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The Article Checklist is a set of standardized notes about (eventually) every article in the ''Citizendium.''  We place this checklist on the "Talk" pages.  The checklist tracks data that automatically compiles useful categories, linked from [[:Category:Checklisted Articles]].  We can use these categories to compile new statistics meaningful to humans and to organize article improvement projects.
{{editintro}}


We officially began using the Article Checklist on March 15, 2007.
The '''Article Checklist''' is a set of notes placed on the [[CZ:Metadata|metadata page]] of every [[CZ:Article structure|article]] in the ''Citizendium''. Based on these, the checklist  compiles categories in each [[CZ:Workgroups|workgroup]]. We use these to compile statistics and to organize article improvement projects.  


== How it works ==
== How it works ==
The checklist is part of the article's metadata, a template page that is required when the subpages format is initiated. When creating the metadata template the empty checklist fields are preloaded from the [[:Template:Blank metadata|blank checklist template]] page into the article's metadata page (when you [[CZ:Start article with subpages|start a new page]] the {{tl|Subpages}} template, which you are instructed to start the article with, will help you do this), and then you can fill out the checklist by typing workgroup category names, numbers, and "yes"es and "no"s.


The checklist is a ''template'' (if you're interested, here is [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Templates an introduction to Mediawiki templates]).  Basically, you fill out the checklist simply by typing workgroup category names, code numbers, and yeses and nos.  The template takes your input and spits out two things: (1) your answers, prettily formatted in a table, and (2) new and very useful categories such as "Developed Articles," "Stub Articles," "Philosophy Orphans," and many others.
The metadata mechanism takes that information and spits out two things: (1) data formatted in a table, on all the separate pages that make up an article, and (2) adds entries useful categories such as "Developed Articles," "Stub Articles," and many others. (See below.)


An example of the Article Checklist in use can be found at [[Talk:John Doherty (fiddler)]].  Note not only the checklist, but all of the "categories" listed at the bottom of the page: all of those categories are ''automatically generated'' by the checklist. If you're interested, feel free to play with the parameters of the template on [[Talk:John Doherty (fiddler)]], to see how they change the category list; but you might want to [[#The template fields explained|see below]] for help doing this, particularly for filling out the 'status' field, which uses numbers 1-4.
An example of the Checklist [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=Template:John_Doherty_%28fiddler%29/Metadata&action=edit in use]: on the  [[Talk:John_Doherty_(fiddler)| talk page], note not only the checklist (click on  "show" to see it in expanded form), but all of the "Categories" listed at the bottom of the page which are generated..


A complete list of articles that make use of the Article Checklist can be found at [[:Category:Checklisted Articles]].  {{checklist_categories}}
A complete list of articles in various categories can be found in {{checklist_categories}}


The technically-minded may be interested to see the template found at [[Template:Checklist]], which is the "engine" behind the checklist.
The technically-minded may be interested to see the series of templates starting at {{tl|Subpages}}, which is the "engine" behind the checklist.


== How we could use this to organize massively distributed work ==
== The blank metadata template ==
{{metadata_basic}}


So, how could the Article Checklist be used?
== The template fields  ==


First consider that we have done remarkably well with [[CZ:The Big Speedydelete|The Big Speedydelete]].  This shows wonderfully what a big crowd of smart people can do if given definite, useful, self-directed tasks, clear instructions, and a way to get credit.  Suppose, then, we start another "Big" project, a Big Cleanup, which does all the relatively simple stuff that needs to be done, or checked, in articles. For instance:
=== The 'pagename' field ===
This '''''must''''' contain the correct name of the article, or our system for gathering together the components of the article won't work.


* Is the title bolded?
=== The 'variant' field ===
* Are the correct workgroup tags used?
This records the [[dialect]] of [[English language|English]] which the article is written in. Currently, valid values are:
* Are the old Wikipedia interwiki links removed, if the article came from Wikipedia?
* "AE" - American
 
* "AuE" - Australian
And so on.
* "BE" - British
 
* "CE" - Canadian
Well, when people do The Big Cleanup, they can put the Article Checklist on the talk page of every article.  One of the items on the checklist is: "Basic cleanup done?"  If you say "yes" to that, that means you've gone through the "basic cleanup" list, which can be found [[#Basic cleanup done?|below]], and you've done everything on that list.  If you mark "no," then the article is added to "General Cleanup" and (supposing it's a Physics Workgroup article) the "Physics Cleanup" categories.
 
If we use the Article Checklist as part of The Big Cleanup, not only would we track the information that the article had been cleaned up, but for relatively little work, many useful categories that would result.  Perhaps the most important would be the "status" information about the articles in our database: this would allow us to determine what percentage of articles are "developed," "developing and past stub stage," "stubs," and "sourced from elsewhere and undeveloped," and how many articles there are in each category.  This sort of data would be really useful for workgroups to get an idea of where they are at, what their needs are, and so forth.
 
But this would be only the beginning.  These dynamically generated categories would make new projects possible.  We could tackle orphans by workgroup; we could upload images and templates by workgroup (or alphabetically); we could expand stubs alphabetically, or by workgroup; we could make and execute some hard decisions about relatively unedited articles from Wikipedia, ''Britannica,'' and other sources.
 
Then, if we expand the checklist and sets of categories, we might keep track of any of ''dozens'' of different attributes: need copyediting; needs rewrite for style; intro needs to be rewritten; bias; education level inappropriate; appears to be original research; and so forth.
 
== The blank template ==
 
{{checklist_blank}}
 
== The template fields explained ==
 
Here are explanations of each field on the checklist.  Bear in mind that we can, especially now, add and remove fields.


=== The 'abc' field ===
=== The 'abc' field ===
This ensures that articles are properly alphabetized.  Therefore, '''specify last name first,'''  (abc = Doherty, John), and move articles (''The'' etc.) to the end (abc = United States of America, The).


This field ensures that articles are properly alphabetized in category lists.  Therefore, specify last name first, and remove articles to the last position.  For example: Doherty, John; United States of America, The.
=== The 'cat_check' field ===
 
'cat_check' is used to indicate whether the category list (see below) needs to be reviewed by editors.  Put "yes" if you want someone to check over them or no if you consider them to be OK.   
=== Workgroup category or categories ===
This generates "category check" categories, such as [[:Category:Philosophy Category Check]].


''Only'' workgroups found at [[CZ:Workgroups]] should be included here (or, for that matter, on the article page itself).  The list here should be identical to the workgroup list found on the article itself.  This is necessary in order to generate certain categories automatically.
=== The 'status' field ===
There are five options:
{|
|valign=top|0.
|valign=top|[[Image:Statusbar0.png]]  
|valign=top|Approved article: approved by editor(s) (i.e., it has an approval template).
|-
|valign=top|1.
|valign=top|[[Image:Statusbar1.png]]
|valign=top|Developed article: complete or nearly so.  The two main criteria of a "developed" article are coverage of all topics the article "should" cover, as well as something close to a "suitable" length expected for an approved article. <br>'''Note:''' an exception is long articles sourced from Wikipedia that have not been changed very much; these are not "developed" but "developing," even if they are no longer "external" articles.  For a Wikipedia-sourced article to be "developed," it must have been ''entirely'' gone over by (a) Citizen(s), and the Citizen(s) must say that they have done all or nearly all the work needed for it to be approved.
|-
|valign=top|2.
|valign=top|[[Image:Statusbar2.png]]
|valign=top|Developing article: beyond a stub, but incomplete.  An article with over 100 words but which still needs quite a bit of work before it can be considered "developed." 
|-
|valign=top|3.
|valign=top|[[Image:Statusbar3.png]]
|valign=top|Stub: no more than a few sentences, i.e., under 100 words.
|-
|valign=top|4.
|valign=top|[[Image:Statusbar4.png]]
|valign=top|External article: from another source (such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Wikipedia] or the 1911 [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/ ''Britannica'']), with little change.  An article is ''not'' external if it has had at least three significant changes in three different places to the wording of an article. The following are not significant changes: removing unused templates, etc.; spelling and minor rewording; and deletions.  
|}


''Do'' include the [[:Category:Topic Informant Workgroup|Topic Informant Workgroup]] if it is on the article page--as well as any other "Project Workgroups."
Specify them by adding the appropriate number to the 'status' field. This populates categories that could be very useful indeed for us, including categories corresponding to each of the five options, as well as "Internal Articles" (combination of 0-3), "Nonstub Articles" (combination of 0-2), and "Advanced Articles (0-1)--and for each of the workgroups listed.


Fill in 'cat1' before 'cat2' or 'cat3'.  [[Template:Checklist]] permits only three categories, 'cat1', 'cat2', and 'cat3'.
=== The 'underlinked' field – Underlinked article? ===
 
An 'underlinked article' has ''none'' of the main expected links.  For example, if "tree" is not linked from "[[plant]]" or "[[biology]]" or "[[botany]]" ''or any other'' expected "parent" topic, then it is an "underlinked article."   
The template is limited to three workgroup categories.
 
=== Check categories? ===
 
The small-font parenthetical note is generated by 'cat_check'.  This is used to indicate whether, in the opinion of the person filling out the checklist, the category list is OK or, instead, needs review by editors.  Simply write 'y' or 'n' (or variations on these) for yes or no.
 
This generates handy "category check" categories, such as "Category:Philosophy Category Check" or, if no categories are specified, "Category:General Category Check".
 
=== Article status ===
 
There are four options for 'status' (examples to be given later):
 
# Developed article: complete or nearly so
# Developing article: beyond a stub, but incomplete
# Stub: no more than a few sentences
# External article: from another source, with little change
 
Specify them by adding the appropriate number to the 'status' field. This populates categories that could be very useful indeed for us, including categories corresponding to each of the four options, as well as "Internal Articles" (combination of 1-3) and "Nonstub Articles" (combination of 1-2)--and for each of the categories listed.  Thus, for example, if we have the Article Checklist on all of our articles, then we can produce a complete list of "Philosophy Stub Articles" or "Music Developed Articles" or "Biology Internal Articles".
 
=== Underlinked article? ===
 
An "underlinked article" is that has ''none'' of the main expected links to it.  For example, if "tree" is not linked from "[[plant]]" or "[[biology]]" or "[[botany]]" or any other such expected "parent" topic, then it is an "underlinked article."  If it ''is'' linked from one of these, then it is not underlinked.  Note, all orphans are underlinked, but some underlinked articles are not orphans.


Mark yes/no as before.  When in doubt, mark as underlinked, or get advice.
Mark yes/no as before.  When in doubt, mark as underlinked, or get advice.


=== Basic cleanup done? ===
=== The 'cleanup' field – Basic cleanup done? ===
This variable,  is just yes or no (so, 'y', 'Yes', 'no', etc.). It indicates  that the article has gone through a "basic cleanup," which means
{{cleanup todo}}


This variable, 'cleanup', is just yes or no (so, 'y', 'Yes', 'no', etc.). What it indicates is that the article has gone through a "basic cleanup," which means
=== The 'by' field – Checklist last edited by? ===
This field is  obsolete; please leave it blank.


{{cleanup todo}}
=== 'cat1' to 'cat3' fields – Workgroup category or categories ===
''Only'' workgroups found at [[CZ:Workgroups]] should be included here. This is necessary in order to generate certain categories automatically.  ''Do'' include the [[:Category:Topic Informant Workgroup|Topic Informant Workgroup]] if it is on the article page--and as any other "Project Workgroups."


=== Checklist last edited by? ===
If  a particular workgroup is needed for an article, but no such workgroup is listed on [[CZ:Workgroups]], then please  set cat_check = y (that's the next line in the checklist); and make a note of your suggestion on the talk page.


Simply type <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> (four, not three, so the date is given).
Fill in 'cat1' before 'cat2' or 'cat3'.  The subpages system supports only three categories.


If you are updating or correcting the work of someone else--even a single line in the checklist--then sign your name ''before'' the previous person's name (so they are listed in reverse chronological order); separate names with a semicolon (;).
=== 'sub1' to 'sub3' fields – Subgroup category or categories ===
This is an experimental field category and is not yet official. It will be used to add subgroup categories if [[CZ:Proposals/Subgroups|the proposal]] passes.


=== 'tab1' to 'tab3' fields – Experimental inputs ===
This an experimental category. It will be used to add one-off tab heading to the header that would be specific for one article or a small group of articles if [[CZ:Proposals/Should_we_allow_article_specific_subpages%3F|the proposal]] passes.
<!--
== The extensibility of the system ==
== The extensibility of the system ==
If this checklist can be retrieved and used through the metadata page of all new articles, clearly, we would like the data to be kept up-to-date, and the system extensible.
The system is extensible in that it will be easy enough to add ''new'' fields to the checklist, as long as they are ''optional'' fields.  We might produce variables that allow us to keep track of other sorts of data we might find useful, for example, how much copyediting an article needs, whether the article has  specific problems, such as stylistic problems, etc.  Any of these variables could then be used to track the maturity of an article, and (by producing appropriate categories) to organize large-scale efforts to tackle particular problems.
--!>
== Particular benefits ==
* We assign articles to [[CZ:Workgroups|Workgroups]].  As a result,
** The "recent changes" function for each workgroup tracks the recent changes made to ''all'' of the workgroup's articles.  For example,  [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=Special:Recentchangeslinked&target=Category%3ABiology_Workgroup recent changes for the Biology workgroup.] 
* We divide articles into five categories: approved (status = 0), developed (status = 1), developing (2), stub (3), and "external" (4), and lists of articles such as [[:Category:Biology Developed Articles|Biology Developed Articles]] and [[:Category:Computers Stub Articles|Computers Stub Articles]].
** This gives an overview of what proportion of our articles are at what stage of development. 


If this checklist can be found atop the talk page of all new articles, clearly, we would like the data to be kept up-to-date, and the system extensible.
<--!More benefits:
* We place "[[:Category:CZ Live|CZ Live]]" on all articles on which we've done significant work.  This is probably several hundred more than those that we are now taking credit for.  This generates our most visible statistic, and it also allows for alphabetical browsing; so it's important that we use that tag correctly.--!>


There is no reason that we cannot keep this data up-to-date.  This is not a foregone conclusion, but it seems entirely possible that people will develop a strong interest in keeping data about, for example, the "status" of the articles they work on--and thus, the other data as well--up-to-date.
* We get a list of all articles  about living persons (at [[:Category:Topic Informant Workgroup]].  This allows us to manage these sensitive articles more effectively.
{{Technical Help}}


The system is extensible in that it will be easy enough to add ''new'' fields to the checklist, as long as they are ''optional'' fields.  We might produce variables that allow us to keep track of other sorts of data we might find useful, for example, how much copyediting an article needs, whether the article has any number of specific problems, such as improper use of footnotes, not enough footnotes, stylistic problems, etc.  Any or all of these variables could then be used to track the overall maturity of an article, and (by producing appropriate categories) to organize large-scale efforts to tackle particular problems.
==See also==
* [[CZ:Using the Subpages template]]
* [[:Template:No metadata template]]

Latest revision as of 16:23, 20 January 2021

[edit intro]

The Article Checklist is a set of notes placed on the metadata page of every article in the Citizendium. Based on these, the checklist compiles categories in each workgroup. We use these to compile statistics and to organize article improvement projects.

How it works

The checklist is part of the article's metadata, a template page that is required when the subpages format is initiated. When creating the metadata template the empty checklist fields are preloaded from the blank checklist template page into the article's metadata page (when you start a new page the {{Subpages}} template, which you are instructed to start the article with, will help you do this), and then you can fill out the checklist by typing workgroup category names, numbers, and "yes"es and "no"s.

The metadata mechanism takes that information and spits out two things: (1) data formatted in a table, on all the separate pages that make up an article, and (2) adds entries useful categories such as "Developed Articles," "Stub Articles," and many others. (See below.)

An example of the Checklist in use: on the [[Talk:John_Doherty_(fiddler)| talk page], note not only the checklist (click on "show" to see it in expanded form), but all of the "Categories" listed at the bottom of the page which are generated..

A complete list of articles in various categories can be found in

See also: CZ:Unchecklisted Articles

The technically-minded may be interested to see the series of templates starting at {{Subpages}}, which is the "engine" behind the checklist.

The blank metadata template

{{#switch: {{{info}}}

<!--general article properties-->
|       pagename = 
|        variant = 

<!--Required for checklist-->

|            abc =  
|      cat_check = 
|         status = currently no status
|    underlinked = 
|        cleanup = 
|             by = 
|           cat1 = 
|           cat2 = 
|           cat3 = 
|           sub1 = 
|           sub2 = 
|           sub3 = 
|           tab1 = 
|           tab2 = 
|           tab3 = 

<!--required for ToApprove template-->
|    article url = 
|    subpage url = 
|        cluster = 
|            now = 
|     ToA editor = 
|    ToA editor2 = 
|    ToA editor3 = 
|           date = 

<!--required for Approved template-->
|       A editor = 
|      A editor2 = 
|      A editor3 = 

}}<noinclude>{{subpages}}</noinclude>

The template fields

The 'pagename' field

This must contain the correct name of the article, or our system for gathering together the components of the article won't work.

The 'variant' field

This records the dialect of English which the article is written in. Currently, valid values are:

  • "AE" - American
  • "AuE" - Australian
  • "BE" - British
  • "CE" - Canadian

The 'abc' field

This ensures that articles are properly alphabetized. Therefore, specify last name first, (abc = Doherty, John), and move articles (The etc.) to the end (abc = United States of America, The).

The 'cat_check' field

'cat_check' is used to indicate whether the category list (see below) needs to be reviewed by editors. Put "yes" if you want someone to check over them or no if you consider them to be OK. This generates "category check" categories, such as Category:Philosophy Category Check.

The 'status' field

There are five options:

0. Statusbar0.png Approved article: approved by editor(s) (i.e., it has an approval template).
1. Statusbar1.png Developed article: complete or nearly so. The two main criteria of a "developed" article are coverage of all topics the article "should" cover, as well as something close to a "suitable" length expected for an approved article.
Note: an exception is long articles sourced from Wikipedia that have not been changed very much; these are not "developed" but "developing," even if they are no longer "external" articles. For a Wikipedia-sourced article to be "developed," it must have been entirely gone over by (a) Citizen(s), and the Citizen(s) must say that they have done all or nearly all the work needed for it to be approved.
2. Statusbar2.png Developing article: beyond a stub, but incomplete. An article with over 100 words but which still needs quite a bit of work before it can be considered "developed."
3. Statusbar3.png Stub: no more than a few sentences, i.e., under 100 words.
4. Statusbar4.png External article: from another source (such as Wikipedia or the 1911 Britannica), with little change. An article is not external if it has had at least three significant changes in three different places to the wording of an article. The following are not significant changes: removing unused templates, etc.; spelling and minor rewording; and deletions.

Specify them by adding the appropriate number to the 'status' field. This populates categories that could be very useful indeed for us, including categories corresponding to each of the five options, as well as "Internal Articles" (combination of 0-3), "Nonstub Articles" (combination of 0-2), and "Advanced Articles (0-1)--and for each of the workgroups listed.

The 'underlinked' field – Underlinked article?

An 'underlinked article' has none of the main expected links. For example, if "tree" is not linked from "plant" or "biology" or "botany" or any other expected "parent" topic, then it is an "underlinked article."

Mark yes/no as before. When in doubt, mark as underlinked, or get advice.

The 'cleanup' field – Basic cleanup done?

This variable, is just yes or no (so, 'y', 'Yes', 'no', etc.). It indicates that the article has gone through a "basic cleanup," which means

  1. For each article, complete this to do list:
    • Bold the article title, if necessary, where it appears in the first sentence or so of the article. Note that certain phrases, and "list of X" titles, do not need to be bolded. See Article mechanics.
    • Remove all unused (red) templates, category tags, images, and interwiki links. It might be a good idea to copy the templates and images to the talk page for people to reinsert later. Please don't remove links to nonexistent articles (unless you feel moved to work on the article: removing such links isn't part of the "assignment").
    • Add appropriate workgroup category tag(s). Please use only the workgroup categories listed under CZ:Workgroups. (Note, this page is linked on the left sidebar as "Workgroups".) If you think there needs to be a new workgroup created in addition to one that you've placed an article into, then when you fill out the checklist, simply specify: cat_check = yes to request that someone check over the categories. Also, add "Category:Needs Workgroup" (capitalization important) if, and only if there are no suitable workgroups for an article.
    • Add Category:Topic Informant Workgroup if necessary, i.e., if an article is a biography of a living person, profile of a company, group, etc.--essentially, any article that concerns an existing nonpolitical entity with legal interests.
    • Add (or remove) the CZ Live tag as appropriate. An externally-sourced (e.g., Wikipedia) article is "CZ Live" if there have been at least three significant changes in three different places to the wording of an article. Hints:
      • To determine whether an article should be marked "Live" you might have to click on the page history, and compare the most recent edit with the very first edit. Use the "diff" between those two versions to determine whether the article has been changed enough.
      • The following are not significant changes: removing unused templates, etc.; spelling and minor rewording; deletions; and shuffling text without changing it.
      • Any new article, even if a stub, is automatically "CZ Live".
      • You might wonder if Category:CZ Live is necessary, since we will be constructing Category:Internal Articles. Perhaps--but we should not remove Category:CZ Live or even stop from maintaining it well, until after we have created Category:Internal Articles as its replacement--which means, not until we have added The Article Checklist to all of our articles.
      • Articles that are "CZ Live" are internal (checklist 'status' = 0-3); articles that are not "CZ Live" are external (checklist 'status' = 4).
    • Check the "Content is from Wikipedia?" box if any part of the article is sourced from Wikipedia. To determine this, you might again have to look at the article history and look at the very first version of the article. If that has a lot of red templates and categories, it came from Wikipedia. NOTE: if, for whatever reason, this is the only edit that you want to make to an article, you have to make some small edit in the article text box as well (e.g., add a space at the end of a line--it won't show up). Otherwise your checkbox change won't be saved. Do look at the bottom of the page that there's a link to Wikipedia.
    • Hint: use page history! You should probably make a trip to the page history for most if not all articles. If you want to determine whether an article is sourced from Wikipedia, then just look at the first version in the edit history. Virtually all Wikipedia articles left in the database have templates and images (that we have not uploaded, and thus are distinctive red links). That should be enough for us to tell whether to check the "Content is from Wikipedia?" box. If you want to determine how much an article has been changed from its Wikipedia original, go to the page history and press the radio buttons next to the oldest and the newest edits, and hit "compare". You'll be able to see the differences there. We have mostly been assuming that the original-uploaded version is identical to a Wikipedia original. Note: if an article is an "external" article and it has not been changed enough to be considered "CZ Live," consider whether according to our deletion rules you should put the {{speedydelete}} template on the page (put this template on the article's talk page, please). Please do mark it for "speedy deletion," if appropriate.

The 'by' field – Checklist last edited by?

This field is obsolete; please leave it blank.

'cat1' to 'cat3' fields – Workgroup category or categories

Only workgroups found at CZ:Workgroups should be included here. This is necessary in order to generate certain categories automatically. Do include the Topic Informant Workgroup if it is on the article page--and as any other "Project Workgroups."

If a particular workgroup is needed for an article, but no such workgroup is listed on CZ:Workgroups, then please set cat_check = y (that's the next line in the checklist); and make a note of your suggestion on the talk page.

Fill in 'cat1' before 'cat2' or 'cat3'. The subpages system supports only three categories.

'sub1' to 'sub3' fields – Subgroup category or categories

This is an experimental field category and is not yet official. It will be used to add subgroup categories if the proposal passes.

'tab1' to 'tab3' fields – Experimental inputs

This an experimental category. It will be used to add one-off tab heading to the header that would be specific for one article or a small group of articles if the proposal passes.

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