User:Jmurrell123/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: To Kill a Mockingbird
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate: As I have read the book, I feel like I am able to analyze it and be critical of how the writer chooses to talk about the book.

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * It is definitely clear and as concise as it could be
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * no
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * no
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?
 * there are some details that don't necessarily need to be there

Lead evaluation
Overall the lead was very clear in that it was as straight to the point as it could be while introducing the topics of the novel such as the inequalities present in the novel. The lead was informative and gave the reader an idea of what the sections of the wikipedia page could explore. There was some information that I personally think didn't need to be added such as information about the author, Harper Lee's, works post To Kill a Mockingbird and the screenplay about the novel.

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * yes
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * yes although it was published in 1960 there have been many updates
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?
 * Some content doesn't necessarily need to be included like the information on the film
 * Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics?
 * Yes

Content evaluation
There is a lot of relevant and important content on the To Kill a Mockingbird wikipedia page. Although the article was published in 1960 there are still multiple edits being made with the 24th of September being the most recent edit. I find it irrelevant to include the information about the film and the screenplay especially considering the fact that the author already linked the wikipedia pages for both before the lead. The content of To Kill a Mockingbird is centered around racial injustice and the inequities that are present in Alabama (the setting of the book).

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article neutral?
 * Yes fact based
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Not particularly biased
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * No
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?
 * No
 * No

Tone and balance evaluation
Overall the tone of this wikipedia article is fairly neutral. The information presented in the article is based solely on evidence in the book which contains autobiographical accounts from the author.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * All facts are backed up
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * Sources are thorough
 * Are the sources current?
 * Not all the sources talking about the book are recent
 * Are the sources written by a diverse spectrum of authors? Do they include historically marginalized individuals where possible?
 * Unclear
 * Check a few links. Do they work?
 * Yes, most links work however some of the pages where the link leads are no longer available.

Sources and references evaluation
As this is a book there aren't necessarily many perspectives about the overall content of the book compared to an article on an overall concept for example. For this reason the facts of the book can't really be disputed and most of the sources used are in reference to its banned book status and how the themes in the book can still be seen today.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * Fairly
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * Not that I found
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?
 * Yes

Organization evaluation
The article is very clearly organized with important sections and subsections highlighted, however not all sections are necessarily important. For example, a whole section dedicated to the play and film adaptation of the novel are things that could be hyperlinked but don't exactly need a section.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * yes
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * yes
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * yes
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?
 * yes

Images and media evaluation
Few images are used but images used are well captioned and add meaning to what the particular section is talking about. For example, the image of the mockingbird used is presented to explain the symbolism behind why Lee decided to use the bird.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * nothing
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * yes, many
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

Talk page evaluation
Overall TKAM is listed as a level-4 vital article and it is rated as a FA-Class. There were also no distinct conversations happening on the talk page. In addition, this article is part of 7 wikiProjects including WikiProject Law and WikiProject freedom of speech.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * Great
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * Discusses many themes
 * How can the article be improved?
 * Lots of info
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?
 * Very well developed

Overall evaluation
Overall this was a really well written and developed article. What I really liked about this article was how it discussed the main themes of the book however there was almost too much detail in some of the sections that may take away from people forming their own opinions or thoughts about the novel.

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: Talk:To Kill a Mockingbird