User talk:Owen Kennedy/Evaluate an Article

Feedback on Article Evaluation
Nice evaluation! Thank you for linking to the original article, and good job going through each of the criteria that Wikipedia advises that you consider when evaluating an article.

One thing to consider is that this course is "Music and Dance of the Gael." The northeast and Shetland fiddle styles are not associated with the Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland. Donegal, of course, is Irish but would be the Irish area having the most connection to Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland. My point, though, is to focus your attention on improving information related to Gaelic fiddling rather than adding information related to fiddle styles that don't have a clear Gaelic connection. You are, of course, welcome to contribute information about these other styles as well. But it's important to use this assignment to further your understanding of Gaelic music and dance traditions.

I have to say that I'm not overly impressed with the existing sources, aside from the MMus thesis that you highlight. I mostly see websites and a newspaper article, along with a book on playing style (which is probably decent, but would need to be assessed by someone -- like you -- with expertise to see how thorough it is). I also dislike bulleted lists in Wikipedia articles. How does a list of names help someone understand Scottish fiddling? The point of an encyclopedia entry is to give readers a good starting place for understanding a concept like "Scottish fiddling." It will be impossible to provide an exhaustive list of names. Instead, it could be more useful if a couple of fiddlers were listed as representatives of the style with a careful explanation of what it is about their playing that makes them Scottish in style (and, more preferably, what kind of Scottish style they play).

Lastly, you note that info could be added but what information specifically could be added? I'd also suggest evaluating the organization of the article. Is it organized in the best possible way? Check out some other similar articles on a genre of music to see how they're organized. What headings are included and in what order? That can help you to identify specific kinds of information that might be helpful to include. CBFraoch (talk) 16:17, 19 November 2023 (UTC)