Writing Up Rather Than Writing Down: Becoming Wikipedia Literate

Writing Up Rather Than Writing Down: Becoming Wikipedia Literate - scientific work related to Wikipedia quality published in 2012, written by Heather Ford and R. Stuart Geiger.

Overview

Editing Wikipedia is certainly not as simple as learning the MediaWiki syntax and knowing where the "edit" bar is, but how do authors conceptualize the cultural and organizational understandings that make an effective contributor? Authors draw on work of literacy practitioner and theorist Richard Darville to advocate a multi-faceted theory of literacy that sheds light on what new knowledges and organizational forms are required to improve participation in Wikipedia's communities. Authors outline what Darville refers to as the "background knowledges" required to be an empowered, literate member and apply this to the Wikipedia community. Using a series of examples drawn from interviews with new editors and qualitative studies of controversies in Wikipedia, authors identify and outline several different literacy asymmetries.