User:Free03greedo/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Crossword

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
(Briefly explain why you chose it, why it matters, and what your preliminary impression of it was.)

I chose this article to evaluate because I enjoy doing crossword puzzles. It's a hobby I like to partake in whenever I have free time as I am able to keep my mind sharp. However, as much as I enjoy filling out crossword puzzles, I understand that it is difficult for those who may have certain disabilities to participate in them. I would like to learn more about how people with issues related to vision may be able to participate and identify what issues they go through. My goal is to be able to share this information and shine light on the accessibility issues some may have when playing one of my favorite games.

Lead section
The lead includes an introductory sentence that briefly describes what a crossword puzzle is. It describes the objectives of the game as well as the layout of the crossword. It does not include a brief description of the article's major section, nor information not present in the article.

The lead is fairly concise, but I feel like it has an appropriate amount of sentences and information.

Content
The article's content is relevant to the topic, as each paragraph relates to the subject of crosswords. The content has been kept up-to-date, with about a few updates each month over the last two years. There have been around 500 revisions since the start of 2014. While there is not any content that does not belong, the article is missing the inclusion of how those with certain disabilities may be able to partake in the game.

Tone and Balance
The article is written in a pretty neutral tone, with no claims that appear to be heavily biased towards a certain perspective. However, one could make the argument that this article really focuses on crosswords that are constructed in English, but, there is a whole section that details crosswords in other languages. There don't appear to be any viewpoints that are over represented, but it seems that a viewpoint that is underrepresented is the reception of these games by people who are visually impaired. This article seems to be constructed from the perspective of a person who is not part of the visually impaired community. I don't see any description of minority or fringe viewpoints in the article, and it does not attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another.

Sources and References
The majority of the facts presented appear to be from sources from news organizations, such as the New York Times, and a couple sprinkled in from the other organizations like the Boston Globe and Pittsburgh Press. Many of the sources also appear to be from academic sources like MIT, Cambridge University, Santa Clara University. The articles aren't exactly recent, with the majority being from 2014-2017. The sources appear to come from a fairly diverse spectrum of authors, but it seems they are lacking resources from the visually impaired community. I think that there are better sources available online, such as academic articles. All of the links do appear to work.

Organization and writing quality
The article is well-written in terms of clarity and conciseness. However, it may be difficult for someone unfamiliar with crosswords to understand the cryptic section since it's easier to understand once you've played it before. There are no flagrant grammar or spelling errors. Additionally, the article is separated within major sections, but could be updated.

Images and Media
I thought that the images used were insightful and relevant, but it might be useful to add more pictures to give more context. They are well captioned, but I would add more to break apart the long sections of text.

Talk page discussion
Many conversations were being held, with a few being about the structure, different types of crosswords, etc.

This is a C class article.

Overall impressions
Overall, it's a really good article given the subject has a niche spot within the topic of leisure. Sure, everyone knows what a crossword is, but it's not big enough of a topic that warrants a really long and detailed article. I like how the article mentions a wide variety of topics but wish it had information on how those with physical or vision disabilities may be able to participate, and what they would need to do in order to. The article has good information but it's not where it needs to be.