Georgia Tech’s Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon Returns for Second Year

Posted March 6, 2019

One year after its successful launch, the Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon will return to the Georgia Institute of Technology on March 9, 2019.

The event, organized by the Writing and Communication Program’s Curricular Innovation Committee, is held to edit and improve Wikipedia articles on underrepresented people in STEM fields, particularly women and people from the LGBTQIA+ and ethnic minorities.

Last year, about 50 students, staff, and faculty participated in last year’s session, according to said Maria Almanza, a Brittain Fellow and chair of the Curricular Innovation Committee. The group edited about 20 Wikipedia articles with the help of faculty, students, and staff.

“Last year was the first edit-a-thon, but we are looking to create an ongoing event given interest at a local and national level,” Almanza said. “The effort focuses on a number of goals, our largest being to teach the public how to add, improve, copyedit and ‘Wikify’ articles so that we can all participate in improving what is one of the largest public-facing reference resources. Our event is aimed at using that knowledge to better represent women in STEM fields, as well as improving and creating entries for other underrepresented individuals, be it people with disabilities or members of racial and ethnic minority groups.”

The edit-a-thon builds on a national effort by organizations such as co-sponsor Art + Feminism, an organization that is seeking to create a national Wikipedia editing campaign against the backdrop of Women’s History Month, in March.

This year’s editing session will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Communication Center in Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons. Participants should bring a laptop and charger. Food will be provided. No experience is necessary to participate.

Other partners for this year’s event include the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts’ School of Literature, Media, and Communication, the Naugle Communication Lab, and the Women's Resource Center.