Wikinews:Pre-Reviewing

This is a proposed policy. You can choose to follow it. If it is followed by all, and has wide community support, it may become an official policy. Please comment on the collaboration page of the policy on any changes you would like to make, or just edit the page directly. References or links to this page should not describe it as "policy".

Users who are members of the group Pre-Reviewer have the ability to:

~~Have one's own revisions automatically marked as "accepted" (autoreview)~~
~~Mark revisions as being "accepted" (review)~~
Use {{Pre-review}} and conduct Pre-Reviews
~~View list of unreviewed pages (unreviewedpages)~~
Edit pages protected as "Allow only autoconfirmed users" (editsemiprotected)
~~Quickly rollback the edits of the last user who edited a particular page (rollback)~~
Not be affected by IP-based rate limits (autoconfirmed)

Requests for pre-reviewer status

All requests to be given pre-reviewer status should be made at the requests for Pre-Reviewer page.

Except in rare cases, administrators should generally give Pre-Reviewer to people meeting the below requirements, and not give to those who do not.

Autoconfirmed or confirmed
Have at least five published articles, at least one of which was in the 30 days before the request.

In addition, pre-reviewers should generally be able to respond to questions by the user whose article they are pre-reviewing in a timely manner. If they do not respond within 24 hours, another (pre) reviewer may respond in their place. Pre-Reviewers should follow all regular policies at all times and communicate in a constructive manner during the pre-review.

Pre-reviews should be reported using the {{Pre-review}} template.

Purpose and voluntary nature

The pre-review process is designed not only to improve articles but also to help develop and identify potential candidates for new reviewers. It serves as a peer-review mechanism that encourages collaboration and learning.

An article that has been published after undergoing pre-review benefits from the input of at least three individuals: the original author(s), the pre-reviewer, and the reviewer. This collaborative effort improves the likelihood of a quality article being published.

Participation in pre-review is optional. Authors are free to follow or disregard the feedback provided.

Peer-Review Principles

Pre-reviewers must remain as uninvolved in the article as formal reviewers are, ensuring an unbiased evaluation. This preserves the integrity of the peer-review system.

Conducting a pre-review

Begin by making any necessary edits to improve the article. Ensure these edits are minor and do not alter the article's content substantially—e.g., do not add or remove sources, but improve distance from sources, correct minor grammatical errors, etc.

Provide a clear explanation for each edit in the edit summary, linking to relevant policies using local links where applicable. This is part of the mentoring process, guiding others by pointing them to various policies and guidelines on how to write quality articles effectively.

Maintain the necessary level of detachment and impartiality throughout this process, following with the principles of peer-review.

Documenting the pre-review

Use the Template:Pre-review in a new section on the article's talk page.

Follow the instructions in the template documentation to properly complete and submit your pre-review.