Wikipedia:Meetup/Boston/ArchaeologyOnWikipediaF17

= Archaeology on Wikipedia =

Overview
A one-hour learning session, focused on archaeological articles and Wikiprojects.

We will learn the governing principles of Wikipedia, how to assess article quality, and how to make useful contributions.

We will also discuss the value of improving archaeological article quality, both in terms of enhancing our own research skills and sharing knowledge with the public.

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Participant list
Please add your Wikipedia username below

Click "edit source." Add the # sign (to continue numbering.)

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 * 1) Rtbhive (talk) 16:22, 21 November 2017 (UTC)
 * 2) Abalzac21 (talk) 20:34, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
 * 3) Bretstep (talk) 20:36, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
 * 4) Mdprice8472 (talk) 20:36, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
 * 5) Skwdman (talk) 20:36, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
 * 6) M21w (talk) 20:37, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
 * 7) Egmontes (talk) 20:37, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
 * 8) KmzMIT (talk) 20:38, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
 * 9) Hedgehogs6 (talk) 20:39, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
 * 10) Andrewbc6 (talk) 20:40, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
 * 11) Lne33 (talk) 20:48, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

= FAQ = What should I have? How reliable is Wikipedia? Who edits Wikipedia? Also worth knowing about
 * A laptop and charger
 * An interest in the state of public knowledge about archaeology
 * Check out Accuracy of content
 * Check out Wikipedia
 * Wikipedia is a work in progress: perfection is not required
 * The perfect article

= Thinking like a Wikipedian = Basic guidelines, communication customs, editing customs

The focus here is on developing your "Wikipedia hat," so you can read and evaluate Wikipedia articles based on Wikipedia's standards, not those from your own areas of expertise.

Choose an article listed, or search for one that relates to your 3.986 research. Evaluate it, based on your current perspective.


 * Page-Ladson
 * Poverty Point
 * Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
 * History of Indian archaeology
 * Lubbock Lake Landmark
 * Linear Pottery culture
 * Koster Site

Read over the following Wikipedia policy/guideline pages, and then use what you've learned to re-consider the article you just evaluated.

(Hint: Read "nutshells" and intros most carefully, then skim the rest of each policy/guideline page. That will give you the sense you need.)


 * Be bold
 * Your first article
 * The five pillars of Wikipedia
 * Identifying reliable sources
 * Neutral point of view
 * What Wikipedia is not
 * Manual of Style

Using your new "Wikipedia hat," how does your evaluation change? From Wikipedian perspective, how might it be improved?''


 * Page-Ladson
 * Poverty Point
 * Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
 * History of Indian archaeology
 * Lubbock Lake Landmark
 * Linear Pottery culture
 * Koster Site

Modified from an exercise created by Amanda Rust

Rating and Communicating on Wikipedia
 * What Class Labels mean (Featured Article, C-Class, Start-Class, etc.): Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Assessment
 * The perfect article
 * Talk page guidelines

''Now look up any site or topic from any of your research -- including any topic that came up in Paper 1, both Critical Response Papers, the Kennewick Man Debate, and Paper 2. Explore, Analyze, even Edit!'' One way to get started: Citation Hunt!

= Training to edit Wikipedia =
 * Cheatsheet
 * Featured Articles
 * Policies and guidelines
 * Help:Getting started
 * Starting an article

Going forward: some resources to help you determine what and how to contribute

 * WikiProject
 * What Class Labels mean (Featured Article, C-Class, Start-Class, etc.): Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Assessment
 * Portals on wikipedia
 * Missing articles
 * Stubs
 * Most-wanted articles
 * Translating
 * Red links
 * Women in Red

Good Digital Citizenship and Activism in Wikipedia: Working with Underrepresented Groups and Topics
written by Amanda Rust, February 2016
 * Problem: Wikipedia is a globally distributed network where judgement of quality is not based around contributor expertise, but rather work according to the standards of the project itself -- the most legible unit of work is a good citation. As one of the oldest communities on the Internet, Wikipedia gives students to a chance to practice good digital citizenship: use their critical thinking skills to discover community values, norms and styles of communication, and contribute in a way that will make sense to other community members. However, Wikipedia can, like many other communities, have a bias towards the status quo. Therefore, those working on issues related to underrepresented groups can expect to be accused of activism, bias, an agenda, as if those things do not already exist on Wikipedia.


 * Digital citizenship is doubly important to those working on issues related to underrepresented groups: one must know how to communicate effectively using community standards to convince the Wikipedian community that changes in the status quo does not automatically equal violating policy, and that you are still partners in the same goal of wanting to improve the encyclopedia.

Other possible topics for editing

 * WikiProject Archaeology
 * WikiProject Archaeology/Women in archaeology task force
 * WikiProject Indigenous peoples of North America
 * WikiProject Indigenous peoples of the Americas
 * WikiProject Mesoamerica
 * WikiProject Women in Red
 * Category:Archaeology stubs
 * Citation Hunt = tool to find "citation needed" in articles

Resources we can draw from

 * WorldCat, via MIT Libraries
 * MIT Libraries Anthropology & Archaeology Research Guide
 * Google News
 * Google Books
 * Google Scholar Note! You can synchronize Google Scholar with the MIT Library. Check it out!
 * Better Googling: MIT Libraries Google search tips