User:IsaMMontes/sandbox

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This is my sandbox. It is crucial to use bold text. It is crucial to be bold. This is my practice page.

You can reuse citations. Creating citations is crucial on Wikipedia, so others may check your sources and find out more about a topic.

Discussion: What is a content gap? (Week 2)

• A content gap is when there is not enough information in certain areas of a topic in an article. One way to identify this is to see if there "holes" in the history of an article. For instance, if an article contains various paragraphs on a person's accomplishments in their career, but show virtually no, or little, information on this person's life before or after their career ended, this would be considered an article that contains content gaps. Similarly, if an article has plenty of information in one area, but does not contain material on a topic that is of equal or higher importance to the main idea of the article, this would be considered a content gap.

• A content gap may arise if the author did not do enough research on the topic. This could lead to inconsistencies in the amount of information in certain headings. An article can also be out of date and therefore, could not have the new facts that have since been found. Some ways to remedy this are to check the history of the article and view when it was published. Another way to check is to view the citations and whether or not they work and correspond with recent information on the topic. This is why volunteers are necessary to continually add and check information posted to articles.

• It does not matter who writes on Wikipedia as long as they adhere to the rules of no plagiarism and to be respectful other editors on Talk pages.

• To be "unbiased" on Wikipedia means to not use material from websites, blogs, etc. that are not independent to the article. These websites will have biased views if they are the company, organization, creator, fan, etc. of the topic at hand.

Discussion: Thinking about Sources and Plagiarism (Week 4)

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

A: Blog posts and press releases are poor sources for reliable information because they can be based more on opinion rather than facts and may have an overlying bias since they are not independent to the article. For instance, if one was writing an article on a new product in the market, a blog post about this topic would not be the best source of information. The company could have sponsored the post or the press release, and influenced how the author portrays and identifies the product. Therefore, it is best to reference information from reliable textbooks, books, academic journals, etc. that are without bias and present information accurately.

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

A: A company's website may not be the most reliable source to receive information on said company because they may have a bias in how they represent their product, service, customer service and satisfaction, etc. It would not be wise for a company to highlight their faults or other factual information that may not place them in the best light to their targeted audience and customers. Another example would be for customer ratings. The company could be writing their own reviews on their page or only keeping the positive reviews and deleting the negative ones. Overall, by referencing the company's website, one may not be receiving all the information on said company or one may even receive information that is incorrect.

Q:What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?

A: A Copyright violation is utilizing the work of someone else, whether it is the direct couple of lines from a novel, or worded incredibly similar to the work, without citing the source. This is using work protected by the law and using it as one's own information or placing no citation at all. For instance, if one does not use inline citations or references throughout a Wikipedia article, while copying information from a websites and books, this is a copyright violation. Plagiarism is different because, while one may cite the source directly, one is still using the same words the author utilized or something closely related by changing the words around slightly or using synonyms.

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

A: There are several ways to avoid plagiarism and close paraphrasing. One of the best tips is to read the information from the book, website, etc. and take accurate notes on the subject without detailing the information word for word; one should also keep track on what information came where and on what date they did research on the topic. Then, when one is writing these articles, one should reference their notes and write in their own words. This way, there is no need for a thesaurus or to look into the primary source of information and ,by chance, accidently close paraphrasing. One must fully understand the material to be able to write an article about it, so notes on the information one has collected is enough.

Possible topics to improve (Week 4)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre-Th%C3%A9odore-Victor,_comte_de_Lameth

The article I would prefer to develop and contribute to for this semester, would be the article on Alexandre Lameth's biography. I have reviewed the article multiple times and, while I have gone through and corrected grammatical errors, there is still much that should be improved. Most of the article references one book, The Chronicle of the French Revolution. I have already done enough research to know that there are several other reliable books that can not only provide more information on his life and career, but similar information to what is already in the article; this way I have the option to revise what may be incorrect or closely paraphrased. So far, the majority of my research has come from two books: Lafayette in the French Revolution: From the October Days through the Federation and Louis-Philippe Memoirs (1773-1793). These novels have more insight on Lameth's political career during the early years of the French Revolution as well as his career after he was released from the Austrians. I hope to find more information on his early years in politics as well as on his career and standing in the Feuillant faction. I was the first to reply on the Talk page of this article, the Talk page has been inactive since my last comment on February the 6th. I hope to provide this page with as much accurate information as possible for future readers to reference.

Topic and sources (Week 5)

As I mentioned above, the topic I intend to improve is Alexandre Lameth's biography. Most of the article, as of today, gives a very broad overview of his career and little on his life outside of politics. I aim to provide a more in depth view of his career and standing in the Constituent assembly, as well as his business after being released from the Austrians. If possible, I would like to add information on his childhood, education, relationships, etc., any information of his life before he went to war since there is little beyond his birth date and the relationship he had with his brothers in the article. Lastly, I hope to clean up the sources and present a variety of other reliable books and articles so that the biography does not consist of one or two books as the bulk of the references.

So far, I have found six books that have provided insightful information to utilize in the article.

Biography:

Chronicle of the French Revolution. N.p.: Chronicle Publications, 1989. Print.

Gottschalk, Louis Reichenthal., and Margaret Maddox. Lafayette in the French Revolution: From the October Days through the Federation. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1973. Print.

Kates, Gary. The French Revolution Recent Debates and New Controversies. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.

McManners, John. The French Revolution and the Church. New York: Harper & Row, 1970. Print.

Philippe, Louis, and John Hardman. Louis-Philippe: Memoires 1773-1793. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977. Print.

Thompson, James M. Robespierre. Oxford: Blackwell, 1988. Print.

Added Information:

(The first book is the book that is most referenced in the article of Alexandre Lameth. I included this in my bibliography since I have been tweaking the information on the biography that uses this book to make sure that there is no information on Lameth that was missed or information that was closely paraphrased.)

Discussion: Thinking About Wikipedia and Draft (Week 6)

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

A: Wikipedia's definition of neutrality encompasses everything that is needed for anyone, especially those who are looking to edit or add their own article on Wikipedia for the first time, to know the basics of how to write and where to receive reliable and valuable information without devaluing or jeopardizing the validity of an article by making it biased. By also defining bias with this term, it helps users realize that an Encyclopedic tone is how everyone will receive information that has no other interest than to tell the hard facts rather than opinions.

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

A: The great impact of Wikipedia is that anyone can write on Wikipedia. This means that anyone who has valuable information on a topic has the power to tell the world new facts from all around the world. It impacts students who are starting to research a topic and can find an outline, the basics, of the subject they are looking for here. The limits of Wikipedia is that it is not a database students can source on professional essays and writings. Yet Wikipedia's largest impact is that, when a student comes across the article they were looking for, they can always find more information by looking at the references at the bottom of the page. Therefore, while students and researchers cannot usually source Wikipedia as a primary source, it is a good starting point for research and way to learn facts more easily and efficiently.

Q: 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?

A: Sources that are excluded from reliable, published sources that can be used on Wikipedia are blog posts and sources that come from specific companies and organizations with their own product, service, or ideals. This references back to bias as stated earlier. Companies can rely heavily on positive opinions about their product, service, etc. so that people may buy whatever they are selling; they may also alienate and downgrade their competitors. As for blog posts, the authors can be hired or sponsored by certain organizations to spread good messages to their audience. This means that if Wikipedants place information into articles from these sources, others will recieve biased and false information.

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

A: The content would be significantly less and more biased than the information that is on Wikipedia now. Many contributors may be from the same place, background, race, gender, etc. since not everyone from all over the world would have had access to a database where everyone can freely write. There would not have been as sound of a fact-checker, so much of the information would violate the neutrality standard that Wikipedia olds today. Obviously, the content would be significantly less and different since we did not know all of the facts that we have now. Wikipedia in 100 years from now will be significantly changed since there will, hopefully, be a wide variety of articles on things that may not yet exist or on subjects we do not have relevant enough information on presently. There may be more contributors since, with more technology, changing school curriculums, etc. others will have more chances and access to add and revise content on Wikipedia. They may even have a better manner in which to find copyrighted material, information from unreliable sources, etc. that will lead Wikipedia to be more accurate than it is now.

Alexandre-Théodore-Victor, comte de Lameth

Before any section, I would like to add onto the description of Alexandre Lameth and what he did rather than keep the flimsy statement that is there now.

Alexandre-Théodore-Victor, comte de Lameth was a French soldier who fought during the American War of Independence and politician, mainly participating in creating a Constitution in the National Assembly during the French Revolution. He is most famous for being one of the leaders forming the "triumvate" in the Feuillant club.

Early Life

• Add in Father's name and information.
• Describe family in more detail:

 Marie Thérèse de Broglie (mother)and why she was a favorite of the Queen.
 Charles and Theodore Lameth (brothers) and Alexandre's relationship to each one. 

• Any information on his education.

American War of Independence

• More detail on his status in the war and the connections/mindset it gave him, such as relationships, shifted perceptions of reality and ideals, new social standing, etc.

Like many other veterans from the American War of Independence, and those among the French Patriot Party, Lameth became friends with Thomas Jefferson. His commitment to moderate constitutional and social reform gathered him respect in the eyes of Jefferson, given his idea for a unicameral, influential legislature.

Political Career

• His role in the National Assembly
• What he did as a leader of a "Triumvirate".
• Famous speeches and written documents.
• Information on his factions, why he had changed views, etc.

Alexandre Lameth, Adrien Duport, and Antoine Barnave got together on September 1789 for the first time during the first struggles of the Patriot Party. Despite the odds against them, their political ties strengthened and became a profound friendship that lasted through the turmoil. During the next months, they established their belief that the flight of the King to Varennes was all because of the faulty revolutionary process that prohibited any manner for compromise. They intended to rule out both the Republicans and Democrats so there would be as much compromise as possible. Their main intention was to end the war as soon as possible while still maintaining the gains of the revolution by passing the Constitution. Their hopes for moderate reform were sullied by the radical turn of the Revolution.

He wrote various novels and articles, his two most prominent being: Histoire de l'Assemblée constituante and Mémoires publiés avec introduction et notes par Eugène Welvert. In Histoire de l'Assemblée constituante, he introduced this work by displaying how he did not wish to write a book of biased anecdotes, nor provide a side of the revolution that states he was a main player, even though he was in a position to recall the most prominent events. He wanted to present an accurate, detailed description of the work of the Constituent Assembly.

Captured

• This may or may not be a separate section, depending on how much information I can find on it.
• Would like to place more detail on why and how he got captured, as well as who was kept in imprisonment with him.

Post-Imprisonment Political Career (I hope to find a more suitable title for this section)

• Who and what he worked on after he was released 7 years later. If he managed to write anything of his past or on the history of the National Assembly.
• I would like to find more information on how his disposition changed after being released from imprisonment.