User:Raf3279/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: (link) The Kite Runner
• Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate.

Lead

Guiding questions

Overall, the lead exhibits great characteristics of a Wikipedia article.It includes an introductory sentence that pout's the Kite Runner in the topic of the first book written by Khaled Hoesseini. However, the lead could be improved on several bases. The lead does not include any description of the main section of the article. While it does allude to the themes of the book in the second paragraph, it does not make a direct link to either the elements of the plot or introduces the character's properly. Additionally, the first paragraph is the only time in the article that specifically alludes to the backdrop of the story such as the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy. For the most part, the lead is concise but could use the improvements previously mentioned to give a more general overview of the book.

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• 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

For the most part, the article is filled with content relevant to the book and has up to date information on the author. The one piece of content missing is a discussion about the backdrop of the story which could be linked further to the conflicts mentioned such as the downfall of Afghanistan's monarchy. As such, it represents one of Wikipedia's equity gaps since most people are not aware of the circumstances that surrounded the fall of the monarchy.

• 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

Guiding questions

Overall, the article is written in a neutral tone. The section on the book's controversies appears as containing more information about Hoesseini's point of view and could use more information on the Afghani point of view, but does not attempt to sway the reader in any direction. The themes and controversies section could use a revision.

• 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

It appears as if all of the sources cited are reliable sources of information and reflect the most current information on the book except for the continued prevalence of the controversies surrounding the book. There are many sources from many different articles and links are working to them.

• 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?
• Check a few links. Do they work?

Organization

Guiding questions

The article is very easy to read while demonstrating the characteristics of being concise and clear. With a read over, it appears that there are no grammatical errors and is well organized to break the topics surrounding the book apart.

• 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

The images present help to put into context much of the information being discussed such as a picture of the city where the book takes place. The pictures are well captioned to make clear what they are and appear to adhere to Wikipedia;as copyright regulations. The images are used sparingly and are laid out accordingly.

• 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

There seems to be a political controversy on how to represent the conflicts that surround the book and could use some improvement. It is rated level 5 and a part of the novels and Afghanistan projects.

• 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

Overall status is a good article. It's strengths are in its summary of the book but its description of the real life controversies and events surrounding the story can be improved. This would include strengthening the historical background of the article as well as improving the controversies page to better encapsulate varying viewpoints. Thus, the article is about 90% complete since it doesn't address this issue accurately and completely.

• 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

with four tildes — ~~~~

• Link to feedback: Talk:The Kite Runner#Suggestions for Lead "Suggestions for Lead"

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