User:AndrewoftheEld/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating
Dyatlov Pass incident

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
It holds a great sense of macabre allure, and my prior experience with the topic caused it to stand out.

Lead Section

The Lead Section of the article is well written, and gets the main point of the topic across very well. It describes not only the mysterious circumstances surrounding the incident, but it also gives background information on the hikers who went on the trip. One gripe with the article's lead section is that the author of the passage attempts to convey his opinion on how they died by only describing one possible explanation. This explanation, while easy to believe, is also flawed in certain aspects of the overall case. It simply seems as if the author is trying to say that his interpretation of the events is the correct one. Other than this small issue, the lead section is very well constructed.

Content

The Content given in the article is very accurate to the events, and it gives a very good picture of what happened during the incident. The author includes all small details of the deaths, the preparation for the trip, the members who went, and the involvement from the Russian Government. Overall, the content provided in the article very accurately describes the incident and it's outside circumstances.

Tone and Balance

While the Article is mostly balanced, there are a few things things that stand out to someone who has known the topic for a long time. For example, he intentionally leaves out almost all information relating to it's status as a hallmark of conspiracy theories. Although I am skeptical towards many of the less than "natural" explanations for the incident, I still think that is important that they are given attention in the article due to how integral they are to the legacy of the event. The only other thing that seems to be biased is that the author shows that he is much more convinced by the avalanche explanation than any other.

Sources and References

All information found in the article was from reliable, and trustworthy sources. There is a very extensive list of sources and references that covers a very large gradient of journalists.

Organization and Writing Quality

Words of many different flavors, sentences that perfectly convey points, and descriptions that leave a morbid imprint on the reader's memory are all things that highly add to the experience of reading this article. It is generally well written, and is easy to digest for those less accustomed to larger historical readings. Although it can be a little to concise at times, it overall is well done and easy to digest for the average reader.

Images and Media

Probably my biggest gripe about the article. Although it has a few images here and there, it doesn't fully capture the topic due to it's lack of images from the site itself, as well as pictures of the hikers. However it does contain links to other similar topics such as Sporting Disasters, and Mountaineering Incidents. While this topic is not perfect, it is acceptable.

Talk Page

The talk page is mostly empty, with the exception of an argument over whether to remove a single sentence or not. the sentence itself is of very little consequence and I simply find it funny that people are debating over something as trivial as it.

Overall Impressions

The article concerning the Dyatlov Pass Incident is very well put together and professionally written. It stirs curiosity, coveys important facts, and provides several possible explanations for the mysterious deaths of the hikers. I enjoyed reading it very much, and I felt significantly enlightened on the topic once finished. Despite a few flaws that I have outlined previously, it overall was a very informative and well written Wikipedia article.