Wikipedia:Writing Wikipedia Articles course/Final project

Welcome to WIKISOO! Final Project

This assignment spans Week 3 to Week 6 of the Writing Wikipedia Articles course. This constitutes the main coursework; you should plan to put several hours into this project in the coming weeks. You have a choice of whether you would like to work on an existing Wikipedia article, or start a new one; in either case, your contributions to the article should represent a clear advancement to a higher level on Wikipedia's quality assessment scale.

You may choose to either:
 * select an existing Wikipedia article to improve at least one level on the Wikipedia quality scale; or
 * start a new Wikipedia article and bring it to at least "Start" class

In addition to improving an article, in order to earn the WIKISOO Burba Badge (pictured at right), you will need to accumulate 200 edits to various Wikipedia pages. (You can keep track of your edits by clicking "Contributions" near the upper right corner of the screen; we will cover a way to easily count them in an upcoming screencast.)

You may be interested in an example of how a Wikipedia article evolves. This page provides an overview: Evolution of an article

Choosing an article
You may choose any article on Wikipedia to improve (unless it is already a Featured Article, of course!) You may also choose to create a brand new article. Several considerations may go into your decision. The concepts outlined below may be helpful as you decide.

''Note: many of our students have an interest or background in open educational resources. We especially encourage you to choose an article from this list of related articles: OER Content''

Considerations relating to each quality rating

 * New article or stub: If you are starting a brand new article, or expanding a "stub" (generally speaking, an article that is only a few sentences long), your goal is to bring it to "Start" class. The article is developing, but should satisfy Wikipedia's basic content standards. The article should make it clear how the topic is notable by Wikipedia's definition, and should contain adequate sourcing to satisfy the verifiability standard.
 * Start class article: Your goal is to bring the article to "C class." It should be improved in structure, style, and general quality. Your task will vary depending on the article you start with: you may need to work to reduce bias and instill a neutral point of view into the article; you may need to add new sections to make the article cover the topic in a more comprehensive fashion; etc. Adding high quality reliable sources is almost always a component of bringing an article to C class.
 * C class article: Your goal is to bring the article up to "B class". The article should be "mostly complete and without major problems" by the end of the course. While you may wish to consult B class criteria specific to a related WikiProject, these general criteria for B class will serve as a good guideline.
 * B class article or higher: After B class, article ratings become more formal. Choosing a B class article is a very ambitious step, and will require substantially more effort. If you do choose such an article, your task will be to bring it to Good Article status or higher (i.e., A class or WP:FA.) The formal processes for these reviews typically take a month or more, so you may find that you submit for your badge after the conclusion of the course. This is not a problem, but you should be prepared to continue your work after the class ends. An alternative is to submit the article for a formal peer review. If you do so, and get feedback and input that results in agreement from another Wikipedian(s) that the article is ready to be submitted for GA or higher, this may be sufficient to earn the WIKISOO Burba Badge, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

How to claim your article
Once you have decided what article you will work on for your final project, please enter it in our list of student projects (found at the bottom of the page next to each username - read on)! At minimum, you should list your final project; if there are other articles you plan to work on, feel free to list more than one.

When you click on that page, scroll down and find your username in the list of students. (If you don't see it, you may not have fully completed the enrollment process; please contact Pete or Sara if you need help!)

Next to your name, you'll see a field to "add an article." Enter the exact title of the article here. This will create a link to the article, and allow the instructors and your fellow students to easily see edits to the article. (If you're working on an article in another language, just enter the full URL to the article. This won't create a live link, but that's OK!)

Working on your article
If you choose to write a brand new article, we advise that you begin working in your sandbox (instructional video), and seek a little feedback from other students and/or course instructors prior to moving the article to its permanent home on Wikipedia. You may want to consult this page: WP:Starting an article However, for the purposes of this class we do not advise using the articles for creation (AFC) process, which you will see mentioned on that page; AFC is a process geared toward people figuring out Wikipedia without any guidance, and will make you jump through more hoops than you need to. You're learning a lot about Wikipedia, and the point of this class is to help you edit like an old pro, not a "newbie"!

For those working on a new article or a stub, the Did You Know (DYK) process may be a helpful guide, and a way to seek feedback from other Wikipedians. Let us know on the course talk page if you need some guidance getting started with DYK!

We expect that most students will be aiming for C or B class in their projects. In most cases, finding good sources and using them to add material to the article will be your primary task.

In some cases, there may be disagreements -- or potential disagreements -- to work through, in order to establish a neutral point of view appropriately reflects varying perspectives and beliefs. Whenever this is likely to be an issue, be sure to use the article's talk page to seek out input and talk through the relevant issues. Feel free to seek out advice from your classmates and instructors if this comes up, but be mindful that canvassing -- that is, explicitly seeking out people to support your position and overrule those who disagree with you -- is to be avoided. When you seek input into a disagreement, try to use neutral language, and don't exclusively seek out people on one side or the other.

Apply to earn a badge
When you complete the course work, you should apply for a badge, which you can display (on your Wikipedia user page or another web site) to demonstrate your successful completion of the course. See WIKISOO badges for more information and detailed instructions about this process.