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

Picture the scene, you are a keen new researcher, having just joined h2g2, you work hard on an entry and submit it to Peer Review, eagerly awaiting reviews, you refresh and refresh again. So you give up and join Wikipedia.

Are entries really getting enough comments in Peer Review?

Is it really too much to expect that every entry in PR should be read and commented on within the first 24 hours? The editors are really making a big push to get people contributing to the guide, they've got the badges, and the County challenge on Challenge h2g2, but if it's to work we need to make sure that ever single entry in Peer review gets properly reviewed.

Why don't you make your first stop on h2g2 Peer Review, and make it your mission to review one entry per visit to h2g2. Obviously if you are just popping online for five minutes then you are excused but if you expect that you are going to be online for a good chunk of time then is it really too much trouble to read one entry and review it?

I'm calling this my one a day challenge because I'm assuming that the majority of us visit hootoo at least once a day. Or at least the majority of scouts do anyway.

Use one of these methods to find an negected entry that needs your tender loving care:

Click on the auhour id this will arrange it so the entries by newest researchers are at the top.

Click on 'last posted' this will arrange it so that entries that have waited the longest since their last comment are at the top.

Click here on 'date entered' this will arrange it so that entries which have been entered the most recently are at the top. Is there an entry that hasn't been commented on at all.

I think that by and large we're all doing a great job. There's some great entries in Peer Review, but we could be doing better much better.

If you're not sure what to say in Peer Review. I have compiled some handy hints:

1. Read the entry, open a notepad file in another window so that you can type comments as you go.

2. Think of something nice to say about the entry.

3. Think of some way that it could be improved.

4. Say what impression the entry had on you. Did it make you want to read the book, go to the town reviewed or play the game? Did it hold your interest. Did you understand everything in the entry, are their any technical terms that need explaining.

5. If you are a scout or a sub editor with a detailed knowledge of the writting guidlines and the Approved Guide ML then you can say exactly what needs to be changed. Obviously then you are probably used to posting in PR anyway and don't need my advice anyway!

You could also read the advice on the Review Forum page, it's really useful. I've also written this entry on 'Scouting for Beginners' which contains some advice: A1159751

Go on. Go to Peer Review: Now. Shoe.

Look here's a link: PeerReview

I'll agree to try this out. I think I'll put a reminder in my nickname too, so's I don't forget

Have to go do my day's work...

Cheers!

I'd better do that too.

Maybe one a day keeps Fluff away? Though he's friendly snake and at the moment isn't showing much interest in eating his dinner let alone a researcher..

Have you even given thought to after dinner speaking z i hear on the grape vine you are now a fully trained well done by the way happy new year

I hear you.

Don't expect too much of Peer Review now, it's one of the slowest times of the year - summer holiday time is the other. It'll start to pick up again soon.

I'll be a party to that, and chuck in if you've time do delve into Peer Review each visit, pop by the AWW Writing-Alternative area of hootoo too

MJ

oops - wrong ID. But I think this is a good way of 'prodding PR'

MJ

I must admit I'd unsubscribed when I got busy - but I'll make the effort.

Hope the doctoring is going well, Z. Nice people, doctors. They do stuff like dole out antibiotics for infected ears and conjunctivitic eyes when you visit them on New Year's Day. (I have a whole panoply of secondary infections relating to my ongoing Xmas bronchitis).

I try to comment on as much stuff in PR as I can but often find that somebody's already said what I was going to say, that I haven't got time to say everything I was going to say (e.g when I'm at w**k) or that I can't find a way of saying what I was going to say that doesn't sound patronising or too negative.

Traveller in Time not commenting that much
"I do read many entries in Peer Review, and often browse the threads. It is just my comments will more often confuse people then help them making it a better entry.

Does only reading it for major inconsistencies, and not commenting if it is 'clean' or already pointed out, also count ? "

I do think commenting, even if it's just a few lines really does help, because it lets the author know that their entry is being read and thought about.

I ofteb post 'Good work ' to a PR thread, which at least lets people know that it's being read, an author doesn't know whether the lack of comments are due to their entry being awful or just not really having anything to comment on.

I don't have a lot of time to read in detail and comment appropriately during term time. So I often just scan it and usually I say something positive, and point out any glaring errors, spelling mistakes or I make a brief bit of input if I know anything about the topic. But my main reason for doing this is just to let the author know that somebody's seen it, and to push it to top of PR thread for a while. (I've got s'thing in PR at the moment, which has been there for 5 days and which hasn't yet generated a single comment!)

I always confess to not having read the Entry properly, and hence get irritated by the occasional Peer who points out that the absolute pre-requisite is to have actually read the Entry. Well, I have - but not in rigorous detail

This is going to sound ungrateful, but I'd rather not have posts that have nothing to say about the entry, no changes, tweaks, or suggestions - so I often don't do the same for other people. For newbies though, it's entirely different.

I go to PR most days, but don't always comment - I made a bit more of an effort in the run up to christmas as it seemed very quiet in there. A couple of things put me off commenting occasionally - when the first bunch of threads at the top of the pile are proposed moves to entry or flea market. Think I have a similar schedule to one of the scouts who does this a lot so when I pop along they have just trawled through to clear things out.

The other thing is if there are already long lists of corrections to typos and grammar - I always figure that if someone has read it in that much detail I'm not really needed.

The other thing that stops me commenting is that I often don't feel qualified to comment on the content of many of the subjects of the entries, although can post comments like 'I don't understand this bit'.

But, in the spirit of Z's challenge, I will try to overcome these things and post one comment a day

Just a thought - would it be possible to get a 'Number of comments' listing on the PR page? I've seen other message boards that do this (post number of comments in the thread) and that would help to highlight which entries are languishing in need of comment.

A really good thought kelli, why not suggest it to the Editors or Curators?

MJ

**

I haven't reviewed an new entry in PR yet today.

*s off to do the honours*.

Mina:

In my egotistical way I had assumed that everyone would like a 'I liked this entry, haven't got anything more to suggest' post, purely because I do. I'm not a newbie, but when I have an entry in PR I spent nearly all my day pressing refresh and waiting for comments. I do wonder if perhaps you're in the minority there, not wanted 'this was good comments'.

These comments are not only good for the egos of the authors but they are good for scouts. If an entry hasn't been commented on much then it's difficult for a Scout to assess whether it's suitable. After all they know that they like and it, they think it meets the guidlines, but what if other researchers disagree? If there are some positive comments it's much easier to know that a reccomendation is a reccomendation of the community and not just one of the scout personally. I don't think that I've ever picked an entry that has had no comments and I've been a scout for nearly four years. I've picked plenty of entries that have had only one line positive comments.

They are also useful for other reasons. For instance as a scientifically trained person I can't accurately judge whether an entry is understandable to a non-scientifically trained type.

I was reading a PR thread today where an italic said that an entry was good, but because it only and four comments on it, it wasn't ready to be picked yet. It has been in PR for over a week before anyone commented.

(The link is here, and I urge you all to go and have a look: F48874?thread=1700610&latest=1)

Kelli: you can rearrange PR in other ways than by 'last posted'. Just under the header 'Guide entries in review' on the PR page you can see the words 'Entry' 'Subject' 'Date Entered' 'Last Posted' 'Author''Author ID'. When you first go to Peer Review you will see that 'Last posted' is in italics.But if you click on 'Date entred' then it will organise it so the most recent entries are at the top.

I find the best way to find langishing entries is to click on 'last posted' which will give you reverse last posted the entries that have has the least recent comments. Often these are due to be sent to the flea market but you can often find gems in there. I also look at the length of time bettween 'date entered' and 'last posted' as this tends to be where you will find a good few entries that need commented on.

If you are struggling to find good entries then why not just arrange it by 'date entred' and pick an entry that was entered today? preferably buy someone who is new to writting to the EG. No one likes an entry languishing in PR for days with no comments at all. It would be great if every new entry in PR got a comment within the first 24 hours, and with a few of us doing the one a day challenge it shouldn't be that difficult.

Many people who nit-pick an entry for spelling and grammar loose the big picture and can miss obvious points, and unless the entry's by Mina most people do like to hear postive comments.

I resolved to comment on every entry in PR after a discussion with a Researcher who just wanted more comments, just like Z says. I've stuck to it so far, but it's going to take an effort to do it in the backlog when I go on holiday at the weekend

I'm a 'refresh' addict when I have entries in PR, too, Z; so anyone who wants to go and comment on A8215544 is very welcome

I used to use Date Entered all the time, but I'm just subscribed now...

I think I don't like it because if I have waited days for a comment, to get one that's not something I can *do* or answer seems a bit of an anti-climax. I do realise I'm possibly the only one though, and that doesn't mean I wouldn't say if I get one.

I don't stress on my entries in PR these days - I just leave them hanging about until someone comments, although I do sometimes post again after a week or so with 'any more comments?'. Even if people haven't posted much, if the entry fits the Guidelines, the Eds will still pick them (F2467283?thread=1054607 - 3 comments), so for them not to pick an entry because not many people commented I would say that the entry wasn't pickable, or it wasn't picked at all but the Eds popped in anyway.

But I do get your point. I don't have a lot of time, so I don't contribute to everything in PR. I'd rather spend my time on something I can help move along, although I'm glad to see more people in PR. It's been really, really quiet - although even Ask h2g2 has as well, so it's obviously a site-wide thing.