A small group of Harvard undergraduates gathered recently in a University classroom—not for a study session, but to “dismantle the patriarchy”—one Wikipedia post at a time. The students believe that Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia used by millions, shortchanges left-wing perspectives on topics including feminism, gay rights, discrimination, and disabilities, so they scheduled an “edit-a-thon” in a deliberate attempt to bring more coverage to these issues.

The Harvard Crimson reports:

With the stated purpose of changing and adding Wikipedia pages related to feminist, BGLTQ, and human rights issues, the group of about eight students went on an editing spree, taking out phrasing they saw as offensive and otherwise tweaking the site.

In a mass email advertising the event, student-run feminist publication Manifesta Magazine described the event as part of a movement to “dismantle the patriarchy” on Wikipedia.

Unfortunately for users of the online encyclopedia, there are few safeguards to ensure that the information added by individuals is unbiased and accurate. The Crimson explains:

Users with an account can join a WikiProject, even if they lack expert knowledge of the particular topic. Users can choose to delete a page or copy edit it, checking its content for accuracy and basic facts. Monday’s event at Harvard focused primarily on WikiProjects relating to women and indigenous Americans and pages about disability and discrimination.

Wikipedia actually encourages such “edit-a-thons,” noting on a page dedicated to the topic that they “have taken place at Wikimedia chapter headquarters or cultural institutions such as museums or archives, and included topics such as cultural heritage sites, museum collections, women's history, art, feminism, narrowing Wikipedia's gender gap, and other topics.” Users of the site might want to exercise caution when conducting research—you never know what a Harvard student may have slipped in.