HOGG Wikipedia Workshop on the History of Geology

An opportunity for HOGG members to contribute knowledge to the history of geology and make it accessible to the world!

Wikipedia can be a very useful source of information; it is a free online encyclopedia' and is often the first 'port of call' for finding out about a topic, so it could be said that Wikipedia is 'the people's fount of knowledge'.

Anyone can learn to add and edit wikipedia articles, but these are only as good as the quality of the accuracy and reliability of its source material. And there are gaps in Wikipedia - individuals and events that don't have a Wikipedia entry or 'stub' articles that are too short or insufficiently referenced to be really useful.

History of geology articles on Wikipedia are variable. Some provide a good source of information, but in others there are inaccuracies or imbalanced perspectives (that perpetuate myths and tropes) or just too short on detail. And then there are people and events that advanced the development of geology that do not have an entry at all.

This online workshop aims to empower HOGG members to contribute to Wikipedia.

The main 'tutors' for the event will be HOGG Committee members Prof .David Pyle and Anne Barrett. Both have experience of running Wikipiedia workshops and they will bring in experienced colleagues to help with this HOGG workshop.

In the workshop you will learn how to create and edit articles - and then you will develop your own contribution - with help at hand online, should you need it. At the end of the workshop we anticipate that participants will share the outcomes of their work on Wikipedia - so it will also provide an opportunity to learn about the history of various geologists or key events in the history of geology.

Participants will be guided to 'gaps' that may need filling - and will select a topic or topics to work on before the event. Or, you may know of a topic or biography that needs to be updated, and can opt to work on that.

Guidance will be given on how to source information and references accurately.

Here are a few (male) geologists that need work on their Wikipedia articles

William Phillips, Henry Bristow, W. W. Watts, H. B. Woodward, George William Lamplugh, Alfred John Jukes-Browne, A.J. Grenville Cole, E.B. Bailey , Percy Fry Kendall, George Barrow (hugely important - he distinguished and conceptualised metamorphic zoning! )

And women geologists are in key need of attention!!

Join the HOGG Wikipedia workshop by registering.