User:Petemuhitch/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Columbian exchange

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
It is relevant to the paper I'm writing on the propagation of palm trees in California

Evaluate the article
Evaluate an article

Complete your article evaluation below. Here are the key aspects to consider:

Lead section
A good lead section defines the topic and provides a concise overview. A reader who just wants to identify the topic can read the first sentence. A reader who wants a very brief overview of the most important things about it can read the first paragraph. A reader who wants a quick overview can read the whole lead section.


 * Does the lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic? Yes
 * Does the lead include a brief description of the article's major sections? No
 * Does the lead include information that is not present in the article? No
 * Is the lead concise or is it overly detailed? No

Content
A good Wikipedia article should cover all the important aspects of a topic, without putting too much weight on one part while neglecting another.


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic? Yes
 * Is the content up-to-date? It seems so
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong? Not that I can think of
 * Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics? I would say yes--it does discuss the negative impact the process had on certain groups.

Tone and Balance
Wikipedia articles should be written from a neutral point of view; if there are substantial differences of interpretation or controversies among published, reliable sources, those views should be described as fairly as possible.


 * Is the article neutral? Yes
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position? No
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented? It seems to give a balanced introduction to the many facets of the topic.
 * Are minority or fringe viewpoints accurately described as such? I did not come across any fringe viewpoints.
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another? No

Sources and References
A Wikipedia article should be based on the best sources available for the topic at hand. When possible, this means academic and peer-reviewed publications or scholarly books.


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information? it seems that way, though some of the sources are just random online articles rather than scholarly.
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic? it seems that way
 * Are the sources current? most of them seem to be 2000s-present so I would say yes
 * Are the sources written by a diverse spectrum of authors? Do they include historically marginalized individuals where possible? Yes, including multiple languages
 * Are there better sources available, such as peer-reviewed articles in place of news coverage or random websites? (You may need to do some digging to answer this.) I see some sources I've used absent
 * Check a few links. Do they work? yes

Organization and writing quality
The writing should be clear and professional, the content should be organized sensibly into sections.


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read? Yes
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors? I did not come across any
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic? Yes! I think this is the best part of the article

Images and Media

 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic? Definitely, very interesting sourced pictures
 * Are images well-captioned? Yes
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations? It seems that way
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way? yes

Talk page discussion
The article's talk page — and any discussions among other Wikipedia editors that have been taking place there — can be a useful window into the state of an article, and might help you focus on important aspects that you didn't think of.


 * 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? It is a very important historical article and a part of 6 wikiprojects
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class? It encompasses non-scholarly sources

Overall impressions

 * What is the article's overall status? Solid, important
 * What are the article's strengths? Great layout, hits all the major points
 * How can the article be improved? I see gaps in certain crops, more sources could be used for this
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed? Definitely a great all-round introduction to the topic

Examples of good feedback
A good article evaluation can take a number of forms. The most essential things are to clearly identify the biggest shortcomings, and provide specific guidance on how the article can be improved.