Wikipedia:Statistics on WikiProject creation

Note: This is not a WikiProject, it is a page discussing trends in the creation of WikiProjects.

WikiProjects (see Wikipedia:WikiProject) are coordinated efforts on the part of a group of editors to improve a specific section of Wikipedia, be it a topic area or some cross-topic quality matter (such as spell checking). They therefore reflect the existence and activity of particular interest groups or communities of practice among Wikipedians. In principle, examination of trends in WikiProject creation and retirement can provide insight into the evolution of Wikipedia as an information resource, particularly when combined with a statistical examination of topic area content.

As a first step down the path toward using WikiProject-related meta-data as a window on Wikipedia evolution, a small standardized set of meta-data has been added to the Wikipedia:List of WikiProjects consisting of^[1]:

• creation date
• inactivity flag

This meta-data supplements the information embedded in the topic hierarchy used to organize the WikiProject list.

The main data document for this effort has been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, residing at Image:Wikiproject stats.xls.

Charts

The charts that follow are based on a partial analysis encompasing the following topic areas (as listed at Wikipedia:List of WikiProjects):

• Biology
• Entertainment
• Wikipedia:Quality
• Economics
• Literature

Notes

1. ^ the addition of meta-data is not complete as of the writing of this article
2. I do realize that "publication" of this information here can compromise the potential for later submission and acceptance of a related manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal. It was not my intention (User:Ceyockey) to create such a manuscript, but it occurs to me that the potential for such exists.