all new references in proper format that you have added, separated by "Scholarly" and "NonScholarly"  (filenname: <LastName>CompleteReferences.docx]. There should be a minimum of fifteen new scholarly references).
  4.  (Optional -- see above) Your contributions to Wikipedia of at least 1500 words  -- if you choose to submit this, please see instructions below for turning these into a doc (filename:  <LastName>CompleteContribution.docx or pdf)
  5. ***PLEASE SAVE THESE FILES TO YOUR COMPUTER TO BE UPDATED LATER***


  • All posted documents must include: 
    • your name on the document itself plus be labelled with the correct filename
    • page numbers
    • be double-spaced (except the outline, which may be single-spaced)        *Baskerville font, size 14
    • reflect careful proofreading


Milestones

All students have created their Wikipedia contributions and have  submitted required components to Canvas and have sent them to their peer group members.

Week 10

Course meetings
Tuesday, 27 October 2020   |   Thursday, 29 October 2020
Assignment - Peer review

Due 10:45 pm Wednesday Oct 28.

  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 therelevant Assignment page.


Group Workshops

Workshop: Students will meet in class on Thursday October 29 with their peer review groups to discuss their feedback on each others articles.  This class is required.

Week 11

Course meetings
Tuesday, 3 November 2020   |   Thursday, 5 November 2020
Assignment - Optional
Good Article Status submission

Deadline: 10:45 PM Friday Nov 6

At this stage, you may consider nominating your article for Good Article Status. If you opt to seek Good Article status you must remove the nomination at the end of the semester if your article is unreviewed; or alternatively, you must commit to following up on the review after the end of the semester. (Not responding to reviews provided by Wikipedia editors to Good Article review nominations is disrespectful of the time the editors put into their reviews and suggestions.) 


  • Good Articles are articles that meet a high quality standard and have been approved by members of the Wikipedia community. If you choose this route, you will self-nominate your article for Good Article review and a Wikipedia editor may eventually provide your article with a review and feedback. The independent Wikipedia review process may take weeks or months and therefore achieving Good Article status is not required for the course.
  • First, peruse the Good Article Criteria found here. Then go to the Good Article Nominations page and follow the on-screen instructions for “How to Nominate an Article.” Your efforts in nominating your article (if appropriate) will be taken into account in your final project grade.
  • Submit a link to the Good Article Nomination page to the relevant Assignment on Canvas. 

Week 12

Course meetings
Tuesday, 10 November 2020   |   Thursday, 12 November 2020

Week 13

Course meetings
Tuesday, 17 November 2020   |   Thursday, 19 November 2020
Assignment - Final Revised Contribution

Due 10:45 PM Tuesday Nov 17 (See ** below.)


 

      • UPDATE THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS FROM COMPLETE CONTRIBUTION. MAKE ADDITIONS IN RED TEXT***
  1.  A revised description of the contributions you have made (including all changes made earlier) [Filename: <LastName>FinalContributionDescription.pdf (or .doc/.docx)]
  2. An outline of your article, showing with track changes all of the sections you have edited, deleted, or added for the complete assignment. Please include partial outlines for any subsidiary or additional articles you have edited. [Filename: <LastName>FinalContributionOutline.docx]. 
  3. A list of all references in proper format that you have added to the article, separated by "Scholarly" and "NonScholarly."  [Filenname: <LastName>InitialReferences.docx]. There should be a minimum of fifteen new scholarly references.
  4. Final Revised Contribution of at least 1500 words.Your revisions/additions should be visibile on the Dashboard Article page. The button Article Assessments will reveal the "Current Version with Authorship highlighted." Therefore, as before, submission of your  contribution is only  needed if the highights are not fully accurate or if potential controversy could mean that some of your contributions will be reverted. If you choose to submit a copy, please see instructions below, and label your file as follows: (filename:  <LastName>Complete Contribution.docx or pdf)

For full credit, the files you submit must also contain the following features: 

  1. Correct filenames (see above)
  2. Documents must include: 
    • your name
    • page numbers
    • be doubled-spaced
    • be carefully proofed
    • preferred font - Baskerville, size 14

______________________________________________________

Revise your Wikipedia contributions in response to your peer review feedback and any comments posted to your User and Talk pages by other Wikipedia editors. For additional advice, read the handout provided below on Polishing your Article

Be proactive in seeking advice from editors in the Wikipedia community. Your revised contribution should be a minimum of 1500 words, not including references. Additionally, you should have added to content to other pages as well to provide links and short summaries of the material on your page. You should have added at least fifteen new references to the original article from scholarly sources. Additional references may come from non-scholarly sources, such as from news reports or governmental or NGO websites, but these do not count towards the required fifteen scholarly sources. 


  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 on 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, (1) link to other pages, and (2) have other pages linking to them. Lack of sufficient links is a common way studnets lose points.  Review the Training Module on Contributing Images and Media Files, take the Exercise: [[../../../training/students/continue-improving-exercise/link-articles|Add links to your article]] and read through 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, seek out help from the course content expert, push the Get Help button, and access live tutorials, available at Tips and Resources.
    • Please prepare your final contributions to WIkipedia (including contributions to your main article and any made to other related articles, including links and references), following the instructions found here.

Week 14

Course meetings
Tuesday, 24 November 2020   |   Thursday, 26 November 2020
Assignment - Reflective Essay and Facebook Blurb

Due 10:45 PM Dec 3
 
Reflective Essay of at least 800 words (see instructions below): [Filename:  <LastName>Reflection.docx or pdf)]

 

See Canvas for details about Facebook blurb


______________________________________________________


Write a reflective essay (3-5 pages) on your Wikipedia experience.  Consider these [[../../../training/students/reflective-essay-exercise/essay-questions|Guiding questions]] while you write. Although this essay will naturally reference some details from your Contribution Description, it should take an essay format and should be deeply reflective about your Wikipedia experience.  


For full credit, the file you submit must also contain the following features:


  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