Create 2019/Engaging with Scientists: Sharing Knowledge and Encouraging Editing Through a Science Library: Submissions:2023/WikiJournal

This submission has been accepted for WikiConference North America 2019.

One of the best ways to encourage reliability of Wikipedia is through engaging topic experts. Through editing events and edit-a-thons we are able to encourage and empower scientists to not only edit at these events, but to continue editing as their research and topics evolve. Through the National Agricultural Library we are able to encourage USDA scientists to not only update articles but to create well-rounded content. The research, citations, and editing are easy, it’s getting them over concerns about “no original research” policy and conflict of interest; while also encouraging them to share not only their own peer reviewed and published research but also that of their colleagues throughout the U.S. and abroad. By engaging scientists as editors they are able to encourage not only other scientists but also assist outsiders and public attendees to events with proper editing while encouraging use of library services.

This presentation will outline some of the concerns that come up within editing workshops and how they’ve been addressed in order to encourage continued editing. I will also discuss the importance of encouraging scientists as editors and the unique skills which they bring to Wikipedia and the sources the National Agricultural Library offers to them and other editors in order to create more well rounded content.