User:1Mehayla/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: Cycle of poverty
• I have chosen to evaluate this article because it has a start class rating and is of mid-importance.
• Additionally, the page has a minimal section on how education plays a role. There are two subsections under 'family background' that are regarding education. One is "tracking in education" and the other is "Effects of modern education" I think both should not be categorized under 'family background' (I don't even like family background as a description for the section as it verges on individual blame). I want to make a new section for education.
• Though what is written is good, there are citations missing. Not only that, of the two subsections there are only 3 citations in total, one of which is a magazine. I have more sources and ones that are also more reputable.

Lead

Guiding questions

• Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
  • Yes, but could be better done.
• Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
  • Not all, but gives good contextual frame work for understanding.
• Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
  • No
• Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?
  • It has a paragraph, just speaking about a relevant book. I think this could be made more concise.

Content

Guiding questions

• Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
  • Yes
• Is the content up-to-date?
  • No
• Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?
  • Yes, as I described above.

Content evaluation

• Modern Education
  • 2006 USA today magazine which most of the information is based off of needs to be replaced
  • A lot of claims with no citations
  • Speaks about a Sandford study done, but provides no citation
• Tracking
  • "Some people. . . "
  • Whole sections is based on one article
  • Speaks of "overall perspective. . "

Tone and Balance

Guiding questions

• Is the article neutral?
  • Attempts to, but lacks a view from multiple layers
• Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
  • No
• Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
  • Yes, they do not speak of inequality in the funding of schools
• Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?
  • No

Sources and References

Guiding questions

• Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
  • No
• Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
  • No
• Are the sources current?
  • 2/3 Are
• Check a few links. Do they work?
  • Yes. But some are not relevant.

Organization

Guiding questions

As aforementioned, I want to make this into a separate section from this ill named 'family background'

• Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
  • Yes
• Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
  • Yes. Grammatical/syntax errors, first sentence.
• Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?
  • Yes

Images and Media

Guiding questions

• Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
  • No
• 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

• What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
  • The lack of stations and references to sources not provided is equally frustrating for some.
  • Many find this article biased, because it provides sources that are mostly from the 'left', miltan freedman, and anarchists' who according to them are wrong.
  • Only solutions discussed are from the left
• How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
  • It is rated Start and is of mid-level importance
• How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
  • There is someone who made a post all about how this is a load of lies and that it is individuals faults for their own, he asks why don't they just create opportunities for themselves? So I think ignorance is a large difference I am experiencing.
  • I do think it is interesting to discuss these topics with people that aren't all left. It gives a necessary perspective in my option.

Overall impressions

Guiding questions

• What is the article's overall status?
  • Needs help
  • Many people start their post on the talk page with how much of a mess this article is.
• What are the article's strengths?
  • It has people that care about its status. As some have greatly edited it. Some even reverting to personal attacks
  • It has room for improvement?
  • There have been other students who worked on this prior to me, not form Berkeley though. I reached out to both of them.
• How can the article be improved?
  • Ummmm see above. I've literally been listing everything that could be improved this entire time.
• How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?
  • It is underdeveloped in total and poorly developed in some places.

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: Talk:Cycle of poverty#Education