User:AudreyS99/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Blurred lanternshark

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
This article was chosen because its subject, the blurred lanternshark, is in the same genus as other species I am interested in learning about. Because distinct species in this genus have been identified and studied individually in the biological community, it is important that each lanternshark has its own Wikipedia page to provide more explicit access to this information. Deep sea sharks are incredibly interesting, and in many ways distinct from other sharks. For example, the blurred lanternshark is bioluminescent, a characteristic reserved for some deep-sea sharks, so having separate and detailed pages for these sharks is helpful and a strong display of biodiversity. Overall, this article seems well done. It is easy to follow and divided up into organized and detailed sections.

Evaluate the article
Overall, this is an informative and interesting article, with a few areas for improvement.

Lead section
This is a strong lead section providing basic information about the blurred lanternshark and how it is unique. The first sentence clearly describes the blurred lanternshark with its basic taxonomic information to further identify the shark. The rest of the section summarizes the information that will be found later in the article, like the blurred lanternshark's identifying features, bioluminescent ability, habitat, and diet. This section is not overly detailed, but provides enough information to orient a reader.

Content
The article's content could be updated with new sightings of the blurred lanternshark and more information on the Biology and ecology of the species. A thorough description and taxonomic history are provided, but existing information on the shark's bioluminescent ability and habitat could better be incorporated as well. Content present is relevant, but could be more detailed and based off of current scientific publications.

Tone and Balance
The article is written neutrally and information is stated objectively. Key topics are represented with available research on them, so naturally some areas have more information. However, the position remains scientific throughout the article with no reference to fringe viewpoints or biased content.

Sources and References
Sources provided for this article are for the most part credible sources, but recent publications on the blurred lanternshark mean there is room to update sources from 2017 and 2023 that add additional locations where the blurred lanternshark has been found. Most of the distribution and habitat information comes from a source written in 1993, and there have been more recent sightings of these animals. Citations are provided consistently throughout the article and reference links work. Additional peer-reviewed sources should be included Sources are written by marine scientists from different national backgrounds, and additional peer-reviewed sources, like this, could be included and replace non-primary source publications. At least one of the sources provided has been updated since 2020, and additional information on the habitat and description of the blurred lanternshark are available as of 2023 on its IUCN page.

Organization and writing quality
While there are no obvious grammatical or spelling errors, the writing of the article could be made better with a few alterations:


 * The most significant critique of writing is in the Distribution and habitat section where the blurred lanternshark is continually referred to as "it." In order to make the writing stronger, "it" should be replaced with "blurred lanternshark" and more specific nouns.
 * The writing is concise, though at times the sentence structure is simple and unvaried. Additional effort could be made to liven up the writing to make it more interesting and engaging to read.  For example the last three sentences of the lead section provide three unrelated pieces of information and reading them one after another feels choppy.  Varying syntax and transition sentences would make the writing more cohesive.

Sections are grouped into useful and relevant categories that match categories provided for similar sharks.

Images and Media
Two images are included and both could use clearer captions describing the image. An image of a blurred lanternshark could be better labeled to explain the orientation of the shark in the frame, the shark's size and sex, and where this specific shark was found and in what context. The second image is captioned "occurrences of the blurred lanternshark" which could be reworked to specify how the shark has been collected or discovered in those locations, like "locations of scientific cruises that have collected blurred lanternsharks on research missions." Captions, in sum, could be more detailed. Both images are included in the side bar text, not in the body of the article, making the article appear more dense. Additional images, if available, would be useful at orienting a reader, though these two are arranged in a visually appealing way.

Talk page discussion
No conversations are available for this topic and it is rated C class. The article is part of WikiProject Sharks and is rated as low importance within it.

Overall impressions
The blurred lanternshark article is rated as a C class article. Overall, the article has a good foundation and improvements could be made to elaborate on information already presented and provide additional and updated sources to strengthen the article. Strengths of this article include strong organization and good taxonomic and phylogenetic background information. The article as it stands is underdeveloped and in need of updating. Some additional changes could also be made to the article's writing to make it more formal and engaging, but overall, the article is nearly complete.