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Archaeology on Wikipedia

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Archaeology on Wikipedia
archaeology in Edgewater, Iowa
When and Where
DateThursday, November 30, 2017
Time3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
AddressMIT, 3.986 The Human Past: Introduction to Archaeology
City, StateCambridge, MA

Overview

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A one-hour learning session, focused on archaeological articles and Wikiprojects.

We will learn the governing principles of Wikipedia, how to assess article quality, and how to make useful contributions.

We will also discuss the value of improving archaeological article quality, both in terms of enhancing our own research skills and sharing knowledge with the public.


Register

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Note that you are not required to register or sign this event page.

  • You have the option to use This Link to sign up for a Wikipedia account (or sign in with your existing one), and join our Event Dashboard.

Participant list

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Please add your Wikipedia username below

Click "edit source." Add the # sign (to continue numbering.)

Then, create your signature by typing four tildes [~] in a row and hitting "Save changes."

  1. Rtbhive (talk) 16:22, 21 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  2. Abalzac21 (talk) 20:34, 30 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  3. Bretstep (talk) 20:36, 30 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  4. Mdprice8472 (talk) 20:36, 30 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  5. Skwdman (talk) 20:36, 30 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  6. M21w (talk) 20:37, 30 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  7. Egmontes (talk) 20:37, 30 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  8. KmzMIT (talk) 20:38, 30 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  9. Hedgehogs6 (talk) 20:39, 30 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  10. Andrewbc6 (talk) 20:40, 30 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  11. Lne33 (talk) 20:48, 30 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]

FAQ

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What should I have?

  • A laptop and charger
  • An interest in the state of public knowledge about archaeology

How reliable is Wikipedia?

Who edits Wikipedia?

Also worth knowing about

Thinking like a Wikipedian

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Basic guidelines, communication customs, editing customs

The focus here is on developing your "Wikipedia hat," so you can read and evaluate Wikipedia articles based on Wikipedia's standards, not those from your own areas of expertise.

Australopithecus africanus - Cast in three parts: endocranium face and mandible, of a 2.1 million year old Australopithecus africanus specimen so-called Taung child, discovered in South Africa.

Choose an article listed, or search for one that relates to your 3.986 research. Evaluate it, based on your current perspective.

Read over the following Wikipedia policy/guideline pages, and then use what you've learned to re-consider the article you just evaluated.

(Hint: Read "nutshells" and intros most carefully, then skim the rest of each policy/guideline page. That will give you the sense you need.)

Using your new "Wikipedia hat," how does your evaluation change? From Wikipedian perspective, how might it be improved?

Modified from an exercise created by Amanda Rust

Rating and Communicating on Wikipedia

Now look up any site or topic from any of your research -- including any topic that came up in Paper 1, both Critical Response Papers, the Kennewick Man Debate, and Paper 2. Explore, Analyze, even Edit! One way to get started: Citation Hunt!

Excavations at the site of Gran Dolina, in Atapuerca (Spain), during 2008.

Training to edit Wikipedia

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Editing Wikipedia brochure EN

Going forward: some resources to help you determine what and how to contribute

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Good Digital Citizenship and Activism in Wikipedia: Working with Underrepresented Groups and Topics

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written by Amanda Rust, February 2016

  • Problem: Wikipedia is a globally distributed network where judgement of quality is not based around contributor expertise, but rather work according to the standards of the project itself -- the most legible unit of work is a good citation. As one of the oldest communities on the Internet, Wikipedia gives students to a chance to practice good digital citizenship: use their critical thinking skills to discover community values, norms and styles of communication, and contribute in a way that will make sense to other community members. However, Wikipedia can, like many other communities, have a bias towards the status quo. Therefore, those working on issues related to underrepresented groups can expect to be accused of activism, bias, an agenda, as if those things do not already exist on Wikipedia.
  • Digital citizenship is doubly important to those working on issues related to underrepresented groups: one must know how to communicate effectively using community standards to convince the Wikipedian community that changes in the status quo does not automatically equal violating policy, and that you are still partners in the same goal of wanting to improve the encyclopedia.

Other possible topics for editing

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Resources we can draw from

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WorldCat, via MIT Libraries
MIT Libraries Anthropology & Archaeology Research Guide
Google News
Google Books
Google Scholar Note! You can synchronize Google Scholar with the MIT Library. Check it out!
Better Googling: MIT Libraries Google search tips
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