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Digital Crowdsourcing: Wikipedia

This guide was created by Sarah Petras in partial fulfillment of the MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2022.

Ways Anyone Can Get Involved

Register as an editor

  1. Create an account for yourself.
  2. Check that the Visual Editor is turned on by ensuring "Temporarily disable the visual editor..." is unchecked in Preferences > Editing.

Add a citation

Are you a good researcher? You can make Wikipedia better by providing source citations.

  1. Find an article that needs a citation. Here are a few ways to look for one:
  2. Find a reliable source that can support that article
  3. Follow the instructions to add a citation.

Add an image

Many articles are missing images or have problems with their images. Find examples here:

Create your own images if you're a photographer or designer, or find public domain images to help with these requests.

Add an external link or further reading

Adding an external link of further reading can provide additional insight to an article. Visit the page on external links and further reading to learn more.

Translate an existing article

Are you bilingual? Translate an English article into another language, or translate one from another language into English.

Write an article

There are a number of ways to help with writing.

For Faculty: Teach with Wikipedia

Why Teach with Wikipedia

A Wikipedia editing assignment can empower your students

  • to pursue research topics of their choice,
  • to evaluate and use information sources,
  • to develop facility with a digital publishing platform,
  • to synthesize and present their findings for a real-world, international audience.

Because Wikipedia is so widely read, student work on missing or underrepresented topics can represent meaningful contributions to the public knowledge on those topics. 

How It Works

  • You, the instructor, provide subject-matter expertise and evaluate your students' work.
  • Students work with peers or individually, evaluate information sources while researching their topics, and practice writing for a public audience.
  • Wiki Education provides teaching personal support, plus resources and trainings through a course Dashboard.

Learn More and Apply