Wiki Scientist Program
Sharing physics with more than 32 million viewers per day on the world's fifth most popular website, Wikipedia
To contribute to the advancement of physics knowledge through Wikipedia, the American Physical Society’s Wiki Scientist Program trains physicists in editing and updating Wikipedia pages and Wikidata entries. By sharing their expertise as leaders in the field, Program participants improve the public’s access to physics knowledge, raise awareness of the accomplishments of marginalized groups within physics, and grow as science communicators.
Upcoming Event: Wiki Edit-a-Thon
March 5th, 1 - 4 p.m. PST at the in-person March Meeting in Las Vegas
Contribute to quantum-themed Wikipedia articles, raise awareness of the accomplishments of marginalized groups within physics, and improve the public’s access to physics knowledge. No prior Wikipedia editing experience is required to participate, however, you must be registered to attend the in-person March Meeting before signing up for the edit-a-thon!
Course Impact
Through APS’s Wiki Scientist Courses, an impressive volume of physicists’ knowledge has been shared with the public and a remarkable number of physicists have been trained to use Wikipedia as a tool for science communication.
For more information about the success of the Wiki Scientist program, please review the program statistics.
So far the Wiki Scientist Courses have seen:
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Wikipedia's Five Pillars
- Wikipedia is an encyclopedia.
- Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view.
- Wikipedia is free content that anyone can use, edit, and distribute.
- Wikipedia's editors should treat each other with respect and civility.
- Wikipedia has no firm rules.
Contact
For more information about the Wiki Scientist program, including financial assistance available to attend courses, or if you are interested in sponsoring students in the course, please reach out to public-engagement@aps.org.
Slack Space
Previous participants are welcome to join the Wiki Scientist Program Slack space. Please contact public-engagement@aps.org to be added.
Participant Success
Some of the most notable and most viewed articles created or edited through the Wiki Scientist program are articles on:
- a biography of Ilham Al-Qaradawi, a professor of positron and radiation physics, that has reached more than 11,000 readers since it was created in Fall 2020;
- density functional theory, which has received nearly half a million views since it was updated in February 2022;
- the Hubbard model, which has reached over 60,000 readers since it was updated in January 2021;
- quantum computing, which has received almost 1.5 million views since it was updated in January 2021; and
- Bose–Einstein statistics, which has been viewed almost 250,000 times since it was updated in January 2021 and spiked in views after Google's June 4, 2022, doodle of Satyendra Nath Bose led new readers to the page.
Types of Courses and Events
To assist physicists in updating Wikipedia entries and Wikidata to share their knowledge, the American Physical Society, in collaboration with Wiki Education, offers several types of courses, as well as short editing events.
Wikipedia Editing and Wikidata Courses
APS partners with Wiki Education (WikiEdu) to offer courses on Wikipedia editing and Wikidata. The Wikipedia courses focus on contributing articles to elevate the visibility of women and other historically marginalized groups in the physics community. The Wikidata courses teach participants how to contribute to Wikidata, helping to ensure the general public has quick access to high quality scientific information.
Edit-a-thons
At least once per year, in collaboration with other organizations, APS hosts a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon to create and improve Wikipedia pages that highlight the accomplishments of women and other historically marginalized groups in physics.
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About APS
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