In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia project

• Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
• Evaluating Wikipedia

Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia

•  Create an account and join the course page, using the enrollment link Professor Bloemraad sent you. (To avoid hitting Wikipedia's account creation limits, do this outside of class. Only 6 new accounts may be created per day from the same IP address.) 
•  It's time to dive into Wikipedia! Below, you'll find the first set of online trainings you need to take. New modules will appear on this timeline as you get to new milestones. Be sure to check back and complete them! Incomplete trainings will be reflected in your grade. 
•  When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page. 

Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia articles

• Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
• Create a section in your sandbox titled "Article evaluation" where you'll leave notes about your observations and evaluation. 
• Read the Wikipedia article about Human Migration. As you read, consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these): 
  • Is everything in the article relevant to the topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
  • Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear biased toward a particular position?
  • Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
  • Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
  • Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted? 
  • Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
  • Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic? 
  • How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
  • How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class? 

In class - Discussion

What's a content gap?

Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.

• Wikipedians often talk about "content gaps." What do you think a content gap is, and what are some possible ways to identify them?
• What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?
• Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?
• What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?

Work on Statistical Profile

Work on Statistical Project

Milestones

Assignment - Choose possible articles

• Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
• Look up 3-4 potential articles related to your migrant group that might benefit from an update using the data you've found. Review the content of the article and check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians are already contributing. Identify one or two areas from each that you could improve. 
• Choose 1 potential article from that list that you can tackle, and post links to the articles and your notes about what you might improve in your sandbox. Once you've selected your topic, make sure to assign it to yourself on the Students tab. 
• If you want to work in a group on the same topic, both members should have the same article assigned to themselves on the Students tab. You can only edit your own assigned article. 

Best practices for working in groups

• Once your group has a Wikipedia article to work on, make sure everyone in the group is assigned to that article on the Students tab of this course page. 
•  Select one group member whose Sandbox space you'll all share to draft your article. (It will be titled something like User:Diderot/sandbox.) Each person should link to that shared Sandbox from their own Sandbox page. A sandbox is like any other page on Wikipedia, and anyone can edit it. 
•  Wikipedia doesn't handle multiple people editing from different devices at the same time very well. If you're working together in person, one person should add the work to the Sandbox. If you are all working independently, make small edits and save often to avoid "editing conflicts" with classmates. Make sure that you're logged in under your own Wikipedia account while editing in your classmate's sandbox to ensure your edits are recorded. 
•  Don't create a group account for your project. Group accounts are prohibited. 

Assignment - Improving a Wikipedia article

• Identify what's missing from the current form of the article, including data points in the text. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. If you decide you want to add content, make sure to draft your notes for improvement in your sandbox. 
• Review the "Sandboxes and Mainspace" and "Plagiarism" trainings.

• Another way that you can improve an article is by adding graphs, figures, etc. about the data you found. 
• If you decide you want to add a graph or figure as an image, review the "Contributing Images and Media Files" training below. 

• If you decide to write a new article, start by writing an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox. 
  •  A "lead" section is not a traditional introduction. It should summarize, very briefly, what the rest of the article will say in detail. The first paragraph should include important, broad facts about the subject. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas. 
  • Review the "Sandboxes and Mainspace" and "Plagiarism" trainings.

• Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
• Illustrating Wikipedia 

Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

Sociology

Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Assignment - Expand your contribution

• If you are writing new content, keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review. 
• If you are adding an image, review the Wiki rules. Most people will be uploading an original graph or figure. Don't forget to cite the source of all data!
• If your graph or figure was made by someone else, remember: Never grab images you find through an image search, or those found on Instagram, Tumblr, Reddit, Imgur, or even so-called "Free image" or "free stock photo" websites. Instead, you'll want to find images with clear proof that the creator has given permission to use their work. Many of these images can be found on search.creativecommons.org. Review the separate rules for using images from government sources.
• If you'd like a Wikipedia Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes. 

In class - Consider adding to another article

Assignment - Take the Peer Review training

In class - Peer review and copy edit

• Groups will review each others' work. 
• In the "My Articles" section of the Home tab, assign yourself the article that the other group is working on in the Reviewing section. 
• Spend 5-10 minutes reviewing your classmates' work. Leave suggestions on the Talk section of their Sandbox. 
• As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments as necessary. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic? 

Milestones

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

Assignment - Polish your work

• Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
• Return to your draft or article and think about the suggestions from the peer review assignment. Decide which ones to start implementing. Reach out to your instructor or your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.

Assignment - Move your work to Wikipedia

• Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
• Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Wikipedia Expert at any time!

• NEVER copy and paste your draft of an article over the entire article. Instead, edit small sections at a time.
•  Copy your edits into the article. Make many small edits, saving each time, and leaving an edit summary. Never replace more than one to two sentences without saving! 
•  Be sure to copy text from your sandbox while the sandbox page is in 'Edit' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly. 

• Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles. 
• Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
• You can also review the Sandboxes and Mainspace online training.

• Don't just upload the file to Wikipedia. Instead, upload it to Wikipedia's sister site, Wikimedia Commons, then place it in your article. For instructions, read through the Illustrating Wikipedia handbook and review the training. 

Milestones

Assignment - Reflective essay

• Summarizing your contributions: Summarize your edits and why you felt they were a valuable addition to the article. How does your article compare to earlier versions? 
• Critiquing articles: How did you decide what to add to your chosen Wikipedia article? How is critiquing a Wikipedia article the same or different from critiquing an academic research paper? 
• Feedback: What changes did your peers in the class recommend, and how did you respond? Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback? Finally, look at live webpages and see how other Wikipedians have responded to your edits. What do you think about their feedback? 
• Wikipedia versus other public spaces: What did you not include in your edits or your article, because of the parameters of Wikipedia, but you wish you could have added or modified? How might you get this information out in public space? 
• Your experience: How did this Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you've done in the past? Do you think Prof. Bloemraad should keep this assignment? What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia? What were the challenges or disappointments? How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of migration?