Research:WikiHistories fellowship

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Wikimedia Foundation

This page documents a completed research project.

WikiHistories Fellowship

Why "wiki-histories"?

Across the globe, there are currently over 270 autonomous language-based Wikipedia projects, plus many sister projects such as Wikiversity, Wikibooks, and Commons. Why are the communities behind some of these projects still experiencing rapid growth while others are leveling off or gradually declining? How have different communities of volunteers overcome cultural, social, and technological obstacles to create the most up-to-date online reference materials in the world? What lessons can communities learn from each other in order to make every project more healthy?

Summary of findings

See a high-level summary of the researchers' findings here.

Full reports

Armenian -- Lusine Grigoryan This report explores the historical development of Armenian Wikipedia, focusing on three different generations of Wikipedians who have shaped the community in different ways.

Hindi -- Patricia Sauthoff This report focuses on the contribution histories of several articles in Hindi Wikipedia, tracing the collaborative efforts and conflicts of this small editing community.

Tagalog -- Meredith Ramirez Talusan This report focuses on issues of language and how they have impacted the development of the Tagalog Wikipedia.

Spanish -- Stuart Easterling This report focuses on policy differences between the Spanish and English Wikipedias, which have created a different environment in these two communities.

Past research

See Russian Wikipedia history for the pilot project that launched this fellowship.