Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/UC Davis/DEB Wiki Project (Spring 2016)

The Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology is an interdisciplinary graduate degree program including over 200 doctoral students across 29 STEM disciplines at UC Davis. The DEB Wiki Project will bring together a team of PhD students interested in creating new articles on biotech topics and notable scientists from diverse backgrounds.

Week 1
Handout: [http://wikiedu.org/editingwikipedia Editing Wikipedia ]


 * Create an account and join this course page.
 * Complete the introductory training modules. 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 articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.

Handouts: , Evaluating Wikipedia

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

Week 2
Handouts: [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Choosing_an_article.pdf Choosing an article ]

Handouts:  and [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Avoiding_plagiarism.pdf Avoiding Plagiarism ]Supplementary training: Sources and Citations

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

Week 3

 * Research 3–5 articles on Wikipedia that you will consider working on as your main project. Look at the talk page for existing topics for a sense of who else is working on it and what they're doing. You may want to take notes on your userpage or in your sandbox.
 * Resources: Evaluating Wikipedia

Week 4

 * Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to your research.
 * Supplementary training: Sandboxes and Mainspace


 * Select an article to work on using the notes from last week. Which article left the most room for improvement? Where did you feel you could have the best impact? 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 5

 * If you are 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. If you are improving an existing article, draft a new lead section reflecting your proposed changes, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check that page often to gather any feedback the community might provide.
 * 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.

All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 6

 * We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
 * 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.

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Handout:


 * Move your sandbox articles into main space.
 * If you are 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.
 * If you are 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.
 * Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 7
Resources: Illustrating Wikipedia and [http://wikiedu.org/evaluatingwikipedia Evaluating Wikipedia ]


 * Select a classmates’ article that you will peer review and copyedit. On the table at the bottom of this course page, add your username next to the article you will peer review. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)

Week 8

 * Expand your article into a complete first draft.

Week 9

 * As a group, offer suggestions for improving one or two other students' articles, based on your ideas of what makes a solid encyclopedia article.

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Supplementary training: Peer Review


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


 * 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 edit.

Week 10
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.


 * Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
 * 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.

Week 11

 * Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.

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Handout:


 * Put together a Wikipedia portfolio.


 * Write a paper going beyond your Wikipedia article to advance your own ideas, arguments, and original research about your topic.

Week 12
Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.