User:Onicka Smith/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
It is a C- class article indicated that it should be a good and developed article but still have areas for improvement which can be explored.

Evaluate the article
OVERALL IMPRESSION

The article provides a fair basis for a basic understanding of the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale (ASRS). However there are several improvements that can be made to improve the reliability and usefulness of the article. It has some issues with sources, writing and choice of information presented and cannot be considered complete.

LEAD

The lead is concise which helps the reader to quickly understand the topic and article but there are a few things I would change. The topic at hand is the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale and as such the lead provides a link to the 'ADHD' wiki and has two sentences giving a brief overview. I believe it would be more appropriate to also add a link specifically to the Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder wiki article as it will provide more detailed information on ADHD in adults compared to a general overview. Additionally the first reference used in this article is of questionable validity upon being investigated. It is not a published article and is written in part by a child and adolescent specialist. It features some controversial information and statistics with no references for itself and is not presented in a professional manner. I highly suggest changing this reference which is cited multiple times to a more reputable one to increase the reliability of the wiki article and where applicable change the information garnered from it. The article was also published almost a decade ago which may indicate it being out of date. The lead could also have more information on the actual assessment scale (like how many questions it has or how it is administered), than explaining what ADHD is.

REDUNDANCY

There is also redundancy in the article, particularly in the second sentence of the lead and first sentence of the background. The main difference between these sentences is in one it is described as a neurological disorder and the other, a neurodevelopmental disorder, these should either be merged or one term chosen for consistency (and the relevant wiki articles linked). These sentences also state that "ADHD can occur in adolescence or adulthood", but it can reveal itself from infancy as well and remain well into adulthood. The wording here may be inappropriate and misleading.

ADDITIONAL

The final two paragraphs of the background subsection are insightful and concise with seemingly good sources.

The development and history subsection's paragraph is insufficient in carrying out its purpose and unnecessarily difficult to read. More information can be provided on the development of self-rating scales for ADHD and general ADHD assessments to provide a picture of where ASRS fits into place. Additionally, a connection to the criticisms made about general ADHD assessments and the ASRS needs to be made. Does the ASRS specifically solve for the problem of most framing of ADHD being for children? How so?

While discussing the limitations of the ASRS, some examples of similar presenting disorders could be cited.

If not in any violation of copyright and fair use, an image of the screening or link to it can be provided or even examples of some of the questions asked.