User:Daniel Mietchen/Talks/SLU 2013/Abstract

Wikipedia and its sister projects - particularly Wikimedia Commons - are one of the most popular sources of information, including on scientific topics. It is thus in the interest of researchers to familiarize themselves with the inner workings of these platforms, as well as with the broader culture of openness that they are embedded in and that is steadily spreading into science. This talk shall provide a general introduction to Wikipedia and its sister projects, focusing on the role they play in engaging the public with research in the fields relevant to SLU. Special emphasis will be put on the problems academics may face when attempting to contribute, and on how the participation in Wikimedia projects can be aligned with young researchers acquiring and practicing key skills like scientific writing, referencing and international and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

In the spirit of openness, the talk is editable and being developed in public at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Daniel_Mietchen/Talks/SLU_2013, from where it will also be held. Feedback of any kind - e.g. suggestions, questions, or reports of past interactions with Wikimedia - is most welcome. A video recording of a similar talk given at CERN in September is available via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Daniel_Mietchen/Talks/CERN_2012.