2017/Submissions

WikiConference North America 2017 • Montréal, Canada

Submissions are now closed! Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal.

WikiConference North America 2017 will be taking place August 9-10 in Montreal as a pre-conference to Wikimania. We invite you to submit a proposal for a workshop, seminar, tutorial, panel, or presentation! Programming will take place on August 10, the day before the official start to Wikimania.

If you are presenting at Wikimania 2017, but would also like to present at WikiConference North America, we still encourage you to submit a proposal; there will be many concurrent tracks at Wikimania, and presenting twice will allow you to reach more people who may otherwise miss out on your presentation.

To submit a proposal, first create an account (if you don't have one already) and login. In the green box below, replace the "Your proposal title" text with the title of your proposal and click "Create Page". You will be directed to a self-explanatory wiki page. To submit your proposal, please be sure to save the wiki page.

Submissions will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Submissions are now closed. We are pleased to say we have received many great proposals, which can be viewed here.

Proposal Review Process

You will be notified about the Program Committee's decision regarding your submission via email. If your submission is not added to the preliminary schedule, please do not be discouraged. WikiConference North America will have time set aside in the schedule for participants and attendees to participate in self-organized talks and working groups during our lightning talks and unconference sessions.

Terms of Participation

By submitting a proposal, you agree that the text of your proposal, your presentation slides, and any video recordings can be distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License or a compatible license.

You also agree that, under the terms of the license, recordings of your presentation may be broadcast live, recorded, and made available for download later. If you prefer not to be recorded, please contact one of the conference organizers, we are happy to accommodate your request.

Further, by submitting a proposal, you agree to abide by the terms of the Safe Space Policy.

Submission Notes

Presentation Types

Type	Description	Length
Panel	A facilitated discussion among three or more speakers on a pre-selected topic.	30–45 min.
Workshop	A facilitated group-wide discussion or hands-on tutorial/work session on a pre-selected topic.	30–75 min.
Presentation	A presentation on any topic within the themes covered by the conference.	15–30 min.
Unconference	Lightning talk, open space, and other informal formats.	Various

Proposal Themes

We invite attendees to submit proposals for panels, workshops, seminars, and other presentations in topics that fall under topics related to Wikipedia or free culture. This year we have five themes for the conference, though you are welcome to submit proposals on any relevant topic; these are mostly provided for guidance and organization!

Advocacy & Outreach Proposals under this theme could focus on outreach to diverse institutions and communities to promote Wikipedia’s mission. Topics under this theme may include: Methods for digital collaboration Local community building and outreach events Broad campaigns (like Wiki Loves Monuments and Wikipedia Loves Libraries) Copyright licensing and legislative reform Internal and external grant funding for Wikimedia chapters and contributors Effective use of social media to promote chapter activities	Community Proposals under this theme could explore the dynamics of wiki culture and community, and provide a forum for participants and researchers to share methods for community management, engagement, participation, and conflict resolution. Topic areas under this theme may include: Community and chapter dialogue Multicultural, linguistic, and gender diversity on Wikipedia Dispute resolution for Wikimedia projects Discrepancies and conflicts between different policies Paid editing, generic advocacy editing, and conflict of interest editing
Technology & Infrastructure Proposals under this theme could focus on showcasing technology applications and theories, demonstrate new uses of existing and evolving technologies, and applying technologies to meet user needs and improve the overall user experience. Topic areas in this track may include: Usability studies Repositories and documentation for tools Article feedback tools MediaWiki extensions Translation and localization Wikidata	GLAM GLAMs – Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums – and academia have become major contributors of new content. This track aims to foster collaboration and synergy between Wikimedians, GLAMs and educational institutions. Presentations and panels will demonstrate effective outreach techniques and results from ongoing activities as well as envision the future path for these efforts. Topic areas in the cultural part of this track may include: Partnerships and coordination, including case studies Wikipedian In Residence programs The Wikipedia Library Technical tools such as QRpedia, Wiki Loves Monuments and Wikipedia towns Project reporting
Education and Academic Engagement Proposals under this theme could focus on the Wiki Education Foundation (Wiki Ed)'s programs in the United States and Canada, parallel initiatives in Mexico and Canada, and furthering mutually beneficial academic partnerships. Topics in the educational part of this track may include: Wikipedia-editing assignments in universities Perceptions of Wikipedia in academia Teaching the increasing reliability of Wikipedia Information literacy among students