Submissions:2025/The Exquisite Corpse: How group editing can go awry, and how to keep it on task
This submission has been noted and is pending review for WikiConference North America 2025.
Title:
- The Exquisite Corpse: How group editing can go awry, and how to keep it on task
Type of session:
- Lecture (15-30 min)
Session theme(s):
- Credibility, Missing pieces, Future of Wikipedia
Abstract:
Avoiding an official style is part of Wikipedia’s success. It also can lead to articles that read like an exquisite corpse exercise as editors make their contributions without concern for the entire text. Sudden lurches in tone, citation style, and quality are common within Wikipedia articles. These byproducts of the group editing process undermine the credibility of an article.
Brief case studies of two articles, “The Zodiac Killer” and “Hip-hop”, will demonstrate the problem and how they were fixed by collaborating with fellow editors. Additional group editing pitfalls will be highlighted, such as the chimerical sentence that is too long for its own good, the shortcomings of citation templates, and the inability to communicate best practices to future editors.
For a website that has no required style, Wikipedia is teeming with policies. Editors can stumble into conflicts they did not know existed as they make a good faith effort to improve an article. By examining some flaws in Wikipedia’s decentralized approach, we can perhaps generate some solutions that create a better reference for readers.
Author name(s):
Wikimedia username(s):
- Trumpetrep
Affiliated organization(s):
Estimated length of session
- 30 minutes
Will you be presenting remotely?
- I will present in-person
Okay to livestream?
- Livestreaming is okay
Previously presented?
- No
Special requests:
- I would like to present a slideshow during the talk, if possible.