Wikibooks:Reading room/General

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Welcome to the General reading room. On this page, Wikibookians are free to talk about the Wikibooks project in general. For proposals for improving Wikibooks, see the ../Proposals/ reading room.

Book scope evaluation: October 7th Massacre
I noticed that the book October 7th Massacre was recently created. This struck me in the context of the above discussion (Reading room/General) about whether a theoretical book titled "Infraction of Vienna Convention: The Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy" would be in scope. I think that if we say that this theoretical book is not in-scope, then October 7th Massacre would definitely not be in-scope either. Conversely, I think that if October 7th Massacre is in-scope, then the theoretical book could be in-scope. As it stands, I'm personally still not sure that either one is in-scope—since they are related to ongoing sociopolitical events, they would both need significant investment and effort to ensure NPOV and to make sure they have 1) a nuanced historical and political lens and 2) a very well-outlined set of instructional aims to be considered an instructional book in-scope here (consider what a classroom textbook on the subject would look like). Plus, October 7th Massacre seems potentially encyclopedic and redundant to 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Would appreciate people's thoughts here. —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 14:55, 4 May 2024 (UTC)


 * Thing is, you could have a book on a massacre. The question is more of whether we can have a book on an ongoing event, and I think that's kind of untested. Leaderboard (discuss • contribs) 15:15, 4 May 2024 (UTC)
 * A fair point! This may come down to "instructibility" criteria again, which seems like a recurring issue. I just made a proposal at Wikibooks talk:What is Wikibooks to get at some of these issues. —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 15:34, 4 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Hi, since I have only started work on this book, that’s why it doesn’t have that much content in it yet. I don’t see how this book is worse than other history books found in Shelf:History. All of them also detail events that have their own pages in Wikipedia. The book is intended to describe the events that happened during one of the most important days in Israeli history. Also this isn’t an “ongoing event”, as it isn’t a book about the ongoing war in Israel, but a book about the October 7th massacre. Describing the massacre and the battles that happened isn’t a POV. -D1n05aur5 4ever (discuss • contribs) 17:28, 4 May 2024 (UTC)
 * For whatever it's worth, I do think a lot of the books on the history shelf have issues with being "instructional" texts—like I mentioned, I go into more detail at Wikibooks talk:What is Wikibooks. To avoid this issue, my personal recommendation for you with this book is to include discussion questions and other exercises to make it more instructional. Cheers! —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 23:40, 6 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Hi, it was pointed out in the discussion you linked that instructional can also mean “intended for teaching”. I’m not entirely sure what you mean by “discussion questions and other exercises”. Could you please elaborate on that? Thanks in advance, -D1n05aur5 4ever (discuss • contribs) 09:52, 9 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Hi @D1n05aur5 4ever. My personal opinion is that instructional books should engage the reader in some way on the information given, rather than just presenting facts and leaving it at that. In my view, a good instructional book will have exercises that ask the reader to apply the information. In a cookbook, recipes are a way for the reader to apply what they've learned about ingredients, techniques, etc. In a math/science book, practice problems help reinforce the concepts and theorems presented. In a music book, there may be songs or scales for the reader to play/sing, as well as other exercises. In a history/sociology book, "why" and "how" exercises, as well as analytical essay prompts will help the reader make connections and analyze the information presented. This is not currently policy, but it is what I think makes a high-quality instructional book rather than a simple collection of facts, which can be educational but not necessarily, in my view, instructional. Happy to elaborate more on what I think would improve your book specifically. Cheers —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 12:39, 10 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Hi, I appreciate the detailed response. I haven’t managed to come up with any questions that would actually improve the book, though I would gladly have such questions added. -D1n05aur5 4ever (discuss • contribs) 15:26, 14 May 2024 (UTC)
 * The book seems fine for me but the scope should be clearer.--Xania [[Image:Flag_of_Estonia.svg|15px]] [[Image:Flag_of_Ukraine.svg|15px]] talk 03:01, 5 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Thanks God WB inclusion criteria has gone under attack another time. Vagueness of WB inclusion criteria has let user create strangest books ever. Doostdar (discuss • contribs) 17:38, 3 July 2024 (UTC)

Feedback invited on Procedure for Sibling Project Lifecycle

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Dear community members,

The Community Affairs Committee (CAC) of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees invites you to give feedback on a draft Procedure for Sibling Project Lifecycle. This draft Procedure outlines proposed steps and requirements for opening and closing Wikimedia Sibling Projects, and aims to ensure any newly approved projects are set up for success. This is separate from the procedures for opening or closing language versions of projects, which is handled by the Language Committee or closing projects policy.

You can find the details on this page, as well as the ways to give your feedback from today until the end of the day on June 23, 2024, anywhere on Earth.

You can also share information about this with the interested project communities you work with or support, and you can also help us translate the procedure into more languages, so people can join the discussions in their own language.

On behalf of the CAC,

RamzyM (WMF) 02:24, 22 May 2024 (UTC)

Table of Content Depth and related Template Issue
Hello everyone,

I was working on the Thesis Writing Guide when I realised the Table of Contents is 6(+?) layers deep. I wanted to change it, but realised that Template:Toclimit does not exist.

Two questions:
 * 1) Can someone (hopefully someone else, potentially I myself?) create that template? I don't want to mess with existing template conventions.
 * 2) What are said conventions, particularly on TOC depth? I'd just go from an academic / TeX perspective and reduce mine to 3-4 (Section, Subsection, Subsubsection, Paragraph maybe), but maybe there is a reason people want all sections accessible in Wikibooks - hence: Is There a convention on TOC depth?

Related: TimBorgNetzWerk (discuss • contribs) 15:47, 22 May 2024 (UTC)
 * https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Table_of_contents
 * https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Template:TOC


 * Hi @TimBorgNetzWerk! I imported Template:TOC limit—let me know if this works for you. —Kittycataclysm (discuss • contribs) 12:11, 23 May 2024 (UTC)

Am I allowed to sell something I wrote here as an ebook or in physical copies? Also are opinions or conjecture acceptable?
I have been working on a book already, and I want to self publish it. I want to do this primarily so if somebody really likes the book they can buy it, and so that I can put it in my resume as having written such a book, without having to explain what wikibooks is. I want it in creative commons attribution anyways. Also in the one I am writing, I have instances of opinion or conjecture, so is that acceptable too, or do books hosted here have to strictly follow scholarly consensus? Immanuelle (discuss • contribs) 21:11, 22 May 2024 (UTC)
 * The site license allows you to sell the material but you must attribute it to the original authors if you didn't write the words yourself. I see you are copying text from Wikipedia. In a printed book you would need to correctly attribute the work to every person who contributed which is very difficult to do in a printed work. Secondly, you cannot place any further restriction on the book. That is, you may want to license it as CC-BY-SA 4.0, but even if you didn't want to you MUST do so. That is the restriction in the license. This also means anyone else can take your book, copy it, change it a bit and sell it themselves. Books here cannot contain original research but there is slightly more discretion than on Wikipedia in respect of following consensus. Incidentally, you would be much better to request pages are imported from Wikipedia rather than copying them. MarcGarver (discuss • contribs) 16:26, 23 May 2024 (UTC)
 * @MarcGarver how do I request imports? Can I do it to get the history of a page that already has had substantial edits? I have used mediawiki importing earlier and know how when you import the xml into a page, it results in the revision history changing without corrupting the history (but only for one page). For example can the history here https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ch%C5%8Dkaisan_%C5%8Cmonoimi_Shrine&oldid=1219658567 be imported into User:Immanuelle/sandbox/Chokaisan Faith? Immanuelle (discuss • contribs) 18:40, 23 May 2024 (UTC)
 * You request imports at WB:RFI. Once imported the history can be merged no matter how extensive the edits you made subsequent to copying here. In some cases the import won't work if the source page history is very large. In those cases we just import one version and merge it so there is a link to the original source on Wikipedia and its history there. MarcGarver (discuss • contribs) 07:30, 24 May 2024 (UTC)
 * I have imported and merged the example you gave above. You can see the full history in your copy here now. MarcGarver (discuss • contribs) 07:34, 24 May 2024 (UTC)
 * @MarcGarver is it recommended to request import for multiple pages when they are going into one page here? That would make the history incomprehensible but have everyone's names present to my understanding. Immanuelle (discuss • contribs) 10:16, 24 May 2024 (UTC)

Announcing the first Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee

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Hello,

The scrutineers have finished reviewing the vote results. We are following up with the results of the first Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) election.

We are pleased to announce the following individuals as regional members of the U4C, who will fulfill a two-year term:


 * North America (USA and Canada)
 * Northern and Western Europe
 * Ghilt
 * Latin America and Caribbean
 * Central and East Europe (CEE)
 * Sub-Saharan Africa
 * Middle East and North Africa
 * Ibrahim.ID
 * East, South East Asia and Pacific (ESEAP)
 * 0xDeadbeef
 * South Asia
 * Ibrahim.ID
 * East, South East Asia and Pacific (ESEAP)
 * 0xDeadbeef
 * South Asia

The following individuals are elected to be community-at-large members of the U4C, fulfilling a one-year term:


 * Barkeep49
 * Superpes15
 * Civvì
 * Luke081515

Thank you again to everyone who participated in this process and much appreciation to the candidates for your leadership and dedication to the Wikimedia movement and community.

Over the next few weeks, the U4C will begin meeting and planning the 2024-25 year in supporting the implementation and review of the UCoC and Enforcement Guidelines. Follow their work on Meta-wiki.

On behalf of the UCoC project team,

RamzyM (WMF) 08:14, 3 June 2024 (UTC)

Should multiple import requests be done simultaneously on the same page to preserve credits at the expense of readability in the history
Should multiple import requests be done simultaneously on the same page to preserve credits at the expense of readability in the history for pages which have multiple derivative pages? Immanuelle (discuss • contribs) 03:24, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

The final text of the Wikimedia Movement Charter is now on Meta

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Hi everyone,

The final text of the Wikimedia Movement Charter is now up on Meta in more than 20 languages for your reading.

What is the Wikimedia Movement Charter?

The Wikimedia Movement Charter is a proposed document to define roles and responsibilities for all the members and entities of the Wikimedia movement, including the creation of a new body – the Global Council – for movement governance.

Join the Wikimedia Movement Charter “Launch Party”

Join the “Launch Party” on June 20, 2024 at 14.00-15.00 UTC (your local time). During this call, we will celebrate the release of the final Charter and present the content of the Charter. Join and learn about the Charter before casting your vote.

Movement Charter ratification vote

Voting will commence on SecurePoll on June 25, 2024 at 00:01 UTC and will conclude on July 9, 2024 at 23:59 UTC. You can read more about the voting process, eligibility criteria, and other details on Meta.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment on the Meta talk page or email the MCDC at [mailto:mcdc@wikimedia.org mcdc@wikimedia.org].

On behalf of the MCDC,

RamzyM (WMF) 08:44, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

Voting to ratify the Wikimedia Movement Charter is now open – cast your vote

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Hello everyone,

The voting to ratify the Wikimedia Movement Charter is now open. The Wikimedia Movement Charter is a document to define roles and responsibilities for all the members and entities of the Wikimedia movement, including the creation of a new body – the Global Council – for movement governance.

The final version of the Wikimedia Movement Charter is available on Meta in different languages and attached for your reading.

Voting commenced on SecurePoll on June 25, 2024 at 00:01 UTC and will conclude on July 9, 2024 at 23:59 UTC. Please read more on the voter information and eligibility details.

After reading the Charter, please vote here and share this note further.

If you have any questions about the ratification vote, please contact the Charter Electoral Commission at [mailto:cec@wikimedia.org cec@wikimedia.org].

On behalf of the CEC,

RamzyM (WMF) 10:51, 25 June 2024 (UTC)


 * The voting to ratify the Wikimedia Movement Charter is a significant step for the community, marking a milestone in defining roles and responsibilities across the movement. This inclusive approach ensures that every member has a voice, and the creation of the Global Council is a promising development for governance. As someone involved in a logistics company in Dubai, I appreciate the clear structure and transparency this charter aims to bring. Make sure to cast your vote before July 9, 2024, and help shape the future of the Wikimedia Movement. VerdenLogistics (discuss • contribs) 06:19, 28 June 2024 (UTC)

Voting to ratify the Wikimedia Movement Charter is ending soon

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Hello everyone,

This is a kind reminder that the voting period to ratify the Wikimedia Movement Charter will be closed on July 9, 2024, at 23:59 UTC.

If you have not voted yet, please vote on SecurePoll.

On behalf of the Charter Electoral Commission,

RamzyM (WMF) 03:45, 8 July 2024 (UTC)

U4C Special Election - Call for Candidates

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Hello all,

A special election has been called to fill additional vacancies on the U4C. The call for candidates phase is open from now through July 19, 2024.

The Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C) is a global group dedicated to providing an equitable and consistent implementation of the UCoC. Community members are invited to submit their applications in the special election for the U4C. For more information and the responsibilities of the U4C, please review the U4C Charter.

In this special election, according to chapter 2 of the U4C charter, there are 9 seats available on the U4C: four community-at-large seats and five regional seats to ensure the U4C represents the diversity of the movement. No more than two members of the U4C can be elected from the same home wiki. Therefore, candidates must not have English Wikipedia, German Wikipedia, or Italian Wikipedia as their home wiki.

Read more and submit your application on Meta-wiki.

In cooperation with the U4C,

-- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 00:02, 10 July 2024 (UTC)

Wikimedia Movement Charter ratification voting results

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Hello everyone,

After carefully tallying both individual and affiliate votes, the Charter Electoral Commission is pleased to announce the final results of the Wikimedia Movement Charter voting.

As communicated by the Charter Electoral Commission, we reached the quorum for both Affiliate and individual votes by the time the vote closed on July 9, 23:59 UTC. We thank all 2,451 individuals and 129 Affiliate representatives who voted in the ratification process. Your votes and comments are invaluable for the future steps in Movement Strategy.

The final results of the Wikimedia Movement Charter ratification voting held between 25 June and 9 July 2024 are as follows:

Individual vote:

Out of 2,451 individuals who voted as of July 9 23:59 (UTC), 2,446 have been accepted as valid votes. Among these, 1,710 voted “yes”; 623 voted “no”; and 113 selected “–” (neutral). Because the neutral votes don’t count towards the total number of votes cast, 73.30% voted to approve the Charter (1710/2333), while 26.70% voted to reject the Charter (623/2333).

Affiliates vote:

Out of 129 Affiliates designated voters who voted as of July 9 23:59 (UTC), 129 votes are confirmed as valid votes. Among these, 93 voted “yes”; 18 voted “no”; and 18 selected “–” (neutral). Because the neutral votes don’t count towards the total number of votes cast, 83.78% voted to approve the Charter (93/111), while 16.22% voted to reject the Charter (18/111).

Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation:

The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees voted not to ratify the proposed Charter during their special Board meeting on July 8, 2024. The Chair of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees, Nataliia Tymkiv, shared the result of the vote, the resolution, meeting minutes and proposed next steps.

With this, the Wikimedia Movement Charter in its current revision is not ratified.

We thank you for your participation in this important moment in our movement’s governance.

The Charter Electoral Commission,

Abhinav619, Borschts, Iwuala Lucy, Tochiprecious, Der-Wir-Ing

MediaWiki message delivery (discuss • contribs) 17:51, 18 July 2024 (UTC)