Preliminary note: if any unsolicited articles are received, subject editors should not feel obligated to accept them. The typical procedure is for articles to be assigned first, and Nupedia's instructions are clear enough that we can expect potential writers to understand this.
Also note: before a "longer article" on a topic can be assigned, it must be accompanied by a brief, introductory article on the same topic, which serves as an introduction to the longer article--the sort of thing one might find in a desktop reference. The person or persons responsible for the introductory article on a topic need not be the same as the person or persons who write the longer article on that topic, but that might be convenient. Please see our information about article lengths.
This section has two parts: one paragraph about how editors can use the system to make an assignment and several more paragraphs about what policies to follow in making an assignment.
To make an assignment to someone who has used the system to volunteer to write an article, an editor needs simply go to the "editor's page" for that article, select "Assign article," and press "Submit." To make an assignment to someone who has not thus used the system to volunteer--e.g., someone who via e-mail has agreed to write an article--the procedure is to go to the article sign-up page as though you, the editor, were signing up for an article yourself, and in the space indicating the article author, where you see your member ID, simply type in the member ID of the volunteer. Editors can locate the ID of the volunteer by clicking on the "search members" link at the top of all member area pages. If a volunteer does not yet have a member ID, he or she will have to get one. Of course, this can be done very easily and quickly, and it should be stressed that the volunteer will not receive any unwanted e-mails.
Nupedia editors have broad discretion on whom to assign what topic. Editors must walk a fine line between being open and inclusive, on the one hand, and maintaining high standards of quality, on the other. Nupedia as a project wishes to maintain both of these ideals as far as is possible.
In general, editors should determine, before making an assignment, that a candidate writer is adequately qualified for the job. This is the main purpose of member profiles, which editors are able to search by following the "search members" link at the top of each page of the member area.
There are some Nupedia topics on which, no doubt, very satisfactory brief articles could be written by a good writer with no special training at all, or a hobbyist's interest. A great many of the more specialized topics, and perhaps the bulk of topics overall, however, should be assigned to specialists in the relevant field. This does not necessarily mean the person needs a Ph.D., of course. The rule of thumb an editor should bear in mind is: would an article on this topic be of significantly greater quality if it were written by an expert on the subject? If yes, we will require that the writer be an expert on the subject. If no, nonspecialists (who are good writers) are more than welcome.
Expert, however, is a notoriously ambiguous term. Just to take an example (that is not intended to bear any relation to any actual person): if a man who had received a Master's degree in French literature focusing exclusively on Victor Hugo had written five peer-reviewed articles about Hugo, the fact that he lacks a Ph.D. should not stop us from assigning him topics related directly to Hugo. The same man, however, might not be asked to write the general article on French literature; the editor might determine that that job would belong to someone with a broader background, probably a senior scholar of French literature.
In many cases where the topic is specialized, highly academic, or where the editor expects the category as a whole might be closely judged based on the result, we will want to assign topics to persons who have already done extensive, high-quality research (not necessarily published work, but probably, in most cases) on those topics. It obviously is not necessary, to have done extensive, high-quality research on a topic, to have any particular degree or credential at all. But in some cases, of course, it will be practically necessary.
Any qualified writer who asks to be assigned a topic should be assigned that topic, unless the editor wishes to reserve the topic for some special reason. Peer reviewers should be assigned most topics they request; an editor would have to have a rather good reason to deny the request (e.g., the peer reviewer is not an expert in the subject, and a much-better qualified person will soon be able to write the article).
Some people have generously offered to Nupedia the use of their content and other materials. Exactly how these materials might be adapted for Nupedia's use is to be determined by the editor-in-chief and the relevant subject area editor(s), but as a general rule, we expect all materials, if even previously web-posted or published, to undergo Nupedia's entire editorial process. Any exceptions to this general rule should be proposed to the editor-in-chief and on Advisory-L.
If a subject editor has any question, particularly on decisions that might be seen as setting important precedents, on whom should be assigned a topic, the editor should consult with the editor-in-chief.