User:Kzakarian/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
(Legal history)

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
(I chose the article concerning Legal History because I am planning to go to law school and wanted to learn a bit more about the ancient development of law and its evolution to the modern era. It was interesting looking through the article and coming across a wide variety of cultures and civilizations where legal systems represent the backbone for society to flourish peacefully and on a platform of order/stability.)

Evaluate the article

 * Does the lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * Yes, the lead defines legal history and the purpose of the term/topic.
 * Does the lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * The intro paragraph details how those in society now view ancient and modern law as opposed to setting up the succeeding paragraphs on the progression of law from one culture/period to the next.
 * Does the lead include information that is not present in the article? (It shouldn't.)
 * The lead provides a more general basis of legal history and its evolution that becomes more solidified throughout the rest of the article.
 * Is the lead concise or is it overly detailed?
 * The lead generally discusses the evolution of legal history and the way people have analyzed the law and this topic.
 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * The article's content does relate to the topic.
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * The content is fairly up-to-date and references several 2021 citations.
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?
 * All of the content, even with laws discussed differentiating between different cultures and time frames, corresponds to the central topic of legal history and the implication of established law.
 * Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics?
 * While the article does draw on legal information from a variety of cultures and time periods, referring to African law and other underrepresented groups, it seems to have a primary focus on the evolution of white, Roman and Anglo-Saxon law into modern european law and the legal system utilized in the United States.
 * Is the article from a neutral point of view?
 * This article does a good job conveying information in a neutral manner and describing various forms of law based on a diverse assortment of civilizations.
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * There are no explicit claims that are heavily biased towards a particular position.
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * It does seem to some respect that the legal systems established by white, male authorities are detailed more than those of other cultures, but overall the article provides thorough representation of the various legal histories discussed.
 * Are minority or fringe viewpoints accurately described as such?
 * In terms of African law specifically, the article grazes the subject very generally due to the oral nature of that legal history and lack therefore of reference material, but the content of each section of the article seems accurate.
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?
 * The article is designed to be more informative than persuasive, going through the evolution of law rather than supporting one type of law or legal system over another.
 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * The article heavily references secondary sources and footnotes in most, if not all, of the paragraphs, even in the African, oral-based law section.
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * Many of the sources are derived from law schools and esteemed journals containing comprehensive material on the subjects presented in the article.
 * Are the sources current?
 * A large portion of the sources are from the late 1990s all the way though to 2021.
 * Are the sources written by a diverse spectrum of authors? Do they include historically marginalized individuals where possible?
 * The sources are written by a diverse range of authors, with a handful of these sources created by those in minority/marginalized groups.
 * Are there better sources available, such as peer-reviewed articles in place of news coverage or random websites? (You may need to do some digging to answer this.)
 * A lot of the sources come from books, journals, encyclopedias, and from law school archives/libraries such as LexisNexis that contain accurate, thorough material on the subject matter.
 * Check a few links. Do they work?
 * The links that I checked worked.
 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * The article only contains 2 images of constitutions and legal doctrines to illustrate the legal history topic.
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * The images are well-captioned, though the second image of the Magna Carta does not contain a reference to any citation.
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * Yes, the images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations.
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?
 * The images are neatly in line with the text but not very vibrant.


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * On the Talk page, there is some discussion of finding ways to include more information about African law, Islamic law, and other underrepresented subjects, as well as thinking about the ways laws from these different cultures relate / interact with one another.
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * This legal history article is part of the WikiProject Law and WikiProject History establishments.
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
 * At this stage, we have not discussed the topic of legal history in class.


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * The article has been given a "level-4 vital article" on the talk page for the History category.
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * The article cleanly breaks down the different forms of the law and way legal codes and systems have progressed and developed over time and from one society/culture to the next
 * How can the article be improved?
 * The article could expand on African law and other similar areas including underrepresented groups instead of having a heavier focus on the more largely encompassed discussion of white, European law.
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?
 * Overall, I think this article provides a concrete basis for talking about the evolution of law and the way that the practice and implementation of law has influenced and shaped cultures all around the world for ages. However, I do think that certain sections could be expanded on and more visuals could be included to elevate the article as a whole and take into greater consideration legal systems that have become disregarded or viewed as unorthodox over the years. In addition, I feel that more emphasis should be place in the article on the way that the various laws discussed connect to one another and convey themes, elements, or conflicts concerning humanity as a whole.

~Kzakarian