User:Andrewglouchkow/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Carbon cycle

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
I chose this article because the carbon cycle is one of earths cycles that we covered last week and is an important process to consider when discussing climate change.

Evaluate the article
Lead section - The article begins with a summary of the many spheres in which carbon is cycled throughout and explains the importance of carbon for life on earth. The introductory section along with the diagram of carbon input and outputs in the earth and ocean environments provides a strong starting place for understanding the carbon cycle. It provides a good introduction for each of the following sections of the article that go into greater detail for each of the contributing mechanisms for contributing to the carbon cycle. The lead section could benefit from reducing some of the detail to not overwhelm the reader in the first couple of paragraphs. However, links to other wiki pages are provided to allow the reader to look up foreign words or concepts.

Content - the content of the article is clear and concise and allows for the reader to develop a strong understanding of the carbon cycle without having to read immense amounts of text. The combination of text and diagrams in each section works allows the reader to have both a visual and conceptual understanding of the carbon cycle. The article gives a strong starting knowledge of the various mechanisms of the carbon cycle, however, other articles could be useful to supplement ones knowledge for each mechanism.

Tone & balance - The article is simply stating the facts and does not seem biased or unrepresentative in any way. The article does not attempt to persuade the reader in any direction and allows the reader to draw its own conclusions.

Sources & References - The information in the article is backed up with a wide array of sources. The sources provided are from a broad range of time periods, some more recent and others quite a bit older. However, as the carbon cycle is for the most part unchanging a lot of the information from older references remains valid. More recent references would be beneficial for having more accurate values for current carbon fluxes in the environment.

Organization & writing quality - The article is structured quite nicely, is clear and concise, providing an easy read. Some of the words used can be daunting but the use of links to explanatory websites allows the reader to understand the content. As stated previously the common theme of text supported by diagrams in each section is really helpful for the readers understanding of the content. The information is broken down into appropriate sections that complement the previous section.

Images and media - As stated the diagrams in the article are very useful for understanding the content. The are well captioned and have the appropriate references. The images are spaced nicely throughout the article and are of high quality.

Talk page discussion - The rating of the article is of B-Class. The talk page primarily consists of people looking to change the structure of the article and the addition or removal of certain sections.

Overall impressions - As stated in previous sections, I think the article provides a strong starting point for a reader, but the carbon cycle is a broad topic that encompasses many variables. Readers could use other articles to supplement their understanding on a certain part discussed in the article. I like that a section was added talking about carbon and climate change. I think this section could be a bit longer and more in depth.

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