Adding your scientific articles to Wikipedia: An easy guide
TLDR: Adding an article to Wikipedia is a scientifically validated method to increase your article’s citations. This is also an effective way to increase a publication’s reach a global engaged audience, present it in a larger context, and make your research accessible to people who may not have access to journals. Scientists and academic institutions can use this guide to share their research output through Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is one of the most accessed websites in the world, including by policy makers and scientists. Sharing your research on Wikipedia is a fast and easy way to promote your work.
Why add your research to Wikipedia?
· Scientific articles referenced in Wikipedia receive more citations.
· Content from Wikipedia influences related scientific journal articles.
· Your research is no longer hidden behind a paywall and accessible to people around the world.
· Your findings are shared with people who are interested in what you do.
This 10-step guide walks you through the entire process, from with finding where to insert your article to measuring your contribution’s impact!
Step 1: Look for possible pages
Identify your article’s keywords or other important terms. Then search Wikipedia for existing entries for those words and concepts.
Step 2: Find your opening
Read the Wikipedia articles you found in step 1 to see where your research fits within the existing text. You will be adding a sentence or two of your research findings in a way that adds value to the paragraph.
Step 3: Write your content
Copy the paragraph you want to modify to Word and write text that integrates the knowledge you want to add. Make sure the text is supported by evidence and that you refer to your scientific article. You’ll also want to write in a way that fits with the style of the existing text. If you are a student, you may want to share this text with your supervisor.
(the following 7 steps are taken from How to Edit a Wikipedia Article by Howcast)
Step 4: Open a Wikipedia account
To register, click “create account” at the top right of any page. With an account, you can edit articles, start new pages, and upload images.
Step 5: Edit text
To get started, click on the “edit this page” tab at the top of the page you want to edit. This will bring you to a new page with a text box containing the editable text of the original page. Just start typing! Get help at any time by clicking the link “Help” in the toolbox on the left of any page.
If you’re making a small change in one part of the article, look for the “edit” link on the right side of each section, and click on the one next to the passage you want to revise. This allows you to make changes in one section without opening the whole article. Don’t worry about strange punctuation marks that might appear; this is just Wikipedia formatting your copy.
Step 6: Source your work
Be sure to provide a reference to your article or it will likely be deleted. Detailed instructions on the proper way to cite sources can be found by typing WP:CITE into the search box and hitting “Go.”
Step 7: Explain your edit
Briefly explain your changes in the “Edit summary” box at the bottom (up to 200 characters).
Step 8: Review your changes
Review your changes by hitting the “Show preview” tab at the bottom. Once you’re satisfied with your work, hit the “Save page” button.
Step 9: Verify
Verify your contribution, which will appear instantly, to make sure everything looks good. If you have an account, click the “watch” tab to track changes made to the article. On the “My watchlist” page, click “diff,” to see exactly what has been changed
Step 10: Measure your impact
You can track metric on the impact of your contribution to Wikipedia. You can find page views to the Wikipedia articles at the website Pageviews Analysis. This will give you an idea of how many people visit the page you edited. You may also want to take note of the amount of citations your article has before your Wikipedia edit. To do you, you can search for your article on Google Scholar and note the number for “cited by”. You can also download the JSON file from your ImpactStory profile to record a full record of the non-academic citations of your publications (I highly recommend getting an ImpacStory profile).
