User talk:Born2cycle/DRAFT survey essay

Title
What should the title of this essay be?

Starting with:


 * Use of polls and surveys in Wikipedia decision-making

Too long? Too boring? Suggestions?

--В²C ☎ 21:00, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

TO DO
came up with these ideas:
 * explain how it could work in a discussion (and why it doesn't violate the principles of NOTAVOTE), ...
 * along with examples of different kinds of ranked surveys (e.g., weighted/non-weighted).
 * Maybe an essay like WP:Discussion and polling methods that talks about discussion, consensus, straw polls, ranked surveys, weighted ranked surveys, etc.,
 * for the purpose of "arming" editors with tools that they can use in discussions when appropriate.

--В²C ☎ 21:00, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

Draft text
I'm not sure how much it would need to be re-worked to go into an essay instead of how I've formatted it, but I spent the morning writing this draft text to be appended to several current policy pages. Let me know what you think. Safrolic (talk) 21:12, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

WP:CLOSE#Consensus

3.3 Survey

A ranked choice survey is not a substitute for a considered discussion with detailed, reasoned !votes. However, sometimes a discussion may be split among many potential outcomes with policy and guideline support, with various outcomes being supported by similar or overlapping argument, making consensus difficult to assess. When consensus appears plausible but is difficult to assess for this reason, a ranked-choice survey may be used as an additional tool to gauge consensus.

A closer choosing to relist such a discussion may choose to add a ranked-choice survey at the same time, by making a numbered list of all policy-compliant options with significant support, and asking participants to list those options which they support in order of preference. A ranked-choice survey should only be added when discussion has been exhausted and all arguments have been made; for this reason, discussion which has been relisted with this kind of survey should not be relisted again. For more information, see WP:RM.

A vote in a ranked choice survey is not a !vote, and should not be considered without an accompanying rationale or !vote in the main RM. Closers considering a discussion which includes a ranked choice survey are not obligated to close in accordance with its result; it is only a tool to help gauge consensus preference between many similar options. A close should still be made in accordance with the relative strengths and weaknesses of policy arguments. For more information, see WP:RM/CL.

WP:RM#Relisting

An editor considering a discussion where consensus is difficult to gauge because there are many options with similar policy arguments may choose to add a ranked choice survey. This should only be done when policy and guideline arguments have been exhausted and a consensus has not formed, but still appears plausible.

A ranked choice survey can be created using in a new subssection of the RM. The template will automatically build a numbered list and instructions on how to respond. There is no technical limit to the number of options listed. A relister should include all options which have significant support and do not clearly violate Wikipedia policy and guidelines, and only those options. Titles which violate core content policies should not be listed. A relister who starts a ranked choice survey is required to all editors who have !voted previously in the RM.

A discussion which includes this survey should not be relisted again. However, even though it is a relisted discussion, it should not be closed for a full seven days to give editors time to update their votes.

WP:RMCL#Determining consensus

A closer considering a discussion where a ranked choice survey has been created should treat the preferences expressed in the survey as part of their accompanying !votes when determining consensus. A preference expressed in a survey should not be taken into account without an accompanying !vote or rationale. A survey does not supersede discussion and no part of consensus determination should change when considering a discussion with a survey.

Template text:

A ranked choice survey has been created for this move discussion. The choices are as follows:

To vote in a ranked choice survey, list your supported options by number, in order of preference. (e.g. 5,2,1,4., or 4,3. or 6.) You may list as few or as many options as you choose, but do not list options you oppose. This is not a !vote: if you have not previously !voted with policy and guideline arguments supporting your choice(s), you must add one to the discussion above, or leave a rationale next to your survey response if it is short.