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I wonder why in Greece experts contend in the games and non-experts award the prizes.
— Anacharsis of Scythia (c. 590 BCE)
Hello, I am Zad68, but please feel free to call me Zach. I am a volunteer Wikipedia editor just like you are (or could be!). I am particularly interested in medical topics, and I am an active member of Wikipedia's Medicine Wikiproject. I also like to edit or review articles in the natural sciences, and occasionally attend to the odd biography, especially if the person relates to an article I am working on.
I think the good article review process is one of the most important initiatives on Wikipedia. I have messed around with developing a bot using the account ZadBot, and plan to develop a bot to provide tools to automate the more tedious parts of doing reviews of WP:MED-scope articles in particular.
If you have any questions about things like sourcing for medical articles, the GA process, or just getting started with Wikipedia, please drop me a note on my User Talk page and I'll try to help!
Quick reference for some of my common edit summary abbreviations
edit- r = reply
- c = comment
- c/e = copyedit
Zad68's Rules of Content
edit- The best defense against bad content is good content. In fact it's probably the only defense.
- The Wikipedia Catch-22: You'll do your best content work on articles for subjects you know little about and don't particularly care about. But then, of course, you won't be particularly motivated to work on such articles.
- Any edit that adds biomedical information and explicitly points out it's based on a "scientific study published in peer-reviewed journal" probably needs to be reverted per WP:MEDRS.
- You don't have to respect the subject of the article you're working on, but you do have to respect the sources.
- This is why I find In popular culture sections problematic.
- This is just one reason why we should almost never be citing primary sources for scientific information.
Focus
edit
I found this essay and the accompanying slide show to be very influential in the choices I make of articles I'd like to do significant development work on. Wikipedia has a lot of articles, but overall the most important articles (as determined by the number of views) do not get as much development attention as they deserve. At over 12 years old, en.WP has over 4 million articles; just about all the articles that are on what might be considered core encyclopedic topics have already been started, but most are still not yet at GA quality. Editors should be motivated to work on the articles for these core topics, and I hope efforts like the Million Award will be effective in doing so.
A Cochrane a day
editThe Cochrane Library is a very well-respected publisher and repository of high-quality secondary sources of medical evidence. Wikipedia has partnered with them to provide free access to the full texts of their articles, and as of September 2013[update] is still handing out free accounts to editors active in developing WP:MEDICINE-content—see WP:COCHRANE to apply for your own free account! I got an account and to make sure Wikipedia benefits from it, I am trying to do a Cochrane a day: whatever other content work I might be doing, each weekday I will pull a Cochrane article and update something with it. An article will benefit, I'll learn something new, and maybe I'll get ideas for future content work. Should be fun!
- 16 September: Tiotropium is better than ipratropium for COPD
- 17 September: Subcutaneous sterile water injection doesn't help reduce childbirth labor pains
- 18 September: Insulin detemir and insulin glargine are equally effective for diabetes mellitus type 2
- 19 September: An updated review shows that there is still no good evidence to suggest that oxygen helps someone having a heart attack, and in fact may make things worse
- 20 September: Electronic mosquito repeller devices do not work to repel mosquitoes and reduce the spread of malaria
- 23 September: Adding radiation therapy after chemotherapy yields better results for those with early stage Hodgkin's lymphoma
- 24 September: Personal invitations and educational materials are effective at increasing the uptake of screening for cervical cancer
- 25 September: There is insufficient evidence to come to any kind of conclusion about what effect lycopene might have on prostate cancer
- 26 September: In type-2 diabetics with periodontal disease, treating the disease can result in an improvement in blood sugar levels
- 27 September: Inhaled antibiotics help fight lung infection in those with cystic fibrosis, but with some drawbacks
- 30 September: Celiac plexus blocks are a safe and effective way to deal with abdominal pain for those with inoperable pancreatic cancer
- 1 October: Caffeine is a bronchodilator, and so using it may interfere with the results of a lung function test for asthma
- 2 October: Combination hormonal contraceptives help reduce symptoms of severe PMS (known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder)
- 3 October: Corticosteroids increase the risk of mortality in those with traumatic brain injury, and so are not recommended to be given routinely
- 4 October: Sexual dysfunction is common in those with chronic kidney disease; PDE5 inhibitors (things like Viagra) and zinc show potential for helping men with these problems
- 7 October: Dopamine agonists are effective to help manage restless legs syndrome
- 8 October: Aspirin is often prescribed to women for the purpose of increasing chances of fertilization by IVF, but there's no evidence to show it works
- 9 October: There is no good evidence to show that Chinese herbs are safe or effective for treating diabetic neuropathy
- 10 October: Mycophenolate mofetil is a relatively safe treatment for lupus nephritis
- 14 October: Transdermal fentanyl patches are effective for those with moderate to severe cancer pain
- 10 October 2014: Topical corticosteroids for treating phimosis in boys: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008973.pub2
OK I have to admit these are good...
edit- Even changed "BFV" to "CFV"
Stuff to do
edit- Lyme disease - To GA
- Earthworm - To GA
- Review recent changes in the WP:MED Queue
- Fix {{cite book}} editor field to handle where it's filled in like "4th ed." to not render as "4th ed.ed."
- Foreign language Wikis - WP:MED article assessments
- Create BLP for Charles Snowdon
What's going on at WP:MEDICINE
editDid you know
- 18 Jul 2026 – Đuro Macut (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Vacant0 (t · c); see discussion
- 13 Jul 2026 – Matthew Wilson (patriot) (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by BeanieFan11 (t · c); see discussion
- 10 Jul 2026 – Thomas J. W. Burgess (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by DoNothingEveryday (t · c); see discussion
- 07 Jul 2026 – Silk biomaterial (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by AirshipJungleman29 (t · c); see discussion
- 29 Jun 2026 – Piero Volpi (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Beta Beta Beta (t · c); see discussion
- 20 Jun 2026 – Junius Wilson (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by APK (t · c); see discussion
- 14 Jun 2026 – Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by NotCarlJohnson1992 (t · c); see discussion
- 13 Jun 2026 – Noble Sproat Heaney (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Crisco 1492 (t · c); see discussion
- 09 Jun 2026 – Jeanna Giese (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Jolielover (t · c); see discussion
Articles for deletion
- 19 Jul 2026 – Abhideep Chaudhary (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by Thilsebatti (t · c); see discussion (1 participant)
- 18 Jul 2026 – Energy Work (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by Bridget (t · c); see discussion (0 participants)
- 18 Jul 2026 – Pointy ears (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by Zxcvbnm (t · c); see discussion (6 participants)
- 18 Jul 2026 – Anam Najam (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by BookishReader (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- 18 Jul 2026 – Roxana Rose Daneshjou (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by Jerodlycett (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- 18 Jul 2026 – Rubina Fareed (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by BookishReader (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- 18 Jul 2026 – Muhammad Saeed (dentist) (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by BookishReader (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- 18 Jul 2026 – GMERS Medical College and Hospital, Dharpur-Patan (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by Filmssssssssssss (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- 18 Jul 2026 – APMC College of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Himatnagar (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by Filmssssssssssss (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- 15 Jul 2026 – E. Allison Hagood (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by DoItFastDoItUrgent (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- (25 more...)
Proposed deletions
- 19 Jul 2026 – Lifespan diabetes and metabolic clinic (talk · edit · hist) was PRODed by Here2rewrite (t · c): concern and endorsed by Bearian (t · c) on 19 Jul 2026: concern
- 17 Jul 2026 – Michelina Manzillo (talk · edit · hist) was PRODed by Gurkubondinn (t · c): concern
- 15 Jul 2026 – Antonio Fernando de Medrano (talk · edit · hist) was PRODed by Kowal2701 (t · c): concern
- 15 Jul 2026 – Onychopapilloma (talk · edit · hist) was PRODed by Kowal2701 (t · c): concern
- 13 Jul 2026 – Nuclear sexing (talk · edit · hist) was PRODed by Born to Barnacle (t · c): concern and endorsed by Bearian (t · c) on 15 Jul 2026
- 12 Jul 2026 – Coastal Medical Transportation Systems (talk · edit · hist) PRODed by Kowal2701 (t · c) was deleted
- 07 Jul 2026 – Hemant Kumar (physician) (talk · edit · hist) PRODed by Kowal2701 (t · c) was deleted
- 07 Jul 2026 – Prema Dhanraj (talk · edit · hist) PRODed by Kowal2701 (t · c) was deleted
- 07 Jul 2026 – Radhe Shyam Pareek (talk · edit · hist) PRODed by Kowal2701 (t · c) was deleted
- 07 Jul 2026 – Ikeoluwapo Ajayi (talk · edit · hist) PRODed by Kowal2701 (t · c) was deleted
- (4 more...)
Categories for discussion
- 18 Jul 2026 – Category:Fictional characters with speech disorders (talk · edit · hist) was CfDed by Zxcvbnm (t · c); see discussion
- 14 Jul 2026 – Category:Qatari women medical doctors (talk · edit · hist) was CfDed by LibStar (t · c); see discussion
- 14 Jul 2026 – Category:Montenegrin women medical doctors (talk · edit · hist) was CfDed by LibStar (t · c); see discussion
- 08 Jul 2026 – Category:Fictional characters with musculoskeletal system disorders (talk · edit · hist) CfDed by Zxcvbnm (t · c) was closed; see discussion
Templates for discussion
- 13 Jul 2026 – Template:KansasHandKinesiology (talk · edit · hist) was TfDed by Tom (LT) (t · c); see discussion
Redirects for discussion
- 20 Jul 2026 – Cyclospora (talk · edit · hist) →Cyclosporiasis was RfDed by Plantdrew (t · c); see discussion
- 08 Jul 2026 – Megalomaniac paranoia (talk · edit · hist) →Narcissistic personality disorder was RfDed by BlockArranger (t · c); see discussion
- 08 Jul 2026 – Paranoid megalomaniac (talk · edit · hist) →Narcissistic personality disorder was RfDed by BlockArranger (t · c); see discussion
- 20 Jun 2026 – Template:Infobox medical condition (old) (talk · edit · hist) →Template:Infobox medical condition was RfDed by Mikeblas (t · c)
- 08 Jul 2026 – Narcissistic personal disorder (talk · edit · hist) →Narcissistic personality disorder RfDed by BlockArranger (t · c) was closed; see discussion
Good article nominees
- 05 Jul 2026 – Jacob Nufer (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by RandFreeman (t · c); start discussion
- 04 Jul 2026 – Doylestown Hospital (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by Strange Orange (t · c); start discussion
- 15 Jun 2026 – HPV vaccination in Japan (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by 流山隆一 (t · c); start discussion
- 15 May 2026 – Brian Christine (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by ElijahPepe (t · c); start discussion
- 12 May 2026 – Kyle Diamantas (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by ElijahPepe (t · c); start discussion
- 24 Apr 2026 – Scrupulosity (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by ThaesOfereode (t · c); see discussion
- 11 Apr 2026 – Middle ear myoclonus (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by HouseBlaster (t · c); see discussion
- 06 Apr 2026 – Charles Kelman (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by Coffeeandcrumbs (t · c); start discussion
- 13 Mar 2026 – Bernard Jean Bettelheim (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by Generalissima (t · c); start discussion
- 08 Feb 2026 – Ketotifen (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by Maxim Masiutin (t · c); start discussion
- (5 more...)
Good article reassessments
- 01 May 2026 – Smallpox (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for GA reassessment by Z1720 (t · c); see discussion
Requests for comments
- 17 Jul 2026 – Shaken baby syndrome (talk · edit · hist) has an RfC by BillionDollarJanitor (t · c); see discussion
Requested moves
- 19 Jul 2026 – Aktion T4 (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to Euthanasia in Nazi Germany by Aemilius Adolphin (t · c); see discussion
- 10 Jul 2026 – Myocardial infarction (talk · edit · hist) move request to Heart attack by ~2026-38391-81 (t · c) was not moved; see discussion
- 09 Jul 2026 – Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (talk · edit · hist) move request to DataSpring by Feedmepaperr (t · c) was closed; see discussion
Articles to be split
- 16 Apr 2026 – Ayesha Sherzai and Dean Sherzai (talk · edit · hist) is proposed for splitting by SecretSpectre (t · c); see discussion
- 12 Apr 2026 – Small-cell carcinoma (talk · edit · hist) is proposed for splitting by Jay Hodec (t · c); see discussion
- 23 Mar 2026 – Death (talk · edit · hist) is proposed for splitting by Altenmann (t · c); see discussion
- 06 Feb 2026 – Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 (talk · edit · hist) is proposed for splitting by Pagers (t · c); see discussion
- 11 Dec 2025 – Congenital stationary night blindness (talk · edit · hist) is proposed for splitting by Miscellaneous edits (t · c); see discussion
- 14 Nov 2025 – Neuroqueer theory (talk · edit · hist) is proposed for splitting by Significa liberdade (t · c); see discussion
- 16 Oct 2025 – Chikungunya (talk · edit · hist) is proposed for splitting by WhatamIdoing (t · c); see discussion
- 23 Aug 2025 – Maternal death (talk · edit · hist) is proposed for splitting by Wracking (t · c); see discussion
- 13 Aug 2025 – Fluticasone furoate (talk · edit · hist) is proposed for splitting by GetPossessed (t · c); see discussion
- 28 Jul 2025 – Fatty acid metabolism (talk · edit · hist) is proposed for splitting by Smokefoot (t · c); see discussion
- (11 more...)
Articles for creation
- 20 Jul 2026 – Draft:Amy Faith Ho (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Monthbrilly (t · c)
- 17 Jul 2026 – Draft:Dinesh Mendhe (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Andrejk1 (t · c)
- 15 Jul 2026 – Draft:Dheeraj Mahajan (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Cimpar.Operations.1 (t · c)
- 15 Jul 2026 – Draft:McKesson Canada (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Paulmolpeceres (t · c)
- 14 Jul 2026 – Draft:Newton, Inc. (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by AKotze (t · c)
- 11 Jul 2026 – Draft:Darrell Rigel (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Qwerfjkl (bot) (t · c)
- 11 Jul 2026 – Draft:Dinesh Vyas (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Agarzara16 (t · c)
- 11 Jul 2026 – Draft:Stellah George Mpagama (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Sagasonsaga (t · c)
- 11 Jul 2026 – Draft:Heritage Institute of Medical Sciences (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Sandy3535 (t · c)
- 10 Jul 2026 – Draft:International College of Craniomandibular Orthopedics (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by TammarieSheamus (t · c)
- (103 more...)
Barnstars...
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