User:Cedarwood79/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: Spanish as a second or foreign language
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate: I am learning Spanish as a second language right now. I was scanning at different topics dealing with cultures or languages to think about what I may want to get involved with in the future. However, the article linked above is a good start/

Lead

 * Guiding questions
 * The article has one introductory sentence, but there is no summary afterwards. There only main section dealing with the topic is Regional programs, and even then, only Argentina and Spain are mentioned under that section. Because there is only one section in the whole article, the article in incomplete with not much information that appeals to the reader. The lead states what the topic means, but goes no deeper than that. Therefore, it is neither detailed nor concise.


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?

Content

 * Guiding questions
 * The article doesn't speak about the history of others having Spanish as a second language or how Spanish has caught on as a popular language to learn. The page was previously edited on May 25, 2020. However, relevant information is still missing from the article, and it can use a lot of improvement. Through speaking about the history of learning Spanish, how Spanish as a second language is perceived, and different information about the popularity, the article could become much more relevant.


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?
 * Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics?

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions
 * The way the article is presented is neutral. There are no heavy biases towards a particular position. However, there are no viewpoints to make an evaluation on, as none are present in the entire article. Only background about Spanish as a foreign language exams were spoken about. There is no attempt to persuade any reader. In fact, a reader would probably click away fast due to the lack of interesting information.


 * Is the article neutral?
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions
 * There were very few sources sited. There were four sites and one reference cited. BBC Online was credited, but the article cited has been archived. The University of Buenos Aires is cited, but their site is in Spanish and the page was not found. The reference dates back to 2005, so it is not current. The sources did not add value to the article and one of the sites was a blog entry of a company that is dedicated to helping students study abroad. Based on the handful of sources provided, there definitely needs to be work on using higher quality and more relevant sources.


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * Are the sources current?
 * Are the sources written by a diverse spectrum of authors? Do they include historically marginalized individuals where possible?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Organization

 * Guiding questions
 * The article is written in an objective tone, but the information is not what most readers want to know about. With only one section, there is not much to the article. There is the word "program" spelled as "programme". However, the links to other articles related to Spanish are cited to the right of the article in the section where it is like a directory.


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions
 * There is only one image in the whole article, which is how Spanish was in the 13th century. The caption is brief and to the point. Looking at the photo makes one wonder why it was written like that and how it was understood. The photo is in the public domain, so the image is okay to use.


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

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions
 * I do not see any conversations going on with the topic. However, the revision history shows that the earliest edits were made in 2013. At the beginning of the article, a banner is present warning that the citations need to be verified and that reliable sources need to be added for for improvement. The resources on the page have to go, because they do not prove anything about the material on the article. This article only focuses on a narrower, less relevant piece of information. Meanwhile, more broad and relevant information is normally talked about in class and in general.


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions
 * The article's overall status is that it needs improvement. It is on the Start-Class scale. It provides information about foreign language testing in Argentina and Spain, but there could be more added to it and the section could be moved to the bottom. Lots of relevant information is missing, and there can be history about learning Spanish as a second language included. A lot of work needs to be done, so the article is severely underdeveloped.


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * How can the article be improved?
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?

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

with four tildes — ~


 * Link to feedback: