User:STEMinfo/COI edit requests
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This is an essay designed to help new users make successful connected edit requests. The first section describes the reFill tool, which helps fill in bare references for any sources used with the edit request. The second section shows a suggested simple format for posting information to add to existing articles. The third shows a format for displaying the old and new information side by side, to help volunteers understand the request.
Automatically filling in citations using reFill
Wikipedia requires all new requested information to be accompanied with independent third party sources, to validate it. Properly done, a citation generates a clickable numeric superscript and a footnote following the sentence. Since citation syntax can be a little confusing for new editors, there is a tool called reFill that converts bare references on a page into fuller references. The tool works not just on article URLs but also works on links saved on a user's sandbox. The bare URL has to be saved sandwiched between ref tags. An example of a bare reference link that can be filled out on a sandbox page looks like this:
<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/22/health/covid-hospitalizations-seniors-kids-vaccines/index.html</ref>
Then the user can go to https://refill.toolforge.org/ and type in the last part of their sandbox URL, starting with “User:”, and then click Fix page. (Note: A user's default sandbox would be User:username/sandbox.) In the example above, the tool returns this code:
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/22/health/covid-hospitalizations-seniors-kids-vaccines/index.html|title=As Covid-19 hospitalizations climb, rates among seniors and children raise concern|first=Jamie Gumbrecht, Deidre McPhillips, Betsy|last=Klein|date=September 22, 2023|website=CNN}}</ref>
The tool is not always 100% accurate, and indeed it may not even change anything, depending on the source. Editors will need to review their work after saving, and if necessary, fill in the bare references. Here is a bare template that can be used, in the event of an incomplete refill result, with items filled in as an example.
<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bonilla|first=Brian|url=https://adage.com/article/agency-news/momentum-worldwide-names-donnalyn-smith-global-ceo/2451441/|title=Momentum Worldwide promotes Donnalyn Smith to global CEO role|date=November 14, 2022|work=[[Ad Age]]|location=New York|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306003709/https://adage.com/article/agency-news/momentum-worldwide-names-donnalyn-smith-global-ceo/2451441/|archive-date=March 6, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>