VRCWiki:Conflicts of interest: Difference between revisions

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(Full COI policy re-write, courtesy of months of discussion and several meetings worth of discussions giving me a general idea of what I should write and cover for examples. I have more to write, but this should suffice for now and it's been like 5 hours since I started drafting this and I'm getting kinda tired ๐Ÿฅด)
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{{noticebox/wip|This policy is actively being rewritten and discussed to better explain it im a more concise and clear manner. Generally, all information here is currently accurate to how COI is handled If you have questions or concerns, please utilize the talk page or ask on the Discord.}}
'''Conflict of Interest (COI)''' refers to an individual's status as it relates to any ''major'' affiliations they may have to a given project, whether it be a World, Avatar, Prefab, Community, or etc. Likewise, '''Conflict of Interest editing (COI editing)''' is the practice of which an individual who is strongly affiliated with a project creates a page for said project, or writes substantive edits for an existing one.
'''Conflict of interest (COI) editing''' involves contributing or creating an article as an involved party of the creation, authorship, or other significant direct relation to the subject. Such as a moderator for a group creating an article for the group, or a world creator creating an article for their own world.


COI editing is discouraged on the VRChat Wiki as we desire to create objective articles free from potential conflict of interest as it can undermine public confidence and may cause public embarrassment to the individuals and organizations being promoted. Editors with a COI may be unaware of how much it has influenced their editing. When an instance of COI editing is discovered, the content will be removed and the editor will be informed. Removed content can still be viewed by anyone by accessing the history tab of any given page.
Conflict of Interest is better understood not just as an individual policy within its own right, but rather as a contextual segment of general editor policy alongside [[VRCWiki:Notability|Notability]], [[VRCWiki:Neutral point of view|Neutral Point of View]] (NPOV), or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research No Original Research] (NOR). COI policies complement the rest by ensuring the worst-case scenarios for each are wholly avoided in the first place- before any edits are even made. For example, Notability ''by definition cannot be self-defined'', and this directly leads into our COI policies preventing first-parties from defining the Notability of ''their own projects'' through page creation.


We understand that COI is hard to avoid. Some VRChat users may be the only source of information for worlds, avatars, and tools. It is acceptable for those users to contribute this information. Content should be verifiable through external sources if possible, but contributors should use common sense. Avoid advertising and use neutral language to maintain a neutral point of view (NPOV), articles should typically be an aggregator of sources, not the source.
It isn't necessarily assumed that an editor with a COI would create or edit a page for the purposes of advertisement- per se, but the fact is an editor with a COI will ''intrinsically'' be more likely to embellish information, curate ''what'' information is present, or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research treat the page as a primary source.]


Editors with a COI, including paid editors, are expected to disclose it whenever they seek to change an affected article's content. Anyone editing for pay must disclose who is paying them, who the client is, and any other relevant affiliation; this is a requirement of the VRChat Wiki. COI editors are discouraged from editing affected articles directly and can propose changes on article talk pages instead. The exception is that minor edits for grammar can be made.
== Examples ==
You would be someone with a Conflict of Interest if- for a given project- you:
* Created the project.
* Helped develop, moderate, or facilitate the project itself in any tangible way.
* Were the sole/initial financial provider for the project. (e.g: Commissioning)


Editors with a COI should follow VRChat Wiki policies and best practices scrupulously:
== Policies ==
The VRChat Wiki has '''two''' fundamental policies regarding COI and COI editing, these being:
# <big>Editors who have created a project, or have made substantive contributions to the project itself, are '''completely forbidden''' from '''''creating''''' pages on said project.</big>
# <big>Editors with a substantive COI on a project are restricted to purely [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Minor_edit '''minor edits'''] for any pages pertaining to said project.</big>
Pages found to have been ''created'' in violation of these policies ''will'' be candidates for '''swift deletion''', and the author notified soon after through appropriate channels.<br>
<small>(at the moment, their talk page and possibly Discord- if applicable)</small>


* You should disclose your COI when involved with affected articles.
== Situations that are ''NOT'' (necessarily) Conflicts of Interest ==
* You are discouraged from editing affected articles directly unless it is minor changes.
Conflict of Interest is- like many things in life- not strictly speaking a binary definition, but more of a ''gradient of proximity''. When an editor with even a ''slight'' affiliation to a project gauges their own potential COI, it is oftentimes desirable to err on the side of caution and assume they ''do'', avoiding any potential editor conflict. However, there are plenty of situations in which case someone with a potential COI can very much still make constructive ''major'' edits to a project's page; it ultimately comes down to a variety of factors.
* You should propose changes on talk pages or by posting a note at the COI noticeboard so that they can be peer-reviewed.
* You should not act as a reviewer of affected articles if there is any dispute on its content. <!--- Note: I'm keeping this here, however I (trixxedheart) personally believe it should be removed as it doesnt really make sense. if its a factual dispute, I think its fair for someone who has direct involvement to be able to review it. --->
* You should respect other editors by keeping discussions concise.


Be aware that no one on the VRChat Wiki owns any article. If the VRChat Wiki hosts an article, others may add information and edit it however they wish. It may also be decided to delete the article or decide to keep it should someone later [[Special:MyLanguage/:Category:Pages Marked for Deletion|request deletion]].
It can help to conceptualize your potential COI with a project by assessing it in direct proportion to how simple it would be to cease your affiliation. More plainly: if it's easy for you to "leave" without any impact- ''you '''probably''' don't have much COI'', and if your involvement is historically in ''the body of work itself-'' '''''you 100% do.'''''


==Paid editing==
In any case, anyone who feels as though they have even a ''minor'' COI to something they're editing should both disclose the details of that fact in the edit summary, and take ''extra care'' to ensure any written content they contribute follows all of our editing guidelines, '''''especially''''' NPOV.
<!--- can we have a policy that completely disallows directly copy-pasting policies from wikipedia. this is causing so many issues. - trixxed --->
Being paid to contribute to the VRChat Wiki is one form of financial COI; it places the paid editor in a conflict between their employer's goals and the VRChat Wiki's goals. The kind of paid editing of most concern to the community involves using the VRChat Wiki for public relations and marketing purposes. Sometimes called "paid advocacy," this is problematic because it invariably reflects the interests of the client or employer.


More generally, an editor has a financial conflict of interest whenever they write about a topic with which they have a close financial relationship. This includes being an owner, employee, contractor, investor or other stakeholder.
Here are some examples listed roughly in order from most severe to least:


The VRChat Wiki requires that all paid editing be disclosed. If you receive or expect to receive compensation (money, goods or services) for your contributions to the VRChat Wiki, the policy is:
==== Having a personal relationship with someone affiliated with a project ====
This one is the trickiest to nail down, as it can cover everything from "intimate romantic relationships" to "we're mutuals on Twitter". Only '''you''' can fully quantify the extent of your relationship with the individual in question, and thus qualify whether you could- or even ''should'' ethically contribute to the project's page. Out of all of the examples, this is the one to be ''most'' cautious about; '''tread carefully'''.


* You must disclose who is paying you, on whose behalf the edits are made, and any other relevant affiliation (on the talk page).
==== Being a Patreon subscriber, or having made other financial contributions to a project ====
* You should make the disclosure on your user page, on affected talk pages, and whenever you discuss the topic.
Financial contributions tend to signify a fairly strong interest in a project, but are not ''wholly'' indicative of one's affiliation, and can be revoked at any time. While someone in a position of financial support will ''likely'' trend towards positive phrasing, they are still ultimately ''independent'' from the project itself, and do not implicitly share the same ideological expectations or even ''opinions'' on it as those who've put much more effort and work into creating or sustaining it. It is a position still ''very much'' worth keeping an eye on and disclosing, but isn't wholly indicative of a COI on its own.
* You are discouraged from editing affected articles directly.
* You should propose changes on talk pages so that they can be peer-reviewed.
* You should not act as a reviewer of affected articles if there is any dispute on its content.
* You should respect volunteers by keeping discussions concise.


==Conflict of interest noticebox==
==== Being a member *of* a project's community ====
If an article contains a conflict of interest, it will be displayed with the following noticebox:
Functionally similar to the financial contributors above, except with even ''more'' leeway, independence, and ease of revoking status. Being ''involved'' in a community can mean a variety of different things; whether it's directly contributing content, participating in events occasionally, or lurking a Discord server. All of these fall into different places on the COI spectrum, but are ''generally'' fairly low concern as long as the standard guidelines are being appropriately met.
ย 
==== Having a strong interest in a project ====
Having a general vested interest in a topic or project you're contributing to editing isn't just ''not'' COI but is '''''very much encouraged!''''' Everything you read here on this wiki is contributed by volunteers, and our time- like yours- is very much finite! While we strongly appreciate all of those who donate their time unequivocally to any page on the Wiki that needs it, we also ''very much stress'' the importance of spending your time contributing healthily, even if it's only to the topics that most interest you!
ย 
== A general example that sums all of this up: ==
Let's assume a hypothetical project in the form of a World called "'''Super Fun World'''".
* The creator of Super Fun World cannot create a "Super Fun World" page, but an interested community member can!
* Perhaps that interested community member happens to ''also'' be a Patreon subscriber to Super Fun World('s creator), in which case they're generally advised to disclose that information in the edit summary of the page's creation.
* One of the 3D modellers for Super Fun World notices a couple typos on the page, and correct them in a minor edit.
* The creator of Super Fun World sees an incorrect date being attributed to an event hosted in the world and makes a minor edit changing the date to the correct one with a valid citation (if one didn't already exist and the error was a typo).
* A hardcore fan of Super Fun World reads a new development blog published by the creator and uses their judgement to decide some of the information is notable enough for inclusion in the article, writing a new section (or adding to an existing one) with a neutral point of view using the blog as a citation.
...and so on!
ย 
==Conflict of Interest noticebox==
If an article primarily (or entirely) contains content written by someone with a '''partial''' Conflict of Interest, it will be displayed with the following noticebox:
{{Noticebox/Conflict of interest}}
{{Noticebox/Conflict of interest}}


It can be added to to an article, using the following text: <nowiki>{{Noticebox/Conflict of interest}}</nowiki>
Note, this '''cannot''' be used to circumvent the two fundamental policies. Any pages found to have been created in violation of them, ''even if they contain this noticebox'', will still be eligible for deletion.
ย 
It can be added to to an article using the following text: <nowiki>{{Noticebox/Conflict of interest}}</nowiki>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[VRCWiki:Guidelines]]
* [[VRCWiki:Guidelines]]
* [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Conflict_of_interest Wikipedia:Conflict of interest] on Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Conflict_of_interest Wikipedia:Conflict of interest] on Wikipedia


[[Category:VRCWiki policies]]
[[Category:VRCWiki policies]]

Revision as of 19:38, 8 October 2024

Conflict of Interest (COI) refers to an individual's status as it relates to any major affiliations they may have to a given project, whether it be a World, Avatar, Prefab, Community, or etc. Likewise, Conflict of Interest editing (COI editing) is the practice of which an individual who is strongly affiliated with a project creates a page for said project, or writes substantive edits for an existing one.

Conflict of Interest is better understood not just as an individual policy within its own right, but rather as a contextual segment of general editor policy alongside Notability, Neutral Point of View (NPOV), or No Original Research (NOR). COI policies complement the rest by ensuring the worst-case scenarios for each are wholly avoided in the first place- before any edits are even made. For example, Notability by definition cannot be self-defined, and this directly leads into our COI policies preventing first-parties from defining the Notability of their own projects through page creation.

It isn't necessarily assumed that an editor with a COI would create or edit a page for the purposes of advertisement- per se, but the fact is an editor with a COI will intrinsically be more likely to embellish information, curate what information is present, or treat the page as a primary source.

Examples

You would be someone with a Conflict of Interest if- for a given project- you:

  • Created the project.
  • Helped develop, moderate, or facilitate the project itself in any tangible way.
  • Were the sole/initial financial provider for the project. (e.g: Commissioning)

Policies

The VRChat Wiki has two fundamental policies regarding COI and COI editing, these being:

  1. Editors who have created a project, or have made substantive contributions to the project itself, are completely forbidden from creating pages on said project.
  2. Editors with a substantive COI on a project are restricted to purely minor edits for any pages pertaining to said project.

Pages found to have been created in violation of these policies will be candidates for swift deletion, and the author notified soon after through appropriate channels.
(at the moment, their talk page and possibly Discord- if applicable)

Situations that are NOT (necessarily) Conflicts of Interest

Conflict of Interest is- like many things in life- not strictly speaking a binary definition, but more of a gradient of proximity. When an editor with even a slight affiliation to a project gauges their own potential COI, it is oftentimes desirable to err on the side of caution and assume they do, avoiding any potential editor conflict. However, there are plenty of situations in which case someone with a potential COI can very much still make constructive major edits to a project's page; it ultimately comes down to a variety of factors.

It can help to conceptualize your potential COI with a project by assessing it in direct proportion to how simple it would be to cease your affiliation. More plainly: if it's easy for you to "leave" without any impact- you probably don't have much COI, and if your involvement is historically in the body of work itself- you 100% do.

In any case, anyone who feels as though they have even a minor COI to something they're editing should both disclose the details of that fact in the edit summary, and take extra care to ensure any written content they contribute follows all of our editing guidelines, especially NPOV.

Here are some examples listed roughly in order from most severe to least:

Having a personal relationship with someone affiliated with a project

This one is the trickiest to nail down, as it can cover everything from "intimate romantic relationships" to "we're mutuals on Twitter". Only you can fully quantify the extent of your relationship with the individual in question, and thus qualify whether you could- or even should ethically contribute to the project's page. Out of all of the examples, this is the one to be most cautious about; tread carefully.

Being a Patreon subscriber, or having made other financial contributions to a project

Financial contributions tend to signify a fairly strong interest in a project, but are not wholly indicative of one's affiliation, and can be revoked at any time. While someone in a position of financial support will likely trend towards positive phrasing, they are still ultimately independent from the project itself, and do not implicitly share the same ideological expectations or even opinions on it as those who've put much more effort and work into creating or sustaining it. It is a position still very much worth keeping an eye on and disclosing, but isn't wholly indicative of a COI on its own.

Being a member *of* a project's community

Functionally similar to the financial contributors above, except with even more leeway, independence, and ease of revoking status. Being involved in a community can mean a variety of different things; whether it's directly contributing content, participating in events occasionally, or lurking a Discord server. All of these fall into different places on the COI spectrum, but are generally fairly low concern as long as the standard guidelines are being appropriately met.

Having a strong interest in a project

Having a general vested interest in a topic or project you're contributing to editing isn't just not COI but is very much encouraged! Everything you read here on this wiki is contributed by volunteers, and our time- like yours- is very much finite! While we strongly appreciate all of those who donate their time unequivocally to any page on the Wiki that needs it, we also very much stress the importance of spending your time contributing healthily, even if it's only to the topics that most interest you!

A general example that sums all of this up:

Let's assume a hypothetical project in the form of a World called "Super Fun World".

  • The creator of Super Fun World cannot create a "Super Fun World" page, but an interested community member can!
  • Perhaps that interested community member happens to also be a Patreon subscriber to Super Fun World('s creator), in which case they're generally advised to disclose that information in the edit summary of the page's creation.
  • One of the 3D modellers for Super Fun World notices a couple typos on the page, and correct them in a minor edit.
  • The creator of Super Fun World sees an incorrect date being attributed to an event hosted in the world and makes a minor edit changing the date to the correct one with a valid citation (if one didn't already exist and the error was a typo).
  • A hardcore fan of Super Fun World reads a new development blog published by the creator and uses their judgement to decide some of the information is notable enough for inclusion in the article, writing a new section (or adding to an existing one) with a neutral point of view using the blog as a citation.

...and so on!

Conflict of Interest noticebox

If an article primarily (or entirely) contains content written by someone with a partial Conflict of Interest, it will be displayed with the following noticebox:

UserpageCOI.svg
V ยท EConflict of interest
This page was written by an involved party in violation of the Conflict of interest policy, and may be subject to removal. Once this page has enough edits from varying parties, this notice may be removed.

Consider editing this page.

Note, this cannot be used to circumvent the two fundamental policies. Any pages found to have been created in violation of them, even if they contain this noticebox, will still be eligible for deletion.

It can be added to to an article using the following text: {{Noticebox/Conflict of interest}}

See also