Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Michigan State University/IAH 209 Autopsy (Spring 2017)

Autopsy is about seeing. More than just a post-mortem, autopsy is first defined as the action or process of seeing with one’s own eyes. In this course we will concentrate on seeing with our own eyes to investigate questions like what does it mean to have a body? and what does it mean to be a body? We’ll look at the body and the various ways in which it has been examined, dissected, and displayed throughout history and across media. Through a variety of media (texts, images, films) and genres (scientific, historical, literary, artistic), we’ll explore the body itself as a complex cultural object, continually subject to modification by what we see and how we see it.

Week 1
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. Be sure to check with your instructor to see if there are other pages you should be following as well.

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 Content 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

Week 2
Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link on D2L. Then, it's time to dive into Wikipedia!


 * Below, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to complete. Make sure you are signed in to your WikiEdu account before you start the training modules. If you are not signed in, there will be no record that you completed the training. 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.

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 3
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;?

It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.

Complete the &quot;Evaluating Articles and Sources&quot; training (linked below) and then choose an article, considering the following questions (but don't feel limited to these):


 * Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
 * 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?
 * Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
 * Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?

Choose at least 3 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating and formulate at least 3 concrete suggestions for improvement. Leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes: Ian (Wiki Ed) (talk) 19:41, 1 May 2017 (UTC).

Finally, submit your suggestions as a MS Word or PDF file to the Dropbox on D2L.

Week 4

 * 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?

Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation 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.

Week 5

 * Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
 * Choose 3–5 potential articles related to the course that you would be interested in tackling. For articles that already exist, check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians might be doing.
 * Finally, submit your choices to your instructor for feedback.

Review Wikipedia's rules for topics related to medicine, human health, and psychology.

Week 6
To effectively work together online, your group will need to collaborate in a shared virtual space. This week, you'll work together with your project group to set ground rules for collaboration. Check D2L for additional information!

Week 7

 * 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?

Together with your group, select your project article and submit your choice for feedback.

Week 8
Continue to refine your topic. Working with the resources available at the MSU Library, you'll individually complete the Searching with a Purpose assignment to compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Then, you'll work with your group to write a preliminary outline for your article revisions.

Week 9
Continue to refine your topic. Working with the resources available at the MSU Library, you'll individually complete the Searching with a Purpose assignment to compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Then, you'll work with your group to write a preliminary outline for your article revisions.

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

'''Creating a new article? '''


 * Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's &quot;lead section.&quot; Write it in your sandbox.
 * A &quot;lead&quot; section is not a traditional introduction. It should summarize, very briefly, what the rest of the article will say in detail. The first paragraph should include important, broad facts about the subject. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas.

'''Improving an existing article? '''


 * Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox.

Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.

Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 11

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

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!

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.

Week 12

 * First, take the &quot;Peer Review&quot; online training.
 * Each group will be assigned at least one other article to review.
 * Peer review your classmate's article and leave suggestions on the Talk page of the article. Other editors may be reviewing your work, so look for their comments! Be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians.
 * As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic?

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 Content Expert if you have any questions.

Week 13
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.

Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 14
Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Content Expert at any time if you need further help!

Week 15
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 Content Expert at any time!

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