Wikipedia:Formal organization

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/wikipedia-formal-organization

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the founding date?January 15, 2001
2. What is the core governance principle?Community consensus and collaborative policy development
3. What is Wikipedia and how does it work?Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia made by volunteers who write and edit together. It uses rules and helpers to keep information accurate and fair.
4. Why do Wikipedia editors have different roles?Editors start as anonymous, then can become trusted administrators who have special tools to help keep the site safe and reliable.

Decentralized Governance: A system where power and decision-making are distributed among many participants rather than concentrated in a single authority.
Verifiability: The principle that information on Wikipedia must be attributable to reliable, published sources.
Community Consensus: The process by which decisions and policies are made based on the general agreement of the Wikipedia editing community.