User:Lphil0201/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: (Caste system in India)
• Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate. I chose this article to evaluate because we have been discussing the caste system in India for a couple of classes now, and this article informs on the background of caste in India as well as its religious and political implications.

Lead

Guiding questions

The introductory sentence is quite clear and concise but not so well related to the overall article topic. It is a bit general and a narrower sentence would be more appropriate. However, the article's major sections are touched upon in the Lead. There is a solid little outline so that the reader knows what to expect for the rest of the article. The Lead does not include information that isn't present in the article; everything that is described has a place somewhere later in the page. The Lead is overly detailed, particularly in the section that references the British Raj. Too much of a discussion there takes away from the Lead, and some of the points could be saved for the appropriate portion of the article.

• 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?

Content

Guiding questions

Yes, the article's content is all relevant to the topic. Each section informs something different about the caste system in India. The content is up-to-date given that many of the sources are dated in the past decade. There is no content missing and all of the content fits well under the general scope of the article.

• 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?

Tone and Balance

Guiding questions

The article is very neutral being that most of the article is informative. Two claims appear to be biased toward a particular position. One of them is that the caste system in India exploits low-ranking groups and the other is that apartheid/racial discrimination have resulted from the caste system. Neither of these viewpoints are overrepresented or underrepresented. The descriptions are well-balanced and include statistics, sources and quotes. The article attempts to persuade the reader in favor of the two claims with all the facts and figures presented.

• 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?

Sources and References

Guiding questions

Yes, all facts in the article are backed up by reliable sources of information, and all the sources are thorough/relevant to the caste system of India. They are Most of the sources are current, although some are quite old. I checked a few links and they all work.

• 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?

Organization

Guiding questions

The article is very well-written. The language is very good but I would say that there are a few too many quotes and statistics which make it a little bit annoying to get through. There aren't any grammatical/spelling errors in the article, and it is extremely well-organized and broken down properly.

• 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

Guiding questions

Most of the images enhance understanding of the topic; old pictures and photographs are helpful in distinguishing one caste from another. The images are all well-captioned with proper descriptions so that the reader can make sense of the image and connect it to the adjacent passage. Yes, all the images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations. The images are not laid out in a visually appealing way; they seem to be just stuck on the right side of the article.

• 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?

Checking the talk page

Guiding questions

Two conversations related to the topic are going on behind the scene. They are about caste and birth certificates, and the Difference Between British India and Princely States. The article has been rated as B-class and is currently a part of 3 projects. They are WikiProject India, WikiProject Hinduism, and WikiProject Islam.

• 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

Guiding questions

The article is a level-4 vital article. Some of the strengths of the article are the history/origins behind the caste, the multiple definitions of caste, and the various influences on religion which are compared nicely next to each other. The article would be better if it were more concise as well. While it is very thorough in explaining everything about the caste system in India, there is perhaps a bit too much information, making it a bit difficult to make sense of the entirety of the article. Therefore, in terms of completeness, the article is definitely well-developed.

• 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?

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

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