User:Pwadams/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.


 * Crisis communication: Crisis communication
 * I have chosen to evaluate this article because media fluency is an increasingly important skill to have and I would like to learn more about it in relevance to my field of study.

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 leading sentence to the article clearly defines what crisis communication is. It does not include the different sections of the article, but rather described it as being a sub section of public relations. The introduction does well to explain what crisis communication is as well as its various functions that are described in greater detail later in the article. The lead is somewhat repetitive in that is has multiple descriptions of crisis communication that are similar to each other. It could benefit from a more detailed outline of what to expect from the article."

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 content is very pertinent to crisis communication. The article lays multiple theories involved within the field. It also includes the different stages of crisis communication that occur within any organization. While some examples the article listed were dated, others were recent so it made for a rich history of various organizational crises. Examples on how crisis communication theories and tactics were applied to real life events are lacking. The article as whole, however, does quite well to stay relevant to the topic at hand.

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 heavily factual, and does not contain any obvious biases. However, it does not include much diversity or variety in its sources. The article's perspective appears to be very central to the US and does not include insight into how these principles would be applied in different cultures. It also is mostly representative of how large businesses handle crises, and does take time to focus on smaller organizations' crises. The article is informative in nature, and not persuasive or forceful. So, while not inclusive of a plethora of perspectives, the overall tone of the article remains neutral."

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 and pieces of information are followed by a citation from a credible source. The overwhelming majority of sources used are from peer reviewed communication journals, however, the same author/researcher is referenced abundantly more than any other author/researcher. All links are functional and redirect to the page that they are supposed to. The sources are recent and relevant to crisis communication. One section needed an additional citation."

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
"Overall, the article is very well written. It is easy to follow, yet sophisticated in its use of language and application of concepts. It is extremely well put together and categorically organizes the various types of information which helps the reader to navigate the intense amount of information presented. The different sections breaking down theories and strategies made the concept of crisis communication as a whole easy to understand. I did not find any punctuation or grammatical errors."

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 article does not include any images, graphics, or visual learning aids. However, the headings and general breakdown of the article is visually appealing and easy to follow. Because there are no images, no copyright regulations are broken."

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
"There are no conversations happening in the talk page, however, there was a comment made about introducing Benoit's response strategies which were actually added into the article. The article is part of a couple of WikiProjects. The article was not marked as being 'good' or featured'. We have not discussed this topic in class, however, the in depth explanation of theories within the article is very similar to how we discuss topics in class."

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
"No one has left any reviews of the article on the talk page. The article does well to provide in depth descriptions of crisis communication and gives examples that make the concept easily applicable. The article could be more inclusive of cross cultural and small business perspectives. The article is well developed, well organized, and informative. Overall, I would give this article an excellent rating."

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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