As most college students are well-aware, Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, is the place where many people go first to get information on a topic. That makes it arguably the most important information source on the internet. Although it is not appropriate to cite Wikipedia in a scholarly work, its reputation for being unreliable and/or full of misinformation is unearned; in reality, articles are carefully curated and inaccuracies are quickly corrected. Missing information is a much larger problem, considering that people mildly curious about a topic are not likely to dig deeper if Wikipedia does not satisfy their curiosity.
Working alone or with a partner, you will choose a Wikipedia article about a film or show that features the environment heavily (or you may start a new article, but this is more ambitious) and add content to it related to the ecological principles featured in it. Using course resources and independent research, you will add information with references about how realistically features of the environment are depicted.
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As a new user, you should research all of Wikipedia’s key policies and guidelines. They will come in handy!
What is an annotated bibliography?
MLA, APA & Chicago style samples of annotated biographies.
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You do not have to create an account to contribute to Wikipedia but if you do you will have an easier time editing and your contributions will be more likely to be accepted. Why? Having an account gives you a recognized Wikipedia identity and over time that account will build a reputation, allowing you more privileges in the Wikipedia universe.
For example, you need to have an account for more than 4 days and contribute more than 10 edits in order to receive permissions to create a brand-new Wikipedia page. And, once you have had an account for about 30 days and have made at least 500 edits, you will be granted top-level editing privileges.
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For more info about why you should create an account see: Why Create a Wikipedia account?
References on WikipediaEach citation in a Wikipedia article has two parts. In the first part, each section of text that is either based on, or quoted from, an outside source is marked as such with an inline citation (superscript footnote number, or abbreviation). The second necessary part of the citation is the list of full references at the end of the piece, which provides complete, formatted details about the source, so that anyone reading the article can find it and verify it.
This Wikipedia page on “Citing Sources” explains how to place and format both parts of a proper Wikipedia citation. |
THE SANDBOXEvery Wikipedia user has their own personal “sandbox” where they can draft articles, try out different editing features in the Visual Editor, and even collect links and references for future articles. You can access your own personal sandbox in the top right menu bar when you’re logged in. Just select the “Edit” tab and start working on your article draft!
THE ARTICLE WIZARDWikipedia has also established a step-by-step guide for creating brand new articles. If you’re ready to contribute brand new article to Wikipedia try out the Article Wizard. |
[Note: Remember that new articles go through an approval and vetting process, so you should go back to the URL that is created by the Article Wizard and check the status of your new article after a few days.]
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Note: Good articles will have a citation for most sentences and may include a list of related but not referenced sources at the end of an article as well.
Wikipedia Manual of StyleJust like academic writers, Wikipedia authors reference a formal “Manual of Style” for their entries. This document provides guidelines for both writing and formatting to help editors write articles with consistent and precise language, layout, and formatting, making Wikipedia easier and more intuitive for users.
Some General Tips from the Style Guide: Plain English works best. Avoid ambiguity, jargon, and vague or unnecessarily complex wording. |
Also see the helpful “Writing Better Articles” page for advice on how to write an effective article, including information on layout, style, and how to make an article clear, precise and relevant to the reader.