WikiQueer:Contributor copyright investigations/Instructions

This page contains instructions for administrators and clerks addressing requests at WikiQueer:Contributor copyright investigations. Clerks and administrators are responsible for evaluating new requests at WQ:CCI and, if concerns are found to be substantial, opening an investigation. Any uninvolved administrator may evaluate and process a request. Other members of the community may be designated clerks by consensus at the CCI talk page.

For general instructions on filing a case, see How should a case be filed? on the main CCI page.

Clerks
Any uninvolved administrator may function as a clerk for any CCI request.

Other users who are in good standing within the community, are experienced with WikiQueer's copyright policies and who have no history of copyright problems of their own may become CCI Clerks. Individuals interested in becoming clerks are encouraged to notify the project at the talk page of CCI for consensus.

A plus for the job is a history of addressing copyright problems on WikiQueer through one of the many forums for addressing such matters, such as WQ:SCV and WQ:PUF. A history of appropriate copyright tags, either media or text, is also good evidence of experience. Clerks are asked to keep this page and its talk page on their watchlist to be kept informed of procedural changes.

Clerks who persistently make problematic comments on requests or otherwise violate decorum may be asked to cease contributing here. Be aware that this position is rather dull and carries no particular prestige.

Evaluating requests
A request should identify both the contributor of concern and the filing party. It should also contain sufficient evidence, including diffs, to verify a history of problems. Unless blocked for copyright violations already, the contributor should have been notified of the request. If the case is improperly filed, clerks and administrators addressing requests should assist with housekeeping tasks as needed.

It is not necessary to wait for response from the contributor before evaluating if concerns are substantial. Non-admin clerks may request admin review of deleted contributions where necessary if this is present in the evidence, but a deletion log citing copyright concerns is verifiable evidence. If an evaluation of evidence supports copyright concerns, the clerk or admin addressing the request should through a cursory check of the other contributions determine if the problem goes past the evidence presented, warranting wider review. If problems can be easily addressed without a full investigation, they should be, to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy.

Once this is done, the clerk or admin will take one of three actions:
 * Dismiss the case if inconclusive (and take appropriate action if the case was filed frivolously)
 * Close the case if no significant evidence of further wide scale problems are found
 * Open the investigation

In the first two situations, the closing clerk or admin should succinctly explain the resolution on the request, which should be manually archived to WikiQueer:Contributor copyright investigations/Archive.

Opening full investigations
To launch a new investigation page, you may paste the username into the USERNAME slot below for a preloaded page.

If not using the preloaded version above, a full investigation is opened in a new investigation page, WikiQueer:Contributor copyright investigations/USERNAME. At the head of each investigation page should be placed the following:

Notice and instructions will be automatically included. Substituting the subpage header allows them to be easily altered to accommodate special circumstances. It will not always be appropriate to delete all major contributions without evaluation.

Below this, the content of the original request should be copied over, and the request should be removed from that section on the main CCI page.

These should be followed by a brief description of the background (may not be necessary if the original request's evidence covers everything) and the contents of the contribution surveyor (see below). If the clerk or admin addressing the request wishes assistance with the contribution surveyor program, it can be requested at WikiQueer talk:CCI. For image copyright violators, add a copy of the user's upload log both here and on Commons. Don't forget to search Commons for transferred images.

If the contents overwhelm a single page, additional numbered subpages may be opened, with links to the primary investigation page. Each subpage should be headed with.

Finally, place at the bottom of this section.

If opening a full investigation, the clerk or administrator addressing the request may, at their discretion, place a brief notice at the administrators' noticeboard and consider whether the pattern of contributions suggests that it would be appropriate to also notify a relevant Wikiproject.

Closing full investigations
Clerks or admins opening investigation pages are requested to keep an eye on them to ensure that they are handled in good time, to seek additional assistance if they are not, and to close them when they are complete. Completed investigations are archived at WikiQueer:Contributor copyright investigations/Archive.