User:Slastudentresearch/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.


 * Name of article: Mandala
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate.
 * I am interested in learning more about Buddhism, and the many symbols found within this religion. I first chose the topic "art history", then continued to narrow it down to Mandalas.

Lead

 * Guiding questions

Yes, the first sentences is the definition of a Mandala, which is the subject of this article.

They do not have a brief description of the article's major sections. Instead, they explain what a Mandala is in a bit more detail.

It doesn't seem to include information that is not present in the article.

I believe the lead is concise and provides the right amount of detail.


 * 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?

Content

 * Guiding questions

Yes, the content is relevant and up-to-date. In the references, there is one source that has the author's name written in red. When I click on the name, there article doesn't seem to exist.


 * 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?
 * Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics?

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions

I feel that the article is neutral, and provides the necessary information surrounding the topic of mandalas. There does not seem to be an biased claims. The article is written in a formal, informative manner rather than being opinion-based or persuasive.


 * 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 favour of one position or away from another?

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions

Most facts seem to be backed up by reliable sources. There are some areas that have "citation needed". There are many citations throughout the article, for which the sources can be found at the end. There is one source from 1950, though most of the other sources are current. The links that I chose to test all worked.


 * 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?
 * Are the sources written by a diverse spectrum of authors? Do they include historically marginalized individuals where possible?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Organization

 * Guiding questions

The article is organized and well written. I did not see any errors. I like the way the sub-topics are categorized in this article.


 * 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?

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions

There are many different images to show what mandalas look like, and different styles of mandalas depending on their origins. The images are all well-captioned, though not all the images contain references to a source. It seems as though the images adhere to the copyright regulations. The images are also very appealing. The images are all placed to the right of the page, next to a description related to the image. I like the way the images are set up because it is clear which text goes with which images.


 * 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?

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions

There are a few comments describing instances that need revision.


 * 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?

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?

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

with four tildes — ~


 * Link to feedback: