The Wikimedia Foundation’s Research team is excited to announce the recipients of the 2023 Wikimedia Foundation Research Fund! This year’s round of funding continues our commitment to expanding and strengthening the global network of Wikimedia researchers. We aim to support projects that support the technology and policy needs of the Wikimedia projects and advance our understanding of the Wikimedia projects.
The Selection Process
We received 76 proposals this year from countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South Americas. Similar to previous years, our selection process involved a two-stage review. In the first stage, applications went through a technical review process by established Wikimedia researchers. The Wikimedia community was invited to provide feedback to Stage I proposals on Meta-Wiki. Out of the original pool of applications, 13 were advanced to Stage II. The applicants were asked to submit more detailed descriptions of their proposed work incorporating feedback from the technical reviewers, technical chairs, the Research Fund chairs, as well as the broader Wikimedia community. The same technical reviewers who reviewed Stage I submissions also reviewed Stage II submissions, overseen by the technical chairs who provided recommendations to Research Fund chairs. The Fund chairs made the final decision on which proposals to fund, with 9 grantees ultimately awarded funding. Collectively, they will receive 270,687 USD to support their work.
Funded Projects
This research will explore how to encourage scientists to engage with Wikimedia by developing and designing Wikimedia Impact Metrics. The goal is to create metrics that are useful for both scientists and Altmetric aggregators, promoting the recognition of Wikimedia contributions in academic circles. The study will also survey Wikimedians to identify meaningful metrics, build a basic prototype, and seek community feedback, with the aim of fostering a supportive community and developing future funding opportunities.
System Design for Increasing Adoption of AI-Assisted Image Tagging in Wikimedia Commons
The purpose of this project is to investigate system designs to increase the adoption of AI-assisted image tagging in Wikimedia Commons. Objectives include investigating cognitive distinctions, identifying areas of agreement on AI-generated tags, exploring design strategies for contributor adoption, and highlighting features for an engaging AI-assisted tagging experience. Anticipated outcomes include improved contributor acceptance and experience with AI-assisted image tagging, along with enhanced metadata quality, ultimately benefiting the accessibility, searchability, usability, and multilingual support of Commons.
Investigating Neurodivergent Wikimedian Experiences
This project will focus on exploring discussions about being neurodivergent and participating in Wikimedia projects. The researchers will conduct a content analysis of existing public discussions about neurodiverse Wikimedians to investigate present discourse and define a research area. Following this, they will create a set of research design recommendations for future research on neurodivergent Wikimedians given that studying demographic groups requires careful planning and risk considerations. The potential impact of this work is to increase understanding of how to support Wikimedian wellbeing, including through understanding the challenges faced by neurodivergent Wikimedians.
This project addresses the gap between the escalating volume of English-to-Turkish Wikipedia translations and the insufficient number of contributors, particularly in technical domains. Leveraging expertise from academics’ collaborative terminology dictionary effort, the researchers propose a pipeline system to enhance translation quality. The focus is on bridging academic and Wikipedia communities, creating datasets, and developing NLP models for terminology identification and linking, and terminology-aware translation. The aim is to foster sustained contributions and improve the overall quality of Turkish Wikipedia articles.
Addressing Wikipedia’s Gender Gaps Through Paid Media
The 2030 Wikimedia Strategy aims to address gender gaps and make Wikipedia more inclusive. To attract skilled women to join the Wikipedia community, a survey will be designed and distributed via targeted paid social media distribution to determine the willingness of female participants to contribute or edit Wikipedia articles. The performance of the campaigns will be analyzed to develop a blueprint of strategies for reaching potential female editors on different social media platforms.
In this research project, the main page of Wikipedia will be analyzed across the seven longest-standing Wikipedia editions: English, German, Catalan, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish. This study will delve into the possible gender and intersectional bias in the page’s daily content, newsroom guidelines (principles and standards 1 that govern the dissemination of information), and in the insights from the volunteer community who decide which information gets disseminated to the public on the main page. The researchers hope to actively contribute to editing communities by addressing the daily challenges and needs in crafting front-page content.
This research project aims to enhance collaboration between traditional biographical dictionaries and online platforms like Wikipedia and Wikidata. By comparing entries from the Czech Wikipedia and the Biographical Dictionary of the Czech Lands (BDCL), the project looks to identify gaps and needs in biographical documentation. The researchers’ goal is to propose solutions that will improve cooperation, ensure comprehensive and accurate biographical information, and ultimately enrich the content of both Wikipedia and Wikidata.
In this project, the researchers will design and pilot a training model for school teachers using the Wikimedia projects as a learning environment to foster digital citizenship and 21st century skills. The designing process will be conducted by an exploration of the teacher’s perceptions and needs regarding the use of Wikimedia for digital literacy and citizenship. To achieve this goal, a case study will be carried out with teachers from three different types of school centers in Chile (public, private, and subsidized). The research methods will include in-depth interviews, surveys, and focus groups. After designing the initial training model, it will be implemented in a pilot with teachers from the three participating schools. To evaluate the implementation, class observations and interviews with teachers and students will be carried out. The training model and all of the resources developed in the context of this research will be disseminated within the Wikimedia and Education Community through different collective instances.
Wikidata for the People of Africa
This project aims to use natural language generation (NLG) to expand Wikidata entries with high-quality labels and descriptions in Bantu languages, starting with isiZulu and focusing on the geopolitical domain. By leveraging the Grammatical Framework (GF) to differentiate between abstract and concrete syntax, the project intends to streamline the process for other Bantu languages. The goal is to address the lack of Bantu language representation on Wikidata, enabling speakers to contribute and access data in their native languages, thus enhancing the multilingual support of Wikimedia projects.
Looking Forward to the Future of Wikimedia Research
These funded projects aim to support researchers who might otherwise not have ready access to funding and who are located in emerging communities. We prioritized research proposals that are in collaboration with Wikimedia volunteer developers or affiliates and attempt to serve a specific purpose, with the aim of creating real impact for these communities, and the movement at large. We encourage the Wikimedia community and our broader network to support these projects in any way possible. Here are some ways you can get involved:
- Engage with the Researchers: Follow the progress of these projects and contribute your insights through Meta-Wiki discussions or other Wikimedia platforms.
- Share Knowledge and Resources: If you have expertise or resources relevant to these projects, consider reaching out to collaborate and share knowledge.
- Promote the Projects in Your Community: Help raise awareness of these initiatives within your local Wikimedia community or through social media to expand their reach and impact.
If you’re interested in applying for future research funds, keep an eye out for our next call for proposals. Stay updated by subscribing to the wiki-research-l mailing list for news on upcoming opportunities, events, and research-related announcements. We look forward to seeing how these projects unfold and the positive impact they will have on the Wikimedia community.
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