User:Rsintchak/Evaluate an Article

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

Scout (Scouting)

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 this because I have some backround knowledge of what goes on as an Eagle Scout, but not really any bias as I am not too familiar with the history or have any reason to bias it a certain way. I also chose it during my research because I noticed it has numerous uncited claims and I knew about the political issue regarding girls and other genders in boyscouts; leading it to be renamed to just scouting, to see if there was any bias in regards to this. This could potentially really matter if someone is looking to join but are discouraged from a life changing program because of sexism or bias. I also found it interesting that while progression was mentioned, the highest rank of Eagle that most people outside of scouting are familair with, was not mentioned. If I were to add anything, it would definetly mention the rank of Eagle as a subheading in its self with its specific requirements to be acheived.

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.)

My suggestions to make this piece better,


 * lead section
 * I believe that the lead section is good, but it should mention something about volunteering and service to local communities. I could not find the word volunteer mentioned at all here. Given the scout oath is mentioned and includes the saying "help other people at all times," I find something about this should be mentioned.
 * content
 * In the main content, the claim regarding girls' desires to join scouting is mentioned but left without citation when discussing a group developed in the "Guide Movement."
 * The value of backpacking, first aid, and camping activities should be mentioned under the activities section. For example, scouts frequently camp and practice first aid to practice different skills to develop the Scout Oath and Law tenants better.
 * Overall lack of sourcing for what seems to be basic facts
 * I feel the personal progression section lacks details and is insufficient. While badges are mentioned, they should be elaborated on as they are something every scout does, and certain ones like first aid and personal management should be mentioned as they are required to reach the highest rank.
 * There is also an honor society called "The Order of the Arrow," which is cited but never mentioned or explained in the article itself. This society should be attached to the personal progression page as it is a nationally recognized group.
 * tone and balance
 * I found the tone and balance to be fine. Nothing was really controversial. I think the name switch from Boyscouts to Scouting to include girls and other genders should be detailed, but perhaps because this is new and still under review, there is no content.
 * sources and references
 * There is a severe lack of sourcing; the sources look reliable but are a little dated, though they may not need to be updated—only six references in the whole article.
 * organization and writing quality
 * The organization is good, and the writing quality is easy to read. I think Personal Progression should be its own section instead of under activities.
 * images and media
 * It could use more imagery. The photo of the Scout uniform is from 1920, and while cool, it does not represent how they are today.
 * talk page discussion
 * I had some issues interpreting, but if correct, there is not much discussion at all, and it is outdated.
 * overall impressions
 * My overall impression was that this article was fine. It is a sufficient overview, but I believe many changes could/should be made to make it more reliable and informative. I think newer content and imagery would be best to make everything more relevant and look better overall. ~