User:Babethoven/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]California oak woodland - California oak woodland
Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
[edit]We chose to evaluate this article as California oak woodlands are highly applicable to the concepts and themes explored through our California Natural History course. In particular, California oak woodlands are a common part of the natural landscape of California, and play a large role in our understanding of the ecological relationships and foundations of this state. We also chose to evaluate this article because it seems to be a bit sparse, and can have a lot of potential room for critique and improvement.
Evaluate the article
[edit]To begin, the article is concise and clear, and is written in a neutral tone. The lead section and California oak-woodland communities sections did a good job of creating a strong base understanding of this type of community, and providing relevant and varied examples. I believe the key factor that is missing from this article is the mention of the biodiversity and ecology of these communities. The article briefly mentions the biodiversity of California oak-woodland ecosystems, but makes no mention of the types of animal life it sustains. Additionally, there is no mention of the interactions between the different species of trees in these communities and how they collectively contribute to the larger ecosystem. Regarding sourcing, this article lacks a sufficient number of sources that draw from a number of different backgrounds, and most of the sources used are slightly outdated (10-20 years old at least). An increased amount and variety of sources would help strengthen the article; however it should be mentioned that all of the current sources are reliable. Finally, the article does not make use of many media sources/images to enhance its information about the California oak woodlands. The final overall impressions this article leaves are that the sections completed have a strong foundation, but there are several gaps in information that can be added and enhanced through further edits.