User:Peter Schmitt/Charter: Difference between revisions
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The Citizendium is a collaborative effort to compile an online encyclopaedia that presents human knowledge organized and structured in a way to serve as a convenient, reliable, and well-written source of information. | The Citizendium is a collaborative effort to compile an online encyclopaedia that presents human knowledge organized and structured in a way to serve as a convenient, reliable, and well-written source of information. | ||
==Fundamental policies== | plus public domain / editorial guided? | ||
===Professionalism=== | |||
== Fundamental policies== | |||
===?Professionalism=== | |||
Contributors to the project — henceforth Citizens — are required to behave professionally. This means acceptance of guidance from experts and from the wider Citizendium community and the obligation to remain civil and constructive even in cases of dispute. A set of persons of mature judgment — hereafter the Constables — shall be specially empowered to enforce rules laid out in this Charter or its accompanying documents. The enforcement of these rules — up to and including the ejection of participants from the project — is to be carried out with reasonable pragmatism and leniency, including in those situations where the applicability of existing rules may be unclear. | Contributors to the project — henceforth Citizens — are required to behave professionally. This means acceptance of guidance from experts and from the wider Citizendium community and the obligation to remain civil and constructive even in cases of dispute. A set of persons of mature judgment — hereafter the Constables — shall be specially empowered to enforce rules laid out in this Charter or its accompanying documents. The enforcement of these rules — up to and including the ejection of participants from the project — is to be carried out with reasonable pragmatism and leniency, including in those situations where the applicability of existing rules may be unclear. | ||
===Real names=== | === Real names=== | ||
All Citizens must register using their real names, which will define their user name. | All Citizens must register using their real names, which will define their user name. | ||
===Expertise=== | === Expertise=== | ||
Expertise will be respected. It shall be recognized through publications (including contributions to the Citizendium), credentials or employment, or through any other means established by the Editorial Council. | Expertise will be respected. It shall be recognized through publications (including contributions to the Citizendium), credentials or employment, or through any other means established by the Editorial Council. | ||
===Collaboration=== | ===?Collaboration=== | ||
The Citizendium is a collaborative project, open to constructive contributions by any Citizen to any of its content at any time. The Citizendium also allows collaboration with non-Citizen partners on any matters relevant to the project's mission, provided that the interaction does not conflict with this Charter. | The Citizendium is a collaborative project, open to constructive contributions by any Citizen to any of its content at any time. The Citizendium also allows collaboration with non-Citizen partners on any matters relevant to the project's mission, provided that the interaction does not conflict with this Charter. | ||
===Accessibility=== | ===?Accessibility=== | ||
The content provided at the Citizendium is intended for an audience with completed high-school level of education. As far as possible, special needs of visually or otherwise impaired users and of machines will be taken into account. | The content provided at the Citizendium is intended for an audience with completed high-school level of education. As far as possible, special needs of visually or otherwise impaired users and of machines will be taken into account. | ||
===Being Bold=== | ===?Being Bold=== | ||
Should Citizens be unsure that their planned contributions are in conformity with the Charter and its subordinate policies, they are advised to seek comments from Editors and the wider community. In the absence of disputes, they may reasonably proceed. | Should Citizens be unsure that their planned contributions are in conformity with the Charter and its subordinate policies, they are advised to seek comments from Editors and the wider community. In the absence of disputes, they may reasonably proceed. | ||
==Governance== | == Governance== | ||
The Citizendium is devoted to transparent and fair governance at a minimum of bureaucracy. Special roles will not be created without excellent reason. | The Citizendium is devoted to transparent and fair governance at a minimum of bureaucracy. Special roles will not be created without excellent reason. | ||
===Authors=== | === Authors=== | ||
Any Citizen can act as an Author, i.e. contribute or modify content, unless blocked from specific articles or topics by an Editor or Constable. Blocks may be appealed through the Dispute Resolution procedure. | Any Citizen can act as an Author, i.e. contribute or modify content, unless blocked from specific articles or topics by an Editor or Constable. Blocks may be appealed through the Dispute Resolution procedure. | ||
===Editors=== | ===?Editors=== | ||
Editors are Citizens who — because of their recognized expertise in specific areas — are responsible for the scope and quality of the content presented by the Citizendium. Specifically, in their areas of expertise, they are entitled (1) to make decisions about specific questions or disputes concerning particular articles, and (2) to approve high-quality articles. | Editors are Citizens who — because of their recognized expertise in specific areas — are responsible for the scope and quality of the content presented by the Citizendium. Specifically, in their areas of expertise, they are entitled (1) to make decisions about specific questions or disputes concerning particular articles, and (2) to approve high-quality articles. | ||
===Management Committee=== | === Management Committee=== | ||
A Management Committee shall be responsible for matters concerned with the non-editorial policies of Citizendium, such as finance, external alliances, communications, administration, and behavior. To this end, it may appoint Administrators and Task Managers whose activities it will oversee. It will also appoint Constables and oversee their activities. | A Management Committee shall be responsible for matters concerned with the non-editorial policies of Citizendium, such as finance, external alliances, communications, administration, and behavior. To this end, it may appoint Administrators and Task Managers whose activities it will oversee. It will also appoint Constables and oversee their activities. | ||
The Management Committee shall consist of thirteen Citizens, who may not simultaneously serve on the Editorial Council. They may, however, be Constables or Task Managers. A quorum shall consist of seven members. The members of the Management Committee shall be elected by vote of active Citizens and Authors, with two-year renewable terms. The Management Committee will appoint one of its members as the Management Lead, who will represent the Citizendium externally on all matters except content. | The Management Committee shall consist '''of thirteen''' Citizens, who may not simultaneously serve on the Editorial Council. They may, however, be Constables or Task Managers. A quorum shall consist of seven members. The members of the Management Committee shall be elected by vote of active Citizens and Authors, with two-year renewable terms. The Management Committee will appoint one of its members as the Management Lead, who will represent the Citizendium externally on all matters except content. | ||
===Editorial Council=== | ===Editorial Council=== | ||
An Editorial Council will be responsible for guiding content and establishing policy. It will be made up of active Citizens, no less than one half of whom shall be Editors, the remainder shall be Authors. | An Editorial Council will be responsible for guiding content and establishing policy. It will be made up of active Citizens, | ||
'''no less''' than one half of whom shall be Editors, the remainder shall be Authors. | |||
The Editorial Council shall consist of thirteen Citizens, who may not simultaneously serve on the Management Committee or be Constables. They may, however, be Task Managers. A quorum shall consist of seven members. The members of the Editorial Council will be elected by vote of active Citizens and Authors, with two-year renewable terms. The Editorial Council will appoint one of its members as the Editorial Lead, who will represent the Citizendium externally on matters of content. | The Editorial Council shall consist '''of thirteen''' Citizens, who may not simultaneously serve on the Management Committee or be Constables. They may, however, be Task Managers. A quorum shall consist of seven members. The members of the Editorial Council will be elected by vote of active Citizens and Authors, with two-year renewable terms. The Editorial Council will appoint one of its members as the Editorial Lead, who will represent the Citizendium externally on matters of content. | ||
During deliberations on a matter covered by specific workgroups, the Chief Editor of that Workgroup, or another member, may be part of a quorum if that individual is not a Council member. If, however, the matter under discussion involves a dispute with such an Editor, that Editor may state positions to the Council but not vote on them unless already a member. | During deliberations on a matter covered by specific workgroups, the Chief Editor of that Workgroup, or another member, may be part of a quorum if that individual is not a Council member. If, however, the matter under discussion involves a dispute with such an Editor, that Editor may state positions to the Council but not vote on them '''unless already a member'''. | ||
====Workgroups==== | ====??Workgroups==== | ||
The Editorial Council may create and reorganize workgroups to organize areas of content, and to encourage collaboration among authors and editors in areas of expertise. Workgroup members will build top-level articles and knowledge structures for the articles in a discipline. | The Editorial Council may create and reorganize workgroups to organize areas of content, and to encourage collaboration among authors and editors in areas of expertise. Workgroup members will build top-level articles and knowledge structures for the articles in a discipline. | ||
| Line 54: | Line 57: | ||
When there are disputes on content issues, assuming there are multiple Editors in a workgroup, they will attempt to resolve the dispute. Failing agreement, the matter will be taken to the Editorial Council. | When there are disputes on content issues, assuming there are multiple Editors in a workgroup, they will attempt to resolve the dispute. Failing agreement, the matter will be taken to the Editorial Council. | ||
===Administration=== | === Administration=== | ||
The Citizendium's administration handles the legal, financial and technical operations necessary for the project to fulfil its mission. | The Citizendium's administration handles the legal, financial and technical operations necessary for the project to fulfil its mission. | ||
===Dispute resolution=== | === Dispute resolution=== | ||
Disputes will be settled at the lowest possible level, such as by bringing in peer Editors or Constables. Next, the Ombudsman will be contacted for non-binding mediation. Should that fail, the matter will go to the appropriate body — the Editorial Board/Council for content matters and the Management Council for behavioral and administrative matters. As a last resort, both Councils may appoint members to an arbitration panel, for Final arbitration as defined below. | Disputes will be settled at the lowest possible level, such as by bringing in peer Editors or Constables. Next, the Ombudsman will be contacted for non-binding mediation. Should that fail, the matter will go to the appropriate body — the Editorial Board/Council for content matters and the Management Council for behavioral and administrative matters. As a last resort, both Councils may appoint members to an arbitration panel, for Final arbitration as defined below. | ||
====Ombudsman==== | ==== ?Ombudsman==== | ||
The role of Ombudsman shall be vested in a Citizen with substantial CZ experience and widely respected judgment, who may appoint up to two other Citizens to support his/her work. The Ombudsman will be elected by simple majority vote of each of the Editorial Council and Management Council, for a term of 4 years. An Ombudsman may be recalled by a supermajority (75%) of each of the Editorial and Management Councils. | The role of Ombudsman shall be vested in a Citizen with substantial CZ experience and widely respected judgment, who may appoint up to two other Citizens to support his/her work. The Ombudsman will be elected by simple majority vote of each of the Editorial Council and Management Council, for a term of 4 years. An Ombudsman may be recalled by a supermajority (75%) of each of the Editorial and Management Councils. | ||
====Final arbitration==== | ==== Final arbitration==== | ||
In the event of a dispute that cannot be resolved at a level below that of the Editorial Council or the Management Committee, appeals boards may be constituted on an ad hoc basis. They will consist of three members nominated by the Editorial Council and three members nominated by the Management Committee, who shall not have been involved in the specific dispute. An Ombudsman will preside; that official shall direct the Board and will be non-voting other than to possess a tie-breaking vote vote. Should no Ombudsman be available who is not a party to the matter, the Councils shall appoint a special presider from the Citizenry. | In the event of a dispute that cannot be resolved at a level below that of the Editorial Council or the Management Committee, appeals boards may be constituted on an ad hoc basis. They will consist of three members nominated by the Editorial Council and three members nominated by the Management Committee, who shall not have been involved in the specific dispute. An Ombudsman will preside; that official shall direct the Board and will be non-voting other than to possess a tie-breaking vote'''vote'''. Should no Ombudsman be available who is not a party to the matter, the Councils shall appoint a special presider from the Citizenry. | ||
===Electorate=== | === Electorate=== | ||
All Authors are entitled to vote on the adoption or modification of this charter. | All Authors are entitled to vote on the adoption or modification of this charter. | ||
==License== | == License== | ||
The content of the Citizendium will always be free to use, reuse, and redistribute. Content originating at the Citizendium is available under a [[CZ:Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0|Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported]] license. Content that originated elsewhere may also be incorporated into the Citizendium if such reuse is permitted by the copyright owners. | The content of the Citizendium will always be free to use, reuse, and redistribute. Content originating at the Citizendium is available under a [[CZ:Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0|Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported]] license. Content that originated elsewhere may also be incorporated into the Citizendium if such reuse is permitted by the copyright owners. | ||
''Citing CZ?'' | |||
==Legal status== | == Legal status== | ||
The Citizendium will be owned and ultimately controlled by a non-profit organization. | The Citizendium will be owned and ultimately controlled by a non-profit organization. | ||
==Languages== | == Languages== | ||
The official language of the Citizendium is English. Branches in other languages require approval by the Editorial Council and have to be based on this English-language charter or an approved translation. | The official language of the Citizendium is English. Branches in other languages require approval by the Editorial Council and have to be based on this English-language charter or an approved translation. | ||
==Final clause== | == Final clause== | ||
===Ratification=== | === Ratification=== | ||
If this Charter has been ratified by two thirds or more of the votes validly cast in a referendum for this purpose, it shall be certified by the Editor-in-Chief within a week after the closing of the referendum. For future amendments, a certifying official or officials shall be agreed upon by the joint Management Committee and Editorial Council. | If this Charter has been ratified by two thirds or more of the votes validly cast in a referendum for this purpose, it shall be certified by the Editor-in-Chief within a week after the closing of the referendum. For future amendments, a certifying official or officials shall be agreed upon by the joint Management Committee and Editorial Council. | ||
===Entry into force=== | === Entry into force=== | ||
This Charter shall enter into force on the day following ratification. | This Charter shall enter into force on the day following ratification. | ||
===Interim guidance for the transition period=== | === Interim guidance for the transition period=== | ||
As long as the administrative prerequisites for implementing the charter are not entirely fulfilled, the rules listed in this section shall provide interim guidance to the Editorial Council, Management Council, and other bodies. Such material may be modified by those bodies by their normal procedures, without a full Charter amendment. | As long as the administrative prerequisites for implementing the charter are not entirely fulfilled, the rules listed in this section shall provide interim guidance to the Editorial Council, Management Council, and other bodies. Such material may be modified by those bodies by their normal procedures, without a full Charter amendment. | ||
====Editorial Council and Management Committee==== | ==== Editorial Council and Management Committee==== | ||
For both bodies, the intention is to elect half of the members each year, so of the first group, a number corresponding to the quorum will be selected, by lot or personal agreement, to serve one-year terms. | For both bodies, the intention is to elect half of the members each year, so of the first group, a number corresponding to the quorum will be selected, by lot or personal agreement, to serve one-year terms. | ||
====Citizens with pseudonyms==== | ==== Citizens with pseudonyms==== | ||
Citizens currently registered with a pseudonym will be granted up to one year of time to re-register for a new account under their real name. One year after the entry into force of this charter, all pseudonym accounts shall be locked by the Constabulary. | Citizens currently registered with a pseudonym will be granted up to one year of time to re-register for a new account under their real name. One year after the entry into force of this charter, all pseudonym accounts shall be locked by the Constabulary. | ||
====Inactive Editors==== | ==== Inactive Editors==== | ||
[[CZ:Editorial Council Resolution 0012]] will be extended such that newly registered Editors who have not yet contributed to the project shall be regarded as [[:Category:Inactive CZ Editors|Inactive Editors]]. | [[CZ:Editorial Council Resolution 0012]] will be extended such that newly registered Editors who have not yet '''contributed'''(how?) to the project shall be regarded as [[:Category:Inactive CZ Editors|Inactive Editors]]. | ||
''consequences?'' | |||
====External partners==== | ==== External partners==== | ||
The Management Council shall elaborate a strategy and policy on collaboration with external partners, paying particular attention to fostering the collaboration with instructors by way of [[CZ:Eduzendium|Eduzendium]], and with external experts or professional organizations for the purpose of reviewing content at the Citizendium or providing content to it. | The Management Council shall elaborate a strategy and policy on collaboration with external partners, paying particular attention to fostering the collaboration with instructors by way of [[CZ:Eduzendium|Eduzendium]], and with external experts or professional organizations for the purpose of reviewing content at the Citizendium or providing content to it. | ||
===Future amendments=== | === Future amendments=== | ||
This Charter shall be open to amendment at any time subsequent to its ratification. The Management Council is hereby vested with the power to act upon proposals for amendment originating from any Citizen or Citizendium institution. The process of | This Charter shall be open to amendment at any time subsequent to its ratification. The Management Council is hereby vested with the power to act upon proposals for amendment originating from any Citizen or Citizendium institution. The process of '''A'''mendment requires the Management Council initially to consult with Citizens (including via the Forum) and subsequently to draft an appropriate amended text. The decision to accept the amended text will be taken by popular vote of the Citizenry, and requires a two-thirds majority of votes validly cast. | ||
Revision as of 20:49, 12 November 2009
Draft as of end Nov. 12 [1]
Mission statement
I still prefer: The Citizendium is a collaborative effort to compile an online encyclopaedia that presents human knowledge organized and structured in a way to serve as a convenient, reliable, and well-written source of information.
plus public domain / editorial guided?
Fundamental policies
?Professionalism
Contributors to the project — henceforth Citizens — are required to behave professionally. This means acceptance of guidance from experts and from the wider Citizendium community and the obligation to remain civil and constructive even in cases of dispute. A set of persons of mature judgment — hereafter the Constables — shall be specially empowered to enforce rules laid out in this Charter or its accompanying documents. The enforcement of these rules — up to and including the ejection of participants from the project — is to be carried out with reasonable pragmatism and leniency, including in those situations where the applicability of existing rules may be unclear.
Real names
All Citizens must register using their real names, which will define their user name.
Expertise
Expertise will be respected. It shall be recognized through publications (including contributions to the Citizendium), credentials or employment, or through any other means established by the Editorial Council.
?Collaboration
The Citizendium is a collaborative project, open to constructive contributions by any Citizen to any of its content at any time. The Citizendium also allows collaboration with non-Citizen partners on any matters relevant to the project's mission, provided that the interaction does not conflict with this Charter.
?Accessibility
The content provided at the Citizendium is intended for an audience with completed high-school level of education. As far as possible, special needs of visually or otherwise impaired users and of machines will be taken into account.
?Being Bold
Should Citizens be unsure that their planned contributions are in conformity with the Charter and its subordinate policies, they are advised to seek comments from Editors and the wider community. In the absence of disputes, they may reasonably proceed.
Governance
The Citizendium is devoted to transparent and fair governance at a minimum of bureaucracy. Special roles will not be created without excellent reason.
Authors
Any Citizen can act as an Author, i.e. contribute or modify content, unless blocked from specific articles or topics by an Editor or Constable. Blocks may be appealed through the Dispute Resolution procedure.
?Editors
Editors are Citizens who — because of their recognized expertise in specific areas — are responsible for the scope and quality of the content presented by the Citizendium. Specifically, in their areas of expertise, they are entitled (1) to make decisions about specific questions or disputes concerning particular articles, and (2) to approve high-quality articles.
Management Committee
A Management Committee shall be responsible for matters concerned with the non-editorial policies of Citizendium, such as finance, external alliances, communications, administration, and behavior. To this end, it may appoint Administrators and Task Managers whose activities it will oversee. It will also appoint Constables and oversee their activities.
The Management Committee shall consist of thirteen Citizens, who may not simultaneously serve on the Editorial Council. They may, however, be Constables or Task Managers. A quorum shall consist of seven members. The members of the Management Committee shall be elected by vote of active Citizens and Authors, with two-year renewable terms. The Management Committee will appoint one of its members as the Management Lead, who will represent the Citizendium externally on all matters except content.
Editorial Council
An Editorial Council will be responsible for guiding content and establishing policy. It will be made up of active Citizens, no less than one half of whom shall be Editors, the remainder shall be Authors.
The Editorial Council shall consist of thirteen Citizens, who may not simultaneously serve on the Management Committee or be Constables. They may, however, be Task Managers. A quorum shall consist of seven members. The members of the Editorial Council will be elected by vote of active Citizens and Authors, with two-year renewable terms. The Editorial Council will appoint one of its members as the Editorial Lead, who will represent the Citizendium externally on matters of content.
During deliberations on a matter covered by specific workgroups, the Chief Editor of that Workgroup, or another member, may be part of a quorum if that individual is not a Council member. If, however, the matter under discussion involves a dispute with such an Editor, that Editor may state positions to the Council but not vote on them unless already a member.
??Workgroups
The Editorial Council may create and reorganize workgroups to organize areas of content, and to encourage collaboration among authors and editors in areas of expertise. Workgroup members will build top-level articles and knowledge structures for the articles in a discipline.
The Editorial Council shall elaborate a strategy and policy on topic-specific collaboration, chiefly based on CZ:Workgroups and some accepted ontology or other knowledge categorization scheme. In addition to subject specific Workgroups, there shall be a General Workgroup with jurisdiction over general issues of style and content, and for articles of very wide scope. There may be, in addition, interdisciplinary or specialized Subgroups. In addition, there may be Area Groups, as for (e.g., Science or Science & Technology) to deal with broad issues affecting many but not all workgroups (e.g., units of measurement).
When there are disputes on content issues, assuming there are multiple Editors in a workgroup, they will attempt to resolve the dispute. Failing agreement, the matter will be taken to the Editorial Council.
Administration
The Citizendium's administration handles the legal, financial and technical operations necessary for the project to fulfil its mission.
Dispute resolution
Disputes will be settled at the lowest possible level, such as by bringing in peer Editors or Constables. Next, the Ombudsman will be contacted for non-binding mediation. Should that fail, the matter will go to the appropriate body — the Editorial Board/Council for content matters and the Management Council for behavioral and administrative matters. As a last resort, both Councils may appoint members to an arbitration panel, for Final arbitration as defined below.
?Ombudsman
The role of Ombudsman shall be vested in a Citizen with substantial CZ experience and widely respected judgment, who may appoint up to two other Citizens to support his/her work. The Ombudsman will be elected by simple majority vote of each of the Editorial Council and Management Council, for a term of 4 years. An Ombudsman may be recalled by a supermajority (75%) of each of the Editorial and Management Councils.
Final arbitration
In the event of a dispute that cannot be resolved at a level below that of the Editorial Council or the Management Committee, appeals boards may be constituted on an ad hoc basis. They will consist of three members nominated by the Editorial Council and three members nominated by the Management Committee, who shall not have been involved in the specific dispute. An Ombudsman will preside; that official shall direct the Board and will be non-voting other than to possess a tie-breaking votevote. Should no Ombudsman be available who is not a party to the matter, the Councils shall appoint a special presider from the Citizenry.
Electorate
All Authors are entitled to vote on the adoption or modification of this charter.
License
The content of the Citizendium will always be free to use, reuse, and redistribute. Content originating at the Citizendium is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Content that originated elsewhere may also be incorporated into the Citizendium if such reuse is permitted by the copyright owners. Citing CZ?
Legal status
The Citizendium will be owned and ultimately controlled by a non-profit organization.
Languages
The official language of the Citizendium is English. Branches in other languages require approval by the Editorial Council and have to be based on this English-language charter or an approved translation.
Final clause
Ratification
If this Charter has been ratified by two thirds or more of the votes validly cast in a referendum for this purpose, it shall be certified by the Editor-in-Chief within a week after the closing of the referendum. For future amendments, a certifying official or officials shall be agreed upon by the joint Management Committee and Editorial Council.
Entry into force
This Charter shall enter into force on the day following ratification.
Interim guidance for the transition period
As long as the administrative prerequisites for implementing the charter are not entirely fulfilled, the rules listed in this section shall provide interim guidance to the Editorial Council, Management Council, and other bodies. Such material may be modified by those bodies by their normal procedures, without a full Charter amendment.
Editorial Council and Management Committee
For both bodies, the intention is to elect half of the members each year, so of the first group, a number corresponding to the quorum will be selected, by lot or personal agreement, to serve one-year terms.
Citizens with pseudonyms
Citizens currently registered with a pseudonym will be granted up to one year of time to re-register for a new account under their real name. One year after the entry into force of this charter, all pseudonym accounts shall be locked by the Constabulary.
Inactive Editors
CZ:Editorial Council Resolution 0012 will be extended such that newly registered Editors who have not yet contributed(how?) to the project shall be regarded as Inactive Editors. consequences?
External partners
The Management Council shall elaborate a strategy and policy on collaboration with external partners, paying particular attention to fostering the collaboration with instructors by way of Eduzendium, and with external experts or professional organizations for the purpose of reviewing content at the Citizendium or providing content to it.
Future amendments
This Charter shall be open to amendment at any time subsequent to its ratification. The Management Council is hereby vested with the power to act upon proposals for amendment originating from any Citizen or Citizendium institution. The process of Amendment requires the Management Council initially to consult with Citizens (including via the Forum) and subsequently to draft an appropriate amended text. The decision to accept the amended text will be taken by popular vote of the Citizenry, and requires a two-thirds majority of votes validly cast.