User:I am Osigwe/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: (Senegambia Confederation)
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate. This is part of an assignment for an African Politics course. The article is pertinent to the course.

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic? The introductory sentence is quite clear - noting the confederation is no longer in existence.
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections? It does have a relatively short lead section. It gives an overview of the formation and demise of the confederation.
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article? The lead section does not cover the history before the confederation, which the main body covers in detail.
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed? Concise

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic? Yes it is.
 * Is the content up-to-date? It appears so given the confederation is no longer in existence, and it does include the date of its termination.
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong? I would say that relevant information for a non-expert is contained in the article.

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article neutral? The article does have an objective tone.
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position? It seems to give a balanced account of historical events.
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented? Overall, it does not seem to favor one side or the other. The statements on the demise of the confederation are cited, however the article needs further explanations to present a fuller picture on why one country decided to leave the confederation. It is noted to be 'Part of a series on the History of the Gambia' only. Senegal should be included.
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another? It does not seem to do so.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information? A few citations are needed in the article. Inaccuracy of facts in the article e.g. Kwame Nkrumah's Ghana have been noted in the Talk pages.
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic? They are mainly academic sources; though one is a blog article.
 * Are the sources current? They would be regarded as still relevant for the article.
 * Check a few links. Do they work? Yes they work.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read? It gives a good overview, and is quite easy to read.
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors? Grammar and spelling ok.
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic? I would say it is well-organized. The sub-sections capture different aspects of the topic.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic? It includes maps indicating the countries mentioned in the article.
 * Are images well-captioned? Yes
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations? Yes, it includes Public domain and CC BY-SA images.
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way? Yes

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic? It's neutrality is being questioned.
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects? Part of WikiProjects on Former countries, Africa, Gambia and Senegal.
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class? The class considered pre-colonial origins of current African issues. The articles makes an effort to go into great detail about the colonial origins of the region.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * What is the article's overall status? It is a B-class article - it is almost there, a few more additions to be a good article.
 * What are the article's strengths? It is concise - although this may also be seen as a weakness given the need for more details.
 * How can the article be improved? Needs more citations - overly reliant on just two sources. Statements about the historical events need elaboration.
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed? Adequate enough.

Overall evaluation
The classification as a B-class article is appropriate.

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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