Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage: are Wikiprojects a solution? A study of the Cambodian Wikiproject
| Date | 09 April 2018 |
| Published date | 09 April 2018 |
| Pages | 238-249 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-06-2017-0199 |
| Author | Brendan Luyt |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Bibliometrics,Databases,Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet,Records management & preservation,Document management |
Wikipedia’s gaps in coverage: are
Wikiprojects a solution? A study
of the Cambodian Wikiproject
Brendan Luyt
Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine the rather unsuccessful Wikiproject for Cambodia.
Despite its lack of success, it is a case that can be used to draw lessens for dealing with the issue of
geographical under-representation on Wikipedia as a whole. After presenting evidence of the Wikiproject’s
failure to achieve the goals for which it was created, the author will discuss the pressing issues of imbalances
in geographical coverage on Wikipedia as well as the deeper issues involved in remedying these imbalances,
namely, the question of who gets to represent whom.
Design/methodology/approach –The author takes a broadly qualitative approach to the study of
Wikipedia. For this study, the Cambodia Wikiproject main page, as well as the various talk page archives
associated with it, was downloaded in November 2016 and subjected to a content analysis. Descriptive
statistics are also used when necessary to build the argument.
Findings –Wikiproject Cambodia has failed to appreciably improve the coverage of Cambodian topics. This
is likely due to its inability to attract for a prolonged period of time a champion able to anchor the project and
provide a sense that someone is listening. But the makeup of the project members also suggests that even if a
champion could be found, the question of who gets to represent whom remains difficult to deal with. It is
unlikely that Cambodia will anytime soon develop a strong community of Wikipedia editors given the
economic and social constraints the country imposes on the most of its population.
Originality/value –This work builds on the small, but growing body of literature dealing with coverage
gaps in Wikipedia. Given Wikipedia’s growing importance as part of the everyday information infrastructure
people use, such gaps and potential solutions to these gaps should be a vital part of the information science
community’s agenda.
Keywords Wikipedia, Asia, Representation, Wikiprojects
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
In recent years, scrutiny of Wikipedia has gone beyond an initial concern for accuracy to
include in addition concern over gaps in its coverage. Wikiprojects, communities of editors
who focus on improving or adding to articles on particular topics or areas, present one
mechanism by which these gaps in coverage could potentially be filled. This paper examines
the Wikiproject for Cambodia –not a particularly successful venture, but one that can be
used to draw lessens for dealing with the issue of geographical under-representation.
Afterwards, I will discuss what can be done to deal with imbalances in geographical
coverage on Wikipedia as well as the deeper issues involved in such efforts, namely, the
question of who gets to represent whom. Before turning to these concerns, however, I will
briefly survey the literature that presents the evidence for Wikipedia’s content inadequacies.
Under-representation on Wikipedia
The issue of gender was one of the first gaps that caught the attention of Wikipedia and
scholarly communities. Hence, much of the literature on under-representation in Wikipedia
deals with gender imbalances. One of the first studies of gender imbalance on Wikipedia
was conducted by Lam et al. (2011). Analysing a Wikipedia data dump, they found that male
and female editors focused on different content areas and that the coverage of topics
traditionally of more interest to females was significantly less. Reagle and Rhue (2011)
Online Information Review
Vol. 42 No. 2, 2018
pp. 238-249
© Emerald PublishingLimited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/OIR-06-2017-0199
Received 28 June 2017
Revised 24 August 2017
Accepted 29 August 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1468-4527.htm
238
OIR
42,2
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