User:Samanthaoad/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an Article

 * An evaluation of the article Semiotics
 * Semiotics play a fundamental role in communications, thus making this article a practical selection for evaluation. As CMN2160 is a communications course based around the media, semiotic theories explain the value of signs and images when expressing information to the audience.

Lead
The lead of this article distinctly states what the article topic is, being semiotics and what it means as well. The lead also flows well into an accurate description of the topic also. Upon reading, the lead is full of jargon that an individual who does not understand what semantics is, might struggle to understand immediately. However, the writer includes many links to definitions of what the words mean.

Content
Throughout the article, the author consistently writes with semiotics as a main point of interest. They refer to the history, specific theorists, different forms of semiotics and theories. Much of the information being relayed is up-to-date with majority of the facts dating from the 1990s to the late 2010s. There is copious amounts of information within the article with well developed paragraphs and a clear delivery.

Tone and Balance
The tone within the article is neutral and fair. It contains no sense of persuasive language that makes the reader feel as though they must feel a specific way towards the information being presented. The author writes in a respectful and academic manner as well, reinforcing the proper tone necessary for an article to be neutral. The article allows for the reader to interpret the given information with their own personal ideals.

Sources and References
As stated above in the content evaluation, the bibliography is easier to understand, accurate and up-to-date. The citations include a wide range of variety of backgrounds and formats such as articles, studies and published research. The bibliography also includes direct links to authors and their works for readers to further understand the discussed topic.

Organization
The article is very organized with all contents properly catalogued, with almost no punctuation errors and no grammatical errors. As the page has been effectively broken down, it is far easier to look for a specific description.

Images and Media
The article only contains three images throughout. It could be more beneficial to add more that could clarify some of the points being made in regards to semiotics. However, the three current photos are relevant to the topic, as well as labelled and sourced in a manner that they aid in expressing what is being discussed.

Checking the talk page
The talk page has three different posts, two of which were including what adjustments were made to further develop the article. The way in which the article discusses semiotics is only slightly different from how it has been presented in class, as this page is to inform a reader with no communications background on the topic. Whereas in class, semiotics is discussed with the assumption that students have basic comprehension of the subject.

Overall impressions
Overall, the article is well written, informative and easy to understand. The strongest parts of the entry is likely its accuracy of information and organization. It is no over complicated in defining what semiotics is and maintains neutral tone throughout. However, it could do well with more imagery and slightly more simplified breakdowns of sub topics. The article goes into a variety of sub topics such as "Notable Semioticians" and "Formulations and Subfields" that allow for the reader to get an even broader understanding of semiotics.