User:Hlkilbourne/Evaluate an Article
 | Evaluate an article
Complete your article evaluation below. Here are the key aspects to consider: Lead sectionA good lead section defines the topic and provides a concise overview. A reader who just wants to identify the topic can read the first sentence. A reader who wants a very brief overview of the most important things about it can read the first paragraph. A reader who wants a quick overview can read the whole lead section.
ContentA good Wikipedia article should cover all the important aspects of a topic, without putting too much weight on one part while neglecting another.
Tone and BalanceWikipedia articles should be written from a neutral point of view; if there are substantial differences of interpretation or controversies among published, reliable sources, those views should be described as fairly as possible.
Sources and ReferencesA Wikipedia article should be based on the best sources available for the topic at hand. When possible, this means academic and peer-reviewed publications or scholarly books.
Organization and writing qualityThe writing should be clear and professional, the content should be organized sensibly into sections.
Images and Media
Talk page discussionThe article's talk page — and any discussions among other Wikipedia editors that have been taking place there — can be a useful window into the state of an article, and might help you focus on important aspects that you didn't think of.
Overall impressions
Examples of good feedbackA good article evaluation can take a number of forms. The most essential things are to clearly identify the biggest shortcomings, and provide specific guidance on how the article can be improved. |
Which article are you evaluating?[edit]
Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?[edit]
I chose this article because it seems very relevant to scholars who wish to learn about works that helped shape Western culture. The article seems to be too short for the amount of knowledge I would've thought it contained.
Evaluate the article[edit]
- The lead section contains an introductory sentence that covers the definition of what the "great books" are. However, the lead section tends to talk about institutions and institution leaders while forgetting about some of the other categories. I would recommend getting rid of most of this information and saving the most important information. I would also recommend adding one or two sentences about the other categories, such as controversy.
- The article contains too much information on the "great books" programs within modern-day colleges. It makes the article seem like it's focused on the education of these great works, rather than the works themselves. It doesn't talk about why these works are the essential foundation of literature. I would recommend adding sections on how these foundations are relevant in today's world. I would also recommend adding some authors who have made contributions, as the article seems to only discuss the creators of these "great books" list.
- This article doesn't have a lot of reliable sources. There is a lack of sources, which has led to a lot of claims not being backed up. For example, in the controversy section, the article says "many had issue with the lack of culture," but it doesn't specify what many means. I would recommend finding reliable sources before making these claims.
- There were a lack of images on this article and the images that were on here did not contribute to one's understanding of the article. I would recommend taking out the image of the "Core Curriculum at Columbia University" because it did enhance my understanding. I would recommend adding an image of Mortimer Adler, who used the books to teach his students. After adding more information about some of these books, I would recommend adding a picture of an old but, important book to show readers how far these books can date back.
- Overall, this Wikipedia article needs greatly updated. The most important thing would be adding relevant sources to claims that have not been backed up. I would also recommend adding more information into some of the foundations of these literature pieces, rather than just discussing who came up with lists of the books. Adding images to this article would enhance the reader's experience as they would get to see how old some of these books are and how they're still relevant. This Wikipedia article has great potential, its information needs to be greatly updated and show how it's relevant to readers.