User:Rschade18/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: Homeland Security
• Briefly describe why you have chosen this article to evaluate.
  • I have chosen this article to evaluate due to my interest in Homeland Security, as well as its relation to the course and international politics.

Lead

Guiding questions

• Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
  • The lead begins with a definition of American Homeland Security, yet the definition is from an unverified source.
• Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
  • The lead does not include a description of the article's major sections. Instead it focuses on the creation of Homeland Security after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
• Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
  • I do not believe that the lead includes information not already present in the article.
• Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?
  • Though the lead has a lot of details and information, it is designed to be an opening to Homeland Security. The leads format allows for all necessary information while explaining it in a clear and concise manner.

Lead evaluation

The lead is at best average. This section allows for a basic overview of Homeland Security, but tends to veer off track from time to time in order to present all information. The lead needs to be polished and edited further.

Content

Guiding questions

• Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
  • The content is extremely relevant to the topic as it explains the creation of Homeland Security, the departments under Homeland Security, criticisms, study, and certifications related to Homeland Security.
• Is the content up-to-date?
  • The most recent article included in the content is from 2019 and the most recent edit is from September 11, 2020.
• Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?
  • There doesn't appear to be content that doesn't belong, yet I would personally add more information about the professional certification tests and training with Homeland Security to assist future reader's understanding.
• Does the article deal with one of Wikipedia's equity gaps? Does it address topics related to historically underrepresented populations or topics?
  • This article does not appear to deal with Wikipedia equity gaps and addressed the American department and thus, the American population.

Content evaluation

The content appears correct and reliable, yet more information should be used added within particular sections to expand the reader's knowledge of the topic.

Tone and Balance

Guiding questions

• Is the article neutral?
  • The article is neutral as it merely states the facts. It has an underlying academic tone that carries the information more effectively to the reader.
• Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
  • There are no claims that appear heavier biased, yet I would personally add more to criticisms and add a support section to better balance the information.
• Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
  • The support for Homeland Security is omitted form the article. Criticism's are also under developed though it is merely stated as fact.
• Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?
  • There is no intentional attempt to persuade the reader in any position.

Tone and balance evaluation

The article requires expansions of more ideas to allow for a greater balance between every view point on Homeland Security.

Sources and References

Guiding questions

• Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
  • All facts appear to be sited and came from government documents and academic sources.
• Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
  • The sources need to include more of the available literature to better reflect the views and information of Homeland Security.
• Are the sources current?
  • All sources are from 2000 and beyond. Most articles are from 2010 and the most recent sources is from 2019.
• Are the sources written by a diverse spectrum of authors? Do they include historically marginalized individuals where possible?
  • The sources I was able to view come from an array of scholars and political figures and officials. They do not include historically marginalized individuals.
• Check a few links. Do they work?
  • Some work but others do not. [4] does not work and [3] is a book only.

Sources and references evaluation

The sources need to be reviews and refined as many are limited viewing or no longer exist.

Organization

Guiding questions

• Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
  • The article is clear and concise. It provides all necessary information in a clear and efficient way for the reader.
• Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
  • There were no obvious grammatical or spelling errors that I was able to catch.
• Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?
  • The article is well-organized, but appears to be missing sections. I would also shorten the lead section and create a history section separately.

Organization evaluation

The organization needs more work as more sections could be included.

Images and Media

Guiding questions

• Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
  • There is no images included. I believe images of Homeland Security Department seal would be valuable.
• Are images well-captioned?
  • This cannot be determined.
• Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
  • This cannot be determined.
• Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?
  • This cannot be determined.

Images and media evaluation

There was no images included on the article. The only suggestion for an image would be the department seal.

Checking the talk page

Guiding questions

• What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
  • There is only one addition to the talk page that discussed the modification of an external link. There is nothing beyond that.
• How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
  • There is no rating available, but it is apart of Law Enforcement, Military History, and US Public Policy Wikiprojects.
• How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
  • This particular article, which I struggled to decide on, was not covered in class.

Talk page evaluation

There is barely a talk page on the Homeland Security article.

Overall impressions

Guiding questions

• What is the article's overall status?
  • The article is complete with no major issues. The status is as a preliminary article.
• What are the article's strengths?
  • The article is concise and full of history about the development of Homeland Security.
• How can the article be improved?
  • The article can be improved by adding more sections and expanding on view points on Homeland Security. A review of the references would also be beneficial to the success of the article.
• How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?
  • I believe that the article is a tad underdeveloped. There needs to be more information added and adjusted to better develop the over all information.

Overall evaluation

The article needs more information and contributions to better develop the article as a whole.

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: