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Reviews and ratings











Do I need to create a user account on WorldCat.org to rate items or write reviews?

You do need to create a user account to write reviews, but you do not need an account to simply rate an item. Creating an account is free and fast: You only need to provide an e-mail address, a unique user name and a password.

You can rate any item without a user account. Simply place your mouse over the five-star rating utility on the item's detailed record and click to select your rating. Without an account, however, you will only be able to rate the item once and cannot change your rating once selected.

Note that if you rate an item before signing in to your account, that rating will not be reflected in the Reviews section of your WorldCat profile, nor can it be edited.

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How do I write a review for an item?

There are two ways to navigate to the review writing utility. You can click the Add a review link in the Reviews section of the item's detailed record. Or you can click Write a review near the top of the Detailed Record screen. If you have not signed in to your WorldCat.org user account, you will be asked to do so before you can begin writing.

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How do I rate an item?

There are two ways to rate an item. From the item's detailed record, simply place your mouse over the five-star rating utility and click to select your rating. You do not need a WorldCat user account to do this. However, without an account, you will only be able to rate the item once and cannot change your rating once selected.

You can also rate an item as part of a full review. Click Write a review at the top of the Detailed Record screen, or Add a review in the Reviews section. If you have not signed in to your WorldCat.org user account, you will be asked to do so before you can rate the item and write a review. All of your reviews and ratings can be viewed and managed from the Reviews section of your WorldCat profile (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar).

Note that if you use the first method above and rate an item before signing in to your account, that rating will not be reflected in the Reviews display within your WorldCat profile, nor can it be edited later.

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Do I have to review an item to rate it?

No. You can rate an item without reviewing it.

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Do I have to rate an item to review it?

Yes. When you complete a review, rating the item is the first action.

If you have previously rated an item without reviewing it, you can easily add a review from the Reviews section of your profile page (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar). You can change your rating when you contribute a complete review, or leave your original rating in place.

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How can other WorldCat users see or find my ratings and reviews?

Your review will be displayed in the Reviews section on the detailed record page for the item. Other WorldCat users can also see a list of all ratings and reviews you've made in the Reviews section of your public user profile (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar).

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Can I make my review private?

No. All WorldCat.org reviews are public. Your review will include your user name and a link to your user profile page (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar).

You can, however, create a draft version of a review. Draft reviews are not publically available. Only you can see your draft review, and only you can access it from the Reviews section of your profile page. Your review will not appear on the WorldCat detailed record for the item until you click the "Publish Review" button.

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How do I edit or change a review I have already published?

Sign in to your WorldCat user account and visit your profile page (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar). In the Reviews section of your profile, locate the review you wish to edit and click the Edit this Review link.

After you have finished editing your review, you can publish it—which will overwrite the published version of the review—or you can save your edited version as a draft.

Draft reviews do not overwrite published reviews. Until you publish your draft review, you will have two versions of your review. Draft reviews are not publicly available. Only you can see your draft review, and only you can access it from the Reviews section of your profile page. Your review will not appear on the WorldCat detailed record for the item until you click the Publish Review button.

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How do I delete a review I have written?

Note that a review you have deleted from WorldCat.org cannot be retrieved or restored. Once you have deleted your review, it is gone forever.

To delete a published or draft review, sign in to your WorldCat user account and visit your profile page (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar). In the Reviews section of your profile, locate the review you wish to delete and click the Delete this Review link. A popup window will appear and ask you to confirm the deletion; click the "Yes" button to permanently delete the review.

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How do I change my rating of an item?

Note that only ratings made while you are signed in to your WorldCat.org user account can be changed.

To change your rating for an item, return to the item's detailed record either through a search or via the Reviews section of your user profile page (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar). Place your mouse over the five-star rating utility and click to select your new rating.

You can also change a rating by signing in to your WorldCat user account and visiting your profile page (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar). In the Reviews section of your profile, locate the review and click the Edit this Review link. In the How do you rate this item? drop-down box, rate the item, then click Publish Review.

Your rating is recorded even if there does not appear to be any change in the state of the rating utility. (The rating count will increase only after you have reloaded the page. Also, the rating may not change based on your input because the rating displayed is an average for all users who have rated the item.)

You can see the rating you gave the item, rather than the average rating, from the Reviews section of your profile page.

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Can I save a review I'm writing as a draft and work on it later without publishing it?

Yes. To save your work and come back to it later, click the Save Review as Draft button. (For a draft review to be saved, you will need to have typed at least 100 characters.) It's also a good practice to occasionally save your draft review as you write, in the event you encounter a problem with your WorldCat.org session or your computer. A popup message will notify you that your draft has been saved.

Draft reviews are not publically available. Only you can see your draft review, and only you can access and resume editing it from the Reviews section of your profile page (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar). Your review will not appear on the WorldCat detailed record for the item until you click the "Publish Review" button.

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Can other WorldCat users see my draft reviews?

No. Only you can see your draft review, and only you can access it from the Reviews section of your profile page. Your review will not appear on the WorldCat detailed record for the item until you click the "Publish Review" button.

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Can I save a new version of a review as a draft and keep my existing published version available on WorldCat.org?

Yes. You can edit a review you have already published and save an unpublished version of that review as a draft.

To edit the existing version of the review, sign in to your WorldCat user account and visit your profile page (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar). In the Reviews section of your profile, locate the review you wish to edit and click the Edit this Review link.

After you have edited your review, click the "Save Review as Draft" button to save your changes without changing the current public version of your review. Until you publish your draft review, you will have two versions of your review.

Draft reviews are not publically available. Only you can see your draft review, and only you can access it from the Reviews section of your profile page. Your review will not appear on the WorldCat detailed record for the item until you click the "Publish Review" button.

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How long can a review be?

There is no limit to the length of your review, although at a minimum a review must contain at least 100 characters (about one or two sentences). This minimum ideally encourage reviewers to provide enough information so that others may evaluate the review, the reviewer and the item being reviewed.

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Why are there minimum character requirements for the title and body of a review?

At a minimum, a review must contain at least 100 characters—about one or two sentences—and a review title must contain at least 10 characters. These minimums ideally encourage reviewers to provide enough information so that others may evaluate the review, the reviewer and the item being reviewed.

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Are there other guidelines for writing a review?

Yes. These suggestions, however, aren't specific to WorldCat: They're generally regarded across the Web as important considerations for posting an opinion other readers will find helpful and worth their time. They are:

  • Keep your comments under 300 words—roughly three paragraphs. If you must write more, begin with your most important ideas and insert paragraph breaks at appropriate points.
  • Focus on the item and explain your likes and dislikes within a context: Your personal experience, other works by or about the same person, other works in the genre, etc.
  • If you are responding to other users' reviews, please do so respectfully. (Note that the position of your review on the page relative to those on which you are commenting is subject to change without notice.)
  • Don't use profanity or other potentially offensive language.
  • Don't "spoil" others' experience by revealing crucial plot elements.
  • Respect copyrights: Don't copy content from other sources, including Web sites, unless you are the original author of the content. Properly attribute the source of quotations from people or other works.
  • Be mindful of references to events or materials that are time-sensitive, such as a lecture or seminar on a related topic. Once the time has passed, your review may seem dated.
  • Don't include your own or others' personal information such as phone numbers or physical addresses.
  • Please, no information of a commercial nature touting a product or service.

WorldCat.org reserves the right to remove any content that is not specific to the item or that violates these guidelines or the Terms and Conditions.

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Can I save my review to my computer?

Currently, there is no facility on WorldCat.org for direct storage of your review locally to a PC or storage device. Users who wish to keep a copy of a review are encouraged to copy and paste content to e-mail or a word-processing application.

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Can I import or copy my review of an item from another Web site?

Currently, there is no facility on WorldCat.org for direct importation of a review from a file, document or another Web site. You may copy and paste your review from another source, as long as you are the original author or are certain you have all necessary rights to republish the material. You are responsible for securing those rights.

WorldCat.org reserves the right to remove user-contributed content copied from other sources without republishing rights or that otherwise violates the Terms of Service.

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Can my WorldCat review link to other Web sites, or a review I've written on another Web site?

WorldCat discourages the inclusion of hyperlinks so that all users can receive maximum value from contributed content. Hyperlinks unfortunately create the impression that the surrounding content is commercial in nature, and can also become quickly outdated.

WorldCat.org reserves the right to remove user-contributed content that violates the Terms and Conditions.

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Can I use HTML or text formatting in my review?

The embedded text editor used to create a WorldCat.org review allows basic formatting of your text:

  • Bold
  • Italics
  • Underline
  • Ordered (numbered) and unordered (bulleted) lists
  • Indents

If you wish to include a hyperlink, it is recommended that you simply paste in the HTTP address, rather than code in a link. Links entered using HTML code will be displayed as inactive, "raw" HTML, as below:

<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/">WorldCat.org<a>

All other HTML will be removed prior to saving the review. These formatting options may be expanded in the future.

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Where can I see all of the reviews I have written?

Once you have signed in to your WorldCat.org user account, all of your completed and draft reviews can be viewed and managed from the Reviews section of your WorldCat profile (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar). Other WorldCat users can see complete reviews you've written from your profile page, but cannot see your draft reviews.

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I've found an offensive review. What can I do about it?

Each review contributed by a WorldCat user includes a "Flag as Inappropriate" link. Please use that link to notify us of content about which you have a concern.

When you click the link, our system will record the URL (Web address) of the page you were on when you clicked the link, as well as your user name if you were logged in when you clicked the link.

The content in question will be reviewed to determine if action is necessary. Note that it may take several business days before we act upon your notice.

We are unable to contact individual users regarding content they may find offensive. We are also unable to provide information about what action has been taken or if any action has been taken.

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Are WorldCat reviews edited?

No. Reviews are not evaluated before they are published, nor are they modified by anyone other than the review's original author after they are published.

WorldCat.org trusts that visitors and users will be respectful of the fact that we provide information to people of all ages and cultures.

Members of the WorldCat.org community have several ways they can evaluate content:

  1. A review is always linked to the author's profile and visitors to WorldCat.org can view both the review and the profile of the author
  2. Visitors can mark a review as helpful or not helpful to indicate the value of a review
  3. A "Flag as Inappropriate" link is provided for every review contributed by a WorldCat user

WorldCat.org users agree to the following when they create their WorldCat.org user account:

You agree to refrain from posting any material that is offensive, threatening, illegal or is protected by copyright unless you are the copyright holder or have the copyright holder's permission. You agree to defend OCLC against claims or lawsuits related to your posting.
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Does OCLC own my review when I submit it to the WorldCat.org Web site?

No. We do not own your review, but in order to display your review on the World Wide Web, within all 50 states and all countries around the world, we must legally maintain an unlimited and unrestricted right to use the review, to store the review, and to maintain the review. These guidelines are dictated by the nature of the Web and the complexity of international laws.

You retain all rights over your review. Your agreement with OCLC is not exclusive and you are free to use your review in other media and publications.

For more information, please review the WorldCat.org Terms and Conditions and the WorldCat.org Privacy Policy.

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How can I link directly to my WorldCat reviews from a blog or another Web site?

The linking URL syntax is simple. To link to a list of all of your reviews, use:

http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/USERNAME/reviews/

replacing USERNAME with your WorldCat user name. A link to a specific review appends the review number onto the end of that URL, e.g.:

http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/USERNAME/reviews/77947

To find the review number, sign in to your WorldCat user account and visit your profile page (Select My WorldCat > My Profile from the WorldCat menu bar). In the Reviews section of your profile, locate the specific review and click through to the review's dedicated display page. The review number will be viewable as part of the URL in your browser's location window.

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Why are there user reviews from other Web sites on WorldCat.org?

WorldCat.org partners with other Web sites such as Amazon.com to provide additional user reviews. This ensures that you will have fast, contextual access to a variety of evaluative information, so you can quickly determine if you've found the right information.

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