User:Marenhalliday/sandbox

List of Wikipedia articles with MLA citations
Anne Boleyn


 * “Anne Boleyn.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27 Sept. 2013. Web. Retrieved 27 Sept. 2013.

Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia


 * “Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundations, Inc. 19 Sept. 2013. Web. Retrieved 27 Sept. 2013.

Star Trek


 * “Star Trek.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundations, Inc. 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.

Massacre of Glencoe


 * “Massacre of Glencoe.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundations, Inc. 21 Aug. 2013. Web. Retrieved 27 Sept. 2013.

Encyclopedia MLA citations
"Anne Boleyn." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (September 27, 2013). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404707115.html

"Khmer Rouge." ''Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition''. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 27 Sep. 2013. .

"Star Trek." ''Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition''. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 27 Sep. 2013. .

"Massacre of Glencoe." ''Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition''. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 27 Sep. 2013. .

Thoughts on these articles
Being a history major, three of my four Wikipedia page choices were extremely easy to find. Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and thus Queen of England, has been one of my favourite historical figures for many years now. Currently, I’m reading Alison Weir’s The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn so I knew immediately that I wanted to choose her. She is such an intriguing figure to me. As for the Khmer Rouge, I took a genocide class last year at university and had to compare two cases of genocide. The Khmer Rouge was one of those cases and it has left a great impression on me. First They Killed My Father: a daughter of Cambodia remembers by Loung Ung played a huge role on that impact. As for the Glencoe massacre, that relates to my own family history. The chief of Glencoe, Alastair MacIain, is an ancestor of mine through my grandfather. As for Star Trek, I've been a big fan of the show for over a year now. It is such an excellent series because it deals with much more than space travel but with morality issues as well as having a vision of a future where humans have eradicated all the bad things like poverty and war. It’s really an inspirational series.

I found a great deal of content in the Wikipedia compared to the other encyclopedia articles (with the exception of Anne Boleyn). For the Star Trek Wikipedia page it deals with the franchise whereas the Encyclopedia Britannica deals with the show Star Trek: the Original Series and briefly mentions the other television series. I was surprised at the amount of information that the Encyclopedia Britannica article had on the Khmer Rouge massacre. Having previously studied it, I expected it to be littered with information. However, it’s a very brief and to the point article compared to the vast amount of information that the Wikipedia article provides.

Summary
The Wikipedia article titled Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia describes the four year rule of the regime and the atrocities that occurred during it. The article’s main focus is on the genocide that transpired under the rule of the Khmer Rouge. The article begins with the establishment of the Democratic Kampuchea and the societal transformation of the entire country. The Khmer Rouge ruled for four years and during that time approximately 2 million people were killed.

The Encyclopedia Britannica (EB) focuses on the Khmer Rouge as a political party. It discusses the party’s overthrow of the government of Prince Norodom Sihanouk and the evacuation of Phnom Penh. The Khmer Rouge government was overthrown by Vietnamese who then mounted their own puppet government. After the fall, the Khmer Rouge went into hiding in remote areas of Cambodia and resumed guerilla warfare with the Vietnamese army. The Khmer Rouge grew weaker as a result of losing battles. Pol Pot, party leader, was arrested in 1997 and was sentenced to life imprisonment but died the following year. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) was established to try former members for war crimes and/or crimes against humanity.

Comparison of Wikipedia to Encyclopedia Britannica
It is evident by comparing the two articles that they both discuss different aspects of the Khmer Rouge rule. Upon loading the Wikipedia article, the contents box breaks down section by section the information regarding the Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia. The EB entry contains a few paragraphs that lay out what the contributors believe to be the most important information for the reader.

The articles discuss the same information; the major difference is in the amount. For example, the EB article briefly mentions that during the Khmer Rouge rule nearly 2 million people were killed; many of those being intellectuals. It also says that the regime “was marked by some of the worst excesses of any Marxist government in the 20th century”. In contrast, the Wikipedia entry discusses more in-depth the genocide that occurred during the regime. Under the heading “The Khmer Rouge regime” the article converses multiple aspects of the Khmer Rouge policies towards the Cambodian population. One thing that is noticeably missing from the EB entry is the terror that Cambodians had to endure. Under the heading “Terror” is a description of the ways the Khmer Rouge would intimidate the population. The enemies of the state were put into categories, ranging from members of the former government, intellectuals, minorities, and what were called economic saboteurs. This last term was given to former habitants of cities, like Phnom Penh, who were considered guilty because of their “lack of agricultural ability”. It also mentions that war between Cambodia and Vietnam which is something entirely forgotten in EB.

Another aspect that the EB entry fails to address is the effects that the Khmer Rouge left on future generations. It does discuss the ECCC and the trial of former member Duch but it fails to mention how the population is recovering. There are not only political problems that Cambodians must deal with but psychological as well but they are not addressed. Additionally, it does not mention the former S-21 prison that is now a museum where people can tour the grounds where thousands were tortured, executed, and buried in mass graves. Yet not everybody wants to remember Khmer Rouge rule. The Wikipedia article states that the majority of the population is too young to remember or they only hear of it from their parents or grandparents. The history of the Khmer Rouge is not even taught in the schools; therefore, the younger generation is missing out on an extremely crucial part of their history.

Both articles provide relevant information about the Khmer Rouge. Their main difference is the amount of content that each article discusses about the subject. If a viewer is seeking information that emphasizes the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge than the Wikipedia article is the superior choice. However, a viewer who is coming across the topic of the Khmer Rouge for the first time may prefer to read EB since its attention is on the Khmer Rouge as a political group.

References, further reading and contributors
The reference list of the Wikipedia article is rather small for such a complex topic. At the top of the page is a warning that states that the article is written in a format similar to an essay, not an encyclopedia entry. The reader is warned right away that this article will be bias and will likely provide few references.

The further reading lists only nine books. There are two significant books by authoritative authors. Firstly, Ben Kiernan, author of The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power, and Genocide under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79, is a professor as well as the Director of Genocide Studies at Yale University. He has written numerous books on the Cambodian genocide as well as writing about the global history of genocide. The second author Loung Ung wrote First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers from the point of view of her five year old self growing up during the regime. If acquiring these books is too much of a hassle, then the article gives a link to a web page dedicated to the history of the genocide as well as providing survivor stories.

The article has been reviewed by a numerous about of users. The majority of them are unknown and are only represented through their IP address. Therefore, it is not known what field their expertise may be in. There are two users who have edited a fair amount of articles and even received awards. Hmain is one of these users; they have received The Original Barnstar reward that recognizes their numerous contributions to articles. The rest of their userpage is filled with various awards. The other user, InverseHypercube, is privlidged enough to display their Bronze Editor Star that was given to them for being a Veteran Editor II. Browsing the other usernames found in the editing history, it is difficult to know their level of expertise as well since their user homepage is void of information.

There is an assortment of related material referenced in the EB article. It includes a link to an excellent web page that is found in the web links tab. It will direct the viewer to the Cambodian Genocide Program website hosted by Yale University. Its goal is to study the events and determine who is responsible. Visitors may read recent news on the ongoing tribunal and view photographs. Other material provided is found in the “Related Articles, Ebooks & More” tab where the viewer may explore topics ranging from Pol Pot to the city of Phnom Penh. However, some that are listed are not relevant to the topic of the political group Khmer Rouge. One such example is the analysis of surveys done regarding child stunting in Cambodia. Others irrelevant articles include “Hand-painted Cambodian signs” and “Anne Frank Abroad”. It is clear that in these articles the Khmer Rouge is referenced but these articles have little to do with the overall subject of the Khmer Rouge.

The EB article has a very short editing history. It is shown that it was edited twice by EB contributors; the final time was three years ago and it was to add in recent information regarding the tribunal. Kenneth Pletcher, a senior editor, is an expert in Asian geography, history and culture. His expertise makes him an accomplished contributor to this article since he has studied Asian history and geography. The other contributor, Virginia Gorlinski, is experienced in the subject of ethnomusicology, the study of music in non-Western cultures. Music was not in abundance during the regime; actually, well-known Cambodian musicians were killed during this time. Therefore, it seems odd that such a person with that background would be a contributor to this article. However, her contributions to this article comprises mainly of its linguistic structure.

Final assessment
The EB article supplies the reader with adequate information about the Khmer Rouge as a political group. Unlike its counterpart, this article does not deal with the vast amount of information about the genocide. Instead, it offers its readers a brief overview of the Khmer Rouge from its beginnings to the trial of former members. It would be incorrect to say that this article is inadequate because it does not inform the reader of the specifics of the genocide; however, the subject of the genocide is connected with the Khmer Rouge so it leaves out an entire part of its history. The article does state that its rule was “marked by some of the worst excesses of any Marxist government in the 20th century, during which an estimated 1.5 million (and possibly up to 2 million) Cambodians died and many of the country’s professionals and technical class were exterminated” but that is all it says. It leaves questions unanswered: Why were the professional and technical classes killed? What exactly did the party do? What were their policies?

To neglect such information from this article is understandable because it proposes information specifically about the Khmer Rouge as a political party. Yet it seems odd that the genocide is barely mentioned if the purpose of the article is to inform readers of the Khmer Rouge. It states that it was an extreme Marxist government but fails to lay out what classifies it as that. There needs to be more information besides the fact that nearly 2 million people were killed. It does not divulge any information as to why certain groups were targeted, only that they were.

Despite these inadequacies, the article should not be considered useless. It serves its purpose as informing the reader of basic information about the Khmer Rouge. The difference is that both articles discuss distinct features of the Khmer Rouge. Therefore, it all depends on what information the viewer desires to read.

After reading and reviewing the Wikipedia article, it is clear that this entry still requires editing. The article is slated as being bias due to its format. Additionally, there are many sentences that require citations because of the need for an authoritative reference. Upon viewing the “Talk” page it is evident that others believe the same thing. Some of the errors that have been pointed out by users include the lack of any mention of the involvement of the USA, the lack of citations, the lack of consistency with certain terms, and the possibility of renaming this article to Cambodian Genocide or even merging it with Khmer Rouge. While reading the article these inadequacies becomes obvious, especially in regards to the name change or merge. This article’s main focus does appear to be the Cambodian genocide but in its current state the subject matter is all over the place. It examines the fall of the Khmer Rouge which although is relevant, doesn’t quite fit into the overall focus which is the genocide itself. Merging it with the existing Khmer Rouge entry would be acceptable in order to organize all the information into one article. That way, the viewer does not need to refer to another entry in order to educate themselves. It would be the most convenient way for contributor’s to critique since both articles require major editing. All in all, everybody benefits from the merger.

What is found to be missing from the Wikipedia article is the images. It is one thing to read the article and learn the information but images help the reader to absorb in the information easily. Images in an article about genocide are both brutal and necessary if the reader is to connect with the event. It is challenging to identify with genocide because society is unable to grasp the fact that nearly 2 million people died compared to one person; the average person feels sympathy with the individual death because that is easier to understand compared to the slaughter of millions. It is important to provide images with this article for this very reason.

Overall, both of these articles are adequate sources of information in regards to the subjects they focus on. The viewer must take each article as it is and decide if the information that is presented is satisfying to them. The purpose of these entries is to enlighten the viewer and that is exactly what is occurring with these articles. The Khmer Rouge is an extremely vast topic with many aspects that could be analyzed. The Wikipedia entry require some editing to make it an unbiased, encyclopedia article but otherwise both articles are completely informative and great starting points.