User:Lawperson2021/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Daniel Sickles

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
I chose this article because Daniel Sickles is notable in legal history for being first person to use the temporary insanity defense.

Lead
The Lead section of this article is excellent. Daniel Sickles had a long, multifaceted career, and the lead section provides a good overview of that. Each paragraph has enough in it to give a reader a quick digest of notable things that they may be looking for.

Content
Below the Table of Contents, the Content is not as consistent in quality. Sickles' early life, including the his murder of Key and the ensuing trial, are quickly glossed over. Little is said about his early political career, despite that setting up his later military life. The section regarding his early military career is almost entirely one long direct quote from a single source, which is particularly worrying and against Wikipedia's policies. Later sections are far better, with more information from more diverse sources.

Tone and Balance
The article does a good job of maintaining proper tone and balance. Multiple sources are cited regarding the more controversial parts of Sickles' record, including quotes from multiple well-respected historians.

Sources and References
The sources and references are excellent. With the exception of the 3-page block quote, the quotes are used correctly. The sources cited are reputable - I've personally read many of them - including many award-winning histories and historians.

Organization and Writing Quality
The organization is effective and makes sense. The writing quality is direct and good enough.

Images and Media
Images and media are used appropriately and in the proper quantity. They make sense where they are placed.

Talk Page
The Talk Page has excellent discussion going on. The interacting Wikipedians have also identified many of the problems I have noted in this review as well.

Overall Impressions
This page is pretty good, above-noted shortcomings notwithstanding. It does a good job of covering most of the important things that make Daniel Sickles a notable and colorful character in American history.