Wikipedia:Meetup/Online edit-a-thon SDGs September 2020/Tasks

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Example for a world map of one of the SDG indicators from "SDG Tracker" that is included in the Wikpedia article for SDG 5: World map for Indicator 5.2.1: Share of women, older than 14 years, who experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in the last year.[1]

This pages provides detailed information on how to carry out tasks to volunteer in the Online edit-a-thon for SDGs in September 2020.

Possible tasks to choose from[edit]

Content related information[edit]

You can find SDG content-related tasks here on the talk page of this event. For example, we have listed some recent reports about the SDGs which could be utilized to enrich Wikipedia articles.

Editing Wikipedia articles[edit]

The table below shows you what you can do to help to improve Wikipedia articles. It might look a bit scary but you can easily select just one, two or more tasks that are suitable for your abilities and background by clicking on the sorting arrows at the top of the table.

Table 1: Tasks to choose from (click on the arrows to change the ordering of the tasks by different criteria)
# Guiding question / tasks for each article (a list of articles to work on is provided below). Priority are the SDG articles. Instructions and tips on how to carry out this task Good example where this has been done How difficult is this to do? Suitable for which type of volunteer? Could this lead to discussions or controversies with other Wikipedians? Time required (per article)? Suitable for what type of Wikipedian?
1 Are internal links (wikilinks) from content articles or from biographies to the right SDG articles already in place or still need to be added?
  • Many articles don't have internal links to the relevant SDG articles, even though they should. You can easily correct this. For example you might find that the Wikipedia article on "poverty" does not mention SDG 1 yet. Or the Wikipedia article on "hunger" does not mention SDG 2 yet.
  • If the wording about the SDG is already there, you can just add the internal link.
  • If the SDG is not yet mentioned, you will have to add a suitable sentence which mentions e.g. SDG 11, and then link SDG 11 to the Wikipedia article about SDG 11.
  • Guidance from Wikipedia: Wiki links
  • Check whether the Wikipedia biography articles about the 17 SDG advocates link back to the SDG page and say something about their SDG advocacy work (see here).
 Easy Anyone Unlikely 20 minutes Novice
2 Does the article use internal links or wikilinks (from one Wikipedia article to another) in the correct manner?
  • Many articles don't have internal links for important terms, such as "developing country" or "hand washing" or "justice". You can easily correct this.
  • You can link terms when they first appear in the lead and a second time when they first appear in the main text, when they appear in a figure caption and possibly again later if the article is long. But do not link every time the word appears.
  • Wikipedia prefers neither too many links ("overlinking") nor too few links ("underlinking"). This is explained here: Wiki links
  • If you have never edited before, you might enjoy this short video: https://youtu.be/e-pK3aByl6U
 All "featured articles" should do this perfectly. A featured article is the best quality article within Wikipedia. See examples of featured articles here: Wikipedia:Featured articles Easy Anyone Unlikely 30 minutes Novice
3 Is the lead of the article a good summary of the article?
What Wikipedia calls the "Lead" is the piece of text that appears first in the article, just before the table of contents. We want those leads to be the highest quality possible.

The lead should:

  • be like an "executive summary" for the article (similar to an abstract for a journal paper)
  • have exactly one image (not more than one)
  • have up to 4 paragraphs (each paragraph no longer than 6 lines).
  • include wikilinks for key words (so readers can click and go to other Wikipedia pages).
  • use easy to understand, short clear sentences (say less than 20 words).

Further links:

An example of a good lead in terms of length is the one for pit latrine. Easy Someone with English writing skills Perhaps 30 minutes Novice
4 Does the article's readability need improvement?
Simple edits you can do will improve the readability:
  • Replace long words with short words whenever possible.
  • Replace passive voice with active voice
  • Make long sentences shorter or break them into two sentences.
  • Reduce paragraph lengths to 4-6 lines.

You can check the impact of your work by using this tool (webfx) or this tool (online utility) which gives you various readability scores for either a whole website or just a block of text. Paste in the web address of the revised article to get the new readability score. The Hemingway App is also a useful tool for improving readability. Is the current readability score (Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease) OK? Rule of thumb: anything over >45 is fairly OK.

Further tips:

  • Tips on improving readability: here.
  • If you have never edited before, you might enjoy this short video: https://youtu.be/e-pK3aByl6U
 All "featured articles" should do this perfectly. A featured article is the best quality article within Wikipedia. See examples of featured articles here: Wikipedia:Featured articles Easy Someone with English writing skills Perhaps 60-120 minutes Novice
5 Are the articles's section headings following the standard format and ordering?
  • Using "standard" section headings and ordering (like "Background, Options, Society and culture, History") helps the readers to find what they are looking for quickly,
  • If the article is about one of the 17 SDGs, then see the next section for guidance on this (here).
  • If the article is about another topic, see the Manual of Style (Sanitation) for guidance.
  • Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Section headings
 See SDG 6 as an example. Easy Anyone Perhaps 30 minutes Novice
6 Does the article's table of content have a level limit (it should)?
  • The reason for adding a level limit is so that the table of content does not get overwhelmingly detailed. It should not show Level 4 headings.
  • The command is: {{TOC limit|3}} and you add that after the lead while editing in source editor.
  • If another asks why you have done this I would refer them to the Manual of Style (Sanitation) or Manual of Style (Medicine).
 See SDG as an example (view it in source editor) Easy Anyone Perhaps 2 minutes Novice
7 Do the sub-articles link back to the main article?
  • Think of the various articles in a tree-structure. Which article is the main article and which are sub-articles? How are they interconnected with each other?
  • Make sure people can easily navigate from main to sub, and from sub back to the main article by adding hyperlinks (Wiki links).
 All "featured articles" should do this perfectly. A featured article is the best quality article within Wikipedia. See examples of featured articles here: Wikipedia:Featured articles Easy Anyone Unlikely 20 minutes Novice
8 Do any redirects need to be created for similar terms?
  • A "redirect" simply means when a user searches for Term A they are sent to Term B (with Term A being a synonym for Term B). For example if the user types SDG6 or SDG 6 or sdg6 in the search field, they should be redirected to Sustainable Development Goal 6
  • Creating (or changing) a redirect is easy.
  • The command is: #REDIRECT[[Correct/larger article]] and you place this on the Wikipedia article of the less important alternative term, while using the source editor. The rest of the page stays empty, it only contains that one line.
  • Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Redirect
 See the page where SDG6 is redirected to Sustainable Development Goal 6:https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SDG6&redirect=no Easy Someone who knows a bit about the topic Unlikely 5 minutes Novice
9 Does the article need more content about developing countries in particular?
  • Check if the article makes a reference to the situation in developing countries. If it doesn't, but if it should, think about how you can add that content.
  • One option is by making a reference to a suitable SDG, which can also including a map with the indicators (from SDG Tracker, see below in Task 13)
 In the article on "wastewater treatment" I added a new section on "Global situation", see edit history here. Medium Subject matter expert Perhaps 20-120 minutes Novice
10 Does the article need more/better images? Are videos available?
  • Search the literature, internet and Wikimedia Commons to see if there are more maps, schematics and alike that could be added to the articles (they need to be under the open access licence CC-BY SA).
  • It is easier to add images that are already in Wikimedia Commons than to add your own images. You can only add your own images if you own the copyright and are willing to release them under an open access licence.
  • How to add images is explained in detail here.
  • Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Adding images improves the encyclopedia
 All "featured articles" should do this perfectly. A featured article is the best quality article within Wikipedia. See examples of featured articles here: Wikipedia:Featured articles Medium Someone who knows a bit about the topic Unlikely 10 minutes per image Experienced Wikipedian
11 Does the article need more content to become more comprehensive?
  • Search the literature to see if there's more current information available than is currently cited in the articles. If you are a subject matter expert it is easy for you to know what is missing.
  • Whatever you add needs to have reliable references though.
 All "featured articles" should do this perfectly. A featured article is the best quality article within Wikipedia. See examples of featured articles here: Wikipedia:Featured articles Difficult Subject matter expert Likely 60-120 minutes Experienced Wikipedian
12 Does the article need more or more recent references?
  • Search the literature to see if there's more current information available than is currently cited in the articles.
  • Find citations for assertions not referenced, or delete unsupported assertions.
  • Adding references (or citations) is explained here.
  • You could also watch this short video here about how to add references: https://youtu.be/qgd9UM_eCzk
  • Preference is given to reputable sources, literature reviews; Newspaper articles or blog posts are not ideal but can be OK. Posts from discussion forums are not allowed.
  • Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Reliable sources
 All "featured articles" should do this perfectly. A featured article is the best quality article within Wikipedia. See examples of featured articles here: Wikipedia:Featured articles Difficult Subject matter expert Unlikely 30-120 minutes Experienced Wikipedian
13 If the article is about SDGs, does it already include the maps from SDG Tracker / Our World in Data to show data about the indicators?
  • Useful world maps for the SDG articles, and especially their indicators, are available on the SDG Tracker website which is part of Our World in Data.
  • The maps and graphs contained in Our World in Date are under an open access licence so we can directly use them, and most of them have already been imported to Wikimedia Commons.
  • From Wikipedia Commons, you can copy the link to insert the map with just a few mouse clicks. See e.g. here for SDG 1: SDG Tracker maps for SDG 1. You can find those maps in the category "Our World in Data" within Wikimedia Commons here or browse this category (sometimes the maps are a bit hard to find in Wikimedia Commons; the search tool is not as powerful as a Google search).
  • How to add images (maps or graphics) is explained in detail here.
  • You could also watch this short video here about how to add images: https://youtu.be/qgd9UM_eCzk
  • Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Adding images improves the encyclopedia
 See SDG 6 as an example. Medium Someone who knows a bit about the topic Unlikely 10 minutes per map added Experienced Wikipedian
14 Is the article's "See also" list OK, i.e. not too long?
  • In many cases, the "See also" lists are too long. As a general rule, the "See also" section should not repeat links that appear in the article's body. Rule of thumb: the list should not be longer than six topics.
  • The list should enable readers to explore tangentially related topics.
  • Not every article needs such a list. It can also be omitted.
  • Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#"See also" section
 All "featured articles" should do this perfectly. A featured article is the best quality article within Wikipedia. See examples of featured articles here: Wikipedia:Featured articles Easy Anyone Unlikely 5 minutes Novice
15 Is the article's external links list the right length?
All "featured articles" should do this perfectly. A featured article is the best quality article within Wikipedia. See examples of featured articles here: Wikipedia:Featured articles Easy Anyone Unlikely 5 minutes Novice
16 Should excessive details be moved to existing sub-articles? Is the article too long?
  • Sometimes several articles overlap and repeat exactly the same information, even though one article should be the overarching main article and the other should be the sub-article.
  • If a sub-article already exist, consider moving excessive detail from the main article to the sub-article.
  • A useful method is to add this just below the relevant section headings (in source editor): {{Further|Hand dryer}} or {{Main|Hand dryer}}
 All "featured articles" should do this perfectly. A featured article is the best quality article within Wikipedia. See examples of featured articles here: Wikipedia:Featured articles Medium Subject matter expert Likely 30-60 minutes Experienced Wikipedian
17 Should the article be merged with another article?
  • Often two similar articles exist on the same topic and have a lot of overlap. This is inefficient because the same content might be edited in two different locations by different editors.
  • In this case, you could consider merging them. Make sure you discuss it on the article's talk page (and one of the SDG experts in this edit-a-thon) before going ahead.
  • After the merger, the one term is redirected to the other.
  • Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Merging
 Some time ago, User:EMsmile merged the existing article "Water supply and women in developing countries" into WASH. She discussed this with others here before doing the merger. The same user also merged "menstrual taboos" into "culture and menstruation" with (discussion was here). Difficult Subject matter expert Likely 60 minutes to several hours Experienced Wikipedian
18 Is there an SDG article in another language that has more content than the English-language version?
  • The article on SDGs currently exists in about 60 languages (see the other language versions in the left column at the bottom). If you speak another language, have a look at that other language and see if there is more content there than for the English version.
  • In this case, you could copy and translate some paragraphs; make sure you also copy the references from the other article across.
  • Experienced Wikipedians can use translator tools, see here.
  • Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Translation
  • A related translation project for SDG 13 is here.
 The German article on SDGs has some additional content which the English article does not have yet. Medium Subject matter expert Likely 30 minutes to several hours Experienced Wikipedian

Applying standard outlines for the 17 individual SDG articles[edit]

Proposed standard section headings for the 17 SDG articles are shown below:

  • The lead
  • Background
  • Targets, indicators and progress (with some example maps from SDG Tracker website)
  • Overall progress and monitoring
  • Links with other SDGs and other issues
  • Organizations or Activities of organizations
  • Reception (or controversies)
  • Society and culture
  • See also
  • References
  • External links
  • Categories

More information is available in the "how to" table below. Many of the SDG articles are now already in reasonable shape (and can serve as examples), for example: SDG 6 and SDG 5.

Table 2: How the individual SDG articles should be structured
Section heading Explanation Example where this has been done well (although none of the examples are perfect yet)
The lead The lead (see WP:LEAD) should provide a three to four paragraph summary or overview in basic language. The lead should contain only one image (probably the logo of that particular SDG). Pit latrine
Background
  • Importance, issues, challenges
 Add a short paragraph about SDGs in general; this could be the same for all.
  • Explain why this SDG is important, issues and challenges with this topic
 SDG 14 (but could be better)
Targets and indicators This should be more of a discussion/explanation than mere lists; the targets and indicators don't all need to be listed here but it should include the areas the indicators cover; should also include some maps from SDG tracker. It is best to use source editor to add a map. You can find all maps in Wikimedia Commons. Scroll up to the explanation for Task 13 to see how it's done. The text string then looks like this for example: [[File:Women who experienced violence by an intimate partner, OWID.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|World map for Indicator 5.2.1: Share of women, older than 14 years, who experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in the last year.<ref name="SDGtracker5">Ritchie, Roser, Mispy, Ortiz-Ospina (2018) [https://sdg-tracker.org/gender-equality "Measuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals." (SDG 5)] ''SDG-Tracker.org, website''</ref>]] This produces the image as shown at the top right of this table. SDG 6,SDG
Overall progress and monitoring This could include status updates for different years. We think the progress for individual indicators should be included in the indicator section. This section could explain which organisations are doing the monitoring for this SDG and what the overall progress has been. SDG 14 (but could be better)
Links with other SDGs and other issues Explain how this SDG interlinks with other SDGs or issues SDG 16
Organizations or Activities of organizations Provide information which organizations are dedicated to achieving this SDG in particular and the activities they carry out. SDG 16
Reception (or controversies) E.g. if there have been any discussions about missing indicators for this SDG, or the SDG is too difficult to achieve, does not have the right indicators, is superfluous etc (note this section was previously called "criticisms" but Wikipedia policy does not support this, see WP:CRIT) SDG
Society and culture (might include regulations if applicable)
  • Actions
  • Country examples, data or information for specific countries
 Explain what actions are being taken by civil society for this SDG. Can also list information for specific countries for this particular SDG here. SDG 14 (but could be better)
See also Only include a "see also" list if the terms are not already mentioned in the article itself.

Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#"See also" section

SDG 6
References Preference is given to reputable sources, literature reviews; not blogs or discussion forums

Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Reliable sources

SDG 6
External links This can be a short list and should only link to very important websites

Guidance from Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#External links

SDG 6
Categories Each SDG article should be included in the category "Sustainable Development Goals" and in the category "Sustainable development" by adding this at the very end of the article while in "edit source" mode (additional categories might also be appropriate):
  • [[Category:Sustainable Development Goals]]
  • [[Category:Sustainable development]]
 SDG 6

Wikipedia articles that are SDG-related and need to be improved[edit]

The SDG-related Wikipedia articles that require improvement are listed below. The terms were selected by reviewing the targets and indicators of the goals (some of the terms appear for several SDGs), see List of SDG targets and indicators. The terms that are shown in red don't have a Wikipedia article yet.

To sort the list by view rates, click on the arrows in the table headers. The view rate figures are the average number of views each day, for several years up to July 2020.

Articles relevant for all SDGs[edit]

Table 3: Wikipedia articles that are SDG-related and need to be improved
Goal Article Daily view rates
Overarching, applies to all SDGs

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you: User:EMsmile, Brisbane

Sustainable development goals 2810
Least developed countries 86
Developing countries (consider merger or stream lining with Global South and North-South divide) 2810
Small Island Developing States 136
Global Goals Week (article recently created in August 2020) 2
United Nations General Assembly 791
United Nations 6665
United Nations Foundation 65
People / SDG leaders /Activist and movement pages - Maybe
Country pages updated with SDG info to show progress/action taken at a national level - Maybe

Country articles to improve further:

Goal 1[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 1: No Poverty

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you: User: Doti Nicolasia, Nairobi

SDG 1 New article, created in September 2020
Development aid / Development cooperation 231
disaster risk reduction 192
Extreme poverty 370
Natural disaster 3408
Poverty 2545
Poverty threshold 667
social protection 98
Universal basic services 40

Goal 2[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you: User:Brunapedia, Beirut

SDG 2 New article, created in September 2020
Agricultural subsidy 322
Agricultural productivity 211
Anaemia 124
Food security 1014
Food prices 20
Genetic diversity 392
Hunger 355
Infrastructure 1165
Malnutrition / Undernourishment 1460
Subsistence agriculture 516
Stunted growth / Stunting 231
Sustainable agriculture 518
World Food Programme 373

Goal 3[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being for People

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you: User: Doti Nicolasia, Nairobi

SDG 3 New article, created in September 2020
Antimicrobial resistance 635
Child mortality 266
Infection / Communicable diseases 1,523
Family planning 817
Global health 200
Health worker 447
Hepatitis 2,217
HIV/AIDS 5,837
Infant mortality 776
Malaria 4,310
Maternal death / Maternal mortality 766
Mortality rate 1370
Neglected tropical diseases 255
One Health 65
Perinatal mortality 182
Public health 1102
Road traffic safety 678
Reproductive health 427
Substance abuse 1520
Tuberculosis 8,648
Universal health care 767
Water-borne diseases 878

Goal 4[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 4: Quality Education

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you: User: Doti Nicolasia, Nairobi

SDG 4 New article, created in September 2020
Child protection 250
Early childhood education 728
Education 7645
Educational equity 219
Educational inequality 272
Inclusion (education) 526
Indigenous peoples 1569
Literacy 1013
Nonformal learning 229
Numeracy 130
School 1797
Teacher 1812
Teacher education / teacher training 373
Vocational education 976
Vulnerable adult 105

Goal 5[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 5: Gender Equality

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you:

SDG 5 New article, created in September 2020
Discrimination 1455
Child marriage / early marriage 1002
Enabling 160
Enabling technology 37
Empowerment 613
Equal opportunity 340
Female genital mutilation 4940
Forced marriage 361
Gender 3009
Gender equality 1496
Gender inequality 984
Human trafficking 2000
Land tenure / land ownership 240
Public service 666
Reproductive health 427
Unpaid work 61
Violence against women 1328

Goal 6[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you:

SDG 6 50
Drinking water 969
Ecosystems 2897
Hand washing 543
Hygiene 1236
Improved sanitation 60
Improved water source 49
Open defecation 576
Rainwater harvesting 1593
Reclaimed water 308
Sanitation 937
Wastewater treatment 704
WASH 192
Water efficiency 66
Water pollution 4908
Water quality 545
Water scarcity / water stress 1061
Water supply 430
Integrated water resources management 65

Goal 7[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you:

SDG 7 New article, created August 2020
Biofuels / Clean fuels 1221
Clean energy research
Efficient energy use / energy efficiency 549
Electrification / access to electricity 188
Energy mix 36
Energy system / energy services 75
Energy intensity 87
Modern energy
Primary energy 185
Renewable energy 1400
Sustainable energy / Clean energy 2818

Goal 8[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you:

SDG 8 New article, created in September 2020
Aid for Trade New article (created in September 2020)
Child labor 2756
Decent work 54
Domestic material consumption 3
Ecological footprint (instead of material footprint) 503
Economic growth (instead of sustainable economic growth) 1236
Employment 956
Financial services 1314
Gross domestic product 6770
Global Jobs Pact
Human trafficking 2000
Informal economy / Informal employment 400
International Labor Organization 1014
Labor rights 245
Landlocked country 1543
least developed countries 86
Migrant worker 324
Occupational injury 61
Real gross domestic product 203
Resource efficiency 43
Slavery in the 21st century / modern slavery 383
Sustainable development / Sustainable economic growth 2700
Sustainable tourism 356
Unfree labor / forced labor 150
Unemployment 1700
Youth unemployment 243

Goal 9[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you:

SDG 9 New article, created in September 2020
Credit / affordable credit? 282
Developing country 2163
Employment (look for manufacturing employment) 956
Environmentally friendly / environmentally sound technologies 432
Financial services 1314
Green infrastructure / sustainable infrastructure 92
Industrialisation 723
Industrial diversification
Information and communications technology (ICT) / Access to ICT 2318
Infrastructure 1165
Internet access 1095
Landlocked country 1543
Official development assistance 252
Research / researcher 2257
Research and development / R&D worker 974
Resilient infrastructure
Right to internet access 193
Road transport (look for all-season road) 356
Small business / small scale industry 827
Small Island Developing States 136
Sustainable industries 28
Sustainable urban infrastructure 30

Goal 10[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 10: Reducing Inequalities

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you:

SDG 10 New article, created in September 2020
Economic inequality 877
Equal opportunity 340
Financial institution / global financial institution 555
Financial market 965
Financial soundness indicator
Foreign direct investment 1403
Gross domestic product / labour share of GDP 6770
Global financial system / global financial markets 241
Human migration / look for migration policy 936
Human rights 3342
Income / income growth 340
Income inequality metrics 148
International human rights law 305
International Monetary Fund 4,229
International organization 778
Landlocked country 1543
Migrant worker 324
Anti-discrimination law / Non-discriminatory laws 212
Official development assistance 252
Refugee 1049
Remittance / migrant remittance 586
Social exclusion / social inclusion 548
Social protection / social protection policy 98
Tariff / look for zero-tarrif and tariff lines 1052
World Bank 3,567
World Trade Organization 3325

Goal 11[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you:

SDG 11 New article, created in September 2020
Air pollution / air quality 4814
Affordable housing 350
Cities 2209
Civil society 771
Cultural heritage 569
Disability / disabled people 1244
Disaster 1462
Disaster risk reduction 192
Climate change adaptation 147
Climate change mitigation 430
Human settlements 405
Informal settlement / Informal housing 25
Land consumption 10
Least developed countries 86
Municipal solid waste 471
Natural disaster / water-related disaster 3407
Natural heritage 89
Peri-urbanisation / peri-urban planning 85
Poverty 2545
Public space 275
Public transport 767
Road traffic safety 678
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 73
Slum 877
Slum upgrading 64
Sustainable urban infrastructure 30
Sustainable urbanism 23
Sustainable city 239
Transport 1621
Transport network / transport systems 67
Urbanisation / Sustainable urbanisation 1351
Urban planning 869
Urban resilience / resilient cities 31
Vulnerable adult / vulnerable people 105

Goal 12[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you:

SDG 12 New article, created in September 2020
Developed country 2396
Energy subsidies / Fossil-fuel subsidies 21
Food waste 488
Government procurement / public procurement 222
Hazardous waste 431
Natural resources 2044
Post-harvest losses (grains) 41
Post-harvest losses (vegetables) 73
Recycling 1880
Renewable energy 2818
Resource recovery 80
Sustainable products 83
Sustainability reporting 111
Sustainable tourism 356
Sustainable consumption 61
Education for sustainable development 101
Global citizenship education 44

Goal 13[edit]

If you have an in-depth interest in climate change, take a look at the "To-dos" compiled by members of the WikiProject Climate Change here.

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 13: Climate Action

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you: User:RosieTMM2030, Chicago

SDG 13 New article, created in September 2020
Climate change adaptation 147
Climate change mitigation 430
Effects of global warming / Impacts of climate change 2118
Education for sustainable development 101
Global citizenship education 44
Climate change / global warming 9457
Green Climate Fund 258
Greenhouse gas / greenhouse gas emissions 3471
Natural disaster 3407
Sustainable energy / Clean energy 1400
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 884

Goal 14[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 14: Life Below Water

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you: User:Brunapedia, Beirut

SDG 14 42
Artisanal fishing / small-scale fisheries 45
Eutrophication / coastal eutrophication 1144
Fish stock 46
Fisheries subsidy 5
Least developed countries 86
Marine conservation / marine resources 118
Marine pollution 537
Marine technology 25
Microplastics 372
Overfishing 337
Ocean acidification 586
Sea surface temperature / Ocean temperatures 253
Sustainable fishery 87
Sustainable tourism 356
Small Island Developing States 136
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 847

Goal 15[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 15: Life on Land

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you: User:Brunapedia, Beirut

SDG 15 30
Biodiversity loss 172
Desertification 780
Ecosystems 2897
Ecosystem services 624
Invasive species 1011
Land degradation 464
Poaching 724
Reforestation 304
Sustainable forest management 170
Terrestrial ecosystems 225
Wildlife smuggling / trafficking of wildlife 61
Wildlife trade 105

Goal 16[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you: User:RosieTMM2030, Chicago

SDG 16 35
Arms trafficking / arms trading 325
Bribery 596
Corruption 1741
Domestic violence 2188
Freedom of information laws by country / public access to information 172
Fundamental freedoms / fundamental rights 440
Global governance 302
Human rights 3342
Human trafficking 2000
Illicit financial flows 24
Inclusive democracy 45
Justice 1038
Legal identity / legal person 290
Anti-discrimination laws / Non-discriminatory laws 212
Open government 114
Organized crime 1160
Public access 172
Public services 665
Rule of law 1595
Social exclusion / social inclusion 548
Violence against children (redirects to domestic violence)
Violence against women 1328
Violence 921

Goal 17[edit]

Goal number Article Daily view rates

(assessed July 2020)

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

SDG expert / Wikipedian to support you: User:RosieTMM2030, Chicago

SDG 17 25
Birth registration / certificate 552
Capacity building 405
Debt 449
Debt sustainability
Debt-to-GDP ratio 655
Developing country 2163
Development aid (look for development assistance commitments) 231
Environmentally friendly 432
Export 517
Foreign direct investment 1403
Government debt 665
Least developed countries 86
Macroeconomics 1334
Policy Coherence for Development 7
Poverty reduction 431
Public-private partnership 872
Statistical plans ?
Sustainable development 2700

Finding your way around Wikipedia (for novices)[edit]

Adjust your "Preferences"[edit]

  • Go to Wikipedia.org and login.
  • Click on "Preferences" at the top right of the screen and adjust your preferences.
  • These five tabs are especially important:
    • Editing: Use the pull-down menu next to "Editing mode" and select "show me both editor tabs." (Click here to learn about the difference between "edit" and "edit source.") Most novices use "edit" because it's just like editing a Word document then. For some functions and for advanced users, the "edit source" button needs to be used (for example to set up a page redirect, a reference list or to insert an image from Wikimedia Commons).
    • Watchlist: Tick boxes to assure that pages you create, edit, or upload will be on your watchlist.
    • User profile: Tick the box "Email me when a page or a file on my watchlist is changed."
    • Notifications: Tick boxes to tell Wikipedia what type of e-mail notifications you want to receive.
    • Gadgets: Have a look and see if you want to tick or untick any of the boxes

Read and write on the talk pages[edit]

The Talk tab is located at the top left of any Wikipedia article. It takes you to the page where people talk about the article. How to use the talk pages:

  • Ask (and answer) questions related to the Wikipedia article.
  • Add your question or answer to the bottom of the page to make reading the running dialogue easy.
  • At the end of what you write, insert four tildes (~~~~) and the system automatically "signs" with your username and the date.
  • For more information: Talk page guidelines.

Use the "edit" or the "edit source" tabs to edit[edit]

The "Edit" or "Edit source" tabs at the top take you to the page where you can make changes to the article. There you can:

  • Use the editing ribbon just as you do for editing documents: Bold, Italic, font size, numbered list, etc.
  • Hover over the icons and you will find ones for adding hyperlinks, images and references.
  • If you don't have both buttons visible, you need to adjust your Wikipedia Preferences at the top right (scroll up a little on this page to see where this is explained)

Saving or publishing your edits[edit]

The "save" button has recently been renamed to "publish changes" and is located at the top right.

  • Make sure you save your edits often (this protects yourself in case your internet connection gets lost; also it helps others to follow your progress (via the edit summary fields); also it avoids editing conflicts if someone else is working on the same page at the same time). Saving your edits is done by clicking on the button "Publish changes" at the top right.
  • Fill in the "Edit summary" box so others can see the reasoning behind your changes.
  • The "Watch this page" box is already ticked by default.

A "search for help" tip[edit]

  • To search for something inside of the Wikipedia system (i.e. the "internal" pages), simply put "WP:xxx" into Wikipedia's search field at the top right. This will search Wikipedia's guidance and help pages for the search term xxx. For example: "WP:adding images" will bring up the Wikipedia guidelines on how to add images. Or if you put "WP:Manual of Style" into the search box of Wikipedia, it will take you to the internal Manual of Style pages of Wikipedia.

Browse Wikipedia help pages[edit]

Tutorial videos[edit]

Take a look at short introduction videos (created by EMsmile and other Sanitation Wikipedia volunteers in 2017): Youtube Playlist. The three videos include:

  • How to make your first edits in Wikipedia: https://youtu.be/e-pK3aByl6U
  • First steps in Wikipedia editing: talk pages, editing, watchlist, preferences, history... https://youtu.be/_Z7F9pbYIx8
  • How to insert references and images to Wikipedia articles: https://youtu.be/qgd9UM_eCzk

More videos created by EMsmile explaining various editing tasks in Wikipedia are available in this playlist.

Recommended editing tasks (in general)[edit]

Improve the quality of the first thing readers read[edit]

What Wikipedia calls the "Lead" appears first - just before the table of contents and the first section of every article. We want those leads to be the highest quality possible.

The lead should:

  • be like an "executive summary" for the article (similar to an abstract for a journal paper)
  • have up to 4 paragraphs (each paragraph no longer than 6 lines).
  • include hyperlinks for key words (so readers will click and go to other Wikipedia pages).
  • use short clear sentences of no more than 15-20 words.

More information about the lead is here. An example of a good lead in terms of length is the one for pit latrine.

Improve the "readability" of the entire article[edit]

Simple edits you can do will improve the readability:

  • Replace long words with short words whenever possible.
  • Replace passive voice with active voice
  • Make long sentences shorter or break them into two sentences.
  • Reduce paragraph lengths to 4-6 lines.

You can check the impact of your work by using this tool (webfx) or this tool (online utility) which gives you various readability scores for either a whole website or just a block of text. Paste in the web address of the revised article to get the new readability score. The Hemingway App is also a useful tool for improving readability. Do you want more tips on improving readability? See here.

Adding citations[edit]

  • Find articles that need a citation. Here you can search for articles needing a citation based on the list of articles related to SDG.
  • Search the literature to see if there's more current information available than is currently cited in the articles.
  • Find citations for assertions not referenced, or delete unsupported assertions. Adding references (or citations) is explained here.

Adding images and world maps[edit]

  • Search the literature and internet to see if there are more maps, schematics and alike that could be added to the articles (they need to be under the open access licence CC-BY SA).
  • How to add images is explained in detail here.
  • Useful world maps for the SDG articles, and especially their indicators, are available on the SDG Tracker website which is part of Our World in Data. And the best thing: they are under an open access licence so we can directly use them, and most of them have already been imported to Wikimedia Commons. From there, you can copy the link to insert the map with just a few mouse clicks. See e.g. here for SDG 1: SDG Tracker maps for SDG 1. You can find those maps in the category "Our World in Data" within Wikimedia Commons here.

Work offline: no need to learn the Wikipedia editing system[edit]

  • Copy the lead or the article you want to work to Microsoft Word or any other word processor and make your changes with the "track changes" function turned on.
  • Email your document to [email protected], and we'll input your changes into Wikipedia.

Example to-do list from WikiProject Climate Change[edit]

Active Wikipedians have set up a To-Do list for Climate Change topics here. Equivalent to-do's exist on a range of SDG-related topics.

Where to get help[edit]

Want to ask a question? You have several options:

  • Send an e-mail to [email protected]. A person will respond within 24 hours.
  • Click on the "talk" tab at the top of this Meetup Page, and type in your question, followed by the 4 tildes: ~~~~ (you need to have a Wikipedia login, and be logged in, to use a talk page)
  • Write on the talk page of the event coordinator User:EMsmile here.
  • If you work on articles related to SDG 6 you can also post your question on the SuSanA discussion Forum. Click SuSanA Discussion Forum.

List of do’s and don'ts for Wikipedia editing[edit]

Do's for brand new editors[edit]

  1. Do get a Wikipedia user name (think about real name versus non-real name, see Username policy).
  2. Do adjust your "Preferences" within Wikipedia - see here how it's done: Finding your way around Wikipedia (for novices).
  3. Do add at least a little bit of information on your user profile. This reduces the chances that your edits will be reverted. See for example the user profile of Elisabeth here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:EMsmile
  4. Do edit Wikipedia only after logging in (sometimes one forgets that one isn’t logged in which results in “anonymous” edits). The easiest method is to just tick the box “Keep me logged in (for up to 365 days)”
  5. Do save your changes frequently, always clicking on “Publish changes” and adding a short edit summary each time that you have made a change.
  6. Do write in simple, easy to understand language (think of your parents when you write - anyone should be able to understand it). Wikipedia is for laypersons and it is read by people who don’t have English as their first language.
  7. Do always cite the source(s) of your statements and content. See here what constitutes a reliable source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources
  8. Do put the reference directly after the fullstop, not before. Do put all references at the very end of the sentence, not in the middle.
  9. Do paraphrase sentences that you wish to include from elsewhere. Paraphrase and provide the sources. If paraphrasing is not possible you could use quotation marks for some statements but this should not be done too often. The reasons for paraphrasing are: 1) to make the sentences understandable for laypersons - short sentences, simple language, no jargon; 2) to avoid copyright problems as most of the publications that you find on the internet (particularly those from the UN) are actually "all rights reserved", sadly. If they were open access then we could directly copy content, except for the reasons described under Point 1.
  10. Do familiarise yourself with Wikipedia’s copyright policy which is very strict! Copying material without the permission of the copyright holder from sources that are not public domain or compatibly licensed (unless it's a brief quotation used in accordance with Wikipedia's non-free content policy and guideline) is likely to be a copyright violation. See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyright_violations

Don'ts for brand new editors[edit]

  1. Don’t edit Wikipedia while not logged into your Wikipedia account, as it makes it harder for others to react to your changes; also your edits would not be counted towards the editathon (and you could not win any of the prizes).
  2. Don’t start editing if you haven’t yet registered yourself for this editathon (after logging into Wikipedia) here
  3. Don’t copy whole sentences or even paragraphs across from another publication or website for several reasons: (1) the language is likely to be unsuitable for Wikipedia readers who are laypersons - language needs to be simple and easy to understand; no jargon. (2) it is likely not written in an encyclopedic style; (3) the document is likely under copyright and not open access;.
  4. Don’t add content to Wikipedia if you think that doing so may be a copyright violation.
  5. Don’t include anything in Wikipedia that hasn't been already written elsewhere. Unless it's something completely plain and obvious, such as "the sky is blue". In Wikipedia language this is called “no original research”. Wikipedia does not publish original thought. All material in Wikipedia must be attributable to a reliable, published source. Articles may not contain any new analysis or synthesis of published material that serves to reach or imply a conclusion not clearly stated by the sources themselves. See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research
  6. Don’t add your own personal opinions, knowledge etc. - unless this information has been published somewhere already; then you can cite it. Blog posts count as a reference, so do newspaper articles, or opinion pieces. See here what constitutes a “reliable source”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources
  7. Don’t engage in an “edit war” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Edit_warring). If someone has reverted your edits, try to talk to them about it by mentioning them on the talk page of the article (they will be notified by e-mail or your mention).
  8. Don’t get upset or disheartened when a more experienced Wikipedian “scolds” you for something or reverts your edit. If you experience any problems, simply approach the event coordinators or any other experienced Wikipedia editor that you know.
  9. Don’t add external links into the Wikipedia article. The only place where you can add external links is under “External links” at the very end (that list should be short).
  10. Don’t use bold or any other formatting in a Wikipedia article. The only bold text that is allowed is the first few words of the very first sentence of the lead.

Do’s for intermediate editors[edit]

  1. Do try to include information from several different sources, particularly if the sources look at the topic from different angles and might even reach different conclusions.
  2. Do always maintain a neutral and objective point of view. Try to always look at it from all angles If there are opposing views, present both, without making a judgement - unless that judgement has also been published somewhere.
  3. Do keep in mind that we are writing an encyclopedia for the general public. We want to present them with all the available information in easy to understand language.
  4. Do use American English for this entire edit-a-thon (in particular for all the SDG articles and any new articles). However, for existing well-established articles, continue in either American or British English, whichever the article is using so far. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Retaining_the_existing_variety
  5. Do use talk pages frequently to discuss upcoming changes to an article. Do always sign your statements with the four tildes (~~~~). This is Wikipedia’s convention and converts into a “date and person” stamp when you click on “publish changes”.
  6. Do give full details for each reference, i.e. not just a link to a website but rather title of page, title of website, publisher; not just a link to a pdf file but author, year, title, publisher. More dos and donts about references are here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:References_dos_and_don%27ts
  7. Do add the page number to your reference when it’s a big report and the source of your statement is hard to find (this looks like this in source editor: {{rp|2}} for page 2.
  8. Do remember that consensus is Wikipedia's fundamental model for editorial decision-making. See list with dos and donts about consensus here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus_dos_and_don%27ts
  9. Do experiment with the tabs “edit” versus “edit source” because each has its usefulness for different things. The main editor you will probably use most of the time is the “editor” (see the button labelled “edit”) which is “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG)
  10. Do add internal links (wikilinks) to other Wikipedia articles but do follow the guidance provided here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Linking_dos_and_don%27ts
  11. Do browse Wikipedia guidelines for greater insights: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_guidelines

Don'ts for intermediate editors[edit]

  1. Don’t write like an opinion piece or essay, using wording like “we need to keep in mind that…”. “It is unfair that…”.
  2. Don’t use expressions that may introduce bias, lack precision, or include offensive terms. Use clear, direct language. Let facts alone do the talking! Wikipedia calls this “words to watch”, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch#Unsupported_attributions
  3. Don’t write “Smith and Miller stated that poverty is a problem”. Simply write: “Poverty is a problem.[2]” and then put the reference by Smith and Miller at the end of your statement.
  4. Don’t create a new Wikipedia article unless absolutely necessary. Often the same article already exists under a similar title. For the purposes of the edit-a-thon we recommend to check with Elisabeth (User:EMsmile) before starting a new Wikipedia article.
  5. Don't put a wikilink to a non-existing Wikipedia article (it shows up in red), unless you have a valid reason (see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Red_link).
  6. Don’t make the lead longer than 4 paragraphs (the lead is the part at the start, before the table of contents, and is meant to be a summary of the article). For more dos and donts for the leads see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Lead_dos_and_don%27ts
  7. Don’t delete other people’s content of articles unless you have a very good reason. It’s best to discuss it first on the talk page or to at least explain it in your edit summary.
  8. Do not make big changes to an article in one go without explaining to people on the talk pages what you are planning to do. Sometimes it’s best to spread out big changes over 2-3 days so that other people have time to react.
  9. Don’t use bullet point lists unless they are really needed. Prose is usually better.
  10. Don’t repeat references more than once in the reference list. The same reference can be used many times in the article but it should appear only exactly once in the reference list. You can just copy and paste it inside the article. For example, the little a, b, c in the reference list indicates that this reference is used three times in the Wikipedia article: a b c Andersson, Kim; Dickin, Sarah; Rosemarin, Arno (2016). "Towards "Sustainable" Sanitation: Challenges and Opportunities in Urban Areas". Sustainability. 8 (12): 1289. doi:10.3390/su8121289.

Links to other edit-a-thons to learn from[edit]

External links[edit]

  1. ^ Ritchie, Roser, Mispy, Ortiz-Ospina (2018) "Measuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals." (SDG 5) SDG-Tracker.org, website
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