User:Zander216/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: Cedar waxwing
 * Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate: I chose this article as it relates to scientific writings and I have a general interest in the topic.

Lead
Guiding questions:


 * 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?

Lead evaluation:
'''The article introduction is accurate and clear when describing the species but it is wordy and the etymology is thrown into the introduction as opposed to having its own subsection. It does include an accurate representation of the articles major sections'''

Content
Guiding questions:


 * 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?

Content evaluation:
'''The articles content is relevant but most of the articles in reference are from 2013. Some content missing may be more information on vocalization, nesting behavior, reproduction, and diet section as opposed to small blurbs randomly placed in the article.'''

Tone and Balance
Guiding questions:


 * 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 favor of one position or away from another?

Tone and balance evaluation:
'''The description of the article is the most focused portion as it is the longest part. Most other sections and subsections are underrepresented. No bias is obvious though.'''

Sources and References
Guiding questions:


 * 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?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Sources and references evaluation:
'''The article does provide a list of reliable sources, however, they could be backed up with more recent articles or a larger number of articles in general. Some of the links do not work.'''

Organization
Guiding questions:


 * 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?

Organization evaluation:
'''The spelling is accurate and the information is clear but some sentences are structured oddly or are lengthy and maybe too descriptive. Tehy could be broken into two sentences or given their own section.'''

Images and Media
Guiding questions:


 * 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?

Images and media evaluation:
'''The images do enhance the understanding of the topic but some captions mention facts not well represented in the reading. They are also not visually appealing in respect to the layout.'''

Checking the talk page
Guiding questions:


 * 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?

Talk page evaluation:
'''The latest talk page edits range from 2004 to 2017 with most happening in the previous decade. The article is C-class and of low importance but is part of wikiproject birds and wikiprojects venezuela.'''

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?

Overall evaluation:
'''The article is out of date and needs adjustments. The article has a moderately well designed layout with a few small tweaks needed. The article is neither well-developed or poorly-developed but is considered complete to some degree.'''

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: