CZ:Application Review Procedure

General policies and procedures

Goals of a pilot project application system

We have a strong interest in making sure that participants in the Citizendium, particularly during the crucial pilot project period, be trustworthy. Of all participants, we require:

• a username that is the participant's own real name (special permission to use a pseudonym must be applied for)
• a short bio
• a working e-mail address
• endorsement of the Statement of Fundamental Policies

In the first few weeks of the pilot project, we also required a resume or CV from authors, as well as Web links, establishing that a person had a certain identity. We no longer require this evidence of authors, although of course it is still expected that people will contribute under their own real names and identities, and persons who use pseudonyms without permission may be excluded permanently from the project. Moreover, because of their greater responsibility in the system, we still require such evidence of identity from editors and constables.

The author application procedure

To join the pilot project, a contributor goes through these steps (editors see below):

1. Create a username. At the wiki, the contributor should create a username (that is his/her own real name) in "Firstname Lastname" form. Examples of acceptable usernames: "John Doe"; "P. John Doe"; "John P. Doe"; "John Peter Doe". Examples of unacceptable usernames: "JPD"; "JDoe"; "J. Doe"; "John D." Spaces are preferred: "John Doe" not "JohnDoe". Names in other forms are acceptable if it is shown that a person uses that name commonly (e.g., signs much academic work "J. P. Doe").
2. E-mail [email protected]. The contributor then sends an e-mail to [email protected] (preferably titled "Let me in" or "Access please") with three items: (1) the username; (2) a biography to be posted on the person's user page, containing (minimally) name, educational and professional highlights (i.e., just a list of degrees, main positions held, and/or important experience would do), and areas of interest; and (3) a claim to the effect that contributor endorses the Citizendium Statement of Fundamental Policies.
3. We give you system permissions. Once all three items are received, personnel administrators then change the username's permissions. (Users will be given a so-called "wikieditor" permissions, but this does not mean that one is a Citizendium editor. It means only that one has read/write access to the wiki.)
4. We start your user page for you. Personnel administrators add to the new author's user page (1) the author's bio, (2) a {{awelcome}} template, (3) a "signature" (i.e., what is produced when typing "~~~~", and (4) the [[Category:CZ Authors]] tag (unless the person has applied for editorship; see below).
5. We send you a welcome message. Finally, the personnel administrator welcomes the new author to the project and points the person to the new user page.

The editor application procedure

The application procedure for editors is the same, except that editor candidates should also send to [email protected] two additional items: a CV or resume attached (or linked), as well as some links to Web material that tends to support the claims made in the CV, such as conference proceedings, or a departmental home page. Both additional requirements may be fulfilled by a CV that is hosted on an official work Web page.

Note: it is perfectly acceptable for an editor to get started as an author. To become an editor, then, a person could simply place links to a CV, and perhaps other supporting material, on his or her user page, and then send a link to that page to [email protected].

Also different are the items the personnel administrators will add to the new editor's user page. They will use the {{ewelcome}} template and, unless the editor specifically requests otherwise, the links to online work and/or CV the editor supplied.

Personnel administrators may be either editors or constables. The persons making decisions about editor applications will be editors, not constables, but any constable may "fill in" an editor's user page once a decision has been made.

The constable application procedure

Constables will be chosen in a completely different way. All constable applications will be treated as author applications, but will be filed away for such future time as there is a need for new constables. (There are far more constable applications than constables positions.) The Chief Constable will, when the need arises, look through the constable applications and select from them.

Instructions for personnel administrators

General policies for personnel administrators

Here are some notes for personnel administrators, i.e., the people who monitor and respond to mail sent to personnel [at] citizendium.org.

• Let's avoid getting a backlog of applications. If we don't have enough personnel to manage the applications, the Chief Constable should find new personnel administrators.

• Currently we require of authors: (1) a username claimed to be the author's real name; (2) a biography listing (at least) the person's education and interests and at least, say, two sentences long; (3) a claim to the effect that contributor endorses the Citizendium Statement of Fundamental Policies ("qualified" claims will not suffice).

• Currently we require of editors everything we require of authors, and also a CV or resume attached (or linked), as well as some links to Web material that tends to support the claims made in the CV, such as conference proceedings, or a departmental home page. Both additional requirements may be fulfilled by a CV that is hosted on an official work Web page.

• All personnel administrators may adjudicate author applications. Only personnel administrators who are also editors may adjudicate editor applications, unless a case is perfectly obvious and unproblematic.

• For minors (persons under 18 years old), we should edit biographies so that they do not have so much identifying information. For example, a state or province will suffice, and precise birthdays should also be excluded (birth years are OK).

• A tacit requirement for participation is reasonably good English language proficiency, as indicated by the e-mail application. If the e-mail, bio, and/or other materials contain numerous elementary grammar and spelling errors, then we should send a gentle rejection: "Currently, the Citizendium is an English-only project, and while we have no problem whatsoever with non-native speakers joining the project, there is a requirement of excellent English language proficiency. You might be pleased to know that we will be launching versions of Citizendium in other languages, we hope in 2007."

• Obviously, use your best judgment!

Personnel administrator procedures for author applications

1. Open an author application, received at personnel [at] citizendium.org. If an application is not marked as for authors or editors, then we assume it is an author application unless a person is obviously well-qualified to be an editor; in that case, we (i.e., any personnel administrator) asks if the person would like to be considered for editorship as well.
2. Check that the application is complete according to the above policies. If not, ask for the needed information:
   • If an unsuitable username, then (a) apologize for our confusing interface (this really needs to be fixed), and (b) ask the person to create a new username of the right sort.
   • If a too-brief bio, or one lacking information about either education or interests, then ask for a more complete bio.
   • If the person has not adequately endorsed the Statement of Fundamental Policies, then ask for such an endorsement.
   • Then file the mail in the "Need more info" folder.
3. If the person is providing earlier-requested information, do check for the previous e-mail in the "Need more info" folder.
4. Get the person into the system:
   • Activate the username, as follows.
     • Go to Special:Userrights (it may be useful to bookmark this), and type in the username provided.
     • If the username isn't found, then look for something similar (using your browser's "find" function) on Special:Listusers. If you find something usable there, then use that.
     • In Special:Userrights, select "wikieditor" from the "Available groups" box. Note 1: currently, the permissions for both editors and authors happen to be called "wikieditor". Note 2: if "wikieditor" appears in the "Member of" box, do not select that. That means that the user already has read/write permissions on the wiki. In that case, you will want to check if the person has already been welcomed by a different personnel administrator: go to Special:Listusers and click through to the person's user page. If it's already filled in, then you can assume that a personnel admin simply forgot to transfer the e-mail to the "Authors - Yes - Done" folder.
     • Then press "Save User Groups". Now the user has read/write permissions on the wiki.
   • Create the person's user page.
     • Go to Special:Listusers and click through to the person's user page. It should be a red link, meaning a blank page.
     • On the user page, paste: (a) the bio supplied by the user, then (b) ---- (a line), (c)

Tasks: start a new article • add basic, wanted or requested articles • add definitions • add metadata • edit new pages

Welcome to the Citizendium! We hope you will contribute boldly and well. Here are pointers for a quick start, and see Getting Started for other helpful "startup" links, our help system and CZ:Home for the top menu of community pages. You can test out editing in the sandbox if you'd like. If you need help to get going, the forum is one option. That's also where we discuss policy and proposals. You can ask any user or the editors for help, too. Just put a note on their "talk" page. Again, welcome and have fun! (the author welcome template), (d) --~~~~ (your "signature"), and finally (e) the [[Category:CZ Authors]] tag.

1. • • Be sure to hit "Save page"!
   • Send the new author a welcome message.
     • Reply to the author's e-mail with a brief message of welcome and thanks for joining. It's nice to include a link to the person's user page. See the "Sent" folder for examples of welcome messages.
     • Finally, file the author's e-mail(s) in "Authors - Done - Yes".

Personnel administrator procedures for editor applications

The procedure is virtually identical to that for authors. Here are the differences:

• Only personnel administrators who are also editors may make decisions about the disposition of editor applications, in all but the most obvious cases.
• We check for (and, if necessary, request) more pieces of information (see above).
• We use {{ewelcome}} (the "editor welcome" template) rather than {{awelcome}}.
• We add both [[Category:CZ Editors]] and the category of the most appropriate workgroup, such as [[Category:Philosophy Editors]].
• Forward to sanger [at] citizendium.org (or whoever the moderator of citizendium-editors is) the e-mail address of the new editor and ask him/her to send a list subscription invitation to the new editor.
• In the welcome message, it would be a good idea to include a link to the discipline editor category page (e.g., Category:Philosophy Editors) and perhaps a few other pages such as the workgroup home page (e.g., CZ:Biology Workgroup).
• Finished applications are filed in the "Editors - Yes - Done" folder, not in the authors' folder.