Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Georgetown University/WRIT 015-11 Banned and Challenged Books (Fall 2017)

Writing and Culture course

Week 1
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. Please complete the following on Sept. 21 by 11:59pm in lieu of a class meeting.

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 Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on this page.

To get started, please review the following handouts:


 * Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
 * Evaluating Wikipedia

Please complete the following on Sept. 21 by 11:59pm in lieu of a class meeting:


 * Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (To avoid hitting Wikipedia's account creation limits, this is best done outside of class. Only 6 new accounts may be created per day from the same IP address.)
 * 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.
 * Each training module completed on time is worth 20 participation points.

Begin a blog about your experiences on BB. You can use discussion questions to frame your entries, or reflect on the research and writing process. Use this blog to keep track and share your experiences. You will use them to help you write your final reflection on the Wikipedia assignment. Create approximately one blog entry each week during the Wikipedia assignment, or five total. Each blog entry is worth 20 participation points.

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 2
For class, please read Chapter 3: “The Case Against Wikipedia” in Thomas Leitch’s Wikipedia U, available through Blackboard under “Assignments.”

It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article related to the course and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page. Please see the list of articles to evaluate provided by your professor. This assignment is worth 30 participation points, with the training marked separately.


 * Complete the &quot;Evaluating Articles and Sources&quot; training (linked below) by Oct. 2 at 11:59pm.
 * Create a section in your sandbox titled &quot;Article evaluation&quot; where you'll leave notes about your observations and learnings in response to these questions and those below on content gaps.
 * Choose an article on Wikipedia related to your course to read and evaluate. As you read, consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these):
 * 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?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
 * Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
 * Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
 * Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
 * Choose at least 2 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating and leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — Fuiszl (talk) 15:30, 28 November 2017 (UTC).

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


 * Wikipedians often talk about &quot;content gaps.&quot; 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 &quot;unbiased&quot; on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of &quot;bias&quot;?


 * 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?

Week 3
Today in class, based on your evaluation from Sept. 28, please make at least two edits to Wikipedia pages. Be sure to sign your contributions. Each edit is worth 2 points. Option 1: Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding content that is cited 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.

Today in class, based on your evaluation from Sept. 28, please make at least two edits to Wikipedia pages. Be sure to sign your contributions. Each edit is worth 2 points. Option 2: Copyediting. Improve the language, such as fixing grammatical mistakes and punctuation errors, and eliminate typos. You don’t need to contribute new information to the article.

Now that you've done some reading about Wikipedia and done some editing, please reflect on the process so far. You might write about what worked and what was challenging. You might write about your opinions about Wikipedia as a source of information.

Week 8

 * Nov. 7 in class. It's time to choose an article. The instructor will make assignments based on your preferences, using a google poll prior to class.


 * Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
 * Review the list of &quot;Available Articles&quot; on the Articles tab on this course page. After you receive your assignment from your instructor, click Select to assign it to yourself.
 * Complete the &quot;Evaluating Wikipedia Article&quot; worksheet provided by your instructor.
 * In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.


 * What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of &quot;neutrality&quot;?
 * 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?


 * Make sure everyone in the group is assigned to the same Wikipedia article on the Students tab of this course page.
 * Select one group member whose Sandbox space you'll all share to draft your article. Each person should link to that shared Sandbox from their own Sandbox page. A sandbox is like any other page on Wikipedia, and anyone can edit it.
 * Wikipedia doesn't allow multiple people to edit from different devices at the same time. If you're working together in person, one person should add the work to the Sandbox. If you are all working independently, make small edits and save often to avoid &quot;editing conflicts&quot; with classmates. Make sure that you're logged in under your own Wikipedia account while editing in your classmate's sandbox to ensure your edits are recorded.
 * Don't create a group account for your project. Group accounts are prohibited.

As you did on Oct. 3, please make at least two small edits to your page by 11:59pm on Nov. 9. You can copyedit the language, punctuation, etc. OR you can fix citations OR add 1-2 sentences to the content.

Please reflect on the process so far. You might write about what worked and what was challenging. You might write about your opinions about Wikipedia as a source of information.

Week 9
Please meet in the Dubin room in the Lauinger Library (Rm. 156). Please bring your &quot;Evaluating Wikipedia&quot; handout that you completed in class on Nov. 7 to help guide your research.

Please meet in the Dubin room in the Lauinger Library (Rm. 156).

By the end of the week, Sunday, Nov. 19, by 11:59pm, please post your plan for improving the Wikipedia article along with your bibliography to the Article Talk page. Please check the article talk page periodically to see if any Wikipedians have made comments on your plans.

Week 10
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.

'''Improving an existing article?

'''


 * Draft your contributions to the Wikipedia article in your sandbox.
 * Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.
 * Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
 * Please complete the two trainings listed below today, Nov. 27, by 11:59pm.

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Please reflect on the process so far. You might write about what worked and what was challenging. You might write about your opinions about Wikipedia as a source of information.

Week 11
Directions for peer review forthcoming.

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 Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.

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.
 * Consider adding an image to your article. Wikipedia has strict rules about what media can be added, so make sure to take Contributing Images and Media Files training before you upload an image.
 * Please complete the training below by 11:59pm today, Nov. 30.

Please reflect on the process so far. You might write about what worked and what was challenging. You might write about your opinions about Wikipedia as a source of information.


 * Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.
 * If you'd like a Wikipedia Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the &quot;Get Help&quot; button in your sandbox to request notes.

Week 12
Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the &quot;mainspace.&quot;


 * '''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!
 * Be sure to copy text from your sandbox while the sandbox page is in 'Edit' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly.
 * '''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 Sandboxes and Mainspace online training.

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

Please reflect on the process so far. You might write about what worked and what was challenging. You might write about your opinions about Wikipedia as a source of information.

Week 13
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 Wikipedia Expert at any time!

Write a reflective essay (5-7 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.

Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:


 * Critiquing articles: What did you learn about Wikipedia during the article evaluation? How did you approach critiquing the article you selected for this assignment? How did you decide what to add to your chosen article?
 * Summarizing your contributions: include a summary of your edits and why you felt they were a valuable addition to the article. How does your article compare to earlier versions?
 * Peer Review: If your class did peer review, include information about the peer review process. What did you contribute in your review of your peers article? What did your peers recommend you change on your article?
 * Feedback: Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback?
 * Wikipedia generally: What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia? How does a Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you've done in the past? How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic? Why is this important?

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