h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One thing that I think could make a huge difference in Peer Review would be if we could change the text on the Submit Entry page "If it meets the guidelines and is finished then enter it into Peer Review. I think this is the reason we get so many unsuitable entries. Would it be possible to change this to a stronger warning, ie. "You MUST read and understand the Writing Guidelines before taking this option".

Since last week I have counted 8 unsuitable entries, with some posters saying things like "I think it's done" - there are a lot of people around who think that "the guidelines" are house rules or something.

Also, I strongly think that "Submit for Review" should be somewhere else other than beside "Edit Entry". The two don't always go together, but that's just my suggestion.



Woodpigeon

"8 unsuitable entries"

*AHEM* A1165600 and still growing

It is currently *far* too easy for a newbie to submit an entry to any review forum without knowing what they're for. I've been looking at the way the system works and am trying to come up with a better one. I'm sure that removing the Peer Review button from the Brunel PS, and either changing or removing this:

"Recommend a Guide Entry for the Edited Guide

If you're not content to have created a Guide Entry that's accessible to anyone using the h2g2 search engine, why not take that extra step and put it up for Peer Review, for possible inclusion in the Edited Guide? You can find out how to do this at the Peer Review Page."

from the brunel <./>useredit</.> page will feature highly.

Yes - I see we are both on exactly the same wavelength here Oo. This entry A3993861 was written by me in a fit of pique a few days ago.

I think we are both asking for a *small* change with minimal fuss that will help reduce the current overload (expected, but overload nonetheless) of unsuitable entries.

I'm going to be asking for an overhaul of the entire system, not a few small changes

Shush! You'll scare them off!

I'm having a strange sense of déjà vu - having made a post like this before, or at least thought about it

I thought (or maybe was told) that one of the main reasons for so many unsuitable posts being in PR was what was written on the <./>UserEdit</.> page:

"Recommend a Guide Entry for the Edited Guide

If you're not content to have created a Guide Entry that's accessible to anyone using the h2g2 search engine, why not take that extra step and put it up for Peer Review, for possible inclusion in the Edited Guide? You can find out how to do this at the Peer Review Page."

It links to the Peer Review page, but that little paragraph doesn't actually mention the guidelines, nor what's suitable for review, nor what the Edited Guide is. Probably people read that, don't worry much about what Peer Review is, make their entry and click "Submit for Review", which could probably explain some of the dodgy entries.

A change would be good

"I'm having a strange sense of déjà vu - having made a post like this before, or at least thought about it"
Or perhaps having read post 2 of this thread

Can't believe I missed that...

Well I feel incredibly stupid

But I actually did see another thread like this before...completely different...I think. Gah! *shuts up*

Traveller in Time too
"It could be we are mistaken this 'discussion' for one off the soapbox.

< F55683?thread=609357 > about 'Improving Peer Review'
or < F55683?thread=619750 > about 'Improving Peer Review... a different perspective'

Both discussing if these newbees read anything, and a general conclusion most of the submitters to any review forum should.

Discussions about either --to clear up some of the instructions making the submission harder to find or --postpone the ability to submit until the newbee had some time to settle (and will likely return again to read any of the replies they got)"

Actually it was me who started the Improving Peer Review thread, and Oog/Gosho who started the different perspective thread. To be honest I'm not interested in a huge discussion here on the lines of the former threads - I would prefer a quick yes/no sort of feedback from one of the Italics and leave it like that. We have plenty of evidence that far too many people misunderstand the system - I'm asking for a quick technical change to limit it somewhat, and perhaps some indication that our views are being taken onboard.

I don't think that changing the wording about Writing Guidelines would help a whole lot -- if people aren't reading something, then changing the wording isn't going to make a difference.

Myself, I had never even noticed before that there's a bit about PR at the bottom of the page when you're editing an entry -- I just never scroll down that far. Yes, we should add in a bit about the Writing Guidelines, but I doubt that will make a tremendous difference -- after all, there's no link there from which they can directly submit the entry.

In my book, the real issue is that the "submit for review" button is too easy to find and click without knowing what it's for -- I remember in my user interface design classes, one of the things that came up was there are times when you *don't* want the design to make accomplishing a task as simple as possible, and I really think this is one of those times.

I would have no problems whatsoever answering endless questions on "how do I submit something?" if it meant that people were actually learning more about the process and guidelines before the submission happened.

"Myself, I had never even noticed before that there's a bit about PR at the bottom of the page when you're editing an entry -- I just never scroll down that far. Yes, we should add in a bit about the Writing Guidelines, but I doubt that will make a tremendous difference -- after all, there's no link there from which they can directly submit the entry."

No direct link for submitting, but there's a link to Peer Review.

No we shouldn't add a bit about the writing guidelines to that section at the bottom of the edit page, we should do away with it altogether for the same reasons you mentioned about there being times when you don't want something to be too easy.

> No direct link for submitting, but there's a link to Peer Review.

There is indeed a link to Peer Review -- but if someone reads through that page to find out how to submit, they will also be told about the Writing Guidelines -- and it's still quite a bit of clicking to get from there to submitting the entry, which is why it doesn't bother me as much.

I'd agree with the idea of removing that bit altogether, but I really don't think it will make that much of a difference -- where it is now *is* telling people about PR, but it's not making it any easier to submit. It's the "submit for review" button on the entry itself that's doing that.

Yes, the italics are very definitely paying attention to these discussions! Now that we've got the launch of Mobile and the Election out of the way, we'll be turning our attention towards making some small changes/amendments to the site to improve things for everyone, and Peer Review is definitely one of the areas we know needs to be looked at.

ANY constructive comments, suggestions or proposals will be gratefully received!



Paully (on behalf of Natalie and Jimster)

Let me remind you of the words Mikey:

"Recommend a Guide Entry for the Edited Guide

If you're not content to have created a Guide Entry that's accessible to anyone using the h2g2 search engine, why not take that extra step and put it up for Peer Review, for possible inclusion in the Edited Guide? You can find out how to do this at the Peer Review Page."

Just because *you* haven't noticed it doesn't mean that no-one else has, doesn't, or won't. I have, Niwt, has, others have.

It says nothing about the Writing Guidelines, it says nothing about what the EG is and how it works, it says nothing about Writing-Beginners, it simply says you can put this up for PR. We have already established (and you seem to have concurred) that people don't read what they should, so someone can join h2g2 today, find the button to create an entry, see this text at the bottom, go to PR, completely fail to take any notice of it, and submit their entry to PR.

A1165600

I rest my case.

No, but it *does* link them to the PR front page, which *does* mention the writing guidelines. It doesn't tell them how to submit an entry -- they have to go to the PR front page to find out how -- and if they're going to read enough there to find out about how to submit, then they will also have stumbled across the guidelines bit. I wouldn't oppose in the slightest removing this bit, but *neither* would I expect it to have any impact on the problem -- especially as long as people will still come across the "submit for review" button without having ever seen even the PR front page.