Introduction
Despite its ever-growing popularity and frequent use by students and professionals, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia has been victim to a significant amount of scorn in academic circles. Most students see the encyclopedia as a forbidden research database, having been steered away from using it by countless teachers and instructor in secondary and college English classes. For certain purposes and topics, however, Wikipedia might be the perfect source. For obscure subjects, it might be one of the few places where information is available. Erroneous entries can tell us about public misconceptions and ignorance. That Wikipedia has been vilified in academia is ultimately significant of a tremendous loss, as the database affords an exciting opportunity to produce public writing for a specific audience and venue. In practical terms, this project should aid your growth in the following general areas: audience awareness; writing styles and tones; source retrieval, evaluation and incorporation; familiarity with wikis as an example of online discourses and genres. But becoming familiar with the modes and methods of Wikipedia will also allow you to participate in and observe the social-collaborative writing process. The entries on this encyclopedia are products of multiple authors, thinkers and editors who talk and interact with each other and who create a text through multiple revisions, deletions, edits, and additions. Participating in this process should allow you to see how all writing, while not always so explicitly collaborative, occurs in a similar fashion.
For this project, your goal is to create a Wikipedia entry on a topic not yet written about. We’ll be generating appropriate topics in class but here are some ideas to get you thinking about the possibilities:
· An student club / organization . E.g. People Acting for Gender Equality
· A Local Musical Group / Artist. E.g. Poet Hollis Summers
· A Local Event or Festival. E.g. Ohio Paw Paw Festival
· A Local Place of Interest or History
"Requested Articles" and "Most Wanted Articles" are two great resources to help you come up with an idea for an article. Be sure to keep the formal requirements of the assignment (found below) in mind when choosing a topic.
Refer to the “Things to Avoid” section of the "Wikipedia: Your First Article" page for further guidance. We’ll also be discussing the concept of notability as it is presented in “Wikipedia: Notability” as a way of identifying what topics are deserving of an entry.
You might also consider using the Article Wizard to determine a topic eligibility.
Assignment Elements and Expectations
A. Compilation and Evaluation of Sources
Generating a suitable entry topic which hasn’t been already written about is just the beginning, of course. You’ll also be expected to compile a list of (3-5) sources from which to draw information. Because your entry will ultimately be subject to editorial review and (worst case scenario) deletion, it is extremely important to evaluate sources carefully before deciding to include them in your entry.
B. Article Entry
The written elements of this project will vary in terms of length, depending on subject, but most entries should range between 750-1000 words. It’s important to remember that the encyclopedic entry, as a genre, necessitates a specific format and style. Encyclopedia entries are meant to be as objective as possible and should not include analytical or opinion-based writing. We’ll be examining a number of successful and unsuccessful entries in order to learn to recognize and imitate this style.
C. Photographic Element
In addition to the written requirement, you are also asked to add a photographic element to the entry and incorporate at least two photographs into the entry. It’s important that these photographs pertain to your topic. They have the power to increase the notability of local-interest entries, as suggested in “Wikipedia: Your First Article”: “There is no consensus about such articles [local interest], but some will challenge them if they include nothing that shows how the place is special and different from tens of thousands of similar places. Photographs add interest. Try to give local-interest articles local colour.”
Publishing Expectations
While this project provides the opportunity to successfully “publish” your entry, it does not require that outcome. The chance that your encyclopedic entry will not remain on Wikipedia, its deletion, is a very real possibility. This does not mean that you will lose your work, as you will be saving your entry both on your Wikipedia user space and as MS Word documents throughout the project. However, this deletion does add an emotional risk to the project. I do not tell you this to add to your apprehension or disappointment, but rather, to make you understand that any real opportunity to share your work with a wide audience involves some emotional dangers. This project is no exception. It should be both frightening and exciting to imagine the end result.
Composing Processes
1. Review the WIkipedia Editing Tutorial. The video tutorial found on this page is also very helpful. Remember you can always experiment / play in the Sandbox.
2. Visit "Starting an Article" to learn more about the process of starting a new entry.
3. Begin generating possible article topics by searching the encyclopedia. Be sure to use different search terms, both broad and specific, to ensure that a topic hasn’t already been written about. We’ll read the entry on notability and discuss the concept in class to get a better idea of what topics will be most appropriate. The Article Wizard can also help you figure out if your topic is sufficiently notable. Again, "Requested Articles" and "Most Wanted Articles" are two great resources to help you come up with an idea for an article
4. Begin compiling sources. Be sure to review the section on “Gathering References” at “Wikipedia: Your First Article."
5. We’ll read and discuss a number of example directly from Wikipedia, then you’ll begin drafting your own article. Review the guidelines under “Content” at the Article Wizard. Your article should adhere to the following:
Your article submission must not violate copyright.
Your article should also establish notability.
Your article must be neutral in its tone.
Your article should not engage in puffery.
Using a digital camera (which can be checked out at 215 McCracken Hall), you’ll also want to take some photographs at this point to add to your entry. Have numerous options (pictures) for your peer reviewer to examine. Together, you can decide which are most appropriate at the peer review.
6. We’ll hold an in-class peer review to workshop these drafts in groups of three. Reviewers will evaluate how well you meet the above criteria, your inclusion of at least one photographic images, the selection of sources, and how well those sources are incorporated and documented with the ultimate goal of providing constructive feedback for the writer.
7. Be sure to "publish" your article in your own Userspace before submitting it for review or going live. Like the sandbox, Your Userspace is a great place to preview what the article looks like and carry out experiments.
8. After additional revision, you’ll submit your article for review at Article for Creation (AfC) using the Article Wizard.
9. With feedback and approval of your AfC reviewer, Go Live! Using the Article Wizard. You should also save the final version of your entry in your user space, as it may be edited by other Wikipedia members very quickly.
Additional Resources
This page on citation templates details citation standards followed by Wikipedia as well as providing models for various types of sources.
The Wikipedia “Cheatsheet” provides a list of commonly used wiki syntax commands, such as the command for bold text, or for creating a section heading.
When creating a new article, students may also find it helpful to participate in a live chat with more experienced users, available at Wikipedia IRC Help Channel:
A Note on Copyright and Citation
Incorrect citations are among the most common reasons for an article deletion on Wikipedia. The success of your project depends on your careful adherence to quotation and documentation standards. The photographs you end up using should be copyrighted in the photographer’s name (you).
Evaluation
This assignment is worth 15% of your total course grade. The final article will be assessed for content, neutral style, documentation, source selection. The photographs will be assessed in terms of notability. That is, how does the photograph’s content increase the article’s notability? This is not a class in photography and your efforts will not be graded on an aesthetic scale. The peer review will be modeled after the guidelines laid down by Wikipedia regarding copyright, notability, neutrality, puffery.
