Expert outreach
We are working with scientists, scholars, learned societies and funders to help experts improve Wikipedia and its sister projects, bringing that expertise to the widest possible public.
Many scholarly societies are, like Wikimedia UK, registered charities whose mission includes informing and educating the general public. These common goals are advanced with internal training events, publications and public events. This work complements WMUK's partnerships with galleries, libraries, archives and museums as well as its support for higher education.
Guidance
We are developing guidance for researchers and public engagement professionals on how Wikimedia can magnify the impact of their work.
- Wikimedia as a public engagement tool for scientists
- Wikimedia as a public engagement tool for the arts and humanities
A separate page answers questions we have been asked by potential expert contributors.
- A guide for expert contributors to Wikipedia published in PLoS Computational Biology by a group of Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute scientists (and Wikimedia UK volunteers)
- Feature article for the Physics World magazine and site (free registration required) by Martin Poulter and Mike Peel
Wikipedians in Residence
The Royal Society and the British Library are among the organisations that have employed Wikipedians in the UK. Proposals are welcomed from scholarly and cultural institutions.
From July 2013 to April 2014, Jisc and Wikimedia UK are jointly supporting a project to encourage a range of audiences (librarians, teachers, researchers and students) within learning and research to engage with Wikimedia UK and Wikimedia projects. This includes a programme of workshops in institutions on "Wikimedia: linking research impact and open education". Follow the links for more details.
Events and training
Our Expert outreach events cover a wide range of academic subjects and partner organisations, including universities, scholarly societies and charities.
Please contact Wikimedia UK if you would like to run a joint event or if you want a speaker or a guest article.
Call for volunteers
Wikimedia UK is seeking volunteers to give introductory talks, promote Wikimedia at conferences or deliver training. We can support travel and subsistence, and we can provide handouts and freebies to distribute. Drop a message to daria.cybulska
wikimedia.org.uk stating your username on Wikimedia projects, where you can travel to and any relevant background.
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Expert views
"If you're serious about ensuring public engagement in your research then you need to make damn sure your work can be incorporated into Wikipedia. Wikipedia is the most important engagement channel for your research."
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"Wikipedia's user-friendly global reach offers an unprecedented opportunity for public engagement with science. Scientists who receive public or charitable funding should therefore seize the opportunity to make sure that Wikipedia articles are understandable, scientifically accurate, well sourced and up-to-date."
"The key challenge for the scholarly community [...] is to work actively with Wikipedia to strengthen its role in 'pre-research.' We need to build stronger links from its entries to more advanced resources that have been created and maintained by the academy."
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"Perhaps other academic societies and professional bodies can contribute to upgrading and extending Wikipedia entries. [...] [T]he advent of several geoscientific Wikipedians would greatly enhance Wikipedia's geological coverage, to the benefit of all."
"Dear Wikipedia, I want to thank you and to compliment you on your service. I often use it, especially also for technical information in physics and astronomy. Just now I was impressed by the density of information in your article on QCD, the theory of the strong interaction, in particular, its history."
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