Wikidata:Planning a Wikidata Workshop/Mix'n'Match editing

This page is an activity that can be used as part of a Wikidata training. If you want to learn how to run the workshops, see the larger lesson plan.

Summary

Guiding attendees to learn how to edit Wikidata via the use of the Mix-n-match tool.

Expected outcomes

Participants in this activity will:

• Learn how to use the Mix-n-Match tool to contribute identifiers to Wikidata.
• Learn how to add statements to items found via the Mix-n-match tool
• Learn how to add images to items found via the Mix-n-match tool
  

Tools or skills required

The workshop leader should be familiar with the use of the Mix-n-match tool.
The workshop leader should be familiar with adding statements, identifiers, images etc to Wikidata.

Preparation

Before running this workshop, workshop leaders will need to…

• Ensure the attendees have a Wikidata user account.
• Ensure the attendees authorise the Mix-n-match tool to edit on their behalf. (see screenshot)
• Choose a relevant dataset within the Mix-n-match suite for the attendees to concentrate on.
• Prepare either slides or a worksheet giving "how to" instructions on the use of the Mix-n-match tool.
• Prepare either slides or a worksheet giving "how to" instructions on adding statements, qualifiers, references or images to Wikidata.
  

Examples

By User:Ambrosia10

See slides 46 onwards in this Google sheets presentation.

The accompanying script for the above slides is as follows:

Slide 46

Today we’ll be concentrating on Mix’n’match.

It is one of the simplest and easiest way to start learning how to edit Wikidata https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mix%27n%27match

This is a tool that helps to add links from established databases to Wikidata. I wish there was an Auckland Museum dataset but unfortunately there isn’t yet.

Slide 47

So instead I’ll give you two examples of the many databases in “mix’n’match” that need assistance. You could try Te Papa’s person id dataset or iNaturalist species id dataset. (iNaturalist dataset - https://tools.wmflabs.org/mix-n-match/#/catalog/238 Te Papa’s dataset - https://tools.wmflabs.org/mix-n-match/#/catalog/362 ). My slides will use Te Papa’s dataset as an example but the same information applies to the iNaturalist or any other dataset in the mix’n’match framework. Feel free to choose any one you want to work on. The concepts will be the same.

Note: you should make sure to demonstrate authorizing the Mix-n-Match tool at this stage, or participants might be very confused and not know how to do so.

Slide 48

We are concentrating on the “Automatically matched” part of the dataset. The tool has gone through and matched the Te Papa identifier with potential wikidata items. It just needs a human to come along and confirm whether the matching is correct. The “unmatched” portion of the dataset gives you an indication of how much NZ data is lacking in Wikidata.

Slide 49

Here you can see the Te Papa identifier - Harold Wellman has been matched with the Wikidata item Harold Wellman Q1845577. Although the Wikidata item has some information summarised, unfortunately in this case the Te Papa identifier does not. So I would normally click on both links in order to compare them and work out whether they match.

Slide 50

So here is some of what Wikidata tells you about their Harold Wellman - he’s a New Zealand geologist. It links to his English wikipedia page - so that’s where I’d go to get more information.

Slide 51

Te Papa just tells us that he’s a professor but also gives more links to specimens he has collected. I would click on one of the specimens to get more information to try and confirm he is the same person. It may be you have to do a little bit of further research to confirm the match.

Slide 52

The collection date of the specimen is 1946. I might also Google his name to feel more confident about the matching. Information from this google search tells me he was in the mountains of the south island doing geological research & so at this point I feel comfortable that the two systems are talking about the same person.

Slide 53

I would therefore press “confirm” and the Te Papa identifier would be added to his item page in Wikidata.

Slide 54

If the two don’t match then click the “remove” button.

Slide 55

So you’ve matched the two items. But now you can also have a go using any of your research results to create further statements. If, for example, you’ve come up the with exact date of birth you should add that statement with a reference. Feel free to add statements, add qualifiers, images and especially references. Once you’ve matched an item feel free to Google the label and see what else you can find. Then attempt to add appropriate statements and references to Wikidata."

Instructions

Instructions for the leader

Before participants can do this activity, the instructor needs to demonstrate…

1. Step 1: How to log in to Wikidata
2. Step 2: How to authorise the Mix-n-match tool to allow edits in the editors name
3. Step 3: How to choose a dataset in Mix-n-match tool
4. Step 4: How to open the identifier dataset from the Mix-n-match tool
5. Step 5: How to open the Wikidata item from the Mix-n-match tool
6. Step 6: How to research the entity further via Google or other methods, should the match be in doubt
7. Step 7: How to confirm match
8. Step 8: How to remove match
9. Step 9: How to add any statements/image to the item from data discovered via research.

Instructions for participants

Participants in this activity, will follow the following steps ..

1. Step 1: log in to Wikidata
2. Step 2: authorise the Mix-n-match tool to allow edits in the editors name
3. Step 3: choose the appropriate dataset in Mix-n-match tool
4. Step 4: open the identifier dataset from the Mix-n-match tool
5. Step 5: open the Wikidata item from the Mix-n-match tool
6. Step 6: if necessary, research the entity further via Google or other appropriate methods
7. Step 7: confirm or remove the match
8. Step 8: add any statements/image to the item from data discovered via research.

Additional considerations

If there are numerous attendees it is worth getting them to work on different pages of the chosen identifier dataset in Mix-n-match to ensure they don't trip over each other.

Links

• Mix-n-Match tool
• Slide presentation including instruction slides for editing via the Mix-n-match tool