User:Cassidy (Wiki Ed)/Art history

Page 1: Editing Wikipedia articles about Art History

Editing Wikipedia can be daunting for a newcomer contributing to Wikipedia for the first time. This guide is designed to assist students assigned to add art history content to articles on Wikipedia. Here's what other editors will expect you to know.

Be accurate

You're editing a reference resource that millions of people use as a first stop to learn about the world, draw conclusions about human behavior, guide policy decisions, and make sense of their culture and those of others.

By documenting and sharing accurate and objective content about art history, you will help people around the world to have free and open access to a wide spectrum of human knowledge.

Understand the guidelines

Wikipedia editors who edit art historical topics have developed these guidelines for writing art history-related Wikipedia articles. Take the time to read and understand the suggestions here to make sure you meet expectations when you edit Wikipedia. When articles don't meet these guidelines, fixing mistakes diverts valuable volunteer time that could have been spent improving content.

Engage with editors

A crucial part of the Wikipedia experience is receiving and responding to feedback from other editors. It's likely that experienced editors will read your work, comment on it, or ask about it. If you wait until the last day to make a contribution, you may miss this feedback and opportunities to improve your work. If you get a comment, make sure you respond to it.

Avoid plagiarism

Wikipedia articles must be written in your own words. Whether it's copy-and-pasting, close paraphrasing (when most of the words are changed, but the structure and meaning of the original text remains), plagiarism is forbidden on Wikipedia just as it is in other work for university. Plagiarism will be caught by other editors, a permanent record of plagiarism will be tied to your account, and your instructor will be notified.

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make sure you really understand your material, draw from a number of different sources, and write about your topic in your own words. Always cite a source when you can, even if you do not quote it directly.

Also avoid uploading copyrighted images to Wikipedia's sister site, Wikimedia Commons. (Start by assuming that any image that you didn't make is copyright.)

Don't be scared. Be bold!

Everybody on Wikipedia wants to make it the best it can be. Take the time to understand these guidelines, and soon you'll be contributing important knowledge to a resource millions of people use every day!

Page 2: Getting started

Finding a topic

Make sure you have access to more than one good source that deals directly with your subject before you commit to it. If you decide to create a new article rather than improve an existing one, review notability guidelines by typing WP:N into Wikipedia's searchbar.

Consider creating or expanding articles about:

• A notable artist

• An artistic period

• A work of art (sculpture and decorative arts tend to receive less coverage than painting)

• A non-Western work of art or artist

• An art motif or technique

For more guidance, see the "Finding your article" training: wikiedu.org/finding-articles

Using reliable sources

Unlike many academic papers you’ve written, a Wikipedia article calls for secondary sources, not primary sources. Before you spend too much time working on a new article, it’s important to establish whether the subject has been adequately covered by reliable, secondary sources.

Use these sources, if possible:

• Books and textbooks about art history and related topics, such as the Yale History of Art;
• Peer-reviewed journals found in databases like JSTOR, Project Muse, Art Full Text, Smarthistory.org, or Oxford Art Online;
• Exhibition catalogues from well-known museums, galleries, and other holding institutions;
• Critics' reviews in national publications with a reputation for accuracy like Artforum, The Art Newspaper, Arts Journal, or The New York Times.

Do not cite these:

• Social media posts
• Blogs
• Press releases

If you're unsure about your sources, ask your instructor for help or review Evaluating articles and sources: wikiedu.org/evaluating-articles. Detailed information about Wikipedia's sourcing guidelines is also available at WP:RS.

What's a shortcut? (pullout box)

You can type shortcuts like this into Wikipedia’s search bar to pull up specific pages that might otherwise be hard to find.

Depicting information accurately

Weigh the conclusions of a book or journal article against other sources in your field. It’s a good idea to draw from a number of sources when making a claim. Always try to use sources that are subject to a peer-review process.

You're not just writing about a topic; you're writing about how scholars have written about it. Resist the urge to add your own analysis or to connect multiple sources together to form an argument. See WP:NOR.

Page 3: Structuring your article

Organizing your article

Every article will be unique, but there are some general sections that readers and other editors will expect to see. Add, remove, or reorder these suggested sections as needed. The organization of your article might be affected by the type of art or artist you are writing about, the amount of resources and images available, and whether you are writing on a premodern or contemporary topic.

Writing about an artist

If you are creating a new article about an artist, make sure you understand Wikipedia's notability requirements. Artists are considered notable on Wikipedia if they have received significant coverage in multiple, reliable secondary sources that are independent of the artist. Additional factors (especially for contemporary artists) are if works of theirs are in the collections of major museums or if they've been a part of a major exhibition. For living artists, be aware of the special policy on Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons.

• Lead (see WP: LEAD for help)
• Historical background and artistic training
• Well-known artworks
• Critical reception and exhibitions
• Interactions with or influence on other artists

Consult our handout about writing biographies, available at wikiedu.org/biographies.

Writing about a work of art

• Lead section
• Visual analysis or subject
• Composition/style/material
• Historical background: might include details about its commission, production, and the artist(s)
• Reception

See | shortcut WP:VAMOS for a style guide, and the article for An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump for a good example.

Depicting information accurately

On Wikipedia, your job is to present the facts. It is not to discuss your own interpretation of an artwork or an artist's choices. Instead, summarize what scholarly sources have already said. Be sure to give appropriate weight to aspects of your topic as reliable sources cover it. And resist the urge to connect multiple sources together to form an argument. See WP:NPOV and WP:NOR .

What is an infobox? (Pullout box)

An infobox provides a helpful overview of some topics. You’ve probably seen them at the top-right area of other Wikipedia articles. It is not necessary to add an infobox, but if you want to do so, edit the page and select Insert > Template. Type "Infobox artist", "Infobox artwork", or another template and fill in as many fields as you can. For more information, search Template:Infobox artist on Wikipedia.

Uploading images of artwork

High quality images of relevant artworks can greatly enhance the value of your article for readers. Keep in mind, however, that most art is copyrighted for several decades after the death of the artist. Older art is generally free of copyright, and there is an enormous selection on Wikipedia's sister site, Wikimedia Commons.

Images of two-dimensional art (such as paintings) that is "in the public domain" are themselves free of copyright for Wikimedia purposes. Images of three-dimensional art (such as sculpture) have a different copyright created by the photographer. You can't publish a photo of artwork that is still in copyright (or sell a copy) without the explicit permission of the artist. However, many museums have released their photographs under free licenses.

Conventionally copyrighted images have a place on Wikipedia in cases of fair use, meaning:

• The work is historically significant and the image adds value to the article that words wouldn't.
• Use of the copyrighted work is for educational purposes only (i.e. not to sell something).
• Inclusion of the image adds valuable information to the article.
• The image is a low resolution version of the original.

Freely licensed images are uploaded through Wikimedia Commons. But when contributing non-free content to an article, you must upload directly through Wikipedia. For guidelines, see WP:NFCC.

When uploading, add a caption that identifies the artist (if known), the title of the artwork, the date, the materials and measurements, and its present location.

Page 4: Wrapping up

Key points

As you start writing, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Resist the urge to add your own analysis. A Wikipedia article should cover what the literature says, not your interpretation.
• Give appropriate weight to aspects of the topic as the literature covers it.
• When mentioning technical terms for the first time, provide a short plain-English explanation in parentheses or wikilink to a related article if possible.
• Write in your own words, and be clear and direct. To avoid close paraphrasing and copyright issues, thoroughly understand your material and cross reference your understanding with a variety of sources.
• Remember you are writing for a global audience.
• Before uploading images, make sure you understand copyright and the licenses that Wikipedia can accept.

Final thoughts

• Don't procrastinate! Writing good, reliable Wikipedia articles takes time. If you get stuck, talk to your instructor rather than adding content to Wikipedia that doesn't meet these guidelines.
• If you have additional questions about contributing to Wikipedia, you can ask the Wikipedia Expert listed on your course page.

• Read through what you have posted, and correct as necessary.
• Take pride in your contributions! You're contributing to public knowledge about art topics and perspectives. You're bringing depth to the public coverage of those topics and sharing that knowledge with the millions of people who use Wikipedia every day.
• Check back on your page. It can be interesting to see how your article grows, but you may also have comments and suggestions from other editors, and want to get involved in new developments.

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