The scientific literature seems divided over the proper spelling of “virosphere” or is it “viriosphere?” Both versions appear in all sorts of peer-reviewed journals. Both spelling variations describe the same thing: a collective noun for all of Earth’s viruses. But, which is correct?
Wikipedia, the seventh most visited website on the Internet and the first port of call for many seeking knowledge online, has no entry for either “virosphere” or “viriosphere.” Compare this to the populated “biosphere” page, or the yet more information dense “atmosphere” page.
You can help sort it out. If you have an opinion on the correct spelling, please let us know by emailing the DCO Engagement Team.
Better yet, contribute to Wikipedia and Settle the Semantic Debate
If you would like to settle the debate and add a page for “virosphere” or “viriosphere.” here are three easy steps to begin:
- Create an account on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Main+Page
- Click to enroll in the DCO Wikipedia campaign. Use "wikidco" if it asks for a password to join.
- Create a page for virosphere, viriosphere.
Some helpful references on this topic:
If you aren’t interested in weighing in on this debate, there are plenty other opportunities. You might consider editing one of the “sorry stubs” listed below. A Wikipedia stub is an article that is too short to provide "encyclopedic coverage" of a topic.
Six Sorry Sites
Want to get involved but don't know where to start? These six DCO field sites have pages on Wikipedia that would benefit from additional content.
Refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Tutorial/Editing for help improving Wikipedia.
