User:JoelyB/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: (Mass communication)
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate. Mass communication deals with sending messages out to large groups of people. When writing and publishing, especially in media studies, it is important to ensure that everything being sent out to the public is written in the best way possible.

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Lead evaluation

 * The Lead begins with a sentence that does clearly state the topic of the article.
 * The final sentence in the Lead hints at the different fields in which mass communication takes place. Other than this and the contents, there is no other clear description of the major sections.
 * The Lead has a basic overview of the ways in which mass communication impacts people that are exposed to the information, but this overview is not explicitly stated in any other point in the article. There are theories that have to do with mass communication's effect on society.
 * The Lead is concise, with an appropriate amount of supporting detail that does not give too much away about the remainder of the article.

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Content evaluation

 * The content is relevant to the main topic, as it details the different disciplines and theories that are associated with mass communication.
 * The most recent source cited in Notes is from 2018, with the majority of the rest being from anywhere in the 2000s and early-mid 2010s. There are a few sources from the 1970s, with another from the 1980s and another from the 1990s. The content is relatively up to date, but could use some more recent articles to enhance the information already provided.
 * It does not appear as though any content does not belong in the article. There is no content that is missing, although some more communication theories can potentially be added to the list of "Major theories", possibly under a sub-heading titled "Other theories".

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Tone and balance evaluation

 * The article is written in a mostly neutral tone and no claims seem to be heavily biased. However, there are some parts that are written in the first and second person, which can be seen as a bit biased and convincing (essentially written in a way that makes it seem like everyone is affected the exact same by mass communication).
 * There could be more information regarding how radio is a form of mass communication. This subheading focuses on the United States, so one option is to provide more information on how radio impacts other countries (maybe there are some countries that are not affected by radio as much as the U.S.).
 * There is no visible persuasion within the article.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Sources and references evaluation

 * There are some pieces of information in the article that do not have a reference listed next to them (in the form of a number in a square bracket). There are several links to other Wikipedia pages where the authors of this article have seemed to paraphrase from (for instance, the definition of public relations).
 * Sources are not extremely current, with one being from 2018 and the rest being from 2016 or earlier; however, a large majority of sources are from the 2000s.
 * A few of the sources did work, while others had restricted access (though these links did open with a small portion of the article).

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Organization evaluation

 * The article is, overall, relatively well-written. The language is clear and concise, making it easy to follow.
 * There are no major grammatical or spelling errors.
 * The sections are broken down logically that show the major parts of the subject.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Images and media evaluation

 * There are no images that appear in the article.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Talk page evaluation

 * Several conversations (over the past 15 years, starting in 2006) have been about needing improvement to the article as soon as possible. One professor posted in late 2018 about how their class worked on this article for a Wiki assignment (they published the section "Types of mass communication").
 * The article is rated as a level-5 vital article, as well as Start-Class on the quality scale for both WikiProjects listed below
 * The article is part of WikiProject Technology and WikiProject Media.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * 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?

Overall evaluation

 * In all, the article is well-written. It can be improved, though, as it has a Start-Class rating on the quality scale.
 * The article is clearly broken down into concise sections that make logical sense when describing the process of mass communication.
 * The article could use some more information to enhance the quality, as it seems short for a discipline that is so wide.
 * If possible, there can be some more development on why mass communication is important, and where the importance developed from. There is only one short paragraph regarding this in the "Field of study" section.
 * Images can make the article seem more appealing, as well as visualize the history and development of mass communication throughout the different societal ages (especially the digital age).

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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