User:Cormorant24/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: California Current
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate: I am interested in the California Current and may choose to work on this article for my class project.

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Lead evaluation
The lead has a good introductory sentence, but does not describe the article's major sections. It does include information that is not present in the article, such as the other major coastal currents associated with upwelling. The lead is concise, although it could include more information about the major sections of the article.

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Content evaluation
The content is mostly relevant to the topic, but there is missing content and not all aspects of the topic are covered. The topics that are covered do not follow a very logical order. The amount of detail about popular culture references seems excessive. I don't think the article deals with an equity gap. The content is not up-to-date; for example, recent marine heatwave events in the area are not discussed, and neither are recent observations.

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Tone and balance evaluation
The article does seem to be neutral. However, the lack of detail means that certain aspects of the current, such as its physical properties, are overemphasized. The article does not try to persuade the reader.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Sources and references evaluation
There do not appear to be enough sources. Some paragraphs don't have any citations, and some have citations with improper formatting. The sources are few and do not reflect the large number of articles available on this topic. They are also mostly older, and include some news articles where peer-reviewed articles might be more appropriate. Some of the links do work, but some don't.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Organization evaluation
I think the article could be better organized. For example, some different topics are grouped together in paragraphs where separate paragraphs might be more appropriate. There are few or no grammatical or spelling errors. The sections reflect only some of the major points on the topic.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Images and media evaluation
There are a few images, but more could be included. The image captions could be improved to describe what's shown in each picture more fully. I think they adhere to copyright regulations. The layout could be enhanced by not having all images on the same side of the page.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Talk page evaluation
The article is part of the WikiProject California. It is rated as start-class, high importance. From the talk page, there appear to be some issues and suggestions for improvement, including better photo captions and images and more basic information about the current.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Overall evaluation
The article could be improved by adding more basic information and broader information about the topic. It is under-developed. More images could be added as well. The article has a good basic discussion of the physical oceanography of the current but the sources are few and out of date.

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: