User:Hylaversicolor/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article

Complete your article evaluation below. Here are the key aspects to consider:

Lead section

A 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.

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? (It shouldn't.)
Is the lead concise or is it overly detailed?

Content

A good Wikipedia article should cover all the important aspects of a topic, without putting too much weight on one part while neglecting another.

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?
Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics?

Tone and Balance

Wikipedia 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.

Is the article neutral?
Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
Are minority or fringe viewpoints accurately described as such?
Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?

Sources and References

A 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.

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?
Are the sources written by a diverse spectrum of authors? Do they include historically marginalized individuals where possible?
Are there better sources available, such as peer-reviewed articles in place of news coverage or random websites? (You may need to do some digging to answer this.)
Check a few links. Do they work?

Organization and writing quality

The writing should be clear and professional, the content should be organized sensibly into sections.

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?

Images and Media

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?

Talk page discussion

The 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.

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?

Overall impressions

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?

Examples of good feedback

A 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.

Peer review of this article about a famous painting

Which article are you evaluating?

Talk:Coal

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?

I have chosen this article to evaluate because it has been rated as C-Class by WikiProject Vital Articles. A major weakness of the article is related to lignin degradation, and there is a debate on the talk page about when fungi evolved the capability to decompose lignin. In the history section of the article, there appears to be a contradictory statement about when the Romans used coal and when coal became an important energy resource in Britain.

Evaluate the article

The articles content is relevant to the topic. The content is not up-to-date. There are newer publications that provide additional insight into lignin degradation than what the article currently cites. There is content missing and content that does not belong, for instance, the seeming contradiction in the articles history section. The article deals poorly with one of Wikipedia's Equity gaps. It does not address topics related to historically underrepresented populations. The article is neutral, but there may be claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position. The sources are thorough, but the sources may not be current. The sources do not include historically marginalized people. There may be better source available, such as peer-reviewed articles in place of random websites. For instance:

"Dethroning King Coal – How a Once Dominant Fuel Source is Falling Rapidly from Favour". Resilience. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.

The article is concise, well-written and easy to read and is well organized. The article does include images that enhance the understanding of the topic and they are well captioned and adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations. The images could be laid out in a more visual appealing manner. the talk discussion page has friendly conversations about trying to improve the article's content, with some debates and suggestions on things that need updating. The article has been rated as C-Class by WikiProject Vital Articles. The articles strengths are it is concise, well-written, has good flow, and contains content relevant to the topic. The article can be improved by adding more up-to-date information and more peer reviewed publications as sources. The article is well-developed and is only missing content related to its uses by historically marginalized people and the most current publications on the topic. suggestions for additional citations: https://www.iea.org/reports/coal-2019#executive-summary

Yang, Ghatge, S., & Hur, H.-G. (2023). Improvement of thermoalkaliphilic laccase (CtLac) by a directed evolution and application to lignin degradation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 107(1), 273–286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-022-12311-4

Zhang, Yao, Y., Deng, J., Zhang, J.-L., Qiu, Y., Li, G., & Liu, J. (2022). Hydrogen production via anaerobic digestion of coal modified by white-rot fungi and its application benefits analysis. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 157, 112091–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112091