User:OrchardBreeze/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article (Norris Chuck Mailer)
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * Name of article: Norris Church Mailer
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate. The chosen article was assigned.

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 for the Norris Church Mailer article satisfies all of the criteria of a good lead, identifying her two names, birth/death dates, career, writing and her association with Norman Mailer. Some citations to her publications would be beneficial.

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 two location references under the Early Life section need links to the relevant Wikipedia pages, the Russellville, Arkansas is mentioned later in the article and linked. Under the Writing section, the use of the word "callously" in the second sentence suggests bias and should be removed.

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 is primarily neutral and not persuasive.

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
Under the Life with Normal Mailer section, "Henry Higgins" is linked to the play Pygmalion, which initially looks like a mistake when viewing the hover description. A parenthetical note that both Higgins and Doolittle are characters in the play Pygmalion would be beneficial. There are additional opportunities to link to relevant content, such as The Executioner's Song and All My Children.

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
Few grammatical errors except for an occasional incorrect use of punctuation outside of quotation marks and a run-on sentence. The article is easy to read and interesting, and the sections are relevant and logically organized.

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
Only one image of Norris Church Mailer, and it's well-captioned with her basic information about her birth, death and family members.

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
Extended discussion is present as part of a class project. Multiple interest is expressed to be included in WikiProjects. And I swear, the earlier suggestion about the word "callously" was my own before I read about it on the talk page.

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
Norris Church Mailer's article looks complete with the exception of a few previously suggest hyperlinks

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

with four tildes — ~


 * Link to feedback: Talk:Norris Church Mailer

NOTE: The following evaluation for The White Negro was completed before I carefully read the instructions. I re-did the assignment on Norris Church Mailer, above.

Evaluate an article (The White Negro)
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * Name of article: The White Negro
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate. The White Negro article is the result of the previous semester's NMAC class collaborative assignment. Evaluating its elements for this exercise provides and example of expectation for the current semester's collaborative article.

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 for The White Negro is a concise five-sentence description of the topic, though there are a few minor issues: 2 punctuation errors with quotation marks; and an awkwardly ordered sentence identifies the essay's controversy (and later is the article "mixed reviews"), interrupted by an example of praise, then criticism in support of the controversy statement. The last sentence suggests the work as "thought-provoking," which introduces potential bias.

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
Sections 4 and 6 are short when compared to the other sections, suggesting possible areas of further development. There are multiple citations from reputable sources, suggesting careful and informative research.

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 is primarily neutral and not persuasive.

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
During testing of hyperlinks, two returned errors. One source requires a paid subscription to access. There is also one notation for a needed citation. The sources are current relative to the date and topic of the essay.

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
Few grammatical errors except for the consistent incorrect use of punctuation outside of quotation marks.

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
Only one cover image.

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
Extended discussion simply about the name complements the claim of controversy about the essay. It was marked to delete during early development, but discussed to keep. The annotated bibliography is a useful addition.

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
There are a few areas of the content that suggest further development. Discussions around the article's topic continue today.

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

with four tildes — ~


 * Link to feedback: Talk:The White Negro