Wikidata:For developers/Best practices
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Wikidata For Developers: Best Practices |
One of the many things that makes Wikidata's community so special is how welcoming and inclusive it is. On this page you'll find some simple, helpful advice on participation in that community, which involves learning how best to contribute as well as how to use the many rich resources the community offers.
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Stay up to date[edit]Here's how you can find out what's going on -- participation often hinges on keeping up to date on the community's big developments and decisions.
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Get help when you need it[edit]Refer to the documentation[edit]If your projects or other plans involve Wikidata but you're not sure where to begin, first turn to Wikidata's documentation. The answer to your question may be right under your nose!
Ask your question. Please![edit]The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked, leading to problems. Please ask your questions here: |
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Report errors you find[edit]If nobody reports them, repairs never get made. This is true in many aspects of human life, but perhaps nowhere more so that in data management. In addition to the errors themselves, consider also including feedback that you accumulate from your experience building on top of Wikidata's data. Small errors[edit]If the errors you find are small:
Large errors[edit]If you're seeing large numbers of errors, your best bet is to compile them into reports that you publish to the community. Alternately, you can prepare and upload the information to the Mismatch Finder data store. |
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Fix errors you find[edit]The very fact that you've been able to find errors might mean you're in a position to correct them. If so, dive in and correct the record -- Wikidata is a wiki, after all, and the integrity of its data depends on users in the know who can bring the right information to bear. This might take the shape of:
That said, making edits can be a bit scary, especially at scale. If you're not sure that what you intend to do will have the effect you expect, ask for help:
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Keep track of what's yours[edit]Putting data into Wikidata means keeping track of what you've done. We strongly recommend having a project-internal change tracking system of your own, but on the wiki side there are also several tools that can help:
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Give credit where credit is due[edit]Though it's not always apparent to those who work with it every day, Wikidata is largely invisible to the uninitiated. It provides a wealth of free information that sometimes gets taken for granted, so as part of the community you'll be materially helping your fellow community members in loudly declaring how you made use of Wikidata. Also, being clear about how you're using Wikidata can forestall any number of misunderstandings; if, for example, you're being paid to edit Wikidata, saying so clearly in public ensures your activity remains above-board (and is compulsory!). On your project's page[edit]
On your Wikidata user page[edit]
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