PLEASE NOTE: This page is now out-of-date and had been replaced. For up-to-date information please see the latest H2G2 FAQs.
Index | About h2g2 | Registering | Exploring | Preferences | Personal Space | Conversations | Guide Entries | Journal | Contributing | Moderation | Editorial Process | Review Forums | Technical | GuideML | Cool Things | Legal | Miscellaneous
Welcome to the 'Review Forums' section of the h2g2 FAQ. This is where you can find information about h2g2's system for reviewing entries.
If you want to see a complete list of questions answered by the h2g2 FAQ, you can go to the h2g2 FAQ Index at any time.
Contents of this Section
What are Review Forums and why would I want to use them?
One of the most important areas of h2g2 is the Edited Guide, which contains the best entries from h2g2, all edited to a high standard and categorised in the categorisation system. You can get your flowing prose into the Edited Guide by following the Editorial Process, which starts with the Review Forums.
In essence, a Review Forum is an area of h2g2 which encourages the Community to read and comment on Guide Entries, thus enabling the author(s) to improve their entries, possibly with an eye to the Edited Guide. There are various Review Forums, each described later, but here's a summary:
Peer Review - For entries that are finished and ready to be picked for the Edited Guide.
Writing Workshop - For entries that could do with a little help before they're ready for Peer Review.
Alternative Writing Workshop - For entries that don't fit the Editorial Guidelines but which the author would still like comments on.
Flea Market - If an author puts something into a Review Forum but then disappears from h2g2, the entry gets moved to the Flea Market where someone else can pick it up and finish it off.
Update Forum - If an entry is incorrect, out of date, or there is new information that should be included, it can be updated. If it needs an extensive rewrite, then it comes to the Update Forum.
The best way to get to know the Review Forums system is to hang around in Peer Review or the Writing Workshop and to comment on other Researchers' entries.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
What is Peer Review?
The most important Review Forum, Peer Review is where authors should submit entries that they consider to be finished and ready for inclusion in the Edited Guide (ie entries that satisfy the Editorial Guidelines).
Entries that get a generally positive reception in Peer Review may be picked by the Scouts for editing (as described in the entry What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?). Scouts can only pick entries that have been in Peer Review for at least a week.
If you want to submit your entry to Peer Review there are some important notes you should read; you can find them on the Peer Review page itself.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
What is the Writing Workshop?
If you've written an entry that's nearly there but needs a little more input from the Community before it's ready for Peer Review, the Writing Workshop is the place to submit your entry. Here you can get helpful ideas and pointers from the rest of the Community that will help you polish off your prose ready for submission to Peer Review.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
What is the Alternative Writing Workshop?
If you've written a Guide Entry that doesn't fit the Writing Guidelines but which you'd still like feedback on, then the Alternative Writing Workshop is the place for you. This might include entries that are pure humour, mainly fiction, or otherwise not eligible for the Edited Guide.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
What is the Flea Market?
The Flea Market is where the Editors move entries from other Review Forums if the author 'leaves the building' or abandons their entry for some other reason. We define 'leaving the building' as not posting to h2g2 in two months, so you could consider it more going for a long walk round the building with the firm intention of returning, but getting distracted by what's Outside the Building...
For authors looking for inspiration, the Flea Market also offers a place where they can pick up discarded entries, give them a polish, and try to get them into the Edited Guide. Think of it like a home for lost Guide Entries, each one whimpering in a cage, dreaming of the day a budding Researcher will come along and give it a loving home. Ah!
Please don't submit entries to the Flea Market, as it is only for entries that have been in Review Forums like Peer Review or the Writing Workshop, but which have ground to a halt because the author is no longer around.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
What is the Update Forum?
If there is already an Edited Entry on a subject in the Guide, but it is incorrect, out of date, or there is new information that should be included it can be updated. Small updates can be informal and done by the Editors via Editorial Feedback, but if it needs an extensive rewrite and includes the old content, then it comes to the Update Forum.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
How do I see what's in each Review Forum?
If you visit a Review Forum like Peer Review, then at the bottom of the page you will see a list of the first 20 entries in that Review Forum (in a similar way to Conversations that are listed at the bottom of Guide Entries). You can see more entries by clicking on the 'Click here to see more entries' link, or can use the video buttons and LEDs to step through the entries in exactly the same way as you can with Conversations (the latter is explained here).
The following pieces of information are listed for each entry in the Review Forum:
Entry ID - The A123346 number of the entry. Click on this to go to the entry itself.
Subject - The title of the entry. Click on this to go to the entry itself.
Date Entered - The date this was put into this Review Forum. Click on this to go to the start of the Review Conversation.
Last Posted - The date of the last Posting to the Review Conversation. Click on this to go to that Posting.
Author - The author's name. Click on this to visit the author's Personal Space.
Author ID - The author's U123456 number. Click on this to visit the author's Personal Space.
You can change the ordering of the list of entries by clicking on any of the titles for each column, so clicking on 'Date Entered' will list the entries with the most recently entered entries at the top (denoted by this heading being displayed in italics). Clicking a title twice will reverse the order, so clicking again on 'Date Entered' will start the list with the entries that have been in the Review Forum for the longest at the top. The order is expressed in the URL, so if you have a preferred ordering, you can easily add the relevant URL to your browser's favourites. The default ordering is by reverse order of 'Last Posted' (so the most recently posted-to Review Conversation will appear at the top, just like normal Conversations).
You can also subscribe to Review Forums in the same way that you can with Conversation Forums, by clicking on the 'Click here to be notified of all new entries in this Review Forum' link. Every entry that is submitted to this Review Forum will automatically appear in the Conversations section of your Personal Space.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
How do I comment on entries in a Review Forum?
Every entry in a Review Forum has an associated Review Conversation, which acts just like any other Conversation on h2g2 (in other words you click on the 'Reply' button when looking at the Review Conversations, and all the normal Conversation rules apply - see the Conversations FAQ for more details). You can see the Review Conversation for an entry by clicking on the relevant 'Subject' or 'Last Posted' link when looking at the Review Forum.
If you think that the entries in a Review Forum are indeed wonderful, feel free to jump into the Conversation and nod your assent - there's nothing better than a cheer of resounding agreement. If you disagree, or think that more information needs to be added, again please say so, but be nice - criticism is always a tricky balancing act!
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
What does the information in the Review Forum Data box mean?
The following information is shown in the Review Forum Data box:
Name - The name of the Review Forum (eg 'Peer Review', 'Writing Workshop')
URL - The last part of the URL of the Review Forum (eg 'PeerReview', 'Writing-Workshop')
Recommendable - Yes or No. If 'Yes' then Scouts can pick entries from this Review Forum for inclusion in the Edited Guide; if 'No' then they can't.
Incubate - Only applicable if the Review Forum is 'Recommendable', this is the minimum number of days that an entry has to be in the Review Forum before a Scout can pick it for the Edited Guide.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
How do I put an entry into a Review Forum?
It's really simple! Simply visit the entry you want to put into a Review Forum, and if the entry is available to be put into review, you'll see a 'Submit for Review' button in the Entry Data box. Click on this button, choose the relevant Review Forum from the drop-down menu, fill in the comment box with your reasons for putting this into review, and click on the 'Submit Entry' button. And that's it!
If the 'Submit for Review' button doesn't appear, then there are a number of possible reasons. If the author has ticked the 'Not for Review' button then they don't want it put into review, and instead of the button you'll see 'Not for Review'. If the entry is already in a Review Forum, you'll see the name of the Review Forum and a link to the relevant Review Conversation. Also, you can't submit Personal Spaces, Edited Entries, Recommended Entries or Help Pages.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
How do I stop people putting my entries into Review Forums?
In the Entry Editor for your entry, simply tick the 'Not for Review' check box and click on the 'Update Entry' button. The 'Submit for Review' button will not appear for that entry, and nobody will be able to put your entry into the Review Forums.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
How do I remove an entry from a Review Forum?
If you are the author of an entry or the person who put that entry into a Review Forum, then you will see a 'Remove' link next to that entry when you look at the relevant Review Forum. Clicking this will remove that entry from the Review Forum, moving the Review Conversation to the entry itself.
The quickest way to access the 'Remove' link is to visit the entry, click the link in the Entry Data box to the Review Conversation, and then to click on the 'Entry List' link to take you to the Review Forum. You should see your entry there with a relevant 'Remove' link.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
How do I move an entry from one Review Forum to another?
You have to remove your entry from the first Review Forum (see the previous question) and then resubmit your entry to the new Review Forum. This has the effect of forcing you to start a new Review Conversation.
[Back to top of section]
[Back to the main h2g2 FAQ Index]
4. All About h2g2 / All About h2g2 / h2g2 Information / Help and Frequently Asked Questions
