Wikipedia:WikiProject Ships/Assessment/B-class FAQ

Process: B-Class may be assigned by any editor. By convention, ship articles should be assessed by an editor who has not been involved with the article; this is to avoid bias.

Frequently asked questions: B-Class assessment & criteria

How suitable am I?

Q. I'm not certain I am capable of assessing B-class articles, particularly for criteria 2 and 5. What degree of familiarity/expertise would you say is required to assess an article for B-Class?

A. If you've been around for a few months, got your wits about you, and have a "feel" for what B-Class is about, you'll be fine. If you have lingering doubts, try assessing some of the articles at Category:Ships articles with incomplete B-Class checklists. They'll give you a good idea of what to expect.

B-Class not appearing on the banner

Q. What's wrong with the banner? I added and filled in the B-class checklist but B-class is not appearing on the Ships banner on the talk page when I saved.

A. The template only shows the checklist for articles rated Start or higher. If the article is marked as a Stub, the checklist isn't displayed. (If you change the class from Stub to Start and "preview", you'll see how it works.) As long as Start is in the |class= parameter the template will automatically assign the class. There is no need to actually type in |class=B.

B1 It is suitably referenced, and all major points have appropriate inline citations.

Q. How much reference is enough? What about articles using only the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships? A lot of pages only use information from this source, which, although is accurate, may not be ideal. What is the policy in this regard?

A. Policy is to cite anything that is likely to be challenged but, this is B-Class not a FAC so some latitude is permitted. As a rule of thumb, all sections need an absolute minimum of one inline citation and all direct quotes should be attributed to a source. DANFS is an acceptable source.

B2 It reasonably covers the topic, and does not contain obvious omissions or inaccuracies.

Q. How comprehensive does the article need to be?

A. You are checking that there are no obvious gaps and that the article will reasonably answer any questions a general reader (not a specialist) might have. For example, a B-class article about a ship would typically say when and how the ship was built, when it was in use, which notable events it participated in and the ultimate fate of its career. Articles that are extremely short would not pass this criteria.

B3 It has a defined structure, including a lead section and one or more sections of content.

Q. Structure - What is the minimum to pass the article for Structure? If we go by the template comment, as long as it has sections, its ok.

A. Broadly, yes, unless they're ridiculously irrelevant, or very skimpy. Generally, there will be one or more sections of descriptive content along with See also and External links sections. Articles that do not have sections and or contain one long wall of text would not pass this criteria.

Q. How long should the lead section be?

A. Providing it accurately summarizes the main body of the article, the length doesn't matter too much. Expect to see at least one reasonably long paragraph.

B4 - It is free from major grammatical errors

Q. What counts against grammar?

A. Don't worry about minor grammatical errors. If it makes sense and is reasonably well written, pass it. (The ship was sunk in 1918 by a torpedo from a German u-boat. Although 20 of her crew were killed, the remainder, including the captain, took to lifeboats and were picked up by HMS Example, which was in the vicinity.) Fail it only if the article is poorly written: The ship sunk in 1918, by torpedo from a germa uboat. 20 crew went down in it but most with CAPT excvaped in lifeboats and were picked up by example. Obvious spelling errors should be corrected. Keep in mind that articles can be written in British English or American English but should not mix the two.

Q. Do I pass a two-line stub for grammar if there are no mistakes?

A. Don't bother completing the checklist for an article which is that short.

B5 - It contains appropriate supporting materials, such as an infobox, images, or diagrams.

Q. If the page has good images, but lacks a much needed infobox, should I pass it?

A. Pass it, but mark the talk page with {{Ship infobox request}} for articles with no infobox present or {{newinfobox|type=ship}} for articles with outdated infoboxes.

Q. Does a longer article require more supporting materials than a shorter one in order to pass Criterion 5? Is one infobox at the top sufficient for a 12-screen-long article, or does it need something to break up the rest of the text as well?

A. Just an infobox is sufficient for a longer article. Images that are in the public domain can sometimes be hard to find. Images are not compulsory but are recommended if available.