Registry of Anthropological Data Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Welcome to our wiki's helpful how-to page! Completely lost? Nervous about formatting? Unsure where to jump in? Or maybe wikis just aren't your thing? Well, that's what this page is here for! We want people to create and edit pages and tell us all about the resources that are out there, so we're going to make this as painless as possible. If you want to contribute but don't know where to beginn, these simple guidelines should help you on your way. If you need a visual aid, you can click on the photos in this article to enlarge them for a detailed picture with the steps involved illustrated. An outline of the contents can found here:

  1. Creating an Account
  2. Adding a Page
    1. Data Sets
    2. Archives
  3. Editing a Page
  4. After Adding a Page

See something we missed? Feel free to add it or to ask Chelsea to add it for you.

Creating an Account[]

While it is possible to edit this wiki without an account, it is highly recommended that you sign up for an account if you don't have one already. The account is free and takes almost no time to create. Why would you want an account? There are a number of benefits associated with having your own Wikia account. Having an account allows

How to sign up 1

S1

you to keep track of changes you've made and follow pages you're interested. This means you can keep tabs on things that are important to and interest you without having to keep the urls bookmarked or written down. Best of all, adding and editing pages becomes easier as you no longer have to answer "captcha" requests for edits you make (captcha requires users to look at a word image and type the word into a box, in order to make sure there is a person editing the page and not a bot).

Okay, so how do you sign up? Here's a step-by-step guide. If you don't need these instructions, you can scroll down to a tutorial for editing the wiki.

Begin by clicking on the "Sign up" link in the top right hand corner of the page: this header is on every

How to sign up 2

S2

page in the wiki, so you can access it at any time (Photo S1). That link will lead you to an account creation page. This process from here is relatively self-explanatory. Come up with a user name and password; the user name can be anything you wish. Many people adopt usernames other than their given names, but both are options: it just depends on the impression you're looking to give and if you feel comfortable revealing your name. It will ask for your email address, birthdate, and require you to pass the captcha requirement by typing the blurry word in the box next to it (once you successfully create your account you shouldn't have to do this again on another page, unlike unregistered users) (Photo S2).

Then click on the "Create Account" button and wait for your confirmation email! From their, you can change settings on your account as you see fit.

Adding a Page[]

So you've looked at the data sets and archives and determined that yours isn't listed. The next step is to add a page yourself. It may seem daunting if you're not well-acquainted with wikis, but have no fear: this guide will offer a step-by-step explanation. There are even illustrations included to help you figure out just what the instructions are referring to; you can click on the picture to view a larger version.


Data Set[]

First we'll begin with the process involved in creating a data set page. If you have an account, sign in before you begin and then click on the "Contribute" button, which will display a drop-down menu. The third option is "Add a Page," so click on that to begin crafting your page (Photo DS 1).

How to add a data set 2

DS2

A screen will pop up asking what you want to call your page. Below that, you have the option to choose between two layouts, "Standard layout" or "Blank page." In this scenario, choose "Standard layout" because it was specifically created with data sets in mind.

Use the title of your data set for the page's name (in the box below "What do you want to call it?"). Type it in exactly as you want it to show up on the title of your page. It can be changed later, but since the name of the page serves as the input for the link (Photo DS2)

This layout will include all the fields you will need to complete the page (Photo DS3). These categories should

How to add data set 3

DS3

appear whenever you create a new page using the Standard Layout:

  • Data Set Title: [A link to the website where your data is collected]
  • Description: [This can be as long or short as you like, just a basic summary of what people can expect to find on the webpage.]
  • Data and Document Types: [List of different types of data found in your collection. E.g. audio recordings, field notes, manuscripts, newspapers]
  • Topics: [The subjects covered in your data]
  • Discipline: [Which discipline(s) your data falls under]
  • Region: [The region covered in your data. E.g. Africa, South America]
  • Country: [The country studied in your data]
  • Language: [The language studied in your data]
  • Nature of Collection: [Digital, physical, or a combination of the two]
    How to add data set 4

    DS4

  • Finding Aid: [A link to a search function, if your data set has one]

You may not need all of these fields; in fact, most data sets only make use of five or so. If you feel some don't apply to your data set, simply highlight and delete them.

The only part of this that might not be self-explanatory is how to properly insert links. When dealing with the "Data Set Title" field, the best option is to

How to add data set 5

DS5

create a link that directs to your page but looks like the name of your data set. In order to do this, you must click on the icon above the text box that shows a picture of a link. When you do so, a box will pop up onto the screen where you can input all of the information necessary. First, click on the bubble next to "To an external link," so that the bubble is selected, indicated by the green circle in the bubble. Next, copy and paste the link into the first field. In the second field, type the title of your data set as you want it to appear on the page (Photo DS4). The link for the finding aid is even simpler. Click on the

How to add data set 6

An example of how your page might look right before publishing.

link icon like before, but this time simply paste your link into the first and second boxes, make sure "To an external link" is slected and click on the red "OK" button. Feel free to to give it a name or title if you don't wish to have the actual text of the link appear, but it isn't necessary (Photo DS5).

When all of your desired fields have been filled, the extraneous ones deleted, and you're satisfied with the final product, click the "Preview" button to pull up a shot of how the page will appear on the wiki and if everything still looks correct, click the red "Publish" button.

Once your article has been published, you will notice that the template has links embedded in the titles. In order to ensure maximum visibility of your entry, please follow each of these links and add your entry to their lists! If you need help accomplishing that, a short guide is available at the bottom of this tutorial to help guide you through the process.

Archive[]

The process for creating a new page for an archive is slightly different, since it has fewer fields and no premade layout like that of the data sets. Click on the "Contribute" button to the upper left of whatever page you're on at the time and a drop-down menu will appear. When it does, select the third option "Add a page" and box will appear in the middle of your screen.

How to add archive 1

A1

In the first field type the name of your archive, located under "What do you want to call it?" Type it exactly as you want the heading of your new page to look. It can be changed later if you make a mistake, but it is more difficult than editing a page so it's best to type it correctly the first time. Once you've typed the page title, select the "Blank page" option under the text box, so that it is highlighted in red, then click the red "Add a page" button (Photo A1).

This will pull up a blank page with no fields pre-typed for you, which means you will have to add the fields yourself. However, there are only three of them so it should be easy. Simply copy the text below and paste it into the empy text box.

  • Name of Archive:
  • Description of Archive:
  • Location of Archive:

If you have other fields you would like to add, feel free. These are just the basic necessary three fields for archive pages. If you feel something else is important to mention, such as the topics focused on in your archive, simply add another bullet point under these three.

The second and third fields are relatively self-explanatory. Enter a brief description so that wiki-users w

How to add archive 2

A2

ill have an idea of what your archive offers. In the location field, provide city, state, and country if applicable. The "Name of Archive" field is slightly different. The best option is to create a link that directs to your page but looks like the name of your data set. In order to do this, you must click on the icon above the text box that shows a picture of a link. When you do so, a box will pop up onto the screen where you can input all of the information necessary. First, click on the bubble next to "To an external link," so that the bubble is selected, indicated by the green circle in the bubble. Next, copy and paste the link into the first field. In the second field, type the title of your data set as you want it to appear on the page (Photo A2).

Editing a Page[]

See something wrong? Maybe a broken link? Or even just a misspelled name or off formatting? Please go ahead and make any changes to things that don't seem right! Usually it takes very little time and h

How to edit page 1

E1

elps keep the wiki up-to-date and useful.

To begin, click on the "Edit" button, located at the top of the page next to the page name in red with a pencil icon next to it (Photo E1). This will bring up the editable version of this page, something familiar to anyone who has already added a page of their own. Once you are on this page, simply move your cursor to whatever area needs to be changed and make the edits, by typing, deleting, adding a link or photo: anything that you think would benefit the article!

Once you've completed your edits and before you publish them, you can also

How to edit page 2

E2

make note of any edits that you've implemented so other wiki users can see what you've changed. Directly above the "Publish" button is a text box that includes the title of the page or section you're editing. Simply click in the box after the name and type up what you've changed (Photo E2). This makes it easy for people to keep an eye on the wiki and make sure everyone is on the same page, instead of wondering about what has happened in their absence. In order to see a list of recently made changes, you can click on the "Wiki Activity" link which will bring up a long list of pages that have been edited. If those editing have written their edit summary, it will appear in the entry on the Wiki Activity page.

After Adding a Page[]

Wikis are at their best when most of its pages are interconnected. If a newly created page isn't linked on a pre-existing page, it runs the risk of getting lost in the shuffle. It can still be found by using the search function even when not linked elsewhere, but that severely limits access your page.

To help with this, we have numerous index pages that separate pages into various categories. Once your data

How-To Adding Link to Your Page

AA1

set or archive has a page, the next step is to visit Data Set List or Archive List, depending on the nature of your page. Both lists are alphabetical so simply find the correct location and link your page.

Begin by clicking the edit icon to start the process. After finding the proper location for your page, click on the chainlink icon above the textbox on your toolbar. Here you will be able to input the information to link to your page (Photo AA1).

How-To Adding Link to Your Page

AA2

When you click on the chainlink icon, a box with two entry fields will pop up, the first asking for your target page or URL. This is where you type your page's name. Be sure to do so precisely as a mistake will result in a broken link. As you type text into the first box, the same text will appear in the second box. In this case, that's perfect since that's what you want the link to look like on the Archive or Data Set page. Once you're done, click on the "OK" button and a link to your page will appear on the list. If everything is to your satisfaction, click on the red "Publish" button to the right (Photo AA2).

There are plenty of other pages you can add your link to as well. Here is a list for your convenience:Country Studied, Discipline, Document Type, Language Studied, Location of Archive, Region, Researcher, and Research Topic. Add your page to any list you feel is appropriate! Most of the lists are alphabetical by subject and then alphabetical by page name.

These are all easily reached by links provided in the dataset template!

Happy editing!

Advertisement