Wikipedia:Counter-Vandalism Unit/Vandalism studies

Vandalism is any addition, removal, or change of content made in a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of Wikipedia. Don't understand? Need help? Just want to chat? LIVE SUPPORT on the IRC

The Vandalism Studies project is a portion of the Counter-Vandalism Unit designated to conduct research related to unconstructive edits on Wikipedia. The project covers all vandalism on Wikipedia. If you'd like to get involved, please add your name to the Members list, below!

Studies
(in reverse chronological order)

Members
Please add your name to the bottom of the list if you would like to be involved in the Vandalism Studies!
 * (This will also add you to our talk page mailing list – if you don't want to receive messages, please say so!)


 * 1)  – happy to help!
 * 2)  – CVUA Co-coordinator
 * 3)  – CVUA instructor
 * 4)  – CVUA instructor and SWMT member
 * 5)  – I would like to help. (vandalism fighter.)
 * 6)  – I'll do my best!
 * 7)  STiki developer; academic research on anti-vandalism
 * 8)  Willing to help
 * 9)  Anti-Vandal-Martinet in the making
 * 10)  Planning to replicate and extend my earlier research.
 * 11)  Glad to see that someone is resurrecting this project.  Not sure if I have a lot of time to help, but I will do what I can.
 * 12)  Willing to do anything I can to help out.
 * 13)  I'll help in any way possible.
 * 14)  I'll try my best to help.
 * 15)  – recently joined the unit
 * 16)  I would like to help out however I can.
 * 17)  You might need the help and insight that I can provide.  :)
 * 18)  want to join
 * 19)  I wouldn't mind helping out.
 * 20)  Research ... YUMMY!
 * 21)  I would like to help out that I can...
 * 22)  I will be happy if I can do something
 * 23)  want to join :)
 * 24)  I'll help in any way I can! I would not like to receive messages.
 * 25) I would to join
 * 26)  CVUA instructor
 * 27)  I would like to join
 * 28)  I'd like to join
 * 29)  I love to combat vandalism
 * 30)  Used to create pointless pages, wish I never had. Wan't to help out now and stop vandals and trolls :)
 * 31)  Of course, it's gonna benefit Wikipedia in the end. Happy to sign up.
 * 32)  I've been working to combat vandalism where I can for a while now so it makes sense to join on here.
 * 33)  Count me in!
 * 34)  I'm in!
 * 35)  Sounds like fun!
 * 36)  Reporting Sir!
 * 37)   I HATE trolls.
 * 38)  I would like to join
 * 39)  I made this account to stop Vandalism coming out of my school's IP Address, this is what this account was made for, something like this is where I belong!
 * 40)  Of course!
 * 41)  Lets Go!
 * 42)  This is important...
 * 43)  I wish to help maintain the reliability of Wikipedia as a resource, and vandalism is a large problem with respect to reliability.
 * 44)  I like seeing funny wandalism and then erasing it.
 * 45)  I will be willing to help out in any way that I can!
 * 46)  Of course, I don't really like vandalism in the first place...
 * 47)  Willing to help.
 * 48)  Primarily using edit filters to study patterns/trends
 * 49)  Specially interested in vandalism to Native American and history topics
 * 50)  I will be happy to join and help out!
 * 51)  Fighting vandalism  with STiki and Huggle.
 * 52)  Why not?#
 * 53)  Of course!
 * 54)  It's my pleasure to be a part of this.
 * 55)  I'll alert the researchers on interesting events. Also using WP:Twinkle.
 * 56)  I would like to help.
 * 57)  doing academic research on edit filters and vandalism.
 * 58)  like to counter vandalism
 * 59)  — CVUA instructor.
 * 60)  I would like to help
 * 61)  I would like to help.
 * 62) JaneciaTaylor (talk) I would like to help.
 * 63)  Glad to help.
 * 64)  Planning to use twinkle on the way.
 * 65)  We love Anti Vandals
 * 66)  academic researcher and interested in subtle vandalism.
 * 67)  Interested in Vandalism studies
 * 68)  If this stops vandals, I'm in.
 * 1)  It's my pleasure to be a part of this.
 * 2)  I'll alert the researchers on interesting events. Also using WP:Twinkle.
 * 3)  I would like to help.
 * 4)  doing academic research on edit filters and vandalism.
 * 5)  like to counter vandalism
 * 6)  — CVUA instructor.
 * 7)  I would like to help
 * 8)  I would like to help.
 * 9) JaneciaTaylor (talk) I would like to help.
 * 10)  Glad to help.
 * 11)  Planning to use twinkle on the way.
 * 12)  We love Anti Vandals
 * 13)  academic researcher and interested in subtle vandalism.
 * 14)  Interested in Vandalism studies
 * 15)  If this stops vandals, I'm in.
 * 1)  Interested in Vandalism studies
 * 2)  If this stops vandals, I'm in.

Open tasks

 * Begin formulating ideas and topics to research for "Study 3" (discuss now!)
 * Discuss what research needs to be conducted and what would be good metrics to gather.
 * Add thoughts/contribute to any of the completed studies. (Study 1, Study 2, Obama article study)

Research questions
These are some preliminary questions may stimulate future studies. Not all questions may be answerable, so think of it more as a brainstorming section.

Wikipedia

 * Wikipedia: Don't protect Main Page featured articles/December Main Page FA analysis (2006-12-8)
 * Wikipedia: Study of article statistics by Opabinia regalis (2007-2-18)
 * Wikipedia: Study of the ratio of IP-based vandalism to signed in user vandalism by Cool3 (2006-10-2)
 * Wikipedia: Study of vandalism on individual's user page by Angela (2007-3-29)
 * Wikipedia: Study of vandalism to featured articles by Colonel Chaos (2007-5-1)
 * Wikipedia: Study of vandalism survival times (2009-6-22)
 * Wikipedia: Vandalism statistics by Dragons flight (2009-8-20)
 * Wikipedia: Village pump (policy) – What will it take to ban unregistered editors?: alternative interpretation of your data by Jayron32 (2007-3-17)

Datasets

 * Webis-WVC-07 - Has been subsumed by PAN-WVC-10 and PAN-WVC-11
 * PAN-WVC-10
 * PAN-WVC-11

Coverage of the WikiProject's studies
Coverage of first study:
 * Digg – Wikipedia Vandalism Study: 97% of vandalism is by anonymous editors
 * en.Wikizine.org – Year: 2007 Week: 15 Number: 67
 * Original Research – Another Wikipedia statistical analysis
 * ValueWiki – Wikipedia Vandalism Study: The results are in...
 * WikiAngela – What percentage of Wikipedia vandalism is done by registered users?
 * Wikipedia Signpost/2007-04-23/News and notes#Wikipedia user studies continue
 * WikipediaWeekly – Episode 19: Vandalism and Stabbing Polonius – Discussion begins at minute 17.

Resources

 * Vandalism
 * Cleaning up vandalism
 * Administrator intervention against vandalism
 * IPs are human too – various data, including some on assumption of vandalism/disruption
 * Long-term abuse
 * Most vandalized pages
 * Recent changes patrol
 * The motivation of a vandal
 * Vandalism won by 2009
 * User:Dragons flight/Log analysis – various data, including some on vandalism.
 * User:Fred Bauder/Error management

Show Your Pride!
Just add User WVS to your page.