Availability and usability of information
The more meaningful data, the better: Information on corporations’ social and environmental impacts should be abundant and usable. Companies, and organisations with relevant data about companies, should generously disclose it in a structured form.
Note: Structured data is most useful when it is most open. However, some data providers will make data available only if it is restricted through, for example, non-commercial licensing or limited downloads. WikiRate may support such restrictions for these cases, since otherwise the data would not be available at all.
Diverse points of view on a neutral platform
Users, not WikiRate, judge companies: WikiRate does not dictate how companies should behave. Rather, we enable users to communicate what’s important to them, and we support the ongoing collaborative development of standards and measures of corporate behavior.
Users, not WikiRate, judge data quality: WikiRate does not dictate what makes data high quality. Instead, we lay out a few basic structural requirements and let users make determinations about quality collaboratively. What the community considers to be the best-designed metrics, most credible data, and best-written analyses will come to the forefront.
Editorial bias should be minimised: All collaborative writing (e.g., Reviews and Overviews) on the site should be written from a neutral point of view. Wikipedia's explanation is helpful: “carefully and critically analysing a variety of reliable sources and then attempting to convey to the reader the information contained in them fairly, proportionately, and as far as possible without editorial bias.”
Open discussion and collaboration
Deliberation and discussion is visible: WikiRate makes all discussions concerning content quality visible. To support this principle, even questionable data remains visible on WikiRate.org, but it is given less prominence and is flagged to make clear (a) that it is considered questionable, and (b) why.
Collaborative projects are encouraged: WikiRate encourages and supports Projects, in which contributors invite the WikiRate community to populate the site with specific types of data.
Openness and respect
All are welcome. Anyone can join WikiRate: individuals, advocacy groups, academics and researchers, company representatives, etc.
Confront ideas, not people. Be respectful and civil. no discrimination, no ad hominem attacks.
Be honest and transparent. Disclose conflicts of interest. Address misrepresentations.