Wikipedia:How to run an edit-a-thon

This help page is a how-to guide. It details processes or procedures of some aspect(s) of Wikipedia's norms and practices. It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, and may reflect varying levels of consensus and vetting.

Shortcuts WP:EDITATHON WP:EDITTHON WP:EDITHON

This page in a nutshell: An edit-a-thon is a special type of meetup to improve the encyclopedia. It is usually focused on a specific encyclopedic topic, and is a great way to attract new Wikipedians.

This is a guide for how (and why) to run a Wikipedia "edit-a-thon". An edit-a-thon can be:

1. a scheduled time where people edit Wikipedia together, offline and/or online;
2. typically focused on a specific topic, such as science or women's history;
3. a way to give newcomers an insight into how Wikipedia works.

Edit-a-thons improve the encyclopedia and can be a great way to help new Wikipedians learn to edit. This is quite different from large conferences such as Wikimania, which often have multiple speakers or panels about a huge variety of topics. An edit-a-thon is also unlike a regular meetup, which tends to be without a single goal and/or for socializing. In other words: an edit-a-thon is like a hackathon for Wikipedians (and definitely not like a telethon).

A training session on how to develop editathons and other editing events can be taken on the Programs and Events Dashboard.