{"id":521,"date":"2009-06-01T21:46:03","date_gmt":"2009-06-02T02:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kermitmurray.com\/research\/?p=521"},"modified":"2024-02-20T09:39:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T15:39:00","slug":"is-wikipedia-the-public-face-of-mass-spectrometry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kermitmurray.com\/research\/2009\/06\/is-wikipedia-the-public-face-of-mass-spectrometry\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Wikipedia the Public Face of Mass Spectrometry?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Presented at the 57th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 31th to June 4th 2009<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Is Wikipedia the Public Face of Mass Spectrometry? 57th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 31th to June 4th 2009<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wikipedia is a web resource that is described as \u201cthe free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.\u201d The low barrier for participation is both one of the best and worst features of the site. The drawbacks of easy participation are the sometimes opinionated, uninformed or simply malicious editors whereas the advantages are fast content creation that is easily accessible and often self-correcting.<\/p>\n

Hypothesis<\/em>: Wikipedia is the most popular source of on-line mass spectrometry information and has the potential to be a source of good information if a sufficiently large number of mass spectromerists become editors.<\/p>\n

What is Wikipedia?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Founded less than a decade ago, Wikipedia is now one of the most popular websites and the most popular reference site.<\/p>\n

Founded in 20011
\n2.9 M English language articles (13 M total)2
\n7th most popular website (#1 Reference)3
\nUsed by 9% of global Internet users3
\n684 M visits annually4<\/p>\n

Wikipedia Growth Plot<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The growth of the English Wikipedia was exponential between 2003 and 2006 with a doubling time of one year. Growth is now linear.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mass Spectrometry on Wikipedia<\/strong><\/p>\n

~ 200 pages in the category \u201cMass Spectrometry\u201d
\nWikiProject Mass spectrometry
\nWikimedia Commons category \u201cMass Spectrometry\u201d<\/p>\n

Top 10 Google Hits for the term Mass Spectrometry:<\/p>\n

Wikipedia
\nMichigan State University
\nAmerican Society for Mass Spectrometry
\nUniversity of Arizona
\nScripps Research Institute
\nColby College
\nWikimedia Commons
\nSpectroscopyNow
\niMass.com
\nVirginia Tech<\/p>\n

The Wikipedia entry is hit #1 and Wikimedia Commons (diagrams and photographs) is hit #7. ASMS is hit #3 with university courses filling most of the other top spots.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Wikipedia page Mass Spectrometry had 517,000 views in 2008, more than 1400 hits per day. The dip in the summer and peaks at mid-semester suggests educational use.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Becoming a Wikipedia Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because Wikipedia is such an important source of mass spectrometry information, participation by the mass spectrometry community should by encouraged both in an organized and ad hoc manner. It should be noted that there are significant barriers to scientists desiring to become Wikipedia editors, but there are also many useful resources.<\/p>\n

Barriers<\/strong>
\nWiki document markup
\nWikipedia protocols
\nArticle layout
\nInteracting with non-science editors
\nReconciling scientific and Wikipedia review<\/p>\n

Resources<\/strong>
\nTutorials and documentation on Wikipedia
\nWikiProjects
\nWikiProject Mass Spectrometry
\nWIkiProject Chemistry
\nWikiProject Physics
\nWikiProject Molecular and Cellular Biology
\nPortals
\nChemistry Portal
\nPhysics Portal
\nMolecular and Cellular Biology Portal
\nReference markup tools
\nCurrent Wikipedia Editors<\/p>\n

Recommendations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Develop a formal policy on Wikipedia content
\nNational organizations (ASMS, BSMS, ANZSMS, etc.)
\nInternational Mass Spectrometry Foundation
\nCoordinate with relevant committees
\nEducation, History, Standards, etc.
\nEncourage participation
\nEvaluate content<\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n