Evaluate an article

This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.

• International Association of the Congo ( International Association of the Congo)
• I chose to evaluate this article because it is about a topic I have a basic understanding of, and hope is accurately explained.

Lead

Guiding questions

• 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?

Lead evaluation

The introductory sentence clearly describes the article's topic. Although, it could have mentioned that it was under the guise of philanthropy. The Lead does not adequately

provide a brief description of the article's major sections. It was also worded in a confusing manner and left the reader more confused than they were before reading it. The

Lead does mention a brief history of the Association that is never mentioned in the rest of the article. The Lead is overly detailed and incredibly brief.

Content

Guiding questions

• 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?

Content evaluation

The article's content is relevant to the topic. The article does not seem up to date. It doesn't mention any recent information, or lack thereof. The

article is missing a lot of content, mostly regarding the history of the organization outside of the Berlin Conference. The article does not deal

with Wikipedia's equity gap. It also does not mention how it plays into the historically underrepresented topic of colonialism, or address the

effects it had on the people of the Congo.

Tone and Balance

Guiding questions

• 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?

Tone and balance evaluation

This article does not make any claims that appear heavily biased. It does drastically underrepresented the people of the Congo. It does overrepresent

the viewpoint of the European Imperialist. The article does not attempt to persuade the reader in favor of any position.

Sources and References

Guiding questions

• 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?

Sources and references evaluation

All of the facts presented in the article are backed up by a reliable secondary source. It is slightly lacking in sources, to better reflect the available literature.

The sources are fairly current. There appears to only be 3 authors of African origin. The reference links work.

Organization

Guiding questions

• 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?

Organization evaluation

The Lead is not very well written, but the rest of the article is clear and easy to read. The article does not appear to have any grammatical or spelling errors. The article is well organized.

Images and Media

Guiding questions

• 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?

Images and media evaluation

The article does not have any pictures, except for the flag. The image has a very vague caption of "flag". The image does adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations.

The sole image is small and not laid out in an 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?
• 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?

Talk page evaluation

There are no conversations going on behind the scenes, except for one person making an announcement. The article is part of 3 WikiProjects, Belgium, Africa, and WikiProject Former Countries.

They have all rated it "start". Wikipedia is giving it a very dry overview, while in class we discuss how it fits into the greater narrative of European Imperialism.

Overall impressions

Guiding questions

• 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?

Overall evaluation

Overall, the article is an okay start, but it needs a lot of work. The article's strength is the accuracy of the information presented. The article needs to better address how it affected the people

of the Congo. And it needs to better address the association's history prior to the Berlin Conference. The article is underdeveloped and not very complete.

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:International Association of the Congo