User:Ashleyilao/sandbox
My Mid-Term Quiz for LIBY 1210-09 Winter 2017
My Research Topic is: Lucid Dreaming in Relation to Spirituality
Words Related to My Research Topic Are: Lucid Dreaming, Spirituality
Part 1:
Examine Wikipedia articles that are directly related to your Research Topic and select a substantive article to evaluate. This could be an article about an idea (e.g., I might choose the one about Trance) or a person (if I were researching Reggae music, I might pick Bob Marley). Answer the following questions:
I chose to read and evaluate the article titled: Lucid Dream
1. Is there a warning banner at the top of the article? No
If there is a warning banner, copy and paste the warning banner here.
Write an brief explanation of the reason the issues mentioned in the warning banner are important. For example, if the issue is “needs additional citations for verification,” why does that matter?
Please note: If the article you are evaluating does not have a warning banner, choose a warning banner from a different article and explain the warning that is in that banner.
"This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2012)"
Without any citations it makes the article unreliable and can be considered plagiarism.
2. Is the lead section of the article easy to understand? Does it summarize the key points of the article?
The lead section talks about briefly about what lucid dreaming is and where the term came from. It summarizes the main idea of what lucid dreaming is which helps to understand its history and paves the way for more in depth information.
3. Is the structure of the article clear? “Are there several headings and subheadings, images and diagrams at appropriate places, and appendices and footnotes at the end?”
The structure is clear and is set up starting with the lead section and summary of what lucid dreaming is. Then its history with subheadings which go into where lucid dreaming can be found in history. It then goes into scientific research, definition, suggested application with subheadings, other related articles and references used. The pictures used relate to the content being shown and correlate with the headings as well as the appropriate footnotes describing them.
4. Are “the various aspects of the topic balanced well”? That is does it seem to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic?
The article is balanced well and covers different aspects of lucid dreaming so the reader has a good idea about what lucid dreaming is and what it is about. The article provides a comprehensive overview of lucid dreaming.
5. Does the article provide a “neutral point of view”? Does it read like an encyclopedia article instead of a persuasive essay?
The article provides a neutral point of view by providing scientific research and skepticism pertaining to the topic so it does aim to persuade but rather inform like an encyclopedia.
6. Are the references and footnotes citing reliable sources? Do they point to scholarly and trustworthy information? Beware of references to blogs; look for references to books, scholarly journal articles, government sources, etc.
The article uses reliable, scholarly, trustworthy information and provides many references. It references several reliable scholarly books such as Fossil Legends Of The First Americans and an encyclopedia on occultism and parapsychology.
7. Look for these signs of bad quality and comment on their presence or absence from the article you are evaluating:
a. is the lead section well-written, in clear, correct English? It is written in clear and correct English.
b. are there “unsourced opinions” and/or “value statements which are not neutral”? The article is unbiased and provides only factual information.
c. does the article refer “to ‘some,’ ‘many,’ or other unnamed groups of people,” instead of specific organizations or authors or facts? It does refer to unnamed groups but provides a citation to where the information came from.
d. does the article seem to omit aspects of the topic? The article seems to include enough information and does not leave out anything important
e. are some sections overly long compared to other sections of similar importance to the topic? Each section is similar in length
f. does the article lack sufficient references or footnotes? The article provides a substantial amount of references
g. Look at the “View History” for the article. As you read the conversation there, do you see hostile dialogue or other evidence of lack of respectful treatment among the editors? Those who have worked on the article seem to have cooperated with each other with respect.
Part 2:
Evaluate the Wikipedia article you selected using the CARDIO method. Write your answers following each word below:
Currency (When was the last update of this article? hint: check the View History)
The last update on the article was on January 30, 2017.
Authority (What evidence do you find that the author(s) of this article have the appropriate credentials to write on this topic?)
Each editor in the articles history has varying levels of credentials but all recent editors have permission to edit.
Relevance (to your research topic)
The article is about Lucid Dreaming and does talk about its relationship with spirituality in different cultures.
Depth
The article does not go too in depth but provides enough information for readers to grasp what lucid dreaming is and topics related to it.
Information Format (I hope this one will be easy for you.)
Research Article
Object (what is the purpose for creating this article?)
To provide information surrounding lucid dreaming in a format that is easily accessible and available.