User:Ethan Toomey/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article

 * Name of article: Surveillance
 * I chose this article because I find the intersection of ethics and technological advances in regards to Surveillance to be very interesting.

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * Yes, it explains what the act of surveillance is and how it's used.
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * It does a pretty good job of this, but it mostly contains links to other pages instead of the sections of this article.
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * It does, it links to other pages that describe surveillance of different types.
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?
 * It feels like its bordering, leaning more towards overly detailed.

Lead evaluation
It explains the act of surveillance, but also explains there are many types of surveillance, It makes note that surveillance is often used by governments to violate privacy and why it is criticized by civil liberties activists.

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * Yes, it exclusively talks about surveillance and its definition.
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * Yes
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?
 * Not in my opinion.
 * Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics?
 * It does. Surveillance is a global topic especially today.

Content evaluation
Does a good job of showing the different types of surveillance and even descriptions and pictures of the technology used.

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article neutral?
 * Yes.
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * No
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * I guess technically the it doesn't represent the viewpoints of an Authoritarian government sympathizer?
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?
 * It does not.

Tone and balance evaluation
The article simply explains the facts of how surveillance is used, how it impacts people and governments.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


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

Sources and references evaluation
Clear citations, some from of the most reputable of sources, such as the IEEE, who creates the technological standard specifications.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * Yes, overall its pretty easy to read and understand.
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * Not that I saw!
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?
 * Yes! it breaks down the topics very well, addresses controversy in its own separate section.

Organization evaluation
Its organized! Im not really sure what else to say!

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * Yes.
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * Yes.
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * I would assume so!
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?
 * Yes! they float on both the left and right side of the page.

Images and media evaluation
The layout overall of the pictures feels like that of a textbook, it doesnt get in the way of the content and provides additional context.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * Someone wondering if the information presented in this article which explains cell phone surveillance could be transferred over to the Wikipedia page about Cell phone surveillance specifically.
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * Yes! It's part of the WikiProject Mass Surveillance, WikiProject Human Rights,WikiProject Technology and WikiProject Espionage.
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
 * We haven't talked about this topic in class, but I'm sure it'd be more biased than what is represented in the article.

Talk page evaluation
Its pretty barren over all, not much happening.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * I'd say its pretty strong overall.
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * It sections off the different types of surveillance very nicely.
 * How can the article be improved?
 * More information about its relevance within this decade.
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?
 * well developed.

Overall evaluation

 * Its well written, with cited sources and discusses a controversial topic without bias. It explains the many ways of surveillance and the technology that drives them.