User talk:M.devia.psych.

Starting a conversation (M.devia.psych. (talk) 19:53, 30 August 2012 (UTC))[reply]

This article is currently the subject of an educational assignment.

Welcome to Wikipedia: check out the Teahouse!

Hello! M.devia.psych., 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) 17:42, 12 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]

Using a reference more than once

When using a reference more than once, it's generally accepted practice to simply link to the same reference. For instance:
blah blah<ref>this is my reference</ref>
Gersh gurndy<ref name="Same reference">this reference will be used multiple times</ref>
morn-dee burn-dee<ref name="Same reference"/>
burn-dee<ref name="Same reference"/>
beency bouncy<ref name="Same reference"/>
The "same reference" will show up in the References section only once, with a link to each time it was referenced. Note the name of the reference, and the forward slash, / at the end of the copied ref statement, and that there is no closing ref tag (no </ref>). Generally, a long article should employ more than two different references. 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) 05:37, 14 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]