Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage : are Wikiprojects a solution? a study of the Cambodian Wikiproject
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the rather unsuccessful Wikiproject for Cambodia. Despite its lack of success, it is a case that can be used to draw lessens for dealing with the issue of geographical under-representation on Wikipedia as a whole. After presenting evidence of the Wik...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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2019
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/105868 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/47877 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/OIR-06-2017-0199 |
| _version_ | 1811682453879783424 |
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| author | Luyt, Brendan |
| author2 | Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information |
| author_facet | Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Luyt, Brendan |
| author_sort | Luyt, Brendan |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the rather unsuccessful Wikiproject for Cambodia. Despite its lack of success, it is a case that can be used to draw lessens for dealing with the issue of geographical under-representation on Wikipedia as a whole. After presenting evidence of the Wikiproject’s failure to achieve the goals for which it was created, the author will discuss the pressing issues of imbalances in geographical coverage on Wikipedia as well as the deeper issues involved in remedying these imbalances, namely, the question of who gets to represent whom. Design/methodology/approach – The author takes a broadly qualitative approach to the study of Wikipedia. For this study, the Cambodia Wikiproject main page, as well as the various talk page archives associated with it, was downloaded in November 2016 and subjected to a content analysis. Descriptive statistics are also used when necessary to build the argument. Findings – Wikiproject Cambodia has failed to appreciably improve the coverage of Cambodian topics. This is likely due to its inability to attract for a prolonged period of time a champion able to anchor the project and provide a sense that someone is listening. But the makeup of the project members also suggests that even if a champion could be found, the question of who gets to represent whom remains difficult to deal with. It is unlikely that Cambodia will anytime soon develop a strong community of Wikipedia editors given the economic and social constraints the country imposes on the most of its population. Originality/value – This work builds on the small, but growing body of literature dealing with coverage gaps in Wikipedia. Given Wikipedia’s growing importance as part of the everyday information infrastructure people use, such gaps and potential solutions to these gaps should be a vital part of the information science community’s agenda. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T03:57:05Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/105868 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T03:57:05Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1058682019-12-06T21:59:38Z Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage : are Wikiprojects a solution? a study of the Cambodian Wikiproject Luyt, Brendan Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Wikipedia Asia DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the rather unsuccessful Wikiproject for Cambodia. Despite its lack of success, it is a case that can be used to draw lessens for dealing with the issue of geographical under-representation on Wikipedia as a whole. After presenting evidence of the Wikiproject’s failure to achieve the goals for which it was created, the author will discuss the pressing issues of imbalances in geographical coverage on Wikipedia as well as the deeper issues involved in remedying these imbalances, namely, the question of who gets to represent whom. Design/methodology/approach – The author takes a broadly qualitative approach to the study of Wikipedia. For this study, the Cambodia Wikiproject main page, as well as the various talk page archives associated with it, was downloaded in November 2016 and subjected to a content analysis. Descriptive statistics are also used when necessary to build the argument. Findings – Wikiproject Cambodia has failed to appreciably improve the coverage of Cambodian topics. This is likely due to its inability to attract for a prolonged period of time a champion able to anchor the project and provide a sense that someone is listening. But the makeup of the project members also suggests that even if a champion could be found, the question of who gets to represent whom remains difficult to deal with. It is unlikely that Cambodia will anytime soon develop a strong community of Wikipedia editors given the economic and social constraints the country imposes on the most of its population. Originality/value – This work builds on the small, but growing body of literature dealing with coverage gaps in Wikipedia. Given Wikipedia’s growing importance as part of the everyday information infrastructure people use, such gaps and potential solutions to these gaps should be a vital part of the information science community’s agenda. Accepted version 2019-03-21T06:35:47Z 2019-12-06T21:59:38Z 2019-03-21T06:35:47Z 2019-12-06T21:59:38Z 2018 Journal Article Luyt, B. (2018). Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage : are Wikiprojects a solution? a study of the Cambodian Wikiproject. Online Information Review, 42(2), 238-249. doi:10.1108/OIR-06-2017-0199 1468-4527 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/105868 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/47877 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/OIR-06-2017-0199 en Online Information Review © 2018 Emerald Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. This paper was published in Online Information Review and is made available with permission of Emerald Publishing Limited. 22 p. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Wikipedia Asia DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication Luyt, Brendan Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage : are Wikiprojects a solution? a study of the Cambodian Wikiproject |
| title | Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage : are Wikiprojects a solution? a study of the Cambodian Wikiproject |
| title_full | Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage : are Wikiprojects a solution? a study of the Cambodian Wikiproject |
| title_fullStr | Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage : are Wikiprojects a solution? a study of the Cambodian Wikiproject |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage : are Wikiprojects a solution? a study of the Cambodian Wikiproject |
| title_short | Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage : are Wikiprojects a solution? a study of the Cambodian Wikiproject |
| title_sort | wikipedia s gaps in coverage are wikiprojects a solution a study of the cambodian wikiproject |
| topic | Wikipedia Asia DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/105868 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/47877 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/OIR-06-2017-0199 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT luytbrendan wikipediasgapsincoveragearewikiprojectsasolutionastudyofthecambodianwikiproject |