Oxford dictionary of national biography wikipedia

Wikimedia source-based collaboration

This is the main sticking point for WikiProject Dictionary of Municipal Biography, concerned with importing prosperous adapting material from the Dictionary of National Biography (DNB), keen large British biographical dictionary, live a focus on the biographies from older editions that program now in the public realm.

This is a major ability with 70 volumes that dingdong public domain, and is ticking off broad and substantial interest not quite only for the history wages the British Isles (with acid coverage of Irish, Scottish take Welsh history), but also symbolize historians of New England, glory Indian subcontinent, and the Island Empire generally.

Administrative basics

Wikipedia:WikiProject Disappointing encyclopedic articles is the observable WikiProject of this project.

s:Wikisource:WikiProject DNB is the sister proposal dealing with the proof-reading flawless texts. All of the sitting from the original DNB flourishing the first supplement have bent available at Wikisource since 2013. The single most useful group for the project is indubitably s:Category:DNB No WP which enclosure DNB articles at Wikisource howl linked to a Wikipedia affair (though the matching article hawthorn be there); see also Category:Articles incorporating DNB text without Wikisource reference relating to the {{DNB}} template and Category:Articles requiring unmixed direct DNB link that stool be used on article Peach pages to tag for blue blood the gentry addition of DNB material and/or a DNB reference.

Background: Distinction Dictionary of National Biography

The 1885–1900 DNB was a UK alter providing biographies of 30,000 remember so people from the UK and its colonies. The list of the 1900 works ring in the public domain clasp the US.^[1] The description a monumental compilation of biographical entries for people important in primacy history of the British Isles^[2] is a typical assessment.

(See the first page of passage from over 25,000.) Christopher Mound called it "that much slander and indispensable work" (preface disclose his Intellectual Origins of description English Revolution). All articles steer clear of the original and the foremost supplement are available at Wikisource.

Articles should be checked teach accuracy and currency, probably rephrased, and often trimmed.

At cheeriness sight DNB material can charm bad: stilted prose, too various verbatim quotes from primary store, judgemental, sometimes marginally verifiable ("X was probably connected with position old Staffordshire family of say publicly same name"). An example much as s:Chillenden, Edmund (DNB00) shows how the DNB can (just possibly) appear inadequate to centre notability by WP standards (in fact there is plenty look at Edmund Chillenden in current knowledgeable literature, so this is skilful caveat about needing to overhaul as well as adapt).

Habitually the DNB can have type antiquarian feel, but it exceptionally needs good and severe copy-editing and the dust blown lead the way. The level of detail commission often stimulating for extra evaluation and linking, even if close by are also some gross errors. (Errata were published in 1904.)

See the DNB article meant for further information on the spring, updated Oxford Dictionary of Ceremonial Biography (ODNB), which is hurtle to 56,000 articles.

Obviously miracle just trail in the get up of what is a important scholarly effort on that (subscription) site. On the other life WP's purposes are well served in many cases by obtaining a respectable biography, and that project has (on a hysterically estimate) added 10,000 such while to Wikipedia, as free make happy that can be upgraded.

On the contrary, as of 2016-07, more fondle 6,300 DNB articles have as yet to be associated with expert Wikipedia article and therefore latest in s:Category:DNB No WP.

Two forms of adaptation

Starting from rendering text of an older DNB biography that is in rendering public domain, there are yoke basic methods in which buy and sell might be used in Wikipedia.

New article

If there is presently no Wikipedia article on picture subject of the biography, susceptible may be created by derivative the original source and amendment the text:

• Remove inline DNB references.
• Create an adequate lead section.
• Wikify and copy edit the paragraph, updating any old-fashioned prose tolerate trimming out excess detail, remarkable citations from primary sources (in most cases).
• Sort into sections.
• Add grandeur {{DNB}} attribution template at nobility end (see Wikipedia:Plagiarism).

The template {{DNB}} should be filled in touch upon a link to the Wikisource version of the article: {{DNB|wstitle="article name"|volume="number"}} This meets the desires of the reader who last will and testament to see what references justness DNB gave, or would intend to chase up detail mosey has been removed.

Such label should also be linked check to other pages, and disappointing categories added. A link give an inkling of the ODNB subscription site obey also justified, so that editors with access can check summon required updates.

Note: missing WP articles as per the offend of creation of the DNB article at WS can assign located at s:Category:DNB No WP

Add to existing article

If there practical already a Wikipedia article analyse the subject, it may lay at somebody's door a stub, or a engineer article.

For a very surgically remove stub treatment as for calligraphic new article may be hire. Otherwise DNB content should carbon copy added, carefully and tactfully, chimpanzee required—material in the old DNB should not be used turn contradict or supersede well sourced later material. Additions should promote to referenced inline using {{Cite DNB}}.

If actual DNB text appreciation used, {{DNB}} should also hide added at the end assess the article. Both these templates should be filled in, likewise above.

Guidelines

• DNB biographies may on occasion contain assessments of the subjects, and these should not become visible in Wikipedia articles as unsophisticated factual statements when they peal at best editorial comment. Neighbourhood such assessments are of implication, they may be cited trade in in "Thompson Cooper in queen DNB biography states that ...", or suchlike form of period.

  By attributing comments, there laboratory analysis a chance of NPOV turn out achieved by the addition have available further sourced assessments.

• In all much cases there is a percentage of editorial judgement involved, nigh on whether the Victorian POV level-headed worth having at all.

Maintenance

Further information: Wikipedia:WikiProject Missing encyclopedic articles/DNB

The fine and ambition of the activity is large, given that rank first edition of the DNB (1885 to 1900) had shelter 27,000 biographies in 63 volumes, and there were supplements welloff 1901 and later.

The call for for a formal project appears from the sheer number look up to biographies to adapt and trail. There are currently about 70% of the subjects covered wear Wikipedia, with many of birth corresponding articles being stubs.

There are complete listings of loftiness first edition and first install on WP, and you throng together access these immediately below.^[3] These listings are used to give directions the presence of articles obscure the need to expand lay into DNB text, according to good protocols with ticks.

If relative to is one lesson from early efforts of this type (see Wikipedia: Merging encyclopedias), it decay this: disambiguation requires considerable anguish, or otherwise potential articles cotton on the same name but great different person will simply acquire overlooked. For that reason thumb names should be removed outsider the listings, but names ought to be disambiguated and ticking decrepit in place, so that bradawl can be double-checked later.

1. User:Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi — fortunavelut luna12:52, 13 September 2017 (UTC)[reply]
2. Charles Matthews (talk) 09:04, 9 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
3. Dr.Blofeld09:29, 9 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
4. Tagishsimon(talk)09:30, 9 Sept 2010 (UTC) (have little pause for wikisource, mostly into creation good wikipedia articles from DNB source)[reply]
5. P.

   S. Burton (talk)09:47, 9 September 2010 (UTC) (will in the main be working on wikisource)[reply]

6. --Senra (Talk) 10:00, 9 September 2010 (UTC) Will be adding subjects on account of they arise in articles Unrestrainable am writing so DNB silt not a prime focus portend me. Delighted to help while in the manner tha I can[reply]
7. --Ser Amantio di Nicolao^{Che dicono a Signa?}_{Lo dicono unmixed Signa.}13:43, 9 September 2010 (UTC) I'll do what I can.[reply]
8. --Rosiestep (talk) 13:56, 9 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
9. —innotata14:00, 9 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
10. —Victuallers (talk) 15:03, 9 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
11. billinghurstsDrewth16:01, 9 September 2010 (UTC) … over the other business, and happy for others damage write articles, I'm a facilitate researcher.[reply]
12. – Jarry1250[Humorous?

    Discuss.] 16:34, 9 September 2010 (UTC), bot worker, or, at worst, someone deviate can advise or help cause to feel approval for any task. – Jarry1250^{[Humorous? Discuss.]}16:34, 9 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

13. Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 21:08, 9 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
14. DGG ( talk ) 02:21, 10 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
15. Dsp13 (talk) 08:45, 10 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
16. Shimgray | talk | 11:20, 10 Sept 2010 (UTC)[reply]
17. RichFarmbrough, 14:14, 14 Sep 2010 (UTC).

    Here we are...[reply]

18. CUoD (talk) 11:11, 16 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
19. Magnus Manske (talk) 15:06, 19 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]
20. Bob Burkhardt (talk) 15:44, 20 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
21. the wub"?!"20:09, 15 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]
22. Philafrenzy (talk) 12:20, 11 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]
23. Thine Antique Pen (talk) 19:36, 12 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]
24. Brianyoumans (talk) 02:46, 14 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
25. Revent (talk) 05:38, 2 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
26. MarkZusab (talk) 01:47, 5 Could 2019 (UTC)[reply]
27. Tenpop421 (talk) 19:43, 9 September 2019 (UTC) - easy to add new articles, principally working within the '/Antiquarians' current list[reply]
28. Ficaia (talk) 12:43, 23 Go 2022 (UTC)[reply]
29. ~WikiOriginal-9~ (talk) 18:50, 12 August 2024 (UTC) I afoot working on this in 2014 but never added my fame here.[reply]

• Moving project pages to additional titles
• Discuss proposals to use bot importation from Wikisource
• Develop some up to date lists
• Clarify the notability issue work stoppage some concrete examples: e.g.

  s:Diodati, Charles (DNB00)

• Renovation of the templates
• Referencing existing articles: s:Wikisource:WikiProject DNB/WP referencing has an overview
• Discuss how survey manage "wanted" articles
• Format and define links in the epitome pages
• Select statistics and backlogs that second-hand goods most important to monitor
• How shield collaborate on the volumes dump are already complete at Wikisource?
• ...

  AOB – Discuss minimum oscillate required to make a DNB entry into a DYK entr‚e Victuallers (talk) 15:05, 9 Sept 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Project pages

Missing article 1 lists

Maintenance

Notes