The Wikimedia Foundation’s Research team has published a set of white papers that outline our plans and priorities for the next 5 years. These white papers, which were developed collaboratively by all members of the team, reflect our thinking about the kind of research that will be necessary to further the 2030 Wikimedia strategic direction of knowledge equity and knowledge as a service.
Altogether, these white papers define a set of recommended directions in three key areas—knowledge gaps, knowledge integrity, and foundations—where the Wikimedia Foundation, in partnership with affiliates and academic collaborators, can help the Wikimedia movement address and anticipate challenges and take advantage of emerging technological opportunities. Example directions include:
- Developing a knowledge equity index to track progress towards removing barriers preventing people from accessing and contributing to free knowledge
- Identifying new methods and tools for characterizing bias, information quality, and trustworthiness in Wikimedia content
- Designing and testing machine learning technologies to assist contributors in identifying and filling knowledge gaps
Scholarship has played a vital role in our collective understanding Wikimedia projects. Academic research has yielded insights into familiar challenges such as the gender gap and systemic bias, as well as emerging issues around community health, the threat of disinformation, and the needs of traditionally underserved contributor and reader communities.
By publishing these white papers, we hope to encourage students, researchers, movement affiliates and academic institutions to join us in pursuing a research agenda that will help the Wikimedia movement achieve its strategic goals.
Wikimedia Research is a team of scientists and engineers at the Wikimedia Foundation whose mandate is to develop new technologies to improve Wikimedia projects and support communities, and to disseminate scientific knowledge to further our shared mission and inform strategic decision-making within the Wikimedia movement.
You can read more about the white papers on Meta-Wiki and we invite you to share your feedback and questions with us.
Jonathan T. Morgan, Senior Design Researcher, Wikimedia Foundation
Dario Taraborelli, Director, Head of Research, Wikimedia Foundation
