User:Luke Slind/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.


 * Chitons
 * Chitons are a class of molluscs that we will study in class.

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 introductory sentence is very clear and briefly describes what chitons are and how they fit into the animal kingdom. The Lead only describes part of the articles sections, mostly writing a basic description of the animal and the informal and formal names that refer to the chiton. The Lead mentions how the chiton is also called the "coat of mail" shells and that is not mentioned later on in the content. The Lead is concise and acts a good introduction.

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 article's content is very relevant to the topic of chitons with specific information on the chiton's morphology, habitat, life history and etymology. The content is fairly up-to-date, especially with the Taxonomy as it had to be updated in 2006. The content is fairly straight forward and it belongs on this page.

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
This article is neutral and tries to be scientific and descriptive as possible. There was not a particular viewpoint that attempted to be persuading.

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
All facts are backed by a reliable secondary source and several of the sources are from credible scientific journals.. Several of the links appear to work and about half of the sources are about twenty years old.

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 concise and easy to read with very few spelling errors. The topic "Culinary uses" is smashed between "Homing Ability" and "Life History" which I believe is slightly misplaced. The "Culinary Uses" topic should be after the Life History topic, next to the Predators section.

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 images utilized are well captioned and give a clear picture to what some chitons look like. They also adhere to Wikipedia's copyright rules.

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
The talk pages mostly reference fixing the external links of the page and if a picture was orientated correctly. The article is rated Start class and is part of the WikiProjects Animals and WikiProjects Marine Life.

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
The article is an excellent tool for giving a basic description of chitons and its very clear and understanding to read. However, it needs more in-depth information, especially in the Life History section. I would say that is slightly under-developed but it is still an great starting point for people curious about the class of animals.

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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