CZ:Core Articles

What are core articles?

Core articles are our top priority articles--articles that are most in demand and most important for us to include in an encyclopedia that has any hope of being comprehensive.

How does the core articles initiative work?

Essentially, we list our unwritten core articles here on this page, negotiating about which articles really are our highest priority. We then invite people to write articles on those topics, awarding points for any draft that is 250 words or longer. We tally points on CZ:Core Articles/Scores.

Page format

This is one big long page, divided into sections, one for each workgroup. Each section should be written in three columns. However, make sure the columns break after each workgroup. (So each workgroup header is in one column which spans all three.) Total number of articles on page will be about 4,000. So it will be a big page, but that's OK, it's not too big.

Each line of a workgroup's section begins with # so that the entries are numbered. Most important (highest point value) entries should be listed first. Format of a line evolves like this:

The original entry simply says "French painting" is worth 5 points:

# [[French painting]] (5)

Once Jane Doe has written a draft article over 250 words, she may take credit:

# [[French painting]] (5) - [[User:Jane Doe|]]

Someone confirms that Jane has written 250 words, writing "OK":

# [[French painting]] (5) - [[User:Larry Sanger|]] - OK

Finished.

Note: anyone may edit any section of this page so that the section is in conformity with these formatting guidelines! Be Bold!

Topic choice

Each workgroup nominates 99 topics (33 per column). Exceptions are Biology, Health Sciences, History, Geography, Business, Games, Hobbies, and Sports, which may nominate 198 topics (66 per column). For some already-existing article lists, for ideas, please see [1] and [2].

All topics must be either completely unwritten, a micro-stub, or status=4. Each workgroup may award ten points for the five most important articles in the group, and five points for the ten next most important. The rest are worth a point apiece.

(3) (4) To collect the entries, the article drive organizer(s) mails workgroup mailing lists, asking people to go to the wiki, or simply to post on the list, their ideas of the 100 most important topics in their fields. This is a fairly simple, straightforward thing to prepare. Volunteers (i.e., anyone enough motivated) compiles the answers.

(5) The article drive organizer(s) identifies the most motivated editor, for each workgroup, to make the point determination. If no editor can be found :-( then the most qualified and motivated author issues the points.

(6) NONE of these articles may come from Wikipedia, if you want it to count. In fact, if you want, you can entirely replace a status = 4 Wikipedia-sourced article with a new CZ article.

(7) We do not track first draft authors on the talk page or the metadata page of an article, but only on CZ:Core Articles.

(8) We keep track of author point tallies on a separate page.

(9) Optionally, I do a press release. We say that we are open to submissions from the general public, and we will credit the named members of the public (not pseudonyms) for articles we receive. They just must realize that they are being credited only with the first draft, and that we are going to feel free to edit them mercilessly. Submissions are sent to submissions@citizendium.org, a brand new mailbox checked by trusted volunteers, author or editor.

Original proposal and forum board: http://forum.citizendium.org/index.php/topic,1221.0.html

Natural Sciences

Astronomy

topic

topic

topic

Biology

bear

mitosis (10) - Larry Sanger - OK This is just for purposes of illustration

zoology

I'll have to learn the wiki coding, but here find some potential "Core" articles starting with letter "A"--Anthony.Sebastian (Talk) 20:28, 20 September 2007 (CDT)

Acid-base physiology
Adaptability
Adipose tissue biology
Adenovirus
Adrenal physiology
Aging
Agriculture
Amino acid metabolism and function
Animism
Ants
Antigen
Apocrine gland physiology
Arterial system
Oswald T. Avery (DNA as the genetic material)

Well, bear in mind that on the proposal in question, there are only 200 articles in each of Biology and Health Sciences--and they have to be the 200 "core," most important, articles. I suspect there would be a lot more than 200 biology articles if you were to continue the list at that level of specialization. --Larry Sanger 20:34, 20 September 2007 (CDT)

Agree re "core" concept. Thinking to make a draft list of potential core topics biology, then cull to a 200 core by consensus of Workgroup. --Anthony.Sebastian (Talk) 19:22, 21 September 2007 (CDT)

Some 'potential' core topics starting with letter "B" and not already listed as Biology articles:

Baboons
Bears
Bioterrorism
Bone
Buffon, Comte de
Butter
Butterflies
--Anthony.Sebastian (Talk) 19:51, 21 September 2007 (CDT)

Earth Sciences

• Atmosphere
• Cainozoic
• Dinosaur
• Earth (10) - Nereo Preto
• Earthquake
• El Niño-Southern Oscillation
• Fossil
• Glacier
• Geology (5) - Nereo Preto
• Holocene
• Mesozoic
• Mountain
• North Atlantic oscillation
• Ocean
• Paleontology
• Paleozoic
• Plate tectonics (5) - Nereo Preto
• Precambrian
• Quaternary
• Rock (geology)
• Soil
• Thermohaline circulation (5) - Nereo Preto

See also

• What's Your Article?
• What's Your Message?