How Did They Build the Free Encyclopedia? A Literature Review of Collaboration and Coordination among Wikipedia Editors

Abstract

Wikipedia has been the poster child for large-scale online open collaboration while few other online open collaboration initiatives have achieved similar success. How did Wikipedians do it? Besides the technical infrastructure, what social dynamics and processes are critical to its success? This essay reviews 217 articles that examined aspects of the behaviors of Wikipedia editors and the processes through which they coordinate and collaborate. Using the Input-Mediator-Output-Input model (IMOI) as the organizing framework, we summarized the key insights in an integrative review. The input factors include editors, their motivations, and the tools they use to support their work. The mediating factors include coordination, governance, leadership, conflict, newcomer socialization, and roles. The outcome focuses on measuring and predicting contribution quantity and quality. We hope our work serves as a road map for researchers who are interested in Wikipedia to learn about prior research and identify future research directions.