Wikipedia:Writing Wikipedia Articles course/Final project

	Writing Wikipedia Articles: The Basics and Beyond
	a free six week course

This assignment spans Week 3 to Week 6 of the Writing Wikipedia Articles course.

• By now you have hopefully looked through the Communicate OER Content page and decided which articles you would most like to work on -whether they exist already or are missing from Wikipedia entirely. (If you prefer, you may work on an article entirely unrelated to education; working on an OER-related article is a suggestion, not a requirement.) If you have not done so already, make a list of these on your talk page now. (Share your opinions often on theCommunicate OER project talk page as well.) Once you have completed the above, choose one of the following assignments:
  • Select an existing Wikipedia article to improve at least one level on the Wikipedia quality scale; or
  • Start a new Wikipedia article and bring it to at least "Start" class
• Start taking notes outlining your plans for article improvement on your talk page or in your sandbox.
• If building a new article, start working on it in your sandbox. This can be a basic outline or notes to begin with.
• You have several weeks to complete this task (which should ideally be completed by our final class session, 18/19 June), but plan to spend at least two hours this week wrapping your head around the requirements and your ideas before the next class. You should aim to have accumulated at least 200 edits (changes) as a Wikipedia user by the time you complete this assignment - this may sound like a lot at first, but if you work on your article(s) regularly, they will fly by! You can always see a list of your contributions by clicking the "Contributions" link near the upper right corner of the screen.

Choosing an article

You may choose any article on Wikipedia to improve (unless it is already a Featured Article, of course!) You may also choose to create a brand new article. Several considerations may go into your decision. The following concepts may be helpful as you decide:

• Many of our students have an interest or background in open educational resources. We especially encourage you to choose an article from this list of related articles: WP:Communicate OER Content

Considerations relating to each quality rating

• New article or stub: If you are starting a brand new article, or expanding a "stub" (generally speaking, an article that is only a few sentences long), your goal is to bring it to "Start" class. The article is developing, but should satisfy Wikipedia's basic content standards. The article should make it clear how the topic is notable by Wikipedia's definition, and should contain adequate sourcing to satisfy the verifiability standard.
• Start class article: Your goal is to bring the article to "C class." It should be improved in structure, style, and general quality. Your task will vary depending on the article you start with: you may need to work to reduce bias and instill a neutral point of view into the article; you may need to add new sections to make the article cover the topic in a more comprehensive fashion; etc. Adding high quality reliable sources is almost always a component of bringing an article to C class.
• C class article: Your goal is to bring the article up to "B class". The article should be "mostly complete and without major problems" by the end of the course. While you may wish to consult B class criteria specific to a related WikiProject, these general criteria for B class will serve as a good guideline.
• B class article or higher: After B class, article ratings become more formal. Choosing a B class article is a very ambitious step, and will require substantially more effort. If you do choose such an article, your task will be to bring it to Good Article status or higher (i.e., A class or WP:FA.) The formal processes for these reviews typically take a month or more, so you may find that you submit for your badge after the conclusion of the course. This is not a problem, but you should be prepared to continue your work after the class ends. An alternative is to submit the article for a formal peer review. If you do so, and get feedback and input that results in agreement from another Wikipedian(s) that the article is ready to be submitted for GA or higher, this may be sufficient to earn the WIKISOO Burba Badge, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

How to claim your article

Once you have chosen your article, add it next to your name on our main course page.

• Next to your name, there will be a box that says "Add an article." Type in the title of your article, taking care to enter it exactly as it appears on Wikipedia.

Working on your article

If you choose to write a brand new article, we advise that you begin working in your sandbox (instructional video), and seek a little feedback from other students and/or course instructors prior to moving the article to its permanent home on Wikipedia.

For those working on a new article or a stub, the Did You Know (DYK) process may be a helpful guide, and a way to seek feedback from other Wikipedians. Let us know on the course talk page if you need some guidance getting started with DYK!

We expect that most students will be aiming for C or B class in their projects. In most cases, finding good sources and using them to add material to the article will be your primary task.

In some cases, there may be disagreements -- or potential disagreements -- to work through, in order to establish a neutral point of view appropriately reflects varying perspectives and beliefs. Whenever this is likely to be an issue, be sure to use the article's talk page to seek out input and talk through the relevant issues. Feel free to seek out advice from your classmates and instructors if this comes up, but be mindful that canvassing -- that is, explicitly seeking out people to support your position and overrule those who disagree with you -- is to be avoided. When you seek input into a disagreement, try to use neutral language, and don't exclusively seek out people on one side or the other.