CZ:Contributor Lists

This is part of a proposal that is currently pending. Please do not use!

See Editorial Council Resolution 0008, Template:Contribs, and the proposals page.

What are contributor lists?

Contributor lists are alphabetical lists of people who have contributed at least a couple of sentences to the article. A list appears only after at least five contributors are listed. Contributor lists use the {{Contribs}} template. Here's an example of how the template is used, with five names:

{{Contribs|Martin Baldwin-Edwards|Meg Ireland|Russell D. Jones|Hayford Peirce|Warren Schudy}}

Here is how that displays:

Contributors [about]: Martin Baldwin-Edwards | Meg Ireland | Russell D. Jones | Hayford Peirce | Warren Schudy CZ is an open collaboration. Please join these people in developing this article!

If a name appears on the list, does that mean the person endorses the current version of the article?

No, not necessarily. The list is merely a list of names of people who have, at one time or another, added two substantive sentences (or the equivalent) to the article. If, however, a person now does not want to be included on the list of authors, he or she may remove his or her name.

Why are there contributor lists at all?

It is a small honor that might motivate some people to contribute.

How do I get added to a list?

You add yourself, once you have contributed two substantive sentences, or an equivalent amount of content such as an image or notes, to the article. Add your name alphabetically to the list. For example, if my name is Joe Moe, I would add my name as follows:

{{contribs|John Doe|Joe Moe|Jane Roe}}

Do not skip down a space, and do not add [[ or ]] around your username.

What if I start a new article? Can I add a new contributor list to the article page?

Yes. Simply write (at the very bottom of the page): {{contribs|Your Username}} (and, of course, replace "Your Username" with your exact username, without [[ or ]].

What is a "substantive sentence"? What categories of data are "equivalent"?

One that is not particularly short or particularly unimportant. If you claim that a sentence is substantive, we probably won't object. One image or other graphic will earn co-contributor credit, as will two citations in notes; five "related articles" links; three "external links"; and similar amounts of content for data types.

Can someone add me to a contributor list?

Yes, if you have met the requirements to be added to the list, and you have not specifically asked not to be added.

Generally we should ask permission before adding another person's name.

Can I remove myself from the list?

Yes, and no one may prevent you from doing so.

I created a list, or added myself to a list, but I don't see my name. Why not?

Probably because there are fewer than five names on the list.

Why don't you display fewer than five names?

Because a list of relatively few names could put off people who might feel uncomfortable joining what appears to them to be a small "clique" or "club." Moreover, giving people credit only once the list of names reaches five in length will encourage more robust collaboration in the beginning of the authoring of an article, which is a very good thing. In short, it helps secure robust collaboration.

Isn't the list meaningless if one can be added to it for contributing just a couple of sentences to the article?

It isn't meaningless, because it is a list of people who have, after all, worked some on the article; most people cannot make that claim. We grant that it is a small honor--one that, again, will motivate some people to do work on the wiki and take pride in their work, even if very small.

Why not make the honor more meaningful? Why not restrict credit to "major authors," defined somehow?

Because, in short, to do that would be to recognize people as major authors. This would change the robustly collaborative culture of our project. Probably, this would make people less likely to contribute to articles that they aren't honored for writing. Other projects, such as the Encyclopedia of Earth and Scholarpedia, do recognize major authors, but they do not enjoy nearly the sort of robust collaboration that the Citizendium does. It is best that we not play fast and loose with the very engine--collaboration--that runs the wiki process.

What if we have a disagreement about whether a person should be listed?

On the one hand, anyone who requests not to be listed must be removed. On the other hand, if a person insists on being included, one may not argue about a Citizen's claim of credit. Only the Constabulary may edit author lists in order to remove a contributor claim, and is generally responsible for settling any objections to a particular contributor listing.

Can contributor lists be added to subpages? How?

Yes. Contributor templates work precisely the same way for subpages, that is, each subpage uses its own contributor template.