Resource Directory Editing Guide
Thank you for volunteering to enter data for our comprehensive directory of resources that support
By default, every resource you enter will have you assigned as its “maintainer,” which means only you (and the RD curating team) can edit it, and you’ll receive a notification every year or so, asking you to confirm that the resource is still available and the data is still valid. In some cases, it will make more sense for the maintainer of a particular resource (like a school) to be someone who is directly involved in the resource itself, but don’t let that stop you from entering a resource that you feel should be in the RD; our curators have the ability to reassign a resource entry to a different maintainer at any time.
We imagine most users of the RD will be people who are (a) looking for information about how and why SDE works, or (b) seeking local support resources such as SDE-aligned schools, unschooling
The more we add helpful resources, the more valuable the RD becomes.
The Resource Editor
Adding and editing resources is simple. To add a new resource, simply go to...
www.self-directed.org/resources/edit-resource/
...and follow the instructions. It’s usually easier if you use a device with a larger screen, rather than a smartphone, when you add or edit resources.
When you save a new resource, you’ll see a preview of it (how it will display when published), but it will not be published until it is reviewed by someone on our curation team. If there are any issues such as miscategorization, a curator will inform you how we prefer to handle those issues, so you will get better at it over time.
To edit a published resource that you “own” (you are its maintainer), simply visit the resource and click on the Edit Resource link near the bottom of the page. This link appears only if you are the resource’s maintainer or an RD curator.
When you’re logged into the site, the main Resources menu at the top of the screen includes extra links visible only to ASDE members. These include a link to see recently added resources as well as all resources that you are the maintainer of.
Resource Editing Tips
This section will be expanded as issues arise.
- All links on the editing page open in a separate tab, so you can click them without fear of losing the data you’ve entered.
- Resources can be included in more than one category (e.g., a school that also runs an annual summer camp can be in both categories). However, do not include additional categories unless they represent a significant, ongoing aspect of the resource (e.g., a school that offered a summer camp only once should not be in the summer camp category). Be sure that the resource description provides details about the additional categories. In some cases, a separate resource listing would be appropriate (e.g., if a school has published a book).
- After you’ve selected at least one category, all the data fields related to that category will appear. Any field that is not relevant or applicable should be left blank.
- For the summary and description, keep in mind that brevity is a feature. People may be sifting through many resources to find just what they are seeking, and we help them save precious time if they don’t have to read a lot of fluff. These listings are not a substitute for the expanded information that the resource providers can put on their websites. That’s why we include a link to the resource’s website whenever we can. Note that you can also include links in the description itself: URLs are automatically converted to links if they start with http or www. Or you can make a portion of text clickable by formatting it with square brackets and parentheses, like this:
[This is clickable text](www.example.com) - The Leader/Organizer/Director/Author field is a multipurpose field, depending on the type of resource. It can include multiple names, two or three at most. For two people use an ampersand: “Lauren Olamina & Lilith Iyapo”. ASDE previously used the broadly accepted structure in which research studies with more than two co-authors should list only the lead author and “et al”. As new members on the organizing team have pointed out how this practice has historically led to contributors facing marginalization, including in research cases being experts from outside formal academia, disproportionately getting “et al” -ed instead of being credited for their work. Having learned, we’re adapting, and we now strongly encourage crediting all co-contributors of a work. This may sometimes take a little more effort, but it’s the kind of subverting of harmful institutionalized education norms that aligns with our work. It’s also more helpful for those using the source who may want to look into the work of specific contributors further. If the work is credited to an organization with no designated project leader(s), please do the best you can to provide useful direction. An ideal option, if possible, is to enter the name of a contact person and then select other... for the role and enter “contact”. For consistency in searches and filtered results, custom roles should be lowercase unless they include proper nouns or acronyms (e.g., “CEO”).
- Do not include unnecessary data, e.g., most book listings will not require an email address unless it’s likely that readers will contact the author or publisher.
- If the Research category is selected, a Citation field will appear. You can use the linked tools to format the citation in APA format, but you will need to italicize the title of the journal (not the study title). Use HTML italic tags: <i>Journal of Tricholoma Matsutake Behavior</i>
- The location fields are visible only if you select Fixed Location or Variable Location. The Near... field is important for resources located in smaller cities and suburbs. For example, a resource in Naperville, Illinois, United States should have “Chicago” listed as a nearby city. This will allow those looking for resources anywhere near Chicago to simply search for resources matching “Chicago”.
- The Optimizing Conditions survey is visible only if one of the SDE Communities categories has been selected. Do not complete this survey unless you are directly involved with the SDE community. If not, we will ask someone in that community to become the maintainer of its listing and answer the survey questions.