Contributor guidelines

DAAO collects information on Australian artists, designers, architects, craftspeople and curators. More detail on these roles can be found at our What We Collect page.

You can create a record for yourself, or for someone else. You can also edit or add to existing records. To do this, simply become a member.

These guidelines will help you understand how to add content.

Design & Art Australia Online is about:
• Art and design history
• Authoritative content
• Research
• Free and open access
• Collaboration

ADDING INFORMATION

When you contribute content, the most important things to remember are:
• Accuracy
• Impartiality
• Respect for original research
• Substance
• Substantiation
• Summary of a creator’s life
• Privacy

Biographies need to focus on:
• History not criticism
• Authoritative content not reviews
• Information not opinion
• Research, rather than promotion
• Be written in plain English prose. NOTE: a pasted C.V. does not meet Design & Art Australia Online’s Contributor Guidelines. For further advice, please see our Style Guide and Write Biography Prose section.

EDITING EXISTING INFORMATION

What can I edit?

Incorrect or incomplete information such as dates, exhibition titles, relationships etc.
Typos, grammatical errors and basic style inconsistencies.

What can I update?

Details of recent achievements or newly discovered facts.
Note: Refer to Design & Art Australia Online’s guidelines, particularly privacy of birth dates and respect for living people when adding new information; in some cases, information is absent for a reason.

What shouldn’t I edit?

Respect the work of fellow members. Do not edit a record because you don’t like the writing style.
for information on adding images to records.

REFERENCING

Avoid additional editorial or academic text from outside sources unless pertinent and brief. References to these types of sources can be included in the See Also field.

Using the subject as a source

We encourage artists and curators to create their own records. However, these entries must:
• Meet key principles: verifiability, neutrality etc.
• Be relevant to the person’s notability
• Not be contentious
• Not be unduly self-serving

Living artists and designers

Take care when adding biographical material about a living person to any Design & Art Australia Online page. Such material requires sensitivity and must adhere to DAAO’s content policies. For example, an artist may be part of the Stolen Generations, but may not wish to have it mentioned in their biography.
See Design & Art Australia Online’s EULA for Indemnity Statement.

What happens after I have submitted content?

All additions or edits will be highlighted as ‘Needs Moderation’ until approved by a Design & Art Australia Online Moderator. Moderators are experts in their field, selected by the Editorial Board or by other Moderators. They may choose to accept or reject member edits.

The system will notify the Source Contributor whenever another member submits an addition to their entry (providing they have set up their Notifications).
Previous versions of updated biographies are stored and accessible. A Moderator or Administrator may revert an entry to its previous version.

There is also a Peer Review service available for academics.

Locking protocols

Dispute: If an update/edit has been rejected by a Moderator and is subsequently resubmitted by the contributor more than twice, the entry will be locked and flagged for dispute resolution.

Dispute resolution

If you don’t agree with an element of another members’ work, raise your concern on the entry Talk Page. Talk Pages provide a forum for members to discuss research issues with peers. Be courteous and keep in mind that Talk Pages are public. The same privacy and respect guidelines are applicable to the Talk Pages as the biographical records.

If a record is locked as ‘in dispute’, it will be flagged for Board resolution.

Contentious material

Moderators may remove any contentious material that is unsourced, or relies upon sources that do not meet Design & Art Australia Online standards.

Moderators may remove any material that is derogatory or poorly sourced. Do not make personal attacks anywhere on Design & Art Australia Online.

Intellectual Property

Biographies need to be the work of the author. Authors warrant at the beginning of the membership registration that the content is their intellectual property (see EULA).

Privacy

All subjects are entitled to their privacy. Members should exercise restraint and information relevant to their work or public information. Respecting personal privacy is a legislative obligation. See Design & Art Australia Online Privacy policy.

Privacy of birthdays

For living people, list the year of birth rather than the exact birth date.