Wikimedia Fellowships/Proposals/Understanding quality and reliability

This proposal has been archived and is retained for historical purposes only. Please do not edit it directly.

The FIRST! proposal for a Wikimedia Fellowship, where the fellow would:

Analyze the processes for ensuring quality and reliability on our wikis
Suggest and design new solutions for increasing quality
Writing, planning, and educating the general public about reliability and Wikipedia

Background

Most people have heard about Wikipedia; they understand that it is a free (as in beer) resource and some realize that anyone can edit it. Among educators, the media, and some other groups, Wikipedia has a downright terrible reputation. Unfortunately, most of the time, their reasons are partially correct, yet they usually are ignorant to the processes used to ensure accurate information. Tasks as simple as looking at references and the revision history can make all the difference. There's certainly room for education to the public; this could also be used to drive contributions.

Product, goals, and metrics

The fellowship would be responsible for producing a detailed report about the processes used to review or patrol content on Wikimedia projects as well as a specific plan to create Bookshelf materials, work with the Public Policy Initiative, etc. to inform the public about reliability and Wikipedia. Public relations is key to this effort, as articles in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals about the topic would be used to measure the impact of these efforts. The volunteer community is welcome to document techniques currently used, share their stories, design new solutions, and work to implement them. This is in line with our strategic goal to improve quality of Wikimedia projects—showing the public how we work is key to increasing quality.

Logistics

This would be a Community Fellowship, as it would unite several ongoing WMF initiatives. It would be an ongoing project; the fellowship would last one year. It would require participation from community members, collaboration with existing staff, and access to public relations (PR) connections to spread the word. Ideally, this fellow would be located in or near San Francisco.

Fellow(s) responsible for this proposal

The Wikimedia Foundation is to find and select an appropriate candidate for this fellowship.

Endorsements

This section is for endorsements by Wikimedia volunteers. Please note that this is not a debate, vote, or poll, but is rather a space for volunteers to describe in detail why they think a fellowship project is of value. If you have concerns or questions rather than an endorsement to make, please use the proposal Talk page. Endorsements by volunteers willing to work in collaboration with a fellowship recipient on a project are highly encouraged.