This training edit-a-thon focuses on reducing the “Wikipedia gender gap” in the Mathematical Sciences. With over 14 billion views each month, Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites in the world. English language Wikipedia counts almost 6.5 million pages that are constantly being improved by volunteer editors worldwide. While anyone can edit Wikipedia, only about 15% of editors self-identify as female. And who edits Wikipedia matters! Articles related to topics traditionally considered "of interest to women" are less well-covered and only about 18.5% of biographies are about women.
Attendees will be trained by an expert Wikipedian to edit Wikipedia biographies of Mathematicians from marginalized groups to chip away at the so-called “Wikipedia gender gap.” After the introductory tutorial, participants will have time to actively edit existing pages with the help of experienced editors. A list of pages will be provided and edits and impact will be tracked through an online dashboard. Bring your own laptop or tablet to edit and join in the fun!
Wikipedia Event: A training edit-a-thon to close the “Wikipedia gender gap”
Francesca Bernardi, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
2023 AWM Research Symposium
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