We have around 10,000 edited entries in this guide of ours. Written with care, and in many cases blood and tears they provide both factual information and laughter to all those who read them. However some of them were written in 1999. I know that i have changed in two thirds of my life, and 12 years is enough to alter many known "facts", add dozens of new concepts and supply many ideas to the best of entries.

So What Can We Do?

h2g2 already has a functioning update system. It even has a group of volunteers, the curators, who run around fixing entries, often without a word of thanks or even being noticed. However there are only a scattering of curators - but there many researchers, who are all capable of breathing new life into entries that would otherwise dry out into old age...I think you can see where we are going with this.

So What Exactly Are We Being Tasked With?

For all of this month you will be asked to pick an entry that makes up part of our "science and technology" section in the EG. This is a full list of the entries that we suggest are appropiate for updating, look through it and try to find one that is right for you. If there isn't but you still want to update something, then please have your own look in the guide and start work on that. We want you to bring it up to the quality to get an entry on that topic through Peer Review, where you'll be given suggestions for your entry, and to have you alter the entry as needed. It would be even more helpful if while you wander around Peer Review you take a look at the other entries there, especially the other updates going on.

There are three types of updating, the smallest of which takes the form of a couple of lines or a small paragraph that are there to either include new facts or correct mistakes. It can be written in plain text. Once you have written the work, please go to Editorial Feedback and post it there with a comment about where to put it and a link to the relevant entry.

The second of the three types takes the form of a moderate re-write. It needs several paragraphs, and must be written in GuideMl. It can also be put into Editorial Feedback but the work must be accompanied by a full description of the changes and reasoning about why the entry should be changed.

The final of the updating types is a complete rework of the entry. This is equivalent to taking the previous entry's work and using it as the basis of a new entry. The method is given below, but it must be submitted to Peer Review instead of Editorial Feedback.

Any Suggestions?

Below are a list of entries which seem well suited for an update. The entries given are appropiate for either type two or type three updating. If you want to do something smaller, than pick any entry that you feel would just benefit from a few minor changes. Almost any entry could use a couple of lines summarising new facts or ideas. The topics below differ in both subject and appearance. What has to be changed will alter from one topic to another, as will the approach to editing. With science, what is considered true changes frequently, while humanity itself can cause an entry to be rewritten when it comes to animals. Here is the full list of entries that can be initially considered for updating.

• Companion Animals - We have many entries on animals, including some domesticated ones, but we need this entry bought up to date to summarise these and to write about what makes a good companion animal as well as how to choose and look after one

• Rhinos - An entry with a excellent basis already, but it needs updating to take into account actions taken for and against rhinos over the last decade by humanity

• Dogs - Man's best friend has an excellent summary with advice concerning their behaviour and there are many individual breed entries but this entry could have general background knowledge of dogs and summaries of any other entries added

• Umami - the Fifth Tase - This still near unknown taste is slowly coming into the public perception

• Evolution - Since this entry was created all on one day (sorry), this entry is ripe for some evolution, perfect for those with wide-ranging interests, or a group with the same, since this entry doesn't just cover biological evolution

• Murphy's Law - Just Sod's law this hasn't been updated yet. A great chance for a collobrative update with researcher's examples of this aggravating law.

• Bulletproof Glass - A safe update for a researcher. Any updates for the technology? Any good examples of it being used that can be found? Maybe how to get around it, just for information’s sake, of course...

• Plastic - The miracle material that comes in so many forms. Is there a researcher willing to take on an entry to describe how plastics exist, what are their flaws, their benefits and what we would do without them?

• Eyebrows - A small, but clever entry, designed for the sarky, sorry I mean witty, researchers amongst us

What Do We Do Then?

The full description of how you go about getting an entry updated can be found here. This describes in depth the different versions of updating entries, and how to go about them. However for this task, we'll just be doing one type of update, with a summary of what to do below.

• Pick an entry - For some this could be easy, for others quite hard. Once you have chosen, drop a thread below, stating which entry you have picked - this prevents multiple researchers competing against each other. The first person to pick is allowed to decide, but we do recommend that you allow other researchers to help if they want to do the same topic as you.

• Making a copy - The person who is "in charge" of the update (generally the one who made the initial choice) needs to go to the entry. Once there, look at the URL bar at the top of the page. Replace the "A" which is in front of the string of numbers with "test". You will be shown the GuideMl of the entry. Copy and paste this into a new entry (made the same way any entry is made - remember to put it in GuideML mode). When you do this make sure to delete anything before and after the "Guide" tags that surround an entry. Finally, PLEASE remember to send a message to the original author, it is polite, and they might want to help or give advice.

• Updating it - Here is where you earn your pay (well, a free gargleblaster or two). Place the updates into the entry, as you would place paragraphs into a new entry. Before adding large amounts of detail have a look around to see if there are already dedicated entries covering certain parts of your topic. In joint efforts, the co-writers should send their work to the writer in charge, who can then insert them into the copy. The writer must remember to credit every writer, including all original ones.

• Peer Review - Hang on, you're nearly there! Once the entry is finished, submit it to Peer Review. Call it UPDATE - "RelevantName", give the names and usernumbers of any writers, the Anumber of your entry, AND, of the original one (steal that off the given list). Now your entry is like all other entries that enter Peer Review. Suggestions will be made, parts altered until the entry is considered flawless.

How do We Win?

Updating a whole entry is a hard job, and takes time and effort. Peer review has minimum time limits, and since hopefully dozens of entries will be submitted that will put more pressure on our volunteers. In order to not require researchers to completely forego sleep, they will be considered to have suceeded as long as a credible update has been submitted to Peer Review by the end of January, as long the writers continue with their entry once it is within Peer Review. If the update is in Peer Review by the end of January then you will be entitled to the January Create badge.

Some Final "Thanks"

Not all of these entries have pictures or videos, but it has become a new h2g2 rule that all new entries will have pictures. Since Create has an evil undermind, we will have the Community Artists try to add their brilliant artwork to as many entries that are picked in Peer Review as possible. So while we must give them our massive thanks...do please help Create hide from them until they calm down.

And of course, to everyone who participates, thank you for the work and effort you put in, and we wish you the best of luck!