User:Sgcoggin/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
I am evaluating the article Poverty in the United States.

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
Poverty is a major issue in the US and is one that effects many different groups. While poverty is viewed as those under a certain income or poverty threshold, the stacking of circumstances, including discrimination and childcare needs, can increase the negative effects of poverty on marginalized groups. Understanding and portraying an accurate version of poverty is important in formulating poverty decreasing measures for maximum positive impact.

The current article is well done and includes a lot of information about the history of poverty in the US and the current state and methods of measuring poverty but is lacking in the demographic and effects sections. More information about demographics and effects on women and the LGBTQ community could be included, as well as the intersectionality of gender, race, and sexuality, to provide a fuller scope look of this topic.

Evaluate the article
The lead section of the article provides good introductory information about the history of poverty in the US and the current methods of poverty reduction, but it doesn't allude to any other parts of the article. The first sentence needs to be edited as the reader would not be able to devise anything substantial about the article's topic. The last paragraph of the lead section could be moved to later in the article as it is a specific piece of information and not a generalized introduction.

The content in this article is up to date and relevant to the topic of poverty in the US, and inherently deals with equity gaps and historically underrepresented groups. Poverty not only creates an equity gap between economic status, but also on the levels of race, gender, sexuality, education status, etc. This article is factual and neutral in the telling of this topic and provides a well-rounded telling of the issue through strong references and facts. A large portion of the article is focused on the effects of race on poverty levels and, while this is important information to include, more information about other marginalized groups needs to be added to balance the article.

Overall, the organization of the article is well done. The only improvement I would make is to split the "Factors in poverty" section into subsections pertaining to the different categories of factors so that the section is easier to navigate and comprehend. The images and media located throughout the article are tasteful and provide further understanding of the related section of the article. The captions are concise and informative. The citations are implemented correctly and are sourced from a variety of reputable and scholarly locations. They are also easy to navigate and lead to the correct sources.

This article is involved in 9 WikiProjects including United States, International development, Civil Rights Movement, Sociology, Economics, Finance and Investment, International relations/United Nations, Social Work, and Urban Studies and planning, and it is rated C-class in a majority of them. The Talk page includes discussion about the mischaracterization of poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic in the article, and the inclusion of additional Census information that was not previously included.

This article well-developed and organized on the topics that it currently includes, but leaves out important information about the female and LGBTQ populations affected by poverty. Further additions of this kind would greatly increase the balance and informational status of the article.