User:Rexyshy8/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
(Provide a link to the article here.)

Trawling

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
(Briefly explain why you chose it, why it matters, and what your preliminary impression of it was.)

I chose to evaluate an article that discusses trawling because in our course we had learned about the various methods used to collect samples from the deep sea. I was curious how the information that we learned in class compares to the information within the wikipedia page. It is important to understand the different methods used to obtain samples within different depths and circumstances. My preliminary impression of the article is that it is well equipped with information and displays things in an organized manner.

Evaluate the article
(Compose a detailed evaluation of the article here, considering each of the key aspects listed above. Consider the guiding questions, and check out the examples of what a useful Wikipedia article evaluation looks like.

Lead:

The lead includes an introductory sentence that provides a concise and clear description of the article's topic. However, the lead does not include a brief description of the major sections that will be mentioned within the article. Within the lead, it mentions how trawls can be compared to trolling; however, I do not think this should be included within the lead, but rather later on within the article.

Content:

The article does a good job of including important information that is necessary to understand the topic of trawls in regards to their use. It includes their use at differing depths, the specific organisms that can be sampled, the structure of the net, and raises concern regarding its environmental effects. The article gives a comprehensive review regarding all the potential factors that may raise concern. The article also mentions the use of trawls from an economical standpoint, adding to a more comprehensive review of this tool. It also mentions various regulation laws, as well as anti-trawling devices.

One aspect that may need revision is within the "Studies on population and trawling" section, where the article mentions how the use of trawls may have been linked to the Bristol Bay red king crab's decline in population. The article goes into further detail than necessary and takes away from the main point that is supposed to focus on the use of trawls and less on debating a controversial issue that does not have evidence to prove causative relations. This portion of the article can be shortened and mentioned more briefly.

The article also could have elaborated on comparing trawls to other methods used for sampling and discussed advantages and disadvantages.

Tone and Balance:

The article does a good job at remaining neutral, specifically when discussing sensitive topics such as environmental damages. The article is able to discuss how although the usage of trawls is regulated, there are many factors that could lead to environmental concerns, and addresses this without eliciting bias. The viewpoint of trawls potential effects on the environment may have been over-represented, potentially taking away from how the tool itself is used. However, the article does not persuade readers to not use trawls, as it is described as a beneficial tool that has aided in deep sea exploration.

Sources and References:

The information presented within this article is backed up by reliable sources supporting the facts. I clicked on many of the links and they do seem to work. Throughout the article, there are some places, specifically where it discusses the potential physical damage that trawls do on the environment, that lack sources and have indicated citation needed. As the article states this to be a controversial topic, this may be the reason that there are fewer references for this section of the article. Many of the sources used are peer-reviewed articles, some of them being fairly recent. It also notes that this wikipedia page was last edited on 8 December 2023.

Organization and Writing Quality:

The article was nicely structured, allowing for readers to easily follow the material being presented. Towards the bottom of the paper, some of the paragraphs could be split into shorter ones, such as the first paragraph under the Bycatch Reporting section. This may help the reader digest the information more easily and follow along better. Other than that the article is fairly concise proving relevant material that is important to understand when searching for trawls.

images and Media:

The images included in the article are all labeled with appropriate headings that correctly describe what the image is depicting. The images are beneficial and are relevant to the information that is being presented next to it, making the article easier to follow and comprehend. The images are laid out in a visually appealing way. Additionally, the images adhere to copyright regulations by incorporating the necessary references.

Talk Page Discussion:

This article is rated C-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to the WikiProjects regarding Fisheries and Fishing, Climate Change, Environment, and Limnology and Oceanography. One of the discussions is regarding the Ecological Damage section that implies that this section does not portray a neutral tone, emphasizing how the section on Selectivity did a better job of addressing environmental concerns without bashing the trawling method. They also included some examples that may have better wording. Some other discussions included adding external links. Another topic that was discussed was regarding pair twirling, where editors discussed if it consisted of one warp per boat or two, so making sure the information being presented is accurate.

The way in which wikipedia discusses trawls is pretty similar to how it was discussed within our classroom. The article goes more in depth both in regards to explaining the net structure, as well as the environmental effects that may be associated with using the trawl method.

Overall Impressions:

This article does a good job of presenting what a trawl is and how it is used. It dives into how trawls may differ depending on which habitats they are being used for and what organisms or samples they are targeting. The article also discusses trawls potential environmental affect, and could improve on attempting to use a more neutral tone when discussing this topic to prevent bashing the trawl method and rather inform readers that it may have negative consequences. The article was clearly formatted allowing the reader to follow along. The article was well developed; however, it could spend more time on the method of trawling and less time on its environmental implication, which could be discussed in one paragraph rather than multiple. It could also compare and contrast the trawl to other methods used to give a more comprehensive understanding of methods used in the sea.