User:Hunter.Adams99/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: (link) Rice cultivation in Arkansas
 * I chose this article because my mom and stepdad both farm rice and soybeans in Arkansas.

Lead

 * Guiding questions

I found that the Lead does give an accurate and brief description of the article. The article starts with a brief history of rice, then gives an explanation of Arkansas being the largest rice producer, followed by planting techniques. The Lead is to the point and I didn't find it as overly detailed.


 * 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

The article's content was relevant to the facts that are widely known across the state about Rice farming. Some of the content was not up to date, as far as percentage of rice that Arkansas produces is now at 40% down 5% from 2001. https://www.arfb.com/pages/arkansas-agriculture/commodity-corner/rice/ I didn't find any content that didn't belong.


 * 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

I didn't feel as though the article was guiding the reader, it seemed to stick to facts. To me this article seemed neutral.


 * 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

The sources that I looked at are mostly date 10 or more years ago. This is not a working link - Arkansas Rice. 2011. Arkansas Rice Federation. http://www.arkansasricefarmers.org/arkansas-rice-facts/

I felt like this link did not relate to the articles facts - "ARS Scientists Identify Genetic Resistance to Rice Sheath Blight / May 4, 2010 / News from the USDA Agricultural Research Service." ARS : Home. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. < http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2010/100504.htm >.


 * 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

This article was easy to read and to the point. I didn't find any error in the grammar or spelling and it did reflect all the major points such as history, production, irrigation, and planting. I didn't think that it put too much into the article where the reader would get lost in all the information.


 * 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 were only two images and a map. I would have liked to see a couple more images, maybe of a planted field that was drilled with irrigation levees and another with row rice planted. Some people are visual and a few more pictures may help the reader to see what the article is saying.


 * 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

The article is rated C-class and Low-importance. It is semi-active in WikiProjects, it was opened December 27, 2006. Other than that nothing else has been done in Wikiprojects.


 * 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

I think that overall the article is what you would expect. The articles strengths are that it states facts clearly, but it lacks more images to give the reader a better view. The article is well developed when it was originally done, it probably could have some updates done to it to make it more current.


 * 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

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