Wikipedia Science Conference/Submissions/Developing an Ethical Approach to Using Wikipedia as the Front Matter to all Research
Personal details
- Your name
Brian Kelly
- Affiliation
Independent researcher/consultant at UK Web Focus
- How can we contact you?
ukwebfocus
gmail.com
- Where will you be travelling from to attend this conference?
Bath
- Availability
Both days
Session details
- Conference themes
Which conference themes does your session address? Delete as appropriate. Follow the link for more details and links.
- Wikipedia and/or Wikimedia as platforms for research (including citizen science)
- Wikipedia and/or Wikimedia as models for scientific publishing
- Type of session
Indicate the session format by deleting as appropriate:
- Presentation (20 mins + 10 mins questions)
- This format is suitable for reporting on substantial work in the area defined by the conference themes, or taking an overview of work done.
Slides
- Available on Slideshare
- Further details
In August 2014 a Wikimania session proposed "Wikipedia as the front matter to all research" and a survey of Links From Wikipedia to Russell Group University Repositories found 1,100+ Wikipedia links to Russell Group university repositories.
However this can conflict with the "Neutral Point of View" principle . A post which asked "So who's editing the SNHU Wikipedia page?" illustrated such risks and concluded "You should not edit your institution's Wikipedia page. It's a PR debacle waiting to happen"
A "Statement on Wikipedia from participating communications firms" included a statement:
Our firms believe that it is in the best interest of our industry, and Wikipedia users at large, that Wikipedia fulfill its mission of developing an accurate and objective online encyclopedia. Therefore, it is wise for communications professionals to follow Wikipedia policies as part of ethical engagement practices.
This session provides opportunities to explore a similar policy statement which could be adopted by UK universities, research councils, publishers and other stakeholders involved in research activities..
Thank you for your proposal.