When I first heard of this project, I was a bit confused. But as we learned more and more about Wikipedia, I realized that there was so much behind the information posted onto the free online encyclopedia. As we got into our groups, the first problem I encountered was what article/topic would we choose when there is so much to explore. However, that would be small problem compared to what we would continue to experience. As of right now my main focus is research, but there is not much to find because most sources are pretty old. I know this won’t be a problem as my group and I have already found a number or sources and we will continue to do so. This is the most important part as Wikipedia is a site for information, accurate, up-to-date , and correct information. Going forward, I am most excited for the different subtopics that will be added to the article. Currently there are only a few topics and they are very vague. Something I am nervous about is the content. I am worried about writing in “Wikipedian language/style”. I can resolve this by reading and examining more model articles. I think this project is really important because it teaches us how to correct misinformation on wikipedia. It also teaches us that thorough research is put into these articles before they are actually published.
April 27, 2022 at 12:30 pm
I definitely share the concern of writing in the proper Wikipedia style. How do I ensure my work is written in an encyclopedic tone? Will I be able to extract information from references without plagiarizing? Is my writing written in a neutral stance?
April 27, 2022 at 12:32 pm
The starting process is always the hardest, as there are many options to choose from and plan. Even with my group, there were few Wikipedia topics we wanted to focus on, but we were lucky enough to quickly determine the one we wanted to work on the most. I also relate when you mentioned the worries of writing in a Wikipedian style. We don’t want to accidentally add a hint of bias or our interpretation/thinking to the page.
April 27, 2022 at 12:33 pm
Writing in a proper “Wikipedia” style definitely seems challenging to me as well. It is difficult to write in a purely informational way without allowing anything but factual information through. Finding resources is also quite difficult to do, as you need to be finding things that back what you are saying, but not resources that you use quotes from like you would do in a research paper. I’m glad to see that I am not the only one who has these concerns.
April 27, 2022 at 12:36 pm
I agree that this project seemed confusing at first but working with our groups it has seem a less stressful procedure. Also finding recent sources have seemed stressful too since as you said the information has to be up to date. In addition, I agree that even though wikipedia is seen as “unreliable”, a lot of research is put before actually being published.