User:Benjamin Fincher/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: Norris Church Mailer#CITEREFMansfield2008
• Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate: I found it had bias and some poorly written sections.

Lead

Guiding questions

The lead is clear, precise, and introduces the topic well.

• Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic? Yes
• Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections? Yes
• Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article? No
• Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed? Yes

Content

Guiding questions

• Is the article's content relevant to the topic? Yes
• Is the content up-to-date? Yes
• Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong? Yes, the article presents information about Norris Church Mailer being an artist but does not explain or elaborate in the article.

Content evaluation

The content is up to date but is poorly presented. The article focuses primarily on her writing when she had several other careers and achievements. The article mentions her work as an artist but does not elaborate.

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

Phrases such as "everything changed when she met Norman Mailer" and "Norris beat the odds"

There is also a comment at the end about an annual opportunity that seems like an advertisement or push for the program.

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 sources are decent but could be improved. More articles on her specifically instead of her husband would be suggested.

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 article has several grammatical errors and flaws. A read-through and edit would be very helpful.

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 image appears to follow the Wikipedia guidelines.

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:

A lot of conversation is happening behind the scenes and people contributing to the article.

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 a work in progress that can be greatly improved.

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: