500 Women Wiki Scientists course completion

A Wikipedia biography recognizes a scientist’s scientific contributions in real time (rather than a textbook decades later!). It surfaces her expertise for journalists seeking sources for articles about her field. It humanizes her beyond her CV or university profile. And it shows girls interested in STEM what career paths are possible for them. So what happens if a woman scientist doesn’t have one? Only 18% of Wikipedia biographies are about women. When Donna Strickland was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2018 (the first woman to win in Physics in 55 years), the public flocked to Wikipedia to learn more about her career. But the first few were disappointed – before the announcement, she didn’t have a Wikipedia biography. According to Wikipedia’s notability and sourcing guidelines, in order to warrant a page a person must receive coverage in secondary sources. But women are covered less in the media and journalists approach them less often for interviews. It’s cyclical: When it comes to public perceptions of whether someone is important, not having a Wikipedia biography weighs into that judgement. While women scientists face a variety of barriers to inclusion on Wikipedia, the biggest barrier remains the simplest one: if no one takes the time to create the biography, it won’t exist. This Wikipedia writing group gave participants, primarily early career scientists affiliated with 500 Women Scientists, the dedicated time and support to engage in this science communication on a grand scale. Participants met online once a week to add peer-reviewed research to scientists' biographies on Wikipedia. Over 6 weeks, they learned the ins and outs of Wikipedia as a public education platform. They joined their peers and Wiki Education’s Wikipedia experts in discussions around information activism, equity on Wikipedia, open knowledge, and high-impact science communication.