Bio 4030 Wikipedia Project

How to Edit Wikipedia

Content

At the top right corner of every Wikipedia page are three tabs -- “Read”, “Edit” and “View History”. “Read” is selected by default. To begin editing, click the “Edit” tab. On the “Edit” page, you will see a box containing the raw text and formatting of the Wikipedia entry. If you are simply editing for content (i.e. changing words, fixing typos), locate the text you wish to change and edit it.

Formatting

If your edits require you to do more than change text, you will need to be familiar with Wikipedia’s formatting conventions. The following table lists basic formatting tags you will likely use:

What you want / What you type / Appears on Page as… / Notes
Links to Other Wikis / [[Page title]]
OR
[[Page Title|Link Label]] / Page Title
OR
Link Label (redirects to Page Title entry) / Use “Link Label” option when target page and link text are different.
To generate the vertical bar, go to Special Symbols at the top of the edit box.
Links to External Sites / [http://www.google.com Google]
OR
http://www.google.com / Google
http://www.google.com / These are NOT citations. Read on for how to cite.
Section Headings / ==Heading== / Heading _ / The page’s main title heading is automatically generated. You do not need to format it yourself.
Subheadings (up to 3 nested levels) / ===Subheading 1===
====Subheading 2====
=====Subheading 3===== / Subheading 1
Subheading 2
Subheading 3
Italic text / ‘’Text’’ / Text / This tag is 2 apostrophes, not quotation marks.
Bold text / ‘’’Text’’’ / Text / Bold the first mention of your topic’s name in the article.
Bold and italic text / ‘’’’’Text’’’’’ / Text / If your topic’s name is italicized, such as a gene, bold-italicize it at first mention.

Additional formatting tips:

● The top of the edit box has a “Help” tab where you can quickly reference these (and other) formatting tags.

● Wikipedia automatically generates a Table of Contents for articles with more than 3 section headings,

● Do not indent new paragraphs within sections.

● For this project, do not insert pictures.

Citations

Your sources will likely be scientific journal articles obtained through PubMed or Web of Science. This table shows how both simple and scientific citations should be made. Everything in bold caps is filled in by you.

Type in Editing Box / Example / Article/Citation Appear as...
Text text text text. <ref>YOUR SOURCE</ref> / Here is a sentence. <ref>Source Title. [http://www.text.com]. Date.</ref> / Here is a sentence.[1]
References _
1. Source Title. http://www.text.com. Date.
Text text text text. <ref>{{cite journal |author=AUTHORS’ NAMES |title=ARTICLE TITLE |journal=JOURNAL NAME |volume=VOLUME |issue=ISSUE |pages=PAGE NUMBERS |year=YEAR PUBLISHED |pmc=PUBMED CENTRAL NUMBER |pmid=PUBMED ID NUMBER |doi=DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER}}</ref> / Homologs of this gene are found in fish. <ref>{{cite journal |author=Cermakian N, Whitmore D, Foulkes NS, Sassone-Corsi P |title=Asynchronous oscillations of two zebrafish CLOCK partners reveal differential clock control and function |journal=Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. |volume=97 |issue=8 |pages=4339–44 |year=2000 |month=April |pmid=10760301 |pmc=18243 |doi= 10.1073/pnas.97.8.4339|url= }}</ref> / Homologs of this gene are found in fish.[1]
References _
1. Cermakian N, Whitmore D, Foulkes NS, Sassone-Corsi P (April 2000). "Asynchronous oscillations of two zebrafish CLOCK partners reveal differential clock control and function".Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97 (8): 4339–44. doi:10.1073/pnas.97.8.4339. PMC 18243. PMID 10760301.

All journal articles accessed through PubMed, PubMed Central, or Web of Science will have one or more of the following: a PubMed Identification Number (PMID), PubMed Central Number (PMC), and/or Digital Object Identifier (DOI). They are usually in fine print and located somewhere near the title and abstract of the article. You should include any and all identification numbers you can find because this is what allows Wikipedia to generate direct links to the journal article. If you cannot locate one or more of the ID numbers for your article, just delete that portion of the tag. For journal citations, it is NOT recommended to simply cite a “naked” link to the article because of the tendency for links to move or expire.

Wikipedia automatically compiles the citations in the body of an article into a reference list. If the page you are editing already has a “References” section, your new citation will be incorporated. However, if you are creating an original page you need to make sure your citations appear by:

(1) Making a “References” section. Type ==References== after the body of your article.

(2) Inserting the tag <references /> under this heading.

To avoid copyright infringement it is crucial that you take a few precautions when you edit:

● Do not include any pictures in your edits.

● Carefully cite your sources. Include all available Digital ID numbers.

● Do not copy and paste from an outside source.

● When you summarize findings from a journal article, do not plagiarize. It is a good idea to take a break between reading your source and drafting your edit so you are not inclined to use their words.

When You Finish Editing

When you finish your edit, do not be tempted to publish right away. Instead, use the “Show Preview” button below the text box to review your edits and make sure your formatting/citations appear correctly. Next, fill in the “Edit Summary” field to capture for others in a few words what you changed. PROOFREAD a final time, and only then should you click “Save Page” to publish.

Encyclopedic Writing Style

Wikipedia has strict guidelines on the style in which you present your information. It is essential that you observe these guidelines to avoid your edits being flagged for cleanup. Specifically, these are some things that trip people up:

● Use of vague terms like “seems to be” or “is likely to”. Only report what has been shown.

● Use of opinionated statements (even if they are uncontroversial). For example, “Pittendrigh was the smartest chronobiologist in the field” would not be an acceptable edit to a Wiki page.

● Explaining material that is not immediately related to the topic. A good way to enhance your explanation while still being concise is to link out to other Wiki pages.

● Not understanding the target audience, in this case: college and graduate students. This means you should assume your reader knows most of the science basics, but also avoid complex language you would expect only experts to use.

Helpful Resources

● Before you start editing, you may find it helpful to practice with Wikipedia formatting by using the sandbox: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Tutorial/Keep_in_mind/sandbox. All edits made in this area will be visible only to you and are meant as practice for users new to editing Wikipedia.

● Consult the Discussion board for your Wikipedia page to learn what other Wiki editors are debating about your topic. To access it, click the “Discussion” tab at the top left corner of your Wiki page.

● You can troubleshoot using the search function here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents.

● A link to Wikipedia’s full editing tutorial: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Tutorial

The following students have offered to help if you need assistance with editing commands in Wikipedia

Shubho / Sadhu /
Elizabeth / Qin /
Jeffrey / Cooper /
Anna / Schellhase /
Adam / Panzer /