This guide was previously published by the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of the New York Botanical Garden.
There are several questions to ask when editing a botanist's article. This guide hopes to address some of the major questions and concerns. Please feel free to contact this guide's owner with questions.
1. Identifying articles to edit or create
The first step is to figure out which article you would like to create. Other Wikipedia users have already identified botanist articles that already exist, but could use some additional information. These articles are known as "stubs". A list of botanist stubs can be found here. If you are interested in providing photos, a list of botanist articles needing photos can be found here.
Of course, new articles can also be created. Remember that the Wikipedia community and higher-level editors want articles of substance to be added to Wikipedia. Any person for whom an article is created should have contributed something significant. In the case of botanists, this might mean that the person authored several works or made significant plant collections.
Keep in mind that if authoring an article about a living person, there are guidelines for what content is appropriate to include.
2. What should a botanist's article contain?
Once one begins to edit Wikipedia, it becomes apparent that biographical pages are radically inconsistent from one another. The Wikipedia:WikiProject Plants has provided the following guide for what a botanist article should contain:
WikiProject Plants has a number of components, these include taxa, botanical topics, and botanists. When describing taxa with authorities, the authorities should be checked against the List of botanists by author abbreviation, and if necessary, added. Authorities should be linked, and if red linked, consideration should be given to creating a biographical page. Wikipedia has no specific criteria for botanists, although it has for scientists in general. In most cases recognising an author by linking their name to a species as an authority is a form of notability, and any requests for deletion should be directed to this section.
Botanist biography pages should at a minimum contain the following, the {{infobox scientist}} and {{botanist}} templates (the latter in turn creates a Reference to "Author Query for '[botanist name]'". International Plant Names Index), a list of publications, including the ones that give them botanical authority status, and links to taxa they named, or are named in their honour. The botanist template will also generate a category (Category:Botanists with author abbreviations). In the Talk page the use of the {{WikiProject Plants|class=|importance=|botanist=yes}} template will link it to the project.
If seeking additional biographical information for a botanist, be aware that there are many resources available that have not yet made their way into Wikipedia. For example, many botanical libraries have extensive Vertical Files filled with biographical information about botanists. As librarians and other educators know, there is always much more information that can be added to Wikipedia!
3. Asking for help
If possible, going to local Wikipedia events is a very rewarding experience. Editors are generally generous with their knowledge, and passionate about sharing information. If there are no local options available, Wikipedia does also have a mentorship program.
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Field Book Project CBHL 2012 by Carolyn Sheffield on Jul 03, 2012
A Digitization Primer for Botanical and Horticultural Librarians by Chris Freeland on Jul 06, 2012
The Biodiversity Heritage Library: Growing from Botanical Origins by Martin Kalfatovic on May 12, 2009