User:Aaannnnnnaaa/sandbox

Week 2 Discussion: What's a content gap?

• Wikipedians often talk about "content gaps." What do you think a content gap is, and what are some possible ways to identify them?

A content gap is when an article is missing information that is significant to the topic. You can tell if there is a content gap if a particular section is shorter than all the others , or if you have significant unanswered questions after reading the article.

• What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?

Sometimes there is a gap because even the experts on the topic still have not reached a complete understanding of the topic. Other times, it is just because the author of the article didn't research of explain the topic thoroughly enough. You can remedy this by adding more information from acceptable sources that fills in the gaps.

• Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?

Anyone can add to Wikipedia, but articles are more trustworthy when they have been reviewed by many people who are knowledgeable of the topic.

• What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?

To be "unbiased" on Wikipedia means to use a variety of objective, independent sources. This goes beyond the definition of "bias" that I am used to because it's not enough just to avoid inserting your own opinion; you can't use primary sources or let one viewpoint outweigh another.

Week 4 Discussion: Thinking about sources and plagiarism

• Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?

These types of media are often written by a single person who has a strong opinion on the topic but is not necessarily an expert. The author is usually writing to persuade in these situations. Consequently, it is likely that the facts presented in blog posts and press releases will be presented in an inaccurate and/or unbalanced way (in order to favor the author's personal view), making the source unreliable.

• What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company?

A company's website is an advertising tool, used to highlight the attractive aspects of the company while leaving out anything that might dissuade potential customers. In other words, a company will never put any information on their website that might make the company look bad. So, of course, you can't expect to get the "full picture" from the company's website. It will always be subjective information -- that is, a limited view which isn't entirely credible.

• What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?

A copyright violation is when you use someone else's idea, in any form, without the owner's permission. This is not just limited to words -- it includes music and images, too. Plagiarism, on the other hand, is specifically when you copy or nearly copy someone else's written work without properly giving them credit through an appropriate, complete citation.

• What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?

Wikipedia's suggestion is to first read the source in its entirety, then write a summary of it in your own words (If you have to look back at the source, be careful not to imitate the author's wording). Afterwards, use your summary to write your final draft so that you don't accidentally plagiarize or paraphrase too closely.

Week 4: Choose possible topics

• Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dechristianization_of_France_during_the_French_Revolution

I'm considering adding to this article because it's not very long yet and it relates well to my character, who is a clergy member. The most recent post on the talk page for this article was added in July 2016.

• Influence of the French Revolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence_of_the_French_Revolution

I think that this would also be a good article for me to work on because I would like to have a better understanding of why the French Revolution still has significance and receives attention more than 200 years after it took place. This article seems to be only about a month old and does not yet have a talk page.

Week 5: Finalize your topic / Find your sources

On the Students tab, assign your chosen topic to yourself.

In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article. 
Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too. 
Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography. 

Draft your article Assignment - Due: 2017-02-19 You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.

Improving an existing article?

Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox. 

I think that this article's biggest weakness is its lack of citations. So one way that I will contribute is by adding sources where they are needed. I've found an article called THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH by Betros, Gemma that I can use to support the first two statements (about the Catholic Church's amount of property and income) that are missing citations.

I also noticed that the section titled "The Revolution and the Church" is much longer than all the other sections, so I'll try to break it up into a couple of different sections.

Bibliography

Betros, Gemma. "The French Revolution And The Catholic Church." History Review 68 (2010): 16-21. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

Melleuish, Greg. "Liberalism And God." Institute Of Public Affairs Review 61.3 (2009): 36-38. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

Van Kley, Dale K. "Christianity As Casualty And Chrysalis Of Modernity: The Problem Of Dechristianization In The French Revolution." American Historical Review 108.4 (2003): 1081-1104. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

Week 6 Discussion: Thinking about Wikipedia

• What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"?

Wikipedia clearly doesn't want any biased articles. All points of view have to be addressed proportionately to their prevalence. This seems like it might be a challenge, but I understand the importance of fulfilling this requirement: it allows readers to make their own conclusions.

• What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information?

I've been taught and learned from experience that Wikipedia is a good "starting point" from which to initially gather information, which you should then check by looking at other, more reliable sources. This is because Wikipedia gives you a wide variety of facts and perspectives all in one place, but you can't assume all of it to be correct because anyone can make any changes they want, regardless of whether they are using true or false information.

• On Wikipedia, all material must be attributable to reliable, published sources. What kinds of sources does this exclude? Can you think of any problems that might create?

"Reliable, published sources" excludes blog posts, opinion columns, and anything else with a strong point of view. Primary sources should also generally be avoided. I don't really understand why Wikipedia doesn't want primary sources because a primary source is first-hand knowledge, which is an important perspective to any topic.

• If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?

If Wikipedia had been written 100 years ago, there would probably be less information, provided by fewer contributors, because there was not as much knowledge 100 years ago as there is today, and it was not accessible to everyone like it is now. On the other hand, 100 years from now, there will be more knowledge and more people to research and publish information.

Week 7

Working on adding more information and citations. Added info about the French Republican Calendar to the section "The Revolution and the Church." Added 3 citations so far.

Some more edits I'm going to make

Introduction:

First paragraph: “the dechristianization campaign” >> “The dechristianization campaign” ; “included also” >> “also included” ; “service".” >> “service.””

Second paragraph: “Revolution, initially” >> “Revolution initially” ; link “Christians” to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity; link “pre-revolutionary France” to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancien_R%C3%A9gime ; “two year” >> “two-year” ; link “European history” to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Europe ; “Cult of Reason which” >> “Cult of Reason, which” ; “de-Christianisation” >> “dechristianization”

Religion and the Catholic Church under the monarchy:

18th-century France – link to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_modern_France#France_in_the_17th_and_18th_centuries

Catholicism – link to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism

New policies of the Revolutionary authorities:

An especially notable event that took place in the course of France’s dechristianization was the Festival of Reason (link to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_of_Reason#Festival_of_Reason), which was held in Notre Dame Cathedral on 10 November 1793. (add image)

The Revolution and the Church:

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

• Section about the calendar:

Republican calendar was adopted on 24 November 1793

https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/handle/1811/24812 (180)

It soon became clear, however, that nine consecutive days of work were too much, and that international relations could not be carried out without reverting to the Gregorian system, which was still in use everywhere outside of France. Consequently, the Gregorian Calendar was reimplemented in 1795.

http://www.alqantir.com/la_reforma_del_calendario.pdf (42)

• Near the end of “The Revolution and the Church”:

After the mention of Robespierre’s procession on 8 June 1794, add:

His execution occurred shortly afterward, on 28 July 1794.

https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/handle/1811/24812 (182)

Other articles from which to link this article:

Religion in France – under “See also”

Laïcité – under “See also”

Freedom of religion in France – under “See also”