Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Guild of Copy Editors/Backlog elimination drives/May 2020

If I start copyediting an article before the drive, but finish it during the drive, do I get credit?
See subject line. Can I start copyediting Sears before the drive, or do I have to wait until the drive starts? Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 21:34, 28 April 2020 (UTC)

Also, while we’re here, what is the meaning of the leaderboard? I don’t think I saw that in the April blitz... Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 21:36, 28 April 2020 (UTC)
 * More great questions. You can copy edit any time you want! Wikipedia will always benefit from your hard work. However, only edits done during the the month of May count towards the drive awards. Officially, "May" begins at midnight on May 1, UTC, which is late afternoon on the last day of April in North America. I suppose if you start just before the start of the month, but do most of the work during the month, you can count it at your own judgment. The leaderboard is a friendly way to reward those editors who make large contributions towards the drive. It's important to note that it's just for fun, and the important thing is that all articles get a quality edit. Cheers, Tdslk (talk) 22:04, 28 April 2020 (UTC)
 * (Also, we don't keep a leaderboard during blitzes, only drives, which is why you didn't see one there.) Tdslk (talk) 22:05, 28 April 2020 (UTC)
 * To be fair, I think there shouldn't be any edits to the article before the start of the drive. It might seem a little strict, but this makes it easier for coordinators to check what was done as part of the drive, without having to open discussions and reach consensus. – Reidgreg (talk) 16:52, 30 April 2020 (UTC)
 * That's fine by me. In any event, the tag in the Sears article only applies to a short paragraph, so it shouldn't take very long to complete. Cheers, Tdslk (talk) 17:19, 30 April 2020 (UTC)

In case anyone doesn’t know it yet...
...drive has officially started! Copyedited the tiny section tonight... will do more articles tomorrow. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 00:20, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

50% BONUS confusion
do i add the bonus myself? or its added automatically? Rahbab Chowdhury (talk) 00:37, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi, Thanks for your question. No, you do not add the bonus yourself. We have a tool that does the calculations automatically at the end of the drive. Just make sure that you add the *O mark per the directions on the drive page. Cheers, Tdslk (talk) 01:45, 1 May 2020 (UTC)


 * O after what? Rahbab Chowdhury (talk) 13:23, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * After the word count in parentheses. See the example at the end of the "Totals" section on the drive page. Regards, Tdslk (talk) 15:22, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

I’m not sure I should say “GOCE copy edit” in edit summaries
This is because that gives the impression that the article was copyedited by a long-standing guild member, when in reality it’s done by a school kid with nothing better to do... and only has 300 edits anyway. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 15:48, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * You can write whatever you feel comfortable with. You can just write "copy edit", or you can provide some details. If I do a lot of edits to a page, I might write something like "Copy edit. Improve serial comma consistency. Fix capitalization and italics per WP:MOS. Fix a few typos and spelling mistakes. Add commas as needed." – Jonesey95 (talk) 17:41, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I usually just say "copy edits." If I make changes outside the scope of a standard copy edit, I add extra details (e.g., "copy edits, removed trivia" or "copy edits, reorganized sections for clarity"). Tdslk (talk) 18:21, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

What does “only one entry for each editor” mean in Longest article leaderboard section?
Does that mean that once you submit a longest article and the copyedit a longer one, you can’t update it? Or what does it mean? Anything helps. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 16:27, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * You can update your longest article as much as you want, but you can't have more than one entry at a time. I very much doubt the longest article I edit this month will be 84 words! Cheers, Tdslk (talk) 16:48, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * That makes sense. Thanks !! Also, could you review the article I just finished? It’s We are both from the same village... if not, that’s fine. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 17:08, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I'll look at the article later today if I get a chance and another veteran copy editor doesn't beat me to it. Regards, Tdslk (talk) 18:23, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * ✅ Tdslk (talk) 19:51, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
 * It means that you can only have one entry in that leaderboard category: the one article with the highest wordcount that you copy edited during the event.  Even if you've copy edited two articles which are each longer than the fifth place entry, you can't have both of them on the leaderboard; just one entry per editor.  As you copy edit longer articles during the drive, you are free to swap out an earlier entry for one with a higher wordcount. – Reidgreg (talk) 17:14, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * That makes sense. Thanks Reidgreg! Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 17:31, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

What does TBA mean?
I saw that we should add *O if it comes from TBA—what is TBA? Thanks! hiabc (talk) 17:48, 1 May 2020 (UTC)


 * TBA means "tagged as a backlog article". In other words, any article from the lists of articles needing copy editing for January, February, March or April can be counted. Cheers Twofingered Typist (talk) 17:53, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * TBA means 'to be announced' (or I thought it did). It's left by the script that we use to create the drive page and is one of those things we coordinators are supposed to fix before the drive starts (once we decide what the 'old months' will be). Thanks for pointing it out, now fixed. (January to April 2020 are the old months indicated by *O). – Reidgreg (talk) 17:57, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * At the risk of being too bold, I have struck TT's comment above. "TBA" in this case definitely meant "coordinators were supposed to replace 'TBA' with actual text." Something like TKTKTK might be better, as long as we all know what it means, since it is so obviously nonsense. – Jonesey95 (talk) 21:52, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * We could alternatively use "xxxxxxxxxx", as is my usual practice on newsletters etc. But whatever. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  04:13, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

Sorry to flood you guys with so many copyedited articles...
... I just have exactly nothing to do at home. I’ve literally been copyediting all day... after today, I probably won’t copyedit anymore articles for at least a week... but dont quote me on that. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 21:23, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

Hmm competition between me and uu. I will get u back!! Rahbab Chowdhury (talk) 21:56, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

Dude. Chill. -- Total Eclipse 2017 22:35, 1 May 2020 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Total Eclipse 2017 (talk • contribs)

I was only kidding Rahbab Chowdhury (talk) 22:56, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Me too:) I’m glad that even as the world is falling apart, there’s still a place for jokes. That makes me happy. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 23:31, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

Just saw the leaderboard. It’s on, Rahbab, it’s on. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 17:59, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

*O mark
When do we add the *O mark? Rahbab Chowdhury (talk) 21:57, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * , your answer is here at No. 10. It goes at the end after the word count. &#123;&#123;replyto&#125;&#125; Can I Log In 's  (talk) page 22:39, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

I asked WHEN Rahbab Chowdhury (talk) 22:41, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

After you copyedit the article. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 22:51, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

Thx Rahbab Chowdhury (talk) 22:56, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

MORE REVIEWERS NEEDED
I think-not think- there is ONLY one reviewer. More reviewers should be added. Can you possibly ask some experienced editors to take part in reviewing? Rahbab Chowdhury (talk) 00:50, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi, I usually review copy-edits in drives and blitzes but I'm a little less active on WP at this time of year. Despite the pandemic I'd rather be out walking or gardening in the fresh air and sunshine than sitting in front of a pooter screen checking copy-edits. I'll do some reviews from mid-month as usual. I have high standards so don't expect a cakewalk.  Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  04:43, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
 * And WP:VOLUNTEER; there's no need to WP:SHOUT. This is a difficult time, and we're all doing doing our best. If you're concerned about a particular editor (or editors), ping the coordinators. Stay well and all the best,  Mini  apolis  14:44, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

List of schools under the aegis of the Delhi Public School Society
I bailed on this article, and I’m wondering what the proper procedure is now. (That article is downright uncopyeditable; see for yourself.) Thanks in advance. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 20:36, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Please restore the copy edit tag at the top of the article. Another editor will look at it. – Jonesey95 (talk) 20:59, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Yep. The oldest articles in the backlog are often in bad shape. Feel free to leave them for more veteran editors. Believe me, we've seen it all! Tdslk (talk) 21:13, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I undid my edits to the article so someone else could copy edit it. Thanks for telling me how to handle this situation! Also, sorry about the last edit summary... Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 23:21, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

The college... The college... The college...
The college... The college... The college...

Yup. It is very redundant. Each "The college..." sentences are very different, having to do with established in, attainment of autonomous status, and offerings of degree. I'm not sure how to proceed on this since they are different. I've elimnated other redundantness in the article, but this one I need help. Suggestions? &#123;&#123;replyto&#125;&#125; Can I Log In 's  (talk) page 21:36, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
 * At a quick glance, while an ideal article would have more varied sentence structure, the repetition isn't that distracting, since it's just a few sentences. Maybe you could change "the college" to just "it" in a few places? Tdslk (talk) 22:19, 2 May 2020 (UTC)

Progress chart
I've been uneven in my intentions in the past when it comes to updating the Progress chart, in part because it was hit or miss as to whether I'd be around at 00:00 UTC, though I've tried to hang back and let one of the coordinators update the progress chart during drives.

Since the beginning of April, when the April/May GAN backlog drive began, I've been updating their Progress chart at 00:00 almost every night. (Actually, it's more like 00:02 or 03, because I need to wait for a bot report, or non-report, to see whether there were any last minute changes that would affect the numbers).

What that means I'm usually at my computer then, and I can work on that chart and GOCE's in parallel, something I'd be happy to do. However, I don't want to step on coordinator toes, especially if some of you get enjoyment from making the updates. (Also, I might miss a night for whatever reason—I was late for two nights in April at GAN, and someone else stepped in.)

Please let me know your preference, and I'll be happy to plan my evenings accordingly. Thanks! BlueMoonset (talk) 00:33, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * No objections. Cheers, Tdslk (talk) 00:52, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Anyone is welcome to update the progress chart. Make sure that you click "refresh" on the list before counting, as it gets stale. – Jonesey95 (talk) 03:18, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Okay, great. Thanks, Jonesey95, and no need to worry—I always do a refresh to get the latest numbers. By the way, GAN added percentages to their change columns in the table—since GOCE also uses the GAN changes template for its table, I requested that the update be done in such a way that it wouldn't change how GOCE used the template. You can see the results here; if adding change percentages is something GOCE would be interested in implementing, it's easily done. BlueMoonset (talk) 14:27, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * My initial reaction to the percentages is "wow, that's a lot of noise and clutter", but that may just be the old person in me who doesn't like change. I'm open to others' reactions to displaying percentages. – Jonesey95 (talk) 17:49, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I didn't see any need for it myself, but it wasn't my call. Some people like that level of detail. BlueMoonset (talk) 00:08, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
 * , I think it helps look at proportions and could be useful if someone decides to do a statistical review of drives. Doesn't take up much space in my opinion. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  00:47, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

Reviews needed and questions
Hello team,

I would like to have the pages I have done reviewed quickly to make sure they are good. I did a sorta template on their talk pages too (they usually also include comments and notes)


 * List of articles:
 * 1) Major (manga)
 * 2) Idiot Wind
 * 3) Paul J. Tesar
 * 4) Andreas Palaiologos Tdslk (talk)
 * 5) Eugenio Daza


 * Questions:
 * 1) Some of the ones I am doing are not on the main drive page, as they are older. How do I access the page(s) that hold them in order to add the ,✅, etc. statuses?
 * 2) On Major (manga) at Major_(manga) I get an error showing in the edit box that says "Cite warning: tag with name Shigeno-Parents cannot be previewed because it is defined outside the current section or not defined in this article at all." when I am in preview mode. What causes this as I do not see a in that section or I am blind lol.

Thanks, GalendaliaChat Me Up 00:38, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure I understand your first question. Could you clarify? For your second question, I think what is happening is that when you edit one section at a time, references that are just a name of reference (they'll look like " "), where the full reference is given in another section, will look like that. When you save the edited section and look at the article as a whole, it should be okay. Regards, Tdslk (talk) 00:50, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi ; on the requests page, it only shows April and May articles, it does not show January through March articles, but according to the list that is collapsable, we have quite a few but that list is laid out differently so I do not know how to mark them in working, complete, etc. Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_articles_needing_copy_edit_from_January_2020, however, the pages are not listed on WikiProject_Guild_of_Copy_Editors/Requests so I am unsure how to mark them that way for the drive. Does that help you sir/ma'am? GalendaliaChat Me Up 01:07, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * it sounds like you might be conflating the Requests page with the backlog of articles tagged as needing copy editing. For the backlog articles, the easiest way to make sure that another editor doesn't work on the same article is to remove the copy editing tag before you begin editing the article, which will remove it from the category. Make sure that you complete the copy edit if you do this! Regards, Tdslk (talk) 01:18, 3 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Thanks Tdslk - Also I World Holocaust Forum This article is missing a lot of information (i.e. missing years, has empty headers, etc.). These need to all be corrected in order to submit for ce. It is like someone picked and chooses which years to report on when the official site shows the missing years did happen.
 * Lots of tagged articles we work on could be improved with the addition of more information. We copy edit what is there so long as the article isn't a copyright violation, tagged for deletion, or otherwise likely to disappear all of our hard work. If you don't want to finish copy editing the article, could you please restore the tag so that another editor can work on it? Thanks, Tdslk (talk) 01:39, 3 May 2020 (UTC)


 * I tagged goceinuse on that Andreas page as other people are reverting what you are doing, if you would like to replace it with yours so it shows your name, I would appreciate it. *side note I am adding, I noticed the user made a lot of changes to what I did too :/
 * I'm quite used to other editors making further changes to my work! That's the nature of the 'pedia. I was going to write to that editor about the reverted sentence. Perhaps we can reach a compromise (perhaps downgrade "ideal" to "good"?), but getting one of my changes reverted is not a big deal. I don't always use the goceinuse tag, and I might not get any more work in on the article for tonight, so unless you are planning to make further edits, could you please remove the tag? Also, don't forget to sign your posts on talk pages! Thanks, Tdslk (talk) 02:00, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * As soon as you start pinging me so I know you responded  GalendaliaChat Me Up 02:04, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

Request for copy edit review
Here were my copy edits to a section of Mental health in China. It's a pretty lengthy section in a pretty lengthy article, so I'd want someone to make sure I didn't miss out on anything if I'm going to gradually copyedit longer pieces of text. &#123;&#123;replyto&#125;&#125; Can I Log In 's  (talk) page 18:18, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks, Can I log in; I'll have a look tomorrow, I'm a bit tired atm. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  21:30, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi, you've made some useful changes there, and nothing in that section really stand out to me as a problem. In the final sentence, "Researchers also suggest that in order to improve the mental health of the military members, ..." you could remove "in order", which is almost always redundant. The other thing I'd remove is "that", which adds nothing here and is not used as a pronoun. Thanks for your work. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  13:21, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

Hidden awkward tags.
An IP editor had uncommented some content from a poorly written article on the Bolivian Stock Exchange, which revealed awkward tags dating back to August 2019. I've reverted their changes rendering those tags hidden, but I'm letting our coordinators know about this elusive article that needs severe restructuring (or possibly deletion) before it can be copyedited. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  20:48, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the heads-up, Tenryuu. I've removed the poorly translated hidden text along with the 'awkward' templates. This is really a bottom-of-the-barrel article that's one step away from Afd, so there's no point copy-editing it. In future, you can just remove the c/e templates and explain the reason in your edit summary; mine is usually "Removed copy-edit templates; fix referencing and other problems before asking for copy-edit". Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  21:28, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Gotcha. In that case this matter is ✅. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  21:56, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

January is done! And a flub
I just finished up the last of the articles for January. I've noted it both in my article list and on the article's talk page, but The Square Luxburg-Carolath Cemetery was directly translated from Spanish, still remains heavily unreferenced, contained content that our policy discourages which was removed, and was moved to what it is now.

On a side note, it turns out I completely misread a rule: Count the words in the version of the article that existed before you started editing. It turns out I've been undercounting myself the entire time, including March's backlog drive. I've amended my actual word count here to accurately reflect my total. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  00:05, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

Do you know why number of articles in backlog is increasing even though we’re all working super hard on backlog?
See subject line. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 17:23, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
 * It's an active maintenance category. Articles are continually being tagged for copy edit. Although it should only be the current month where the numbers are increasing. - Reidgreg (talk) 17:43, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
 * You’re right; its only May that’s increasing. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 17:48, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

List of Prisoner cast members
I deleted a lot of stuff from this article, since lists, I’ve found, are usually just that-a list. However, I’m mentioning it here in case that wasn’t the right decision. Could someone give me advice? Thanks in advance. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 19:05, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
 * There's nothing wrong with list articles per se, and they're subject to WP:V. I enjoy watching Prisoner episodes on YouTube, but its related lists are currently very poorly sourced; even a fan site such as wentworth.uk wwwentworth.co.uk would be better than nothing. Thanks and all the best,  Mini  apolis  19:24, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

Is it OK that I’m doing a ton of short articles, leaving the long ones for others?
I’m not sacrificing quality, I’m just... doing the shorter articles. This is so i can stay at the top of the “most articles” leaderboard. Again I emphasize that I am trying to maintain high quality. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 23:33, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes, all high-quality copy edits are welcome. – Jonesey95 (talk) 00:09, 5 May 2020 (UTC)
 * You're more than welcome to. It just means I potentially get more 5K+ articles. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  01:48, 5 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Go for it with the 5k+. I don’t like copyediting super long articles anyway. Shorter ones are what’s going to keep me on the leaderboard in “total articles” category... Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 17:36, 5 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Other copyeditors have done the same, although I'd rather work on articles which interest me. To each their own . Stay well and all the best,  Mini  apolis  02:05, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

Apostrophe or quotation marks? British English or the Manual of Style
I have been in progress of copy editing St John Ambulance Cadets in England, and I see a lot of apostrophes where a quotation mark would be used. Now the article is based England (hence the article title), so I should keep it consistent (with the 5th "C") using British English. I know that they use apostrophes compared to American English using quotation marks. MOS:SINGLE/MOS:DOUBLE says that apostrophes are only used for plant cultivars and simple glosses. So with my knowledge here with British English and the guidelines for MOS:SINGLE/MOS:DOUBLE, I'm stuck. What now?

I could also use feedback and suggestions on my copy editing. &#123;&#123;replyto&#125;&#125; Can I Log In 's  (talk) page 03:40, 5 May 2020 (UTC)
 * , the way I understand the MOS is that while the orthography for articles may vary, the use of punctuation stays consistent throughout all articles. In other words, I don't see a time where the British convention of single quotation marks are used on here aside from the two exceptions mentioned above and quoting within quotes. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  03:59, 5 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I think there used to be an allowance in MOS for single quote marks, if used consistently, instead of double quote marks, but it does not appear to be there now. I think that means that single quote marks should be used only as indicated by MOS, i.e. for quotations within quotations and a couple of esoteric applications. – Jonesey95 (talk) 04:34, 5 May 2020 (UTC)
 * MOS:QUOTEMARKS. In WP, punctuation is independent of the variety of English. All the best,  Mini  apolis  13:26, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

Just wanted to add something helpful
For this copy editors that only want to edit articles with “copy edit inline,” this is a good link for that... Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 18:05, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

It took me 2 hours of playing with “What links here” to figure this combo out... Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (talk) (Origin of the username) 18:23, 5 May 2020 (UTC)
 * You can also use an  search like Special:Search/insource:"copy edit inline".  You can run it from the search box on any Wikipedia page, and combine it with other search parameters to be more specific.  (I used to do this when hunting for specific typos.) – Reidgreg (talk) 11:28, 6 May 2020 (UTC)

B-class article copy edit
I found a B-class article tagged with, so I'm going to pretend that this is a GAN from the request page and request for a copy edit review that I finished to an article.

I think for future drives, we should include the article assessment in our article lists, and prioritize reviews on FAN, GAN and DYK, and B-Class articles. 's talk page! 23:18, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * With respect, there's no need for any of that. Perhaps you should hang around the GOCE (and the rest of WP) a bit longer before suggesting any overhauls.  Mini  apolis  23:51, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I think I was primarily asking for a copy edit review. 's talk page! 23:58, 9 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Please post here when you are done with the copy edit of that page, and someone will be happy to review your edits. For future reference, it can make it more challenging to get a good response to talk page posts when you raise more than one issue in a single post. Different editors will respond to different issues, and WP talk page threading is terrible at organizing multi-threaded conversations. (I have learned this from painful experience.) – Jonesey95 (talk) 01:34, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Oh yeah, I did. Requested at 23:18, 9 May 2020 (UTC). Copy edit review. 's talk page! 01:50, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I left a review on your talk page. However, to be honest, I found your statements above to be rather cryptic (though I admittedly get confused/distracted by some signatures).  Just as we try to copy edit for clarity, it really helps to be clear and direct on talk pages, to say what you mean and mean what you say.  Plainly asking   would probably receive a better response. – Reidgreg (talk) 13:17, 10 May 2020 (UTC)

February is done! Sort of
It's a red link now! (soon) And with that, all of February is done (sort of). Not really, I'm just working on the last one in the backlog. Next, experienced copy editors go after the request page like normal, and not so experienced ones clear the March backlog. By the end of the month, there shall be no articles tagged with. 's talk page! 05:13, 13 May 2020 (UTC)
 * On a second thought, we are on a bumpy road; maybe we might not clear the backlog this month even though a 10 year aniverssary miricale would be nice. How do we recruit more copyeditors? 's talk page! 05:22, 13 May 2020 (UTC)
 * We have an invitation template somewhere... GOCEinvite (though please don't use it indiscriminately). We also "outreach" though our other templates on article and user talk pages, and the Signpost article will hopefully attract some interested editors. It would be nice to have more active Guild members copy-editing articles but I'd rather we had 20 skilled copy-editors than 200 mediocre ones who need hand-holding and correcting—many are called but few are chosen! :) I think it's great the backlog is at its current low level and I hope it stays that way, though I'd rather see some good quality copy-editing than a race to the bottom. Just my 2d worth. :) Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  06:17, 13 May 2020 (UTC)
 * With the fluctuation of new articles being added to the backlog I highly doubt we'll be able to get through all of them, though I believe we'll be able to go through all the target articles and hopefully be able to push May into the target article grouping, similar to what we did 2 months ago. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  06:29, 13 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Sorry to insert myself here but can i just note that March drive was nuts? (I wasn’t there for that, but it looked like a lot of progress was made.) I mean, a 75% reduction?? Wonder if we’ll get that this month. I just think it’s strange that backlog actually isn’t going down that much, considering how much it went down in March... Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 21:13, 14 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Methinks it's because some patrolling editors have more time due to the pandemic, and as such they have been tagging many more articles that need copyediting than usual. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  21:41, 14 May 2020 (UTC)
 * But then wouldn’t that mean there’d be more copyeditors as well? I know I wouldn’t have come here if it weren’t for the pandemic. In fact, it was kinda an accident, but aren’t you glad it happened? LOL...Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 22:21, 14 May 2020 (UTC)
 * March was pretty crazy. We haven't gone down as much this month, but we're still on pace to cut the backlog by 200 articles, which is a respectable amount. Tdslk (talk) 21:46, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Maryam Amid
I did a c/e on this article, but I don’t feel I did a good enough job. Could a coordinator come review my copyedit? Thanks. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 22:47, 13 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Also, on an unrelated note, can I update the box on this drive page to reflect the fact that there were 365 articles on May 1? Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 22:49, 13 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I'll take a look at the article. Also, I fixed the article count in the box at the top of the page. Thanks for noticing that! Tdslk (talk) 00:44, 14 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Youre welcome. Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 21:07, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Kotputli
Could a reviewer take a look at the Demographics section of this article? (Or the whole thing; its only 300 words long.) I wasn’t quite sure how to word it right... Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 23:49, 14 May 2020 (UTC)
 * ✅. – Jonesey95 (talk) 00:23, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

Anaerobic exercise
This is kinda embarrassing, but I actually know nothing about the science of anaerobic exercise, so I didn’t do much of a copy edit on that section since I didn’t want to change its meaning... does anyone know the science of anaerobic exercise? I did do minor fixes, and it is already in fairly good shape... Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 20:16, 15 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi Total Eclipse; you shouldn't need to know anything about the article's subject when you're copy-editing—it's rare I know very much about the subjects of articles I c/e. Checking references where possible is helpful when you don't understand the context of something; if you find jargon you don't understand it's usually best to check its article (if it has one, you can add a wikilink) or leave it alone. That section is quite clear to read anyway so probably it didn't need much work; I made a few minor changes there. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  21:39, 15 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks Bafflegab! Sorry to ask for so many reviews of the articles;)Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 21:54, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

March is done!
The oldest articles in the increasingly poorly named "backlog" are from just last month, a new record! Good work, everyone! Tdslk (talk) 19:44, 16 May 2020 (UTC)

Umm... why was my leaderboard count adjusted?
My “total articles” went from 36 to 37, but I didn’t do another article. What happened? Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 19:55, 18 May 2020 (UTC)
 * , It appears I accidentally did that when I was updating the leaderboard a while back. Thanks for being honest! :) — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  20:02, 18 May 2020 (UTC)
 * You’re welcome:) I thought I had done it myself by accident... thanks for clarifying what happened! Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 20:23, 18 May 2020 (UTC)

Myokine and its workability
I was skimming through the backlog for April 2020 and found the Myokine article. Looking through it, I found large chunks of it wrapped in quotes (which I believe at that point would violate WP:PARAPHRASE). I propose that the copy edit tag should be removed until the problem is fixed. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  15:06, 20 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I flagged it, it has a 97% Copyvio and I do not see any ORTS, somehow strange why this is not being marked after more than 300 revisions since 2012.CommanderWaterford (talk) 16:14, 20 May 2020 (UTC)

Update: copy edit tag boldly removed by. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  19:51, 20 May 2020 (UTC)

Some good news
Pretty sure that if people keep working at it like they are now, April might get finished by the end of the drive, bringing us to one month (I think). Has that ever happened before? (I’m too lazy to check for myself to be honest...) Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 21:05, 20 May 2020 (UTC)
 * No, that would be a new event in the history of the GOCE. – Jonesey95 (talk) 22:15, 20 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Nice! Stay safe and well, -- Total Eclipse 2017  (My profile &#124; My contribs &#124; speak to me) 22:18, 20 May 2020 (UTC)

GOCE In Use tag gone
I've been having some computer troubles recently and have been unable to copyedit the article Pieter Pourbus for a few days. When I came back to the article, the 'GOCE in use' tag was gone. I saw that a bot had removed it due to lack of activity. Is there any way I can get the tag back, and will my article count be affected by my temporary absence? The war moose (talk) 03:00, 22 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes (that's fun to say), all you have to do is add it again! For the record, it is best to remove the tag yourself when you are not actively working on the article. Regards, Tdslk (talk) 04:27, 22 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Hi, welcome to the GOCE. Yes, you can just add the template back to the article as needed and remove it when you're done or it you take a +24-hour break from it. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  04:33, 22 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Upon a closer look, it seems that you didn't add the original tag. Did you see the message on your talk page from ? It looks like BroVic had added the tag to the article shortly before you started working on it. As such it would have been best to have left the article for them so that we do not put in unnecessary effort overlapping each other. In terms of credit, you get credit for any article once it's done, however long it takes, so long as it is done before the end of the drive. However, if you don't plan to work on an unfinished article for several days, it is best to restore the copy editing tag (if you've removed it) so that another editor can work on it; since we won't know whether the copy edit was abandoned. Regards, Tdslk (talk) 04:40, 22 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Yes, I am now aware that was working on the article before me. When I picked an article to work on, I did not know that someone else had already claimed it. I apologize for this error. I contacted BroVic on his talk page, asking if he would like the article back, but he allowed me to continue. I'll take note of the rules regarding the 'In Use' tag, thanks for your clarification. The war moose (talk) 04:55, 22 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Okay, good that you worked it out. Anyway, please give yourself full credit once you finish the article! Regards, Tdslk (talk) 05:44, 22 May 2020 (UTC)


 * I would like to draw the attention of the coordinators to The war moose's talk page where someone, perhaps the author of Pieter Pourbus, has expressed displeasure with the edits. Frankly, I am incensed at the tone of the comments and was minded to reply in good measure, but I've decided to instead allow the coordinators intervene. Such an unfriendly attitude only serves to discourage newer editors. Even if the edits were below expectation, should be given the benefit of the doubt and treated with respect. BroVic (talk) 15:24, 2 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi BroVic, both Jonesey95 and The war moose have commented on TWM's talk page here. Apparently some WP editors think the own articles and that the more words they add to an article, the better. I think TWM's removals were appropriate; I'd have done the same thing. Part of the problem with the message left on TWM's talk page seems to be Emigré55's less-than-ideal grasp of English, so s/he might not have known how to select the appropriate tone. Anyway, the matter seems to have been settled and I think the other coordinators have done their best to mediate; we should drop the stick and move on. :) Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  22:25, 2 June 2020 (UTC)

Vana Parva
Hello, hope you're all staying well. Copyediting the article Vana Parva, I found that most of the article is simply a synopsis of the book and a list of the chapters and what they contain, which I believe it should not contain according to policy. The talk page doesn't have any watchers, so I couldn't start a discussion there, but I'm curious if the sections should be removed instead of c copitdo. I'm happy to copyedit it, but understandably don't want to if it's going to be deleted. Cheers, -- puddleglum  2.0  17:37, 23 May 2020 (UTC)ted
 * That article is quite a lot of work. In general, a short summary of the plot of fictional works is acceptable so my strategy would be to condense the text down to the main points, removing any irrelevant text and waffle. The article looks well-referenced but I didn't check them so I'm unaware of the nature of the sourcing. Self-sourcing is fine in plot sections for fictional works but any analysis must be referenced by reliable, third-party sources. I think you'd improve the article immensely by making it readable. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  22:16, 23 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Oh, I did this one. Most of my copy editing involved removing overly detailed content (particularly the Rama section). — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  16:26, 2 June 2020 (UTC)
 * You did a good job there, Tenryuu; I can actually read it now. :) Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  22:42, 2 June 2020 (UTC)

Edits completely reverted
I made two edits to the MasterChef (British TV series) page yesterday and recorded it as completed, but today I was notified that both my edits had been undone. I thought I went through the article rather thoroughly and I'm surprised that someone decided that my edits should be completely reverted. They didn't leave any justification either. I'm still new to Wikipedia and I don't want to end up in an edit war with someone. Any suggestions on how to proceed? Should I remove my "Completed" record in the meantime? Thanks, -- RubberDuckDebugger (talk) 19:27, 23 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Hi, I restored your edits. They looked good to me and since the reverting editor didn't even leave an edit summary I didn't see a reason not to. Sorry that this happened to you. Tdslk (talk) 20:18, 23 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks for taking a look,, I really appreciate it. Unfortunately it looks like your rollback has been undone by the same editor, again with no justification.  I'm not sure what's going on here...  RubberDuckDebugger (talk) 21:04, 23 May 2020 (UTC)
 * FWIW, I left something on the IP's talk page. Stay well and all the best,  Mini  apolis  00:03, 24 May 2020 (UTC)
 * The IP talk page was blanked with this edit about an hour after the message was posted. However, they didn't revert the article edits again, so perhaps the matter is resolved (assuming the IP edits were made by the same person). (The talk page blanking doesn't seem to be against policy.)
 * This sort of thing happens, with the reverter usually being a less-experienced editor who doesn't quite understand what articles are supposed to be. It happens to me maybe once every hundred or two hundred copy edits.  I feel that you were right not to restore your edits yourself (as you noted, that can lead to edit warring).  Really, we shouldn't be offended when our edits are reverted.  A revert is a normal part of the bold, revert, discuss cycle, and can be taken as an invitation to discussion.  A lot of editors will revert without much of an edit summary, feeling that it's up to the editor who made changes to the page to justify those changes.  Of course, there's no guarantee the other editor will be willing to discuss things with you (as in the case of the message left on the IP's talk page).  In this case, with other editors supporting and restoring your edits (once each), the reverting editor would eventually hit the three revert rule.  There are different routes to go, but try to assume good faith and keep a level head in any edit conflict. And by all means, ask folks like us if you're unsure how to proceed. – Reidgreg (talk) 11:06, 24 May 2020 (UTC)
 * The TP blanking (most blanking is okay) had an edit summary, which I took as a good sign . Stay well and all the best,  Mini  apolis  17:37, 24 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks for trying to contact the user,, and for all the helpful links, . It's good to know that this sort of stuff happens every now and then and that there are people willing to help out when it does.  Much appreciated!  --RubberDuckDebugger (talk) 23:04, 24 May 2020 (UTC)

One more article left from April 2020
There's only one more article remaining from the original January through April 2020 tagged articles, and the last April Request has already been claimed for copyediting. Once that last tagged article has been taken, what do we want to do for the final weekend? Add the current month to the tagged articles? Not add it, but urge people to copyedit the May 2020 tagged articles? Add the May 2020 Requests? Have a mellow weekend? I thought I'd mention it, since that final tagged April article could go at almost any time. BlueMoonset (talk) 03:34, 30 May 2020 (UTC)
 * , while I would normally say "add the current month to the tagged articles" like the previous drive, it doesn't seem like it's worth it, as there's only one day left. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  03:38, 30 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I would vote against making May articles "old" for simplicity's sake, but I don't feel especially strongly about it. Folks can work on the May articles, Requests, or mellow out as suits them. I plan to knock off as many May articles as possible. Tdslk (talk) 03:59, 30 May 2020 (UTC)
 * We should not add May to the "old" articles list, since they were all tagged less than a month ago. We have always counted both "new" and "old" articles as part of the drives, even when "new" articles were tagged more than a year ago. Let's declare victory and throw a party until the end of the month (and also knock out the easy May articles). Great job, everyone! – Jonesey95 (talk) 04:47, 30 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree with Jonesey and Tdslk; let's chill for a bit. There are plenty of requests to be worked on, and May is there is anyone wants it and the June Blitz is just over a fortnight away. The copy-editors have done a superb job; thank you all. :) Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  11:51, 30 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Support Mellowing (and not adding another bonus month). For those who have extra energy, I'd suggest they check their submissions for anything they might have missed, or maybe check each other's copy edits. – Reidgreg (talk) 14:09, 30 May 2020 (UTC)

I have taken the first napkin last article in April. Wish me luck. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  16:03, 30 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Thank you and good luck! Tdslk (talk) 17:33, 30 May 2020 (UTC)

Update: Finished it. Gonna start focusing on requests again. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 )  00:15, 31 May 2020 (UTC)