User talk:Bmcain

Starting a conversation (Bmcain (talk) 19:54, 30 August 2012 (UTC))[reply]

Welcome to Wikipedia: check out the Teahouse!

Hello! Bmcain, you are invited to the Teahouse, a forum on Wikipedia for new editors to ask questions about editing Wikipedia, and get support from peers and experienced editors. Please join us!

I, and the rest of the hosts, would be more than happy to answer any questions you have! SarahStierch (talk) 19:20, 1 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Welcome

Hello, Bmcain and welcome to Wikipedia! It appears you are participating in a class project. We encourage you to read our instructions for students. Your instructor or professor may wish to participate in either the School and University WikiProject or the Global Education Program. The Global Education Program is supported by the Wikimedia Foundation and offers official online and classroom support through the Ambassador Program.

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We hope you like it here and encourage you to stay even after your assignment is finished! Pharaoh of the Wizards (talk) 12:13, 5 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Hi there!

Hi, I'm the Online Ambassadors for the Introduction to Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences (Heather Adams) class. If you'd like any further help, contact me on my user talk page or put a {{help me}} template up on your own user talk page and someone will be along to help you. :) Banaticus (talk) 02:42, 4 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Don't forget to cite your sources

Here's the thing about Wikipedia. Articles are (or should be) essentially research papers, written on a Master's level, not a Bachelor's level or a Doctorate level. By that, I mean that everything should be referenced, have citations, and be verifiable. Articles should not be simply a synthesis of what a student has personally read or learned (and generally free from a bibliography), or otherwise like the majority of undergraduate papers -- articles need a good bibliography, typically referenced in the article so that people know which parts of the article are referencing which material. Articles also should not be written like a doctorate paper, which would typically investigate something new or otherwise present a previously unstudied viewpoint or scientific theory. The following bit about notability (what qualifies for a Wikipedia article) also stands true for information added to an article or other article improvements:

Notability in a nutshell: If a topic has received significant coverage in reliable secondary sources that are independent of the subject, it is presumed to satisfy the inclusion criteria for a stand-alone article.

So, when adding new material to an article, don't forget to cite your sources. Now, I know at this point you're probably thinking, "But that Wikipedia article on Justin Bieber's new album? It doesn't have this many citations." Well, it might, Believe (Justin Bieber album) has 77 different references, but sometimes "softer" articles are cut a little bit of slack (though, technically, they shouldn't be). Serious articles, though, such as articles in the sociology field, do need references/citations. Disputes in article creation/editing should generally be settled on the article talk page by an argument from authority, with each party citing sources and references, to arrive at a consensus for how the article should be edited. Also, bear in mind, you know how you're working to improve an article? There may be other people with a vested interest in also improving the article (and for most of the articles that you'll be working on, this will probably be the case). It would behoove you to reach out to them, likely by starting a new discussion on the article talk page, and work with them, as an ongoing conflict will make it more difficult for you to complete your assignment. If you'd like any further help, contact me on my user talk page or put a {{help me}} template up on your own user talk page and someone will be along to help you. :) Banaticus (talk) 20:00, 5 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]