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Wikiversity:Original research

From Wikiversity

Original research which meets the guidelines of this policy is permitted on Wikiversity. Researchers devoted to scholarly investigation using sound, ethical methods are encouraged to develop and disseminate their work via Wikiversity. Wikiversity may also provide a useful forum for formal peer review.

Main points

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  • Original research is permitted on Wikiversity
  • It is strongly recommended that original research pages be labeled with the {{Research project}} template so they are easier to find. To see all pages, click on "What links here" in the Template toolbox.
  • All researchers are obligated to follow the research ethics
  • Authors of original research should seek and address formal peer review
  • Wikiversity has pages that offer guidance for new researchers, such as Introduction to research and Wikiversity:Research process. We also encourage Users to provide personalized feedback on others' research.
  • All proposals, methods, reviews, and results related to original Wikiversity research should also be published on Wikiversity.
  • Additional research guidelines for Wikiversity can be found at Wikiversity:Research guidelines/En

Wikiversity is not Wikipedia

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Wikipedia does not allow original (primary) research (see Wikipedia:No original research). As described on that page, the policy against including original research in Wikipedia articles arose from the need to prevent cranks from publishing their ideas in wiki format and passing them off as valid knowledge.

The original Wikiversity proposal of 2005 proposed that Wikiversity should:

"test the limits of the wiki model both for developing electronic learning resources as well as for teaching and for conducting research and publishing results (within a policy framework developed by the community)".

The creation of a system for dealing with research and publishing of results in a wiki environment is a major challenge facing the Wikiversity community.

The review process

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Main page: Wikiversity:Peer review

Original research should be within the scope of Wikiversity, be conducted ethically, and be academically rigorous. Peer review through the research process can help to ensure research integrity.

Within Wikiversity, all original research should be clearly identified as such. Sometimes the boundary between original research and secondary research is not clear. A critical review of previously published ideas can lead to the discovery of a new piece of knowledge. An invariable rule of Wikiversity is that all such discoveries arising from secondary research (see Synthesis of published material that advances a position) must be subjected to peer review.

The main types of peer review in Wikiversity are:

  • Casual peer review: This is automatic in the wiki user environment. However, casual peer review can be as dangerous as no peer review.
  • Peer review from formally trusted Wikiversity members: Formal internal peer review involves a formal system of critical review of the original research result(s). The results of the formal critical review are permanently linked to the original research results and serve as a stamp of validation or a stamp of rejection.
  • Peer review from external entities: Wikiversity research projects can be peer reviewed by external entities such as trusted experts on a topic. Record of such peer review should be uploaded and linked from the corresponding Wikiversity work, with peer review verification if necessary.

Research involving other Wikimedia Foundation projects

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Research may involve altering other parts of Wikiversity or other Wikimedia Foundation projects in some way. This is permitted, so long as the alterations are not disruptive to the projects in question. In fact, Wikiversity participants are encouraged to constructively use the resources provided by the Wikimedia Foundation and identify novel ways to integrate Wikiversity with its sister projects. However, Wikiversity reserves the right to take action against users who disrupt any part of Wikiversity or use Wikiversity to promote, coordinate, or commemorate disruption of its sister projects, even if this disruption is part of a Wikiversity research project.

See also

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Policy proposal

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This section is to keep track of various pages during the policy proposal.


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