User:LSBryce/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article
Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominale

Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominale, rice root aphid, is an emerging pest insect of cannabis crops in Canada and other countries that have recently legalized production. Shortly after large scale cultivation began, this root feeding aphid appeared in a number of operations and regions. Its prevalence causes significant economic damage due, in part, to the lack of pest management tools available for this crop. Additionally, research in cannabis pest management has been limited in scope because of its past regulatory status. As a result, growers have been relatively unsuccessful in controlling outbreaks and have resorted to culling crops to minimize further dispersal of populations.

Lead evaluation -
The article lead is comprised of two short sentences, and does not fully define the rice root aphid as a pest insect. The lead only lists rice and other plants as hosts which demonstrates a lack of completeness. The lead should also include the host range, descriptive damage, economic impact and standard management practices. Within the lead section there is no description of the article's major sections. Taxonomic content is included but not stated elsewhere in the article.

Content evaluation -
The article's content is relevant to the topic but the information is limited and should be expanded to include additional details. Further, the headings do not always reflect the content listed. An example of this is under the heading 'Hosts' which include the aphid life cycle and reproductive information. Another section, 'Prevention and control' does not contain any content or reference to preventative measures. In fact there are a number of potential management tools not listed. The ideas formulated in the article are not fully defined and the readability could be improved with increased organization. Some of the referenced content is outdated or linked to unreliable source information. There are no pictures or illustrations used to enhance the article.

Tone and balance evaluation -
Some points stated in the article do not include follow up evidence or lack references. The article does not display overt bias but there are sections that contain subject material that is over or under represented. The section 'Prevention and control' includes over representation of chemical management while there is no specific content related to prevention and cultural methods which are under represented as a whole.

Sources and references evaluation -
Not all of the facts in the article include the original source of information or the source provided has additional links to a main source. Other literature on the topic is available but not included or updated from last revision. Reference material has not been accessed or reviewed beyond 2016. Some of the links are broken or do not display the original source information.

Organization evaluation -
The article requires further revision and organization to improve the readability. There are a few grammar and spelling errors within the article. The section headings do not reflect the major points of the topic. Sub-headings should be utilized for main sections such as 'Management'.

Images and media evaluation -
The article does not include any images or illustrations. When included they should have correctly formatted captions and comply with copyright requirements.

Talk page evaluation -
There are no conversations listed (except the one comment I added). The article is listed in the WikiProject Insects. It is rated Start-class of Low-importance.

Overall evaluation -
While the article includes a basic overview with some interesting points, it is still in an early development stage. The article could be vastly improved with further revision. This includes increasing the readability and organization. The current content should be expanded and the pertinent overlooked content added. This extends to relevant reference material. The article would also benefit from the addition of appropriate images or media. Lastly, source links should be completely updated to reflect all changes.

Optional activity

 * Link to feedback: Talk:Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominale