AWikipedia Edit-a-thon (editing marathon) is a sprint-like event, where Wikipedia editors edit and improve a specific topic or type of content. The first Utrecht University Wikipedia Edit-a-thon was on 26 January 2021 between 1-5 pm, the second one was on 8 March 2021. It is a collaboration between Young Women of Geoscience (YWOG) and Women in Information and Computing Sciences (WICS). Let us work together on editing, or creating, Wikipedia pages for female scientists. Females are (unfortunately) under-represented both on Wikipedia pages and the community of Wikipedia editors. Specifically, only 15-20% of Wikipedia editors across the globe identify as female or non-binary. Together we can make Wikipedia a more equal and inclusive encyclopedia!
Most of you have probably never edited Wikipedia pages before, so we will start with a short basic editing workshop.
Please create a Wikipedia account before the workshop. Before you create an account, choose an anonymous nickname, such as FicusBenjamina2020 or Mariam123. We strongly advise you to choose a user name that is NOT your real name or a nickname which might be traced to you. (Although Wikipedia is mostly a friendly environment, it is public, so there is no way to guarantee you won't be dealing with some form of harassment in the future. Work with this anonymous nickname for a while. If you consciously choose to reveal your real name after a while, you can always mention it on your user page; if you change your mind, you can remove this information later.)
Just click 'Create account'. This account will work for Wikipedia in any language. To help with our collaboration, please post your user name in the group. I will post a standard welcome message on your Talk Page.
Search for the subject you want to read or write about, for example Marieke Huisman. If the page doesn't exist yet, Wikipedia suggests you write it yourself. Click on the red link, and start writing!
My advice is to always start a new page in your Sandbox, and ask a few colleagues and friends for feedback and help. When it is ready, you can Move it to the Wikipedia main space by choosing '(Article)'.
Editors must take particular care when adding information about living persons.
A few important criteria for writing a new page:
Every new page will be checked by editors immediately.
Most new pages get a warning sign at the top that they must be improved within a week, or else they will be deleted.
Notability does not necessarily depend on things such as fame, importance, or popularity.
It helps a lot if the page has a lot of reliable and verifiable sources.
You enable readers of the encyclopedia to check the information.
All the information you add, must come from reliable and verifiable sources.
This means you can’t add information that you found in your own research about the topic.
For example, if you know Marieke Huisman, and you know her date of birth, you can NOT add this information.
If Marieke Huisman sent you an email about her work, you can NOT add this information.
All the information you add, must come from reliable and verifiable sources.
If you think Marieke Huisman is a superb scientist and kind person, you can NOT add this to your page, because it is an individual opinion.
If her work is very controversial, including different opinions might be relevant.
Include several different opinions and perspectives from reliable and verifiable sources.
