Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Rutgers-Camden/Writing Wikipedia (Fall 2016)

This Course Wikipedia Resources Connect
Questions? Ask us:

contact@wikiedu.org

Course name
Writing Wikipedia
Institution
Rutgers-Camden
Instructor
Travis DuBose
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
English
Course dates
2016-09-05 00:00:00 UTC – 2016-12-23 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
10


Student Assigned Reviewing
Dacr348 Camden, New Jersey
Rustygreaves Camden, New Jersey
Scary Ghosty Camden, New Jersey
Mac147 Camden, New Jersey
Candle bb lady Camden, New Jersey
Hmb97 Camden, New Jersey
Rutgersgirl81 Camden, New Jersey
Happiness47 Camden, New Jersey
Oakland528 Camden, New Jersey
Soy candle lady

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Wednesday, 7 September 2016
In class - Critique an article

 It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles.  

  • Choose an article, and consider some questions (but don't feel limited to these): 
    • Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
    • Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
    • Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
    • Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
    • Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
    • Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
    • Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
  •  Choose at least 2 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating.


In class - Discussion
What's a content gap?

Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.

  • Wikipedians often talk about "content gaps." What do you think a content gap is, and what are some possible ways to identify them?
  • What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?
  • Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?
  • What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?

Week 2

Course meetings
Monday, 12 September 2016   |   Wednesday, 14 September 2016
In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia project

Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. Be sure to check with your instructor to see if there are other pages you should be following as well.

This page breaks down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia.

Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Content Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.

To get started, please review the following handouts:


Assignment - Practicing the basics
  • Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.
  •  It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Below, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take. New modules will appear on this timeline as you get to new milestones. Be sure to check back and complete them! Incomplete trainings will be reflected in your grade. 
  •  When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page. 
Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 3

Course meetings
Monday, 19 September 2016   |   Wednesday, 21 September 2016
Assignment - Skim "Writing Better Articles"

Read the Wikipedia article "Writing Better Articles" for discussion in class. 

Assignment - Wikipedia style practice

Write a short biography of yourself, in accordance with the Wikipedia style guide.

Week 4

Course meetings
Monday, 26 September 2016   |   Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Assignment - 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 website as the main source of information about that company?
  • What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
  • What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?


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?

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 3 October 2016   |   Wednesday, 5 October 2016

Week 6

Course meetings
Monday, 10 October 2016   |   Wednesday, 12 October 2016

Week 7

Course meetings
Monday, 17 October 2016   |   Wednesday, 19 October 2016
In class - Decide on an Article

This week, you'll decide on an article and begin focusing your research.

Assignment - Add to an article

Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. There are two ways you can do this:

  • Add 1-2 sentences to a course-related article, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training.
  •  The Citation Hunt tool shows unreferenced statements from articles. First, evaluate whether the statement in question is true! An uncited statement could just be lacking a reference or it could be inaccurate or misleading. Reliable sources on the subject will help you choose whether to add it or correct the statement. 


Assignment - Draft your article

You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.

Creating a new article?

  •  Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox
    •  A "lead" section is not a traditional introduction. It should summarize, very briefly, what the rest of the article will say in detail. The first paragraph should include important, broad facts about the subject. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas. 

Improving an existing article?

  •  Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox




Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.

Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9


Assignment - Respond to your peer review

You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!

  • Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
  • Return to your draft or article and think about the suggestions. Decide which ones to start implementing. Reach out to your instructor or your Content Expert if you have any questions.

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 24 October 2016   |   Wednesday, 26 October 2016
Assignment - Expand your draft
  • Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.
  • If you'd like a Content Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.

Week 9

Course meetings
Monday, 31 October 2016   |   Wednesday, 2 November 2016
Assignment - Continue improving your article

Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique.

  • Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles.

Week 10

Course meetings
Monday, 7 November 2016   |   Wednesday, 9 November 2016
Assignment - Polish your work

Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Content Expert at any time if you need further help!

Week 11

Course meetings
Monday, 14 November 2016   |   Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
  • First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
  • Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you want to review, and then assign them to yourself in the Review column.
  • Peer review your classmates' drafts. Leave suggestions on on the Talk page of the article, or sandbox, that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be reviewing your work, so look for their comments! Be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians.
  • As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic?


Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia

Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the "mainspace."

Editing an existing article?

  • NEVER copy and paste your draft of an article over the entire article. Instead, edit small sections at a time.
  • Copy your edits into the article. Make many small edits, saving each time, and leaving an edit summary. Never replace more than one to two sentences without saving!

Creating a new article?

  • Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
  • You can also review the [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]] online training.

Week 12

Course meetings
Monday, 21 November 2016   |   Wednesday, 23 November 2016

Week 13

Course meetings
Monday, 28 November 2016   |   Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Week 14

Course meetings
Monday, 5 December 2016   |   Wednesday, 7 December 2016
In class - Peer Review 2

Week 15

Course meetings
Monday, 12 December 2016   |   Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Assignment - Final article

It's the final week to develop your article.

  • Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
  • Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Content Expert at any time!
Milestones

Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.


Assignment - Reflective essay
  • Write a reflective essay (2–5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.