Wikipedia:WikiProject LGBTQ+ studies/Getting involved

Welcome to Wikiproject LGBT studies (WP:LGBT)! We are a project to create, maintain and improve LGBT coverage in Wikipedia, the largest encyclopaedia ever assembled! Here, people interested in LGBT issues, be they gay, straight, transgender, black, white, 13 or 74, work together to make Wikipedia the most comprehensive encyclopedia on LGBT-related issues worldwide. You're welcome to as well!

What is Wikipedia?

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit! It is run by a non-commercial, nonprofit organization called the Wikimedia Foundation, which also hosts other projects, such as Wikiquote and Wikibooks. See this page for our successes so far.

Type a subject in the "search box" to the left of this screen and see what appears: Try "Same-sex marriage in Spain," for instance, and read our excellent article on the topic. The "edit this page" tab at the top of the page means you can, if you so wish, edit any page in Wikipedia and have your changes appear immediately. If you would like to try it out, you can experiment on Wikipedia:Sandbox. Enter anything you want, and see what appears! Remember: No constructive edit is too small!

Wherever you see a word or phrase underlined in blue, that means you can click it to read an article. If you can spot a mistake or notice you can add something, you can just make it there and then using the edit button. Where a word or phrase is underlined in red, that means that article has not yet been written—which means you can click on that word or phrase and create that article yourself!

User accounts

Anyone can edit Wikipedia, regardless of whether they have a user account; however, if you find yourself contributing regularly, it's a good idea to create a user account. Edits by registered users tend to be taken a little more seriously. Some users will even revert IP edits without looking at the edits themselves. And of course, then you can join our project and enjoy all the benefits membership brings. You don't have to use your real name if you don't want to, and having an account helps when others want to contact you to discuss the work you're doing or even to thank you for your contributions. It's also a good idea to supply an email address by which people can contact you offline, particularly if you edit irregularly.

• Create a user account

What is WikiProject LGBT studies?

Wikipedia:WikiProject LGBT studies (WP:LGBT) is a group of Wikipedia editors interested in editing LGBT articles, in whatever area, from LGBT people to gay marriage to transgender topics to Homosexual necrophilia in the mallard duck. WP:LGBT brings all these people together to discuss what we're doing, ask for help, announce new articles and pinpoint areas that especially need fixing. Wikipedia can become a bit wearing at times, and several of our editors have been helped by our project when they have been feeling discouraged. WP:LGBT also acts a centre for LGBT related developments, such as LGBT Articles for Deletion, or to highlight any disputes going on regarding articles within the scope of the project.

Any Wikipedian (someone with a user account)—regardless of sexual orientation—is free to join us. Check out Portal:LGBTQ and our main page to see what we've accomplished so far. WP:LGBT is focussed on improving and expanding LGBT coverage across Wikipedia, and we would be delighted to welcome you!

How to get involved with WP:LGBT

Editing articles

Many articles need to be edited, updated, or even created. These include articles about notable LGBT people, LGBT-related media, events, and country-specific topics (such as LGBT rights and same sex marriage laws). Because Wikipedia's editorial staff is made up of volunteers, everything should be cited with reliable sources. You can usually find sources such as newspaper articles through a simple Google search; for older articles, you may have to do a little research. If there is a specific book or source you need, you can ask at the talkpage to see if anyone can help. If you don't have a specific area in mind, we maintain a list of requested articles on LGBT topics, which anyone can create.

A look at the our resources page may help you in your editing. We also have useful Templates.

Administration

Paperwork piles up fast on Wikipedia.

While Wikipedia is all about the articles, there's a lot of "behind-the-scenes" stuff that needs doing. If you feel like you don't want to edit articles right now, we can help us out with these menial but vital tasks:

• Going through the lists at Articles for deletion and adding any LGBT-related ones to our deletion sorting list, so others can see and vote on them.

• Tag LGBT articles you come across with our WikiProject banner by adding {{LGBTProject | class=}} to the talkpage. Please see the Assessment Department for how to assess an article according to the grading system.

• Involve yourself in any of our discussions on the main talkpage. This will also give you a better feel for how we work.

You can also distribute our promotional poster outside of Wikipedia to promote the project: http://wplgbt.tripod.com/Wikipedianeedsyou.doc (you have to cut and paste the URL). Please distribute anywhere and everywhere you desire, such as LGBT libraries, cybercafes, community centres and so on. Also, please let Dev920 know where you have put it up, so she can keep track of our coverage.

Related projects

• If you know a language other than English, you could translate LGBT articles into other languages. There is currently only one active other WikiProject, the Spanish . However, you do not need to be part of a WikiProject to translate articles—just go for it.

• You could add LGBT terminology to Wiktionary:, our sister dictionary.

• You could add LGBT quotes to Wikiquote: another sister project. This is most helpful for known LGBT activists and LGBT films.

• You could create audio versions of LGBT articles for WikiProject Spoken Wikipedia. If you do take this on, please start with our FAs, which you can see here.

Resources

The mainproject page gives you a short overview of the resources available to you as part of the project. Among them are:

• The LGBT WikiProject talk page This is the central page to visit for general discussion of the project. You can see what other editors are working on, ask questions, and propose new ideas.

• The open tasks template keeps editors up to date about the latest Featured Article candidates, peer reviews, and Deletion discussions, as well as important announcements. It's also located at the top of the talkpage, so you can't miss it.

• Our custom templates make reading and navigating LGBT articles easier.

• We have a resources page, which may be able to help you if you're looking for inspiration or reliable sources.

• We also have a variety of specialised Departments to aid us in our work, such as a monthly collaboration, a peer review process, a special competition known as Jumpaclass.

In closing

Welcome to WikiProject LGBT studies! We look forward to your edits, wherever and whatever they may be. Never before has there been such an opportunity to provide neutral, factual coverage of LGBT people and issues to such a wide audience. The WikiProject seeks to make the most of that. We are delighted you can join us in this effort.

If you need anything or are having problems, just ask.