Wikidata:Code of conduct (draft)

This page is a work in progress, not an article or policy, and may be incomplete and/or unreliable.
Please offer suggestions on the talk page.

What this page is about edit

This is a draft, please add to it and use the talk page for discussions. While writing this I was also looking into existing policies around behavioral norms and was trying to adapt them for Wikidata. Please also see the discussion here, most of the ideas and part of the wording is taken from there, so thanks to all who contributed to Behavior norms talk page.

Policies to look at: https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Code_of_conduct_policy, https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Non-discrimination_policy, https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Meta:Urbanity, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4654593.

Introduction to behavioral policy edit

We want Wikidata to be a friendly and welcoming place where everyone can contribute. Some basic rules around behavior help people make sure this project stays like that, even when people from outside come in or conflicts should arise.

Special areas where Wikidata differs from other projects edit

Wikidata differs from most other Wikimedia projects. Some basic technical understanding is needed to edit a database. Also it has a high impact, as changes in the database theoretically can impact many other Wiki projects as well as other databases (e.g. libraries take data from Wikidata).

Wikidata also differs from most other Wiki projects through the fact that you normally edit without leaving an edit summary. This is especially important when edits are reverted or controversial data is added. Communication about the reason for such edits needs to happen.

Code of conduct edit

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Code of conduct protoypes edit

Add your language version of the CoC here and review those that you can proficiently read. This should be rather concice. Examples and clarifications might be better suited for a 2nd section? Tobias1984 (talk) 20:26, 14 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]

German edit

Verhaltenskodex für Wikidata: Der Erfolg Wikidatas hängt unmittelbar von der guten Zusammenarbeit, sowohl auf dem Wiki als auch bei Veranstaltungen, von Personen mit den unterschiedlichsten Hintergründen und Erfahrungen ab. Konflikte in Inhaltsfragen sind unvermeidbar und deren Schlichtung sollte an erster Stelle stehen. Hat eine Konfliktpartei einen Wissensvorsprung obliegt es ihr dieses Wissen zu teilen. Die Daten sollen nach bestem Wissen und Gewissen gesammelt, belegbar und frei von Einflussnahme sein. Beim Umgang mit anderen ist Höflichkeit, Verständnis und Geduld geboten. Zum Wohle Wikidatas und der Personen die daran teilnehmen können bei Verstössen gegen diesen Verhaltenskodex Sanktionen ausgesprochen werden, die bis zum Ausschluss aus der Wikidata-Gemeinschaft führen können.

Additional behavior guidelines edit

Input from idea-gathering phase edit

Behavior that we would like to see on Wikidata edit

Assume good faith. We're are all committed to help the project.
Mistakes are a chance for learning - please express this in the way you correct any mistakes.
Before editing, inform yourself about the underlying technical and other guiding principles.
Engage in conversations with Wikidata community members. Find WikiProjects relevant to the topic you work in, and use on-wiki channels like talk pages and the Project chat to actively engage with other Wikidata editors. Or, if you feel more like it, give the Telegram channel a try.
Ask questions. There is no such thing as a "stupid question".
Answer questions someone else asks you. Take some time to help other users, especially if they overcame their shyness in asking. If you don't know the answer, a simple "I don't know" is always better than no reply at all!
Diversity is a plus. We are a diverse community, with people contributing from all corners of the world. Take some time to consider that a divergence is not necessarily a source for conflict, but a way to expand consensus.
Feedback, even if it's negative, is a gift. When you receive negative feedback, don't be discouraged. Take it seriously, take some time to read through it, understand the point of view of who provided the feedback, maybe ask for clarifications. It will help you to make your own work better!
Try to explain an edit revert. Especially when you revert an edit on a sensitive item, please explain your reasoning to the user and try to remember that Wikidata has the possibility of hosting conflicting data, provided that each statement has at least one reliable source.

Behavior that should not happen on Wikidata edit

Personal attacks - criticism should never be about the person doing something on Wikidata, only about the actions.
All forms of harassment, including hounding, threatening, stalking, outing, doxxing, etc.
Discrimination in any form, be it about race, gender or gender identity, nationality, sexual orientation, caste, age, religion, skin colour, disability or other bodily features
Vandalism as well as any actions that hurt the Wikimedia projects. Do NOT engage in deliberate attempts to damage or compromise the integrity of Wikidata and/or its data.
Edit warring - a behavior, typically exemplified by the use of confrontational edits to win a content dispute. It is different than a bold, revert, discuss (BRD) cycle
Unexplained reverts of good faith edits
Point Of View (POV) pushing
Editing with a conflict of interest (especially undisclosed) - one should not create items about oneself or people or organizations close to one, and only add statements that have a reliable reference when editing such items
Removal of reliably sourced relevant data
Narcissism. The fact that you think you are right doesn't make you right. Instead, try to listen to others and to work collaboratively, rather than idiosyncratically.

Ideas for applying the policy edit

One or several noticeboard(s) for reporting violations of the policy needs to be established
Wikidata needs people that will deal with such reports and update, adjust the policy. This could be:
- A committee. Preferred option for keeping the policy up to date / voting, appointing
- Normal Admins. Preferred option for dealing with the normal incidents
- Special Admins dedicated to this task
- Deferral to an existing administrative process in another Wikimedia project