Andrew Wickert

Andrew Wickert

McKnight Land-Grant Assistant Professor
Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences
Faculty, Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory
Associate, Institute on the Environment

Final Project: Wikipedia Article

Final project: Develop a Wikipedia article on a topic in geomorphology.

Learning Goals

  • Develop professional written communications skills
  • Build skills in appropriate scientific citations and referencing
  • Gain knowledge in a particular geomorphic topic and/or subfield

Instructions and Information (from the syllabus)

For this year’s final project, students will turn a undeveloped or nonexistent page on Wikipedia into a full-fledged and well-referenced article. This process will include multiple steps over the course of the semester, including:

  • Researching and proposing topics to the instructors
  • Learning about proper style and referencing; this applies to scientific and professional writing as well.
  • Selecting your topic and putting together an initial draft
  • Editing and improving the Wikipedia article
  • “Finalizing” your contribution following instructor feedback

The Wikipedia Education Program has significant information for students that can help you to set up an account and learn how to manage your project.

  • Students enrolled in ESCI 4701 will work in pairs.
  • Students enrolled in ESCI 8701 will work alone.

Timeline: 2020

Friday, 23 October (10 points)

In a writeup (submitted via Canvas):

  1. (1 point) Submit your proposed team. Students in ESCI 4701 should find and identify their partners using this Google Sheet.

  2. (1 point) Submit the names/topics of and (if applicable) URLs of your chosen top two articles. If you are having a hard time thinking of articles to work on, Andy and Shanti are happy to provide feedback on areas of interest and possible topics during our Office Hours.

  3. (6 points) For your top-choice article, your proposal must include a detailed response to the three following points:
    • Rationale for the importance of the article
    • Evidence that it either does not exist or requires substantial improvement
    • Your goals for your work on this article
  4. (2 points) For your second-choice article, you should also address above, but you may include substantially less detail.

The goal of this is to begin a conversation and ensure that you are on track with the final project.

We will respond to these proposals and confirm which article you will be working on after submission.

Wednesday, 11 November (10 points)

Submit an example of the text that you would include in your Wikipedia article edits to Canvas. This must be fully referenced using high-quality sources (scientific articles, textbooks, etc.) and include several sections relevant to the chosen topic. Points will be awarded/subtracted for good writing: organization, grammar, and style.

This article on Lord of the Rings is considered a “Good Article” by Wikipedia (and by extension, our) standards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(film_series). Note how the article includes many, relevant sections with extensive citations and applicable images and diagrams. Note that becoming an official “Good Article” on Wikipedia requires a peer-review process that is beyond the scope of what we are requiring for the class, but which we would encourage you to do if you feel inspired by your work. Contributing to freely available global knowledge can be rewarding!

For this assignment, you should submit several sections on your topic that are referenced and well-written and give us a good sense of “where you’re going”. In addition to this, you should also be submitting a clear description/outline of how you plan to structure the rest of your article before submission on 11/23 (which should be a full, polished version of your text).

The length of this submission and the number of sections are up to you but should be enough to fully delve into your chosen subject (part of the feedback you will be receiving on this draft is our thoughts on the number of sections and types of things you plan to discuss in your articles).

Monday, 23 November (60 points)

Create a Wikipedia account and edit your article. When complete and ready for grading, submit via Canvas a writeup including:

  • The gaps/holes in the article you were working to address and how you addressed them. Be clear in articulating how your edits make the article better (3-4 paragraphs).
  • Your process for finding sources and why you selected the sources you did (1 paragraph).
  • A link to your page.
  • (For 4701: which partner completed which section(s).)

When grading your Wikipedia article, points will be awarded for:

  • High-quality writing
  • Appropriate citations
  • Making incremental changes, which leave the page legible and high-quality even between edits
  • Factual accuracy
  • Your ability to address and respond to points (if any) raised during editing by other Wikipedia contributors

We will provide edits to your pages after you submit your write ups.

Friday, 11 December (20 points)

Edits on Wikipedia in response to instructor comments. Grade based on responsiveness, polish (this is your final product), and your ability to address gaps in the original article.

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