CZ:Core Articles

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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. Essentially, we list our unwritten core articles here, negotiating about which articles really are our highest priority. We hope you'll set aside your relatively specialized interests for a while, and create reliable introductions to the most basic topics.

Take me to the 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.

Our leading authors and editors believe this initiative is very important. We hope you'll set aside your relatively specialized interests for a while, and join the contest to create reliable introductions to the most basic topics known to humanity.

Chris Day is the coordinator of the core articles initiative.

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:Jane Doe|]] - 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, Mathematics, Business, Media, 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] as well as, in many cases, workgroup homepages. Here are the 1000 most popular Wikipedia articles of September 2007. List articles in only one workgroup. All topics must be either completely unwritten, a micro-stub, or status=4.

Anyone may list articles here, but if workgroup editors wish to work out the list elsewhere, they may.

* Note: top priority articles that are status=4 (unedited from Wikipedia) should be listed, but with an asterisk--which indicates that, to get the points, a person must either completely replace or rewrite the article.

** Also note: "micro-stubs" (articles without pictures, 50 words or less) should also be listed, but with two asterisks.

Attaching points to topics

Each workgroup may award 10 points for the five most important articles in the group, 5 points for the ten next most important, and 2 points for the 18 next most important (down to #33, the bottom of the first column). The rest (in the middle and right columns) are worth a point apiece.

The first and/or most motivated editor attaches points to articles. If after a reasonable period it appears no editor is going to step up, then the most qualified and motivated author issues the points.

Claiming points

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. Please do.

For now, we do not track first draft authors on the talk page or the metadata page of an article, but only on CZ:Core Articles.

Authors may claim points on CZ:Core Articles/Scores only after their article length (and non-Wikipediahood) has been OK'd.

Core Articles Coordinator

The Core Articles Coordinator (Chris Day) ensures that these rules are being followed, and in particular, "locks in" or approves the article list and point assignment, by ensuring that the most qualified active person on CZ has looked over these things. The CAC would also be expected to make sure this page is correct--that formatting, "OK'ing," and other matters are done smoothly and correctly. He is also manager of the "Miscellaneous" section.

Stages of development

We can distinguish eight stages of development for each set of articles:

1. No topics nominated.
2. Fewer than half nominated.
3. Most or all have been nominated, but not assigned points.
4. All topics nominated and assigned points by someone.
5. All topics and point assignments "locked in" by the Core Articles Coordinator (who ensures that the most qualified active person on CZ has looked over the list).
6. At least one, but fewer than half, of the core article in the workgroup have been written and OK'd.
7. Most but not all of the articles have been written and OK'd.
8. All articles have been written and OK'd.

Already-written core articles

In the sections titled "Already-written core articles," please list top priority articles that were already written prior to September 25, 2007. List any articles that are as high or higher priority as any on the list of 99 (or 198). This is to prevent people from listing articles that have already been written, and so that this page is maximally useful to the end-user. Points are not given for articles in this section--well, not yet, anyway.

The "Miscellaneous" category

Articles that we'll definitely want, but which aren't obviously located in any existing workgroup, should be placed in Miscellaneous. There can be up to 300 articles listed here. Make sure there are no duplicates (overlap with workgroup lists). Each of these will be worth 1 point, unless any editor decides otherwise.

The Core Articles

Miscellaneous

Articles that we'll definitely want, but which aren't obviously located in any of the above workgroups.

Country profiles - in Geography, no?. I'd say yes.

Regarding countries, please see the talk page.

1. Globalisation

• should be politics, sociology, and economics
• must be interdisciplinary to avoid narrow bias

2. Development

• of what? of a country, then economics and geography [development studies are usually in economics]
• must be interdisciplinary to avoid narrow bias; geographers don't usually deal with it

3. Petroleum or rather Fossil fuels

• what angle? if substance, then chemistry and geology; can also be economics and politics
• all angles - must be interdisciplinary for a general article
• may be split into:

1. Petroleum economics
2. Oil (geology)
3. Coal
4. Natural gas

last three are already listed under Earth Sciences

4. Ideology

• sociology, politics and philosophy
• a real toss-up!

5. Poverty

• sociology or economics
• I'd choose sociology if I had to [economic sociology]

6. Death and Dying

• interdisciplinary but probably best belongs in biology; could also be in sociology
• death - religion would seem to lay equal claim as biology; dying - about as interdisciplinary as something can get

7. Social Work

• needs a Social and Public Policy Workgroup [usually located in Social Policy]

8. Women's studies or Gender studies

• mostly sociology, but can encompass many others

9. Dance - and this doesn't belong way down at no. 9 on the list

1. Ballet
2. Modern dance
3. Tap dance
4. Martha Graham
5. Maria Tallchief
6. Alvin Ailey
7. Ballroom Dancing
8. Vernon and Irene Castle
9. Ginger Rodgers
10. Fred Astaire
11. Gene Kelly
12. Gregory Hines
13. Dance Theatre of Harlem
14. Kirov Ballet
15. Rudolf Nureyev
16. Katherine Dunham
17. Folk dance
18. African dance
19. Indian dance
20. History of dance
21. Nicholas Brothers
22. Sammy Davis, Jr.
23. Savion Glover
24. Cyd Charisse
25. Margot Fonteyn
26. Natalia Markarova
27. Anna Pavlova
28. Arthur Murray
29. breakdancing
30. Irish dance

10. Circus

1. P.T. Barnum - [history]-- what? You're gonna put Barnum in history? What will Richard say?
2. Fair
3. side show
4. freak show (in modern terms it certainly does not mean "side show")

11. Communications (in this sense)

12. Clothing

1. socks
2. shirt
3. t-shirt
4. polo shirt
5. vest
6. cardigan
7. wristwatch
8. shoes
9. necktie
10. bowtie
11. pants
12. underwear
13. glasses
14. tie clip
15. cufflinks
16. hat
17. capris
18. sandals
19. belt
20. dress
21. skirt
22. tie-dye
23. brooch
24. pin
25. bracelet
26. gloves
27. scarf
28. jacket or coat
29. boots
30. white tie
31. black tie
32. kimono
33. wrapper
34. dressing gown
35. Nehru jacket
36. Dashiki

13. Fashion (Note: I just came upon this, and I don't believe we should be listing them *all*--I think we should be picking the ones from that list who are "historically significant", if the fashion world has such a label. --Robert W King 18:34, 29 September 2007 (CDT))

1. Christian Dior
2. Coco Chanel
3. Jean-Paul Goethe
4. Donna Karen
5. Ralph Lauren
6. Jordache
7. Lee
8. Arthur People
9. Georgio Armani
10. Dockers
11. Nike
12. Converse
13. Vans
14. Levi Strauss
15. Mr. Blackwell
16. Tiffany & Company
17. Calvin Klein
18. Betsey Johnson
19. Brooks Brothers
20. Polo
21. Adidas
22. Reebok

14. Landscaping [a business and a hobby]

15. Entertainment--this is interesting: all performance arts and sports provide entertainment; they are also hobbies and professions--my head hurts! Perhaps in Business, and/or Sociology?

1. Madison Square Garden

16. Art -- now you can't believe we don't have this, uhu?

17. Man

• And/or:
  • Mankind
  • Human

See also

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