User:Geoffrey Luoma/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: Environmental philosophy
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate.

I have chosen to evaluate this article because I am passionate about the environment.

Lead

 * Guiding questions

The lead paragraph introduces the topic in a concise sentence that is cited. They outline a lot of questions which is an interesting approach because it engages the reader to think a little bit right off the bat. Main areas of study are outlined within environmental philosophy, but major sections of the article are not addressed in the lead paragraph.


 * 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

There is not much content in this article. They briefly discuss contemporary issues and the history of how environmental philosophy has come to be. The last updates on the talk page were posted in 2012. I believe there is a lot of possible content that could be added into this article. Various perspectives, from theological to Gaian for example.


 * 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?

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions

The tone is unbiased in this article. The contributors are definitely educated in the environmental realm and they demonstrate an open mind by proposing topics to think about. By the nature of publishing this article, the contributors must care about this topic because they want to share it with the world, so some bias is inevitable.


 * 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 is a wide range of references. Some are blogs and reports and some are scholarly journal articles and even books (textbooks?). Where the contributors relay direct information from people, they are sure to cite. The sources are all black script and you have to dig a little to find the actual journal article.


 * 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?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Organization

 * Guiding questions

The article is well written with good grammar, but it's kind of mundane. I think the article needs more content.


 * 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 are three pictures of nature: one of illegally slashing and burning forest, one of a tree, and one of artwork made from plants upon a beach. The pictures provoke thought about humans role in nature. The captions are lacking. Some may not read into it deep enough and may not understand why there are these pictures and what they are aiming to represent. The pictures are listed as the contributors own work.


 * 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

Wikipedia has flagged this page to fall under the scope of the philosophy Wikiproject and would like someone to support the convergence. A student from another university in 2012 left a review comment. They were curious about learning more about specific environmental philosophers and dates (ancient or contemporary, I'd add). Someone also commented hoping the contributors would explain the pictures.


 * 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 is far from being sufficiently complete. I am grateful that it has been started because I too resonate with the topic. There is a good foundation laid out but expansion is necessary for it to feel well rounded.


 * 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: