User:Harleyapha/sandbox

= User:Harleyapha/article critique =

Article review
 The Oath,  by Frank E. Peretti, is a well-written novel based on the mysterious fictional town of Hyde River. The plot centers around Steve Benson, a scientist, who becomes fixated on discovering the cause of his brothers death. Although the Wikipedia article is thoroughly comprehensive in some areas, it contains several issues that do not represent the novel in a professional or concise way. I visited  The Oath  (Frank E. Peretti novel) page on Wikipedia, and found three aspects worth commenting on:, An excessive plot summary, a citation deficit, and evidence of original research.

Plot Summary
The plot, while extensive in detail, does not flow in a clear direction. There is too much information contained in a narrow topic, resulting in a weak and non-captifying description. Another negative subject that develops surrounding an over-detailed description of a storyline is the simple aspect that a reader should not be exposed to the intricate details of a plot if they do not desire to. For example, a simple summary of the theme and basic plot comprises the basic necessities to grant the reader an outline without disclosing the major characteristics.

Citation
While I researched the article, I noticed a severe deficit of citations. The lengthily article contained only two citations throughout the entire summary. One is merely a link to an award the book received in 1996, and the other is no longer a valid link. Several issues grow from lack of citation, including fact that information received by the reader loses credibility. By deduction, the un-cited material can only come from the authors opinion or uncredited work.

Research
Another significant problem with the Wikipedia article, is the evidence of original research. Original research automatically discredits certain truths to an article; The facts are either not sourced to a valid place, or they come from the writers opinion. While an individuals opinion can be useful, Wikipedia is not meant to disclose personal perspective. As an example, suspected original research in the article takes form in the component concerning symbolism. The writer goes into facets about the sections of symbolism in the story, but does not provide sources that prove the intent of the novel, or Frank E. Peretti's perspective on that aspect throughout the book.

Summary
Overall, the article contains a significant amount of decent information, but it lost a lot of value and credibility in various salient areas. By clearing the plot summary of unnecessary details, and by adding many more citations, the article concerning The Oath becomes a massively more effective and accurate representation of both the book, and Frank E. Peretti.