User:Lejohn1381/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:Gender roles among the indigenous peoples of North America
 * We have covered areas around gender roles in class so I chose an article based on the concept

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 is fairly concise as it contains a mere three sentences. The introductory sentence vaguely states that varying groups and regions differ with gender roles. The lead doesn't necessarily describe major sections(as each section is a different native tribe) but states that the culture and actions of the native groups may not fully reflect on their attitudes for their gender roles.

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 fairly up to date as the latest revisions occurred in the past month. The content itself contains different gender roles and how each group displays their own expectations and actions, this stays relevant to the topic. There also seems to be an empty paragraph in the "Osage" topic.

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 does seem to remain neutral by stating the actions and expectations for each gender. The article does a good job in providing a balance between specific roles for both genders, rather one more than the other. There doesn't seem to be any persuasion or heavy bias between groups or genders, just facts.

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
I took a look at the article history and it seems that many revisions were made for sources that were vague or statements that were not sourced. The other users do seem to keep the article relevant by using sources that are not only reliable but are specific. As for the sources themselves, they do seem current and are working.

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 organization overall is good and well-written. The grammatical and spelling errors are little to none. The article itself is separated into different Indian groups which all provide their own unique types of gender roles which is probably the best way to organize this topic.

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
The article doesn't contain any images. Perhaps images of each Indian group or a relic to show gender roles could be shown.

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
It seems that many users are arguing over what statements are actually relevant to gender roles and not about the Indian groups themselves. They also advise users to revise and improve on sources and the article as a whole. Many sections seem to be vague or appear to be original research. Someone in the article did state on using this page for their own school project. This seems to feature a lot more source credibility talks more than in class.

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
Overall, the article seems to be fairly vague but does include relevant information. I think the reason for it's small but useful information is that the sources around this topic seem to be either hard to find or not credible. The article does a good job on providing summaries and specific actions about each group. In the end, the article is mostly underdeveloped and could use some improvements.

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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