User:Ttaryn8/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Vancouver Island marmot

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 article to evaluate because the Vancouver Island marmot is endemic to Canada. It's important to me to learn about this species that lives so close to home, to further my understanding and help these animals who have endured a steep decline in population, prosper.

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.)

While evaluating the "Vancouver Island marmot" article, I noticed both strengths and weaknesses within the piece. The lead section successfully and concisely introduces the Vancouver Island marmot, where is resides, its typical size, and recovery efforts. The topic sentence only revealed where the marmot lives and failed to introduce the articles topic as a whole. The content remains relevant throughout the text, and all sections belong. The tone is neutral with no bias towards any viewpoints and does not persuade the reader. The facts originate from a wide variety of sources. Examples of peer-reviewed journals referenced include the "Journal of Evolutionary Biology", and the "Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research." One weaker source cited includes information from an alpine trekking company, "White Marmotte," which is neither strong nor reliable. All reference links are functional. The articles structure is easy to follow as it is broken down into subsections with concise headers. As one scrolls further into the article, there are several images located on the right hand side including a photo of a Vancouver Island marmot, a map of their geographical distribution, and a skull. The image of the Vancouver Island marmot skull upon expansion for a closer look is blurry. In the Talk page, it states that the article is included in Wiki Projects Canada, and Wiki Projects Rodents. There is almost no discussion in the Talk page and it is ranked as a Start class article because it needs more information from reliable sources. After evaluating the "Vancouver Island marmot" article, it is evident that more reliable sources and information are needed, but is successful in providing a basic overview about the species.