Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Wikidata Reference Validator:A Tool to Check and Flag Dead External Sources (ID: 23538111)
Add topicRecommendation to fund
[edit]Hello JosefAnthony, thanks for submitting this Rapid Fund proposal. We finalized the proposal review process and we are sharing with you the summarized recommendations from the review team.
We believe this is a good proposal that would contribute to maintaining and improving data quality in Wikidata. Though the described need is not specific / without relevant links and this specific request does not appear in the community wishlist, we think that the proposal addresses a clear technical need.
The proposal highlights planned consultation with community developers and technical mentors. We recommend that the applicant also collaborates with relevant contacts at Wikimedia Deutschland if needed.
We recommend this proposal for funding with a follow-up question:
- Are there any costs or concerns of integrating with the Wayback Machine API?
On behalf of the review team, --DSaroyan (WMF) (talk) 08:15, 8 October 2025 (UTC)
- Thank you very much for the positive review and recommendation.
- Regarding the question about integration with the Wayback Machine API — there are no costs associated, as the Internet Archive provides free public access to its API. The integration will focus on automated URL checks and retrieving archived snapshots when a reference is no longer accessible, ensuring long-term sustainability without additional expenses.
- I have also reached out to the Wikidata community for collaboration and feedback. The tool is already live here:
- https://wikidata-reference-validator.toolforge.org/
- Community feedback is being collected here:
- https://etherpad.wikimedia.org/p/wikidata-reference-validator
- The project is being discussed in the Wikidata Telegram channels and has begun receiving positive and constructive feedback from community members, including Danny Benjafield (WMDE), Mohammed Sadat Abdulai (WMDE), and Lydia Pintscher (WMDE).
- Additionally, the tool has been presented as a Wikidata 13th Birthday gift, aligning strongly with community engagement and impact goals.
- I will continue to collaborate closely with developers and relevant contacts at Wikimedia Deutschland to ensure proper alignment with ongoing Wikidata development efforts.
- Thank you once again for the support and thoughtful review — I look forward to contributing even more to data quality improvements on Wikidata! JosefAnthony (talk) 09:34, 23 October 2025 (UTC)