Women’s studies expert makes sure Margaret Atwood’s Wikipedia biography is top quality
When news broke yesterday that Margaret Atwood is writing a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, anyone who wished to know why this drew so much attention could visit Atwood’s Wikipedia page. There, they could read about her career, recurring themes in her work and their cultural contexts, film adaptations of her writings, and so much more that … Continued
Understanding masculinity from a sociological perspective
November 25th was International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women this year. Part of moving towards a more equitable and safe future for all humans is to increase awareness of and reduce stigma around the violence faced by women around the world. That includes understanding how violence pervades cultures in subtle, as well as obvious … Continued
How to counterbalance the inequalities women encounter in STEM
Youngah (Karen) Kwon is a graduate student at Columbia University and a member of the American Chemical Society who recently completed our Wikipedia professional development course. With a background in physical chemistry and material science, Karen expanded Wikipedia articles on women who have made major contributions to the sciences. Read her reflections about the experience below. … Continued
Students make trans history more visible on Wikipedia
November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day where communities and organizations in more than 20 countries worldwide raise awareness about the prejudice and threat of violence that trans people face around the world. One way to draw awareness and reduce violence is through education and visibility. Today we’re recognizing work that student editors in … Continued
Improve women’s suffrage articles on Wikipedia for a new National Archives exhibit
Citizens of a well functioning democracy should have an understanding of voting rights. In the United States, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1920 to give women the right to vote. To our young people today, it can be shocking to learn that just within the last century, more than half of … Continued
Wikipedia as a tool for public engagement with science
Helen Siaw is a PhD candidate and research assistant at Emory University Department of Chemistry. She is interested in using Wikipedia as a tool for science education and public outreach. She creates and updates Wikipedia articles related to current biophysical chemistry or general chemistry research. Helen recently completed Wiki Education’s professional development course as a member … Continued
How to improve Wikipedia’s coverage of women and marginalized American communities
Wikipedia, like much of history and historical scholarship, is missing information related to women and marginalized American communities. This weekend, Wiki Education is attending both the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) and the American Studies Association (ASA) annual meetings in Atlanta to empower scholars to help us fill these content gaps. NWSA and ASA share missions to disseminate research … Continued
Scientists to write Wikipedia biographies of women in STEM
Only about 17% of biographies on Wikipedia are about women. That number is slowly changing thanks to WikiProject groups like Women in Red and Women scientists. Now, scholars who take our professional development courses are also helping close that gap. New courses that train scholars with the skills to make a difference on Wikipedia begin this month. One … Continued
Scholars leverage the National Archives on Wikipedia in professional development course
Representing the history of voting rights on the world’s most-accessed source of information is a noble pursuit. And this group of scholars, professionals, and citizen archivists are up to the task. Using source materials from the National Archives, they will improve Wikipedia articles about the history of women’s voting rights in the United States in … Continued
Chemist takes it upon herself to write biographies of women scientists on Wikipedia
Dr. Claire Jarvis is a Postdoctoral Scientist at Emory University with a PhD in organic chemistry. She recently participated in our professional development course that trains scholars, scientists, and other professionals how to edit Wikipedia. Here, she shares thoughts about her experience. The oversight was egregious. I checked again in case a simple spelling error … Continued