Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Miami/Essentials of Research in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (Fall 2017)

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Course name
Essentials of Research in the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Institution
University of Miami
Instructor
Ashmeet Oberoi
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Community and Social Change
Course dates
2017-09-25 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-16 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
11


This course covers the study of standards, methods and techniques of research in the behavioral and social sciences. Students who participate in this course should expect to gain an understanding of applied social science research design and methods. Upon completion of this course you should have basic knowledge of the types of skills you will need to further develop if you wish to pursue a career involving research. Moreover, it is intended to enable students to become critical evaluators of educational and psychological research and provides an overview of (a) the historical and philosophical context of research, (b) library literature searches/reviews, (c) quantitative and qualitative research design methodologies, (d) basic concepts in research design, analyses, and interpretation, (e), basic descriptive and inferential statistics and (f) the influence of culture on the design, implementation, and evaluation of applied research. As this is a course section for the Community & Social Change program we will pay special attention to research that is designed to facilitate action or inform social change efforts. We will also focus a considerable amount of time on applied, collaborative or participatory approaches. These approaches are consistent with the values and principles associated with conducting effective research in community-based, organizational and policy settings.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Fcolasimbo
NoelleW
Alangston16
Xochsm
Able85 Depowerment in Community Psychology
A.novack Collective impact
CPS76

Timeline

Week 1

In class - Wikipedia Introduction & Create Log in
  • Join this course page, using the enrollment link . 
  • It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Below, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take. New modules will appear on this timeline as you get to new milestones. Be sure to check back and complete them! These trainings are required for your course. 
  • Please review the following handouts: 
  • When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate's Talk page. Everyone should complete this and make a comment on a classmate's Talk page. 

Week 2

In class - Selecting a Topic

Take the "Editing basics" and the "Finding articles" training ASAP.

Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook. Then look up 3-5 potential topics related to the course that you might want to update on Wikipedia. Review the content of the article and check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians are already contributing. Identify one or two areas from each that you could improve.

From that list, choose 1-2 potential articles from that list that you can tackle, and post links to the articles and your notes about what you might improve in your sandbox. This is in preparation for your topic proposal, and to get you practice working in your sandbox.

If you are planning to update an article related to a medical topic in any way, please review the "Editing Medical Topics" training below and the Editing Wikipedia articles on Medicine handout.

You can also review  and download the additional subject specific handouts for editing Wikipedia topics about women's studies, psychology, sociology, history, and more. 

Week 3

Milestones

Take the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training. 

What article are you going to create or what exactly are you going to contribute to your selected article? 

Review what exists on Wikipedia in your topic area, and consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these): 

  • Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
  • Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
  • Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
  • Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
  •  Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted? 
  • Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
  •  Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic? 
  • How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?

Then, continue working in your sandbox on your proposal. 

Week 4

Milestones
  • When you've finalized your topic, assign it to yourself on the Students tab of this course page. 
  • Then, in your sandbox, begin drafting what you plan to contribute to the selected article based on your topic proposal. 
  • Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography. 

Week 5

Milestones

Creating a new article?  


  • Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox. 
    •  A "lead" section is not a traditional introduction. It should summarize, very briefly, what the rest of the article will say in detail. The first paragraph should include important, broad facts about the subject. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas. 

Improving an existing article?


  • Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox. 

All


  • Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.
  • Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Assignment - First Draft of your Wiki Entry
  • Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. 
  • If you'd like a Wikipedia Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.

Week 9

Assignment - Post First Draft of your Wiki Entry

Editing an existing article?


  • NEVER copy and paste your draft of an article over the entire article. Instead, edit small sections at a time.
  • Copy your edits into the article. Make many small edits, saving each time, and leaving an edit summary. Never replace more than one to two sentences without saving!
  • Be sure to copy text from your sandbox while the sandbox page is in 'Edit' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly.

Creating a new article?


Week 10

Milestones
  • First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
  • Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you want to review. Then in the "My Articles" section of the Home tab, assign them to yourself to review. 
  • Peer review your classmates' drafts. Leave suggestions on on the Talk page of the article, or sandbox, that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be reviewing your work, so look for their comments! Be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians. 
  • As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic? 

Week 11

Assignment - Revise your Wiki Entries and Present

Revise
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!


  • Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
  • Return to your draft or article and think about the suggestions. Decide which ones to start implementing. Reach out to your instructor or your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.

Present
Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:


  • Critiquing articles: What did you learn about Wikipedia during the article evaluation? How did you approach critiquing the article you selected for this assignment? How did you decide what to add to your chosen article? 
  • Summarizing your contributions: include a summary of your edits and why you felt they were a valuable addition to the article. How does your article compare to earlier versions? 
  • Feedback: Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback? 
  • Wikipedia generally: What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia? How does a Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you've done in the past? How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic? Why is this important? 
Assignment - Post your final Wiki Entries

Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique. Continue this process and add comments to at least two of your classmates' articles during the final week of classes and during the reading


  • Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles. 
  • Consider adding an image to your article. Wikipedia has strict rules about what media can be added, so make sure to take Contributing Images and Media Files training before you upload an image. (This is totally optional.  You do not need to add images to get a good grade)
  • Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
  • Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Wikipedia Expert at any time!
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