Wikipedia:Meetup/East Lansing/MSU Libraries Edit-a-thon: Superfund sites in Michigan/Article guide
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Getting started
[edit]- Sign in to your Wikipedia account, or create an account.
- If you're brand new to editing Wikipedia, spend some time browsing the resources here.
Create a new article or add content to an existing article
[edit]Choose a Superfund site to write about
[edit]- Go to List of Superfund sites in Michigan
- You'll notice many of the listed Superfund sites are red links like this: These are articles that have yet to be created on Wikipedia.
- You can choose to create an article for a red link, or you can add information to an existing article.
Locate your Superfund site on the EPA Superfund website
[edit]- In a separate browser tab or window, open https://www.epa.gov/superfund/search-superfund-sites-where-you-live.
- Locate your Superfund site by browsing the Michigan list, or use the search box.
- When you've found your Superfund site, spend some time getting oriented to the information presented.
- Some Superfund sites have longer, more detailed descriptions than others.
- Often the best summary of the site is available via the "Cleanup Activities" menu -- especially the sections "Background" and "What Is the Current Site Status?"
- For many sites, a list of contaminants is available via the "Health & Environment" menu
Compose your article
[edit]- For examples of brief, informative articles, see:
- K & L Avenue Landfill -- Except for one sentence, this article draws entirely on two pages about the landfill from the EPA Superfund website (notice the citations!)
- Adams Plating -- This article is written using the EPA Superfund website, local news sources, and a journal article
- For a quick introduction to the Wikipedia editing interface, see an event organizer or check out some of the resources here.
Creating a new article
[edit]- To create a new article, click on a red link. If your Wikipedia account is brand new, you will be prevented from creating an article, but don't worry. See an event organizer for help!
- Let an event organizer know which article you're choosing -- this will help avoid "edit conflicts" when multiple people try to edit the same page.
- If you don't have much experience editing Wikipedia, it's a good idea to see an event organizer before you publish your article.
If you have time
[edit]- Search non-EPA sources for additional information you can add to the article
- Search for scholarly articles in the Groundwater and Soil Contamination Database
- Search Google and/or Google News
- Search the MSU Library
- For some sites you might find lots of information, for others you might find nothing.
- If you want to add an infobox and map to your article, see an event organizer, or you can try copying and editing the code from the Adams Plating article.