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<p>Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites and claims to provide “free access to the sum of all human knowledge”. Thus, having a Wikipedia page is a sign of recognition and prestige. However, some studies have raised concerns about non-discriminatory access to Wikipedia for scientists. We investigated whether established notability criteria predict the presence of Wikipedia biographies among professors in Germany and examined the impact of gender, discipline, and personal activities to foster visibility. Our study is based on data from an online survey of 1839 professors in Germany. Four binary logistic regression models and predicted probabilities were calculated to test our hypotheses. The results indicated that the number of published articles (OR = 0.999; <i>p</i> = 0.110) and awards (OR = 1.007, <i>p</i> = 0.781) did not predict having a Wikipedia page, while press articles had a positive but small effect (OR = 1.005; <i>p</i> = 0.005). Among all variables aiming to capture notability, a professorship at a university of applied science (UAS) was most powerful and had a significant negative effect (OR = 0.176; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Individual activities, such as social media activity (OR = 1.248; <i>p</i> = 0.002) and networking (OR = 1.433; <i>p</i> = 0.012), had a positive effect. Female professors in STEM fields had a higher predicted probability of having a Wikipedia biography than their male colleagues. Outside STEM, no gender effects were observed. In general, professors in STEM fields had lower predicted probabilities regarding a Wikipedia entry. While scientific output seems to be less important for visibility on Wikipedia than expected, personal activities could increase one’s chance of a Wikipedia biography. Most striking is the significantly lower chance of professors at UAS to get a Wikipedia biography, highlighting the need for broader notability criteria to ensure a fair representation of scientists on Wikipedia.</p>

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Who gets a Wikipedia biography? Analysing notability criteria, actions for visibility and gender effects among professors in Germany

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月5日

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  • Lina Spagert,
  • Zeynep İnal,
  • Elke Wolf

摘要

Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites and claims to provide “free access to the sum of all human knowledge”. Thus, having a Wikipedia page is a sign of recognition and prestige. However, some studies have raised concerns about non-discriminatory access to Wikipedia for scientists. We investigated whether established notability criteria predict the presence of Wikipedia biographies among professors in Germany and examined the impact of gender, discipline, and personal activities to foster visibility. Our study is based on data from an online survey of 1839 professors in Germany. Four binary logistic regression models and predicted probabilities were calculated to test our hypotheses. The results indicated that the number of published articles (OR = 0.999; p = 0.110) and awards (OR = 1.007, p = 0.781) did not predict having a Wikipedia page, while press articles had a positive but small effect (OR = 1.005; p = 0.005). Among all variables aiming to capture notability, a professorship at a university of applied science (UAS) was most powerful and had a significant negative effect (OR = 0.176; p < 0.001). Individual activities, such as social media activity (OR = 1.248; p = 0.002) and networking (OR = 1.433; p = 0.012), had a positive effect. Female professors in STEM fields had a higher predicted probability of having a Wikipedia biography than their male colleagues. Outside STEM, no gender effects were observed. In general, professors in STEM fields had lower predicted probabilities regarding a Wikipedia entry. While scientific output seems to be less important for visibility on Wikipedia than expected, personal activities could increase one’s chance of a Wikipedia biography. Most striking is the significantly lower chance of professors at UAS to get a Wikipedia biography, highlighting the need for broader notability criteria to ensure a fair representation of scientists on Wikipedia.