User:198.188.4.4/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * Name of article: Ecosystem Services (link)
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate.
 * I have chosen this article because I feel that I have a pretty good knowledge and understanding about them and their influence. With the information that I know, I will be able to determine whether this is a strong wikipedia article or not, while also possibly contributing to it. Additionally, since this is a very important concept in biology, and frequently researched, it is important that the information and organization is provided well to help readers understand it thoroughly and easily.

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * yes
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * yes
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * no
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?
 * concise

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * yes
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * yes
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?
 * no

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article neutral?
 * yes
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * no
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * no
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?
 * no

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * yes
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * yes
 * Are the sources current?
 * Many of the sources are current, yet there are some that are older.
 * Check a few links. Do they work?
 * yes, the links work.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * yes
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * no
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?
 * yes; it is well-organized, making it easy to read and understand the major points.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * yes
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * yes
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * yes
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?
 * yes

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * There are some disagreements in the way that some topics are being discussed. There are also some aspects within the article that are misplaced. For instance, in one section, someone is stating that the ecosystem service, known as pollination services, is rather a regulating service as opposed to a supporting service. In this case, the conversation here is whether or not the article should be changed. There are also some conversations where people are also agreeing. For example, people are deciding to add section to the article to add more balance.
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * WikiProject Environment is rated start-class, WikiProject Economics is rated start-class, low-importance, and WikiProject Systems is not rated.
 * This article is a part of three WikiProjects, including WikiProject Environment, WikiProject Economics, and WikiProject Systems.
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
 * The way that Wikipedia discusses this topic differs in the way we've talked about it in class in that it goes into more depth. For example, it gives more examples of the four types of ecosystem services. There are also many examples that explain the ecosystem services and their impact on on humans. On Wikipedia, the economics, management and policy, and land use change decisions were discussed, while in our class we discussed about the different ecosystem services and their benefits and impact on the environment, along with human health.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * The article's overall status seemed to be very well-organized. Many of the big picture, important topics were discussed. There were many examples and images that supplement the readers understanding. The explanation and descriptions of the four different ecosystems, along with examples of each, are very helpful and well-organized for the reader to understand. Additionally, the article is written in a neutral tone, with topics equally represented.
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * The articles strengths include the organization, detailedness, neutrality, strong use of examples and images. Additionally, the format and language of the article makes it easily understandable for the reader to get a good grasp of the topic. The article is also grammatically correct and not overly detailed.
 * How can the article be improved?
 * The article could be improved by focusing more on the redundancy hypothesis and portfolio effect. I think it would help to add more to these sections because I feel this section is lacking in some detail. I also think the article can go deeper into the descriptions of the different ecosystem services, to give more explanation about what they do and how they impact the environment, since this is the main importance in the entire article of ecosystem services.
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?
 * The article is well-developed as it discusses the most important aspects in full detail and gives examples for each.

Optional activity

 * Choose at least 1 question relevant to the article you're evaluating and leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback

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