Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/UC Davis/Biotech Wiki Project (Fall Quarter)

The Biotech Wiki Project will bring together interdisciplinary teams of UC Davis students interested in creating new articles on biotech topics and notable scientists from diverse backgrounds. Undergraduate Honors Program students will be working on the project as part of their IST8A coursework and Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology (DEB) graduate students will be contributing as individuals.

Week 1

 * Create an account and join this course page.
 * This quarter you will be asked to complete two Wikipedia editing/writing projects on topics related to biotechnology: Project 1 - Edit an Existing Article (Week 4) and Project 2 - Start a New Article (Weeks 5-10).
 * Complete the introductory training module &quot;Wikipedia Essentials&quot;
 * Handout: Editing Wikipedia

All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

Week 2

 * Complete the introductory training modules &quot;Editing Basics&quot; and &quot;Evaluating Articles and Sources&quot;. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
 * Create a User page.
 * To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one of your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page.
 * Explore topics related to your thesis topic area or area of research to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a mental note of biotech-related articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.
 * Handouts: Using Talk Pages, Evaluating Wikipedia

Week 3

 * Choose 3–5 biotech topics of interest and check related articles on Wikipedia to see if any sections/knowledge gaps may be filled via your two projects (Project 1 - Edit Existing Article, Project 2 - Write a New Article/Section).  You may want to take notes on your userpage or in your sandbox.
 * For the first editing assignment in Week 4, you will be asked to add 1-2 sentences to an existing Wikipedia article. For existing articles, look at the talk page to get a sense of who else is working on the article and what they're doing.
 * In Week 5, you will be asked to start writing an entirely new Wikipedia article on a biotech topic or famous researcher (e.g. a species article for a particular organism, an article describing a gene or genetic disease, a bio page for a notable researcher, or any other biotech-related topic approved by the instructor).
 * Some questions to ask when identifying articles to edit/topics to write about: Which biotech Wikipedia article left the most room for improvement? Where do you feel you could have the best impact in starting a new article?
 * Email your proposed topic list for Projects 1 &amp; 2 to the course instructor by noon on October 5th.
 * Handouts: Choosing an article, Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
 * Required training module: Sources and Citations
 * Resources: Evaluating Wikipedia

Week 4

 * Confirm a target Wikipedia article for editing.
 * Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to biotechnology.
 * Required online training: Sandboxes and Mainspace

Week 5

 * If you haven't already done so, confirm your proposed biotech topic(s) for Project 2 with the course instructor.
 * Add your topic on the course page.
 * Compile a bibliography of relevant, reliable sources and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources. Make sure to check in on the talk page (or watchlist) to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.

Week 6

 * When starting a new article, write an outline of the topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia lead section of 3–4 paragraphs in your sandbox. Wikipedia articles use &quot;summary style&quot;, in which the lead section provides a balanced summary of the entire body of the article, with the first sentence serving to define the topic and place it in context. The lead section should summarize, very briefly, each of the main aspects of the topic that will be covered in detail in the rest of the article.
 * Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your lead section and fix any major issues.
 * Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article.

Week 7
Now is the time to move your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's mainspace!

Moving Project 1 and Project 2 articles:


 * For Project 1, expanding an existing article, copy your edit into the article. If you are making many small edits, save after each edit before you make the next one. Do NOT paste over the entire existing article, or large sections of the existing article.
 * For Project 2, creating a new article, do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow the instructions in the &quot;Moving out of your sandbox&quot; handout.

A general reminder: Don't panic if your contribution disappears, and don't try to force it back in.


 * Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed.
 * Contact your instructor or Wikipedia Content Expert and let them know.

Next up...begin expanding Project 2 into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.


 * Handout: Moving out of your Sandbox
 * If needed, review the training module &quot;Sandboxes and Mainspace&quot;.

Week 8

 * Expand your article into a complete first draft.
 * Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the table at the bottom of this course page, add your username next to the articles you will peer review. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)
 * Complete required training module &quot;Peer Review&quot;
 * Resources: Illustrating Wikipedia and Evaluating Wikipedia

Week 9

 * Peer review two of your classmates’ articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
 * Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.

Week 10

 * Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. If you disagree with a suggestion, use talk pages to politely discuss and come to a consensus on your edits.


 * Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.
 * If time permits, return to the classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
 * Finalize your Project 2 article and make sure the final version is posted to the mainspace/viewable online.  Save a pdf copy of the article and submit it by email to the course instructor no later than Monday, December 5th at 10am (our designated course final exam time) for potential full credit.