WikiClimate and Wikipedia
From WikiClimate
What is encyclopedic material?
"Encyclopedic" is used in the same way here as in the Wikipedia policies. It refers to information which is notable, not original; it relies on published secondary sources, not on original research.
Where there is relevant encyclopedic material on Wikipedia, we will endeavour to link to it using the {{Wikipedia}} template notice. However, such links should function as a "further information" resource. They do not preclude the need for content on the same topic to exist on WikiClimate, where the topic's treatment should be specifically weighted to its relevance to climate change.
An example to illustrate. Wikipedia is good at treating energy in broad definitional terms, but only reasonably good at narrowing it down into how the use/production of energy affects the climate. On WikiClimate the approach is the other way around. Here we filter the topic through the prism of climate, but do not seek to cover all aspects where irrelevant (the point at which we should send people to Wikipedia or other external references).
Another example, this time given by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, is the topic Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio has a page on WikipediaWP, largely focussed on his career as an actor. A WikiClimate page on Leonardo DiCaprio would focus on his campaigning work on climate change, and mention his work as an actor only incidentally.
To summarise: encyclopedic material is suitable for WikiClimate under the following circumstances:
- When a topic that has been covered on Wikipedia is worth covering from a climate-related or environmental point of view.
- When information develops here that initially is not suitable for publication on Wikipedia, for whatever reason. If, thanks to the contributors adding sources and making other improvements, it becomes suitable, it should be transwikied to Wikipedia.
- When Wikipedia's information which is relevant to WikiClimate's focus is buried within other information, then it may be useful to summarise the encyclopedic information as well as linking to the article. If using actual slabs of text from Wikipedia, this must be credited.
- When it is likely that a person coming to the page may not understand the topic, then a brief description is useful, as well as a link to Wikipedia.
When is non-encyclopedic material suitable for WikiClimate?
Unlike Wikipedia, WikiClimate is not just an encyclopedia. It is also a climate hub, and it is permissable for businesses which operate in the climate or environmental sector to post information about their activities.
WikiClimate does request that such posts are kept as factual as possible however. The posting of sales and blatantly promotional material is frowned upon. Similarly, any commercial operation found to be tampering with a competitor's information will be barred from the site. All complaints or flags are to be referred to the editors, who may be emailed at info@wikiclimate.org, and will adjudicate in the event of conflicts.
Linking to Wikipedia
- {{Wikipedia}} creates a box linking to a Wikipedia article of the same name as the WikiClimate page you are editing.
- {{alsoWP}} creates a box linking to a Wikipedia article or other page (eg Help:, Category:, Template:) of the same name as the WikiClimate page.
- {{Wikipedia p}} creates a similar box, but links to a page with a different name. Specify the actual Wikipedia name after a "pipe," in the form {{Wikipedia p|Appropriate technology}}.
- {{WP}} is used for inline links to Wikipedia, so as not to interrupt the flow of the text, while still making it clearer that this link leads outside WikiClimate.
