Wikihussain:About

WikiHussain is a collaborative online encyclopedia which brings together available resources from around the world to provide the most reliable collection of information on the web on the topic of the third Imam, Hussain ibn Ali. The organization initially kicked off in Spring 2016, with Farsi as its initial language. It is hoped that with the cooperation of all those who are interested in this topic, more academic and high-standard resources are converged into making the most reliable and inclusive encyclopedia about Hussain ibn Ali and related topics. Available entries are selected based on their relation to the topic, their quality of content, and their authors. Enhancing the quality of the content and adding to the languages are some of the top goals in production of this encyclopedia.

Background

WikiHussain has been established with the goal of introducing a reliable and fact-based online source of information on the topics related to Imam Hussain.

Goals

The main goal of WikiHussian is to provide the most comprehensive and reliable information for everyone who is searching the web for answers on the topic of Imam Hussain and all that is related to him. The goals is set based on the fact that there is a considerable void of reliable information when it comes to this topic; aside from a magnitude of myths and inaccurate content, the available reliable data is scattered in different sources that are not easily accessible to common users as well as students of the field. WikiHussain intends to fill this gap, as much as possible, by attracting resources in a collaborative manner from different languages. The main reasons for having WikiHussain are:

1. Offering a comprehensive and fact-based source of information on the topic of Imam Hussain
2. Promoting the culture of fact-telling and fact-writing in religious beliefs and practices
3. Offering a reliable source of information for Shia and non-Shia users
4. Moving against the distribution of false information within the Shia audience

Characteristics

Online encyclopedias use information technology to offer advanced features for its users, never available in printed sources. Transferring information is less costly, faster and more convenient for both the producer and the user. Using advanced search features, WikiHussain makes it easier for the user to find the most relevant data they are looking for. The archive at this encyclopedia makes it easier for the users to have access to hundreds of historic documents which are no longer printed or hard to access. The encyclopedia is continuously updated, using collaborative data gathering, through building a vast network of experts of the field. The collaborative feature of this encyclopedia makes it possible to make the best out of the human resources. The structure of the encyclopedia allows collaborators from all around the world to increase input in the system by removing geographic barriers and connecting with all that are willing to strive for a shared goal. Another feature of WikiHussain is its designed capability to reach out to a wide range of audience with different educational and information background. WikiHussain has been designed in a way that makes it useful for academic and non-academic users who want to contribute or know more. It uses high-standard academic methods that can be investigated through a comprehensive citation system which is rarely available in any other online source of its kind. The information is categorized based on smart system which was designed after two years of research and consultation. The sorting system provides users to search within the topic of their interest, which can include biographies, geography, art, history, religions, traditions, concepts, locations, entities, tribes, social groups, culture, etc.

Article writing procedure

WikiHussain enjoys boards of experts in different fields of its concentration, including theology, religion studies, social studies, art and literature and geography. Memebers of these boards review each entry carefully to ensure the highest quality of the content and meet standards. It is hard to put a limit on the number of articles that should be in an encyclopedia such as WikiHussain, therefore four main factors have been considered for prioritizing the subjects that would be published in the first phase of the launch. Those factors are:

1. The importance of the topic; Topics that are directly related to Imam Hussain, his thoughts, his conduct and his martyrdom are more important in the first phase of WikiHussain’s launch.
2. Audience need: Google search services provide a good reference to know what users are searching for the most. Answering the needs of the users is another priority for WikiHussain.
3. Easy access: One of the main priorities for WikiHussain is to gather available content that meet its standards, to help the user have access to all that is reliable and available.
4. Topic diversity: Some areas of the topic of WikiHussain have been more attended by researchers, while certain topics such as social studies and art have been almost neglected, especially in more universal languages. Filling some of the gaps in this regard is another priority for WikiHussain.
5. Recent research: There are many scholars and experts around the world today that have produced valuable academic work on this topic, yet most often they are unknown. WikiHussain welcomes research and articles that have shed light on the topic in unprecedented ways in recent years.

Content production method

WikiHussain has set three main methods for producing its content:

Data collection

in this method, available research ae reviewed by the boards of experts for quality and fact checking. The content that matches the standards of the board gets republished in WikiHussain within copyright regulations.

Authorship

Looking at the available gap in the available data, certain topics are selected and prioritized for authoring. WikiHussain works with its affiliated scholars while welcomes experts of the field to contribute to the content.

Processing

Initial research has shown that there are many published articles that WikiHussain is interested in, yet their authorship does not meet the academic standards of WikiHussain. These articles are updated to meet the standards within copyright regulations for publishing.

Structure and policies

WikiHussain’s writing manual has been crafted based on regulations and standards in Stanford Encyclopedia and Oxford Encyclopedia. The writing manual is sent individually to those who are willing to cooperate with the organization. If you are willing to contribute, please also visit Guidelines of the Specialized Encyclopedia of Imam Hussain for additional instructions.

Regulations

Republishing WikiHussain’s content is allowed only with direct reference and citation.

How to Contribute?

Those who are interested in contributing to the encyclopedia are welcomed to do so by authoring and editing content. It is intended to facilitate online editing for users in a way that they can edit content in real-time; edited content are reviewed constantly by the board of experts for approval.

Financial resources

WikiHussain relies on non-governmental donations, mostly offered by individuals. Maintaining its complete independence from governments and governmental organizations, it welcomes contributions to develop its content, conduct and organization.