WIKIPEDIAShould Pharma Edit?

Introduction

•The largest Encyclopedia in the world•Anyone who can access the site can edit it•From ‘Wiki’ meaning quick in Hawaiian and “Pedia’ from Encyclopedia

Definition

‘Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia that is supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation’

Some figures

30 million

globalarticles

articles in English

287Languages

4.4 million

unique visitors per month

500 million

unique editors per

month

300,000

Is it accurate?

‘A 2005 investigation in Nature showed that the 42 science articles they compared came close to the level of accuracy of Encyclopædia Britannica’

The 5 Pillars of Wiipedia

The 5 Pillars of Wikipedia

The fundamental principles by which Wikipedia operates can be summarized in five "pillars”:

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia

Wikipedia is written from a neutral point

of view

Wikipedia is free content that anyone

can edit, use, modify, and distribute

Editors should treat each other with

respect and civility

Wikipedia does not have firm rules

1 2 3

4 5

1. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia

• Wikipedia is not a soapbox, an advertising platform, a vanity press, an experiment in anarchy or democracy, an indiscriminate collection of information, or a web directory. It is not a dictionary, a newspaper, or a collection of source documents

Do not write for specific audiences, e.g. patients or doctors

2. Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view

• All articles must strive for verifiable accuracy, citing reliable, authoritative sources, especially when the topic is controversial or is on living persons. Editors' personal experiences, interpretations, or opinions do not belong.

Write so it's impossible to tell that someone who works for the company wrote it

3. Wikipedia is free content that anyone can edit, use, modify, and distribute

• Since all editors freely license their work to the public, no editor owns an article and any contributions can and will be mercilessly edited and redistributed. Respect copyright laws, and never plagiarize from sources.

Be careful what you share

4. Editors should treat each other with respect and civility

• Respect your fellow Wikipedians, even when you disagree. Don't engage in personal attacks. Seek consensus, avoid edit wars, and never disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point.

• Act in good faith, and assume good faith on the part of others. Be open and welcoming to newcomers. If a conflict arises, discuss it calmly on the nearest talk pages and follow dispute resolution

Stay calm!

5. Wikipedia does not have firm rules

• Wikipedia has policies and guidelines, Their principles and spirit matter more than their literal wording, and sometimes improving Wikipedia requires making an exception.

• Be bold but not reckless in updating articles. Every past version of a page is saved, so any mistakes can be easily corrected.

Act in the spirit of Wikipedia

How should Pharma approach editing Wikipedia?

Individuals not companies

•Individual user names only•Does not have to be your real name•May mention your company if not promotional e.g. ‘John at Pfizer’•User page should be clear e.g. ‘I am John, I work for Pfizer’•Multiple people are not allowed to use this account

•Breaching this may result in your account being blocked

Declare your conflict of Interest

If you work directly or indirectly for a Pharma company you have a conflict when making Pharma related edits

•Declare your conflict of interest (COI)•On your user page•On article talk pages related to your COI•On other users and project talk pages when you have a COI•As a link to your signature•Consider declaring on the COI noticeboard

•This will help gain the community’s trust and their help•It will help avoid embarrassing revelations of misconduct

Do not edit articles about yourself, your family or friends, your organisation, your

clients, or your competitors

Let others make the changes!

Work with the community

The Village Pump

Articles for

creation

PeerReview

Article Talk Pages

User Talk Pages

ProjectTalk Pages

The village pump

Articles for creation

A good way to work within a conflict of interest by getting others to create the article

Peer review

You can get your article peer reviewed to reduce the likelihood of bias

Article talk pages Interact on the articles talk page and suggest edits

Project talk pages Many active related project pages exist where you can discuss edits

User talk pages

Interact with users on their talk pages. Many will be very happy to discuss things, if they believe you can help improve Wikipedia

User talk pages

Many of these users are very vigilant and will pick up on anything done in the wrong way so be aware

And to start with!

The teahouse is a great place to get started and ask any early questions

A pharma example

GSK/Stiefel

A nice example of how to declare conflicts of interests

User contributionsThe edits here were almost all made via the talk pages (apart from some minor ones)

Changes to corporate pages are likely to be less contentious than brand changes

Requesting editsThe suggested edits to Stiefel were implemented by someone else

Conclusions

• Do not edit pages directly where you have a conflict of interest• Create content that is neutral and suitable for a broad audience• Work with the community

• Ask questions on the relevant talk pages• Suggest edits and content

• Always consider foremost what will increase the value of Wikipedia• Be bold but not reckless

@garymonk

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gary@garymonk.com

www.garymonk.comQuestions?

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